“Problem is, I’m not sure she still wants me,” I tell him, and even the words make me feel like a petulant teen again. “She’s been… distant or something.”
Nolan shoves all the bags in the car, and turns to me. “Nothing to worry about, Lach. She’ll come around.” His jaw clenches. “If you’ve claimed her, she’ll have to.”
There’s no turning around from a Clan claiming. Bloody hell. Does Fiona know that?
Nolan stares off at Fiona and Sheena. They’re got their arms around each other, and Fiona’s head’s on Sheena’s shoulder.
“You don’t need me to tell you those girls have had a hard go of it, do you?”
I shake my head. “Course not.”
“They’re… how do I say this.” He strokes his chin. “Hard to get past, sometimes. Sheena had a chip on her shoulder and pushed me away. You remember how we met, don’t you?”
I remember it well. Sheena was an investigative reporter bound and determined to bring down the Clan, when she thought them responsible for the death of her father.
“She was brazen and tough as nails,” Nolan says softly. “But I’ll tell you, Lach, once I broke through—well, it’s just her exterior, isn’t it? She put up a wall, and you know why if you think about it, don’t you?”
I nod. “I think so.”
“She’s just afraid, lad,” he says. “Afraid to get hurt. We all learn certain coping mechanisms at our mam’s apron strings, don’t we?”
I nod. I would guess so.
“Damned miracle those children came out of that fucking situation as good as they did.”
“I always thought Fiona so innocent,” I say with a laugh.
“And it’s why you treated her like a child,” Nolan supplies. “I get it. She is sweet, the sweetest girl there is. But she’s got her sister’s temper. I promise you, Lachlan, if you pursue her, if you truly don’t give up, and you hold your ground, she’ll reward you so richly you’d think yourself feckin’ Midas.”
I swallow hard and nod. “Aye.”
“And honest to God,” he says. “Never underestimate the power of a firm hand.”
I raise my brows to him in surprise, but he only chuckles. “Will bring down the walls of the most stubborn little wench.”
“If she doesn’t fucking kill you.”
He grins. “Do it right, lad, and she definitely won’t be trying to kill you.”
He jerks his chin at the car where the luggage is. “Tell you what.” He raises his brows. “Just remembered an errand I’ve got in town. I’ll take this car, you take that one.”
He gestures for Sheena to join him, and she reluctantly pulls away from her sister. Fiona watches me apprehensively, and I swear to God I can see her constructing the fortress around her heart again, brick by fucking brick.
“I’ll go with Sheena,” Fiona begins, but Nolan shakes his head.
“So sorry, lass. Can’t have you come with us. Back seat’s filled with things we picked up for Keenan, see? We’re off to town. Lachlan will take you back.”
Sheena kisses her cheek. “See you soon.”
I open the car door and jerk my chin. “Get in.”
Fiona flops in the seat and sighs.
“Was good to see them, wasn’t it?” I ask. She doesn’t respond. “Now Fiona, I’ll not have you freeze me out, lass. I don’t care what the hell’s going on in that head of yours, this isn’t how we’ll deal with things.”
“With what things?”
“Conflict.”
She looks out the window as I start the car and we begin to drive.
“Lachlan, I just don’t know if this is the right time for us… for you…” her voice trails off.
“Ah, no you don’t,” I interrupt. “No evasion, Fiona.”
“I’m too young to be claimed!” she says loudly.
“Are you?” My brows furrow together.
“I want to… see the world and stuff,” she says. “Do more than spread my legs for you and have your babies.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I mutter. “What the hell do you think claiming is?”
“I want to pay my own bills and not be beholden to anyone,” she continues, not answering my question. “I want to prove I’m not a child.”
“You’ve proven that to me,” I mutter. Perhaps she needs to prove it to herself? But she’s reflecting the very fears I had before I pursued her, the very reasons I stayed away. “Maybe if you need to prove it to yourself you need to stop acting like a child.” Maybe Nolan has a point, and I need to break down those walls around her heart over my knee.
We argue back and forth and finally come to a fuming sort of truce. I don’t want to fight her, but I think she’s being ridiculous.
I’m driving through the city centre, not far from Ballyhock.
“Jesus, it feels good to be back home,” I say, and she gives a long sigh.
“Aye. One point we can agree on.”
She opens her mouth to say something when something hits our tire, and the car veers crazily off to the side. A deafening boom! sounds behind us, and I lose total control of the car. I reach my arm out instinctively to brace her from getting hurt, my head crashes on the steering wheel, she screams. There’s an explosion behind us, and I’m thrown from the car.