Page 73 of Irish Betrayal

She sat at a desk in an empty office. “You are horrible, Daniel. I’m sure Linda heard that.”

“Does it help you to know that I’m proud of being your first. And last,” he tacked on. “Anyway, back to that night. Don’t you remember us buying that house?”

“I…I…I,” she stuttered, “remember, but after…after I thought you wouldn’t have gone through with it.”

“Oh, sweet innocent Blair,” he sighed. “Surely you know me better than that. You leaving was a hiccup in my plans, but I knew that we’d always end up together.” At her raised eyebrows, he amended with, “Some days I might have wondered, but you love that place, and I wanted us to have it.”

“Oh, Daniel. I’m beside myself. I’ve never seen such a stunning house, and the greenhouse,” she sighed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Greenhouses,” he corrected. Daniel could see Blair trying to remember the property, confusion creasing her brow. “The two new ones are almost complete. Your mom told me what you would want.”

“Good Lord, Daniel. I don’t even know where to begin, and since I’ve known you my whole life, there’s no reason to try and change your mind about any of it. You are an O’Faolain. But Daniel!”

“Mom and my aunts are ready to tackle the house the moment you’re home.”

“They can tackle it all they want. I’ll be in the greenhouses,” she grinned and clapped her hands. “I love you, Daniel. I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

“I love you too. So much.”

“You’re going to make it pretty tough to leave home for Wales. You realize that. Ulf will be so mad at you,” she said, laughing.

“So, you’ve decided on Wales, have you?”

“I’ll whip that nature preserve of Ulf's into shape while I do my doctorates, and after a few years, I’ll do consultation work for INCS and spend most of my time studying what I want to in my greenhouses, built for me by my man.”

“I like that plan. Uncle Ulf definitely will.”

“He is relentless.”

“I need to leave, and you need to get back to your plants. Peter hasn’t tried to contact you? I need to call Trinity and ask about the situation. After what Dr. Bartel told you about how she thought the schools would handle Samson’s behavior, I imagine he didn’t have a job waiting when he got home.”

“Not a word. Don’t worry.”

Daniel hadn’t liked the worried expression that crossed her face then. A few days later he was still thinking about it. She hated talking about her ex, or whatever he was. He wanted to forget Peter Samson, but there were still things he knew Blair was keeping from him about that man.

Daniel could only hope that one day she would confide in him.

Five more days until she was home.

thirty-five

BLAIR

It was Wednesday. Finally. She’d been texting her friend group, including the boys, for days, enjoying having the whole crew back in her life. She hadn’t only missed her best friends and Daniel when she got to Oklahoma, but also Jonathan, Ciar, and Dagr.

She placed a hand over her abdomen, grinning at the slight swelling underneath her palm. The moment she realized that her stomach ailments were actually a growing baby, she started to “bloom,” as Dr. Mitchell called it.

Blair had expected the doctor would be giving her something equivalent to Ireland’s Gaviscon for upset bellies and bloating and instead got a bottle of prenatal vitamins.

Her toes and fingers tingled in anticipation of telling Daniel. He was going to freak out. Her parents—Blair shied away from considering her father and brother’s reaction. Her mom would be surprised but excited.

She would tell them about Peter first, though. She wanted the bad stuff behind her, even though she knew her parents would want him prosecuted, and that would mean months, possibly years of reliving the past.

It would also be humiliating for her friends and family to know. It made her sick to think about it, but she was committed.

Her father called her yesterday, which wasn’t anything new, but she’d known the moment his first words were translated that he knew…something.

Plus, he usually texted during the day because she couldn’t drive and read his responses.