“That may be true,” Lachlan says, his eyes serious. He’s leaning back in a chair perched precariously on two legs. “But think of all the time he won’t spend chasing pussy now?”
I punch his arm so hard he topples over. “Not in front of Sheena, you—”
Keenan raises his eyes heavenward. Lachlan’s laughing even as he rubs his arm and adjusts his chair.
“It’s my job, Sheena,” he says. “I don’t mean anything by it. Nolan has no younger brother, see.”
She shakes her head and cracks a smile. “He can still chase pussy,” she says. “Around the dining room table, then?”
Even Keenan chuckles. I only shake my head. “Alright,” I say out of the side of my mouth. “Behave yourself.”
“Or what?” she breathes in my ear.
My God, the little brat.
I bend my mouth to her ear and make a promise that makes her flush as deeply as Fiona.
Keenan clears his throat. “Since something like this is unprecedented, I thought it prudent to discuss it as brothers. But you have your mind made up, Nolan. And I understand why.” He draws in a deep breath, and once more the heaviness of leadership rests heavily in the lines of his forehead. “So tell us how we can help, and we’ll do what we can.”
Sheena blinks rapidly, as if she’s trying to hold back tears. I squeeze her hand.
“Aye, brother. I will.”
We stand together and leave the room. It feels symbolic, leaving a meeting of The Clan together like this, like I’ve made my choice. We did it once before, but the circumstances were very different.
I won’t choose. I refuse. I love Sheena, and I love The Clan. And if Cormac and Keenan can raise a family in The Clan, so can I. Hell, I’ve already recruited a new brother.
Still, as the days pass and nothing comes of the run-in with the O’Gregors, we pack our bags and prepare to move, a part of me grieves this. It’s what anyone would, I suppose, like the loss of a childhood innocence.
We move to the vacant cottage that overlooks the Irish Sea, just like the mansion. It’s only a stone’s throw from the home where I grew up, which pleases mam immensely. She can go for a bit of a walk and come visit anytime she wishes. It pleases Keenan, too, to have me so close he can call a meeting whenever he needs. Carson says the location is perfect for safety purposes and shows me how we can surround our new home on all sides with the protection we need.
On the day we move, I find myself standing at the edge of the cliffs, just like I did the day I was instructed to find Sheena. I look out at the sea and take a drag from a cigarette. I don’t smoke much, but there are times it helps.
“Didn’t you know you smoked, Nolan.” I look over my shoulder to see Tiernan and Fiona approaching me.
I toss the cigarette to the ground and grind it beneath my heel. “I’m quitting,” I tell them. “That was my last one. It’s a terrible, nasty habit.” I’m suddenly aware of the fact that I’m responsible for these two now, to help Sheena raise them right. I cross my arms on my chest and give them a serious look. “And if I ever catch the two of you smoking—”
“Wait, now, how did catching you with a smoke become a lecture to us?” Fiona asks, her eyes dancing with amusement.
I stroke my chin thoughtfully. “Well, since I’ll… sort of be your brother now.”
She grins. “Sort of. But be warned, I already have an older brother, and I don’t let him boss me around either.”
Tiernan growls, and I feel an instant kinship with the lad. He rolls his eyes as he looks to me, then clears his throat. “Anyway, Nolan, we’re here for a reason,” he says. “Can we have a word?”
“Of course.” Mam and dad were always good about being available for us, never turning us away. They never made it feel like an inconvenience. I feel the weight of responsibility for these two. And if I’m honest?
I like that.
I wasted years of my life before I got my head on straight, with no one to care for, no responsibilities. And now that I have them… even if by choice… I feel more fulfilled.
Fiona crosses her arms over her chest, and though she looks at me kindly, her voice holds an edge of steel that reminds me of her sister.
“We’ve seen what Sheena’s gone through the past few years. And if you have any intentions at all about leaving her, know this. It will break her heart.”
Tiernan nods. “Aye. And we won’t allow it, Nolan. We won’t let anyone lead her around, you see. We saw her waste herself on men who didn’t deserve her in the past. And let’s be honest. A connection to your family brings added complications.”