When we entered my brother’s apartment, it was silent. We both entered the living room, and all eyes fell on us. Everyone’s eyes locked on Alannah’s and my hands, and they all seemed to sigh a breath of relief when they saw our fingers threaded together. Before anyone spoke, Alannah crossed the room to Alec and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
“I love ye’,” she said, her voice muffled against his chest. “So much ye’ cup obsessed bastard.”
Alec vibrated with laughter.
“I love you too, you cup destroying bitch. You’re getting me a new one, by the way. I’m going to be a nightmare until you do.”
When they separated, they were laughing. I noticed everyone was looking at the pair of us with grins. Bronagh embraced Alannah next, and she was crying.
“I love you so much.” She sniffled. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Alannah told her. “Do not be sorry. I understand.”
They held each other tightly.
“You’re me best friend, and I love ye’ so much.”
When they separated, Alannah looked around the room.
“I apologise to all of ye’s,” she said, swallowing. “I understand why ye’s wanted to protect me from knowin’ about your past, and I’m so sorry I called ye’ monsters. I hope ye’ can forgive me.”
“Alannah,” Ryder said with a huff. “You were forgiven the second you said it, kid.”
She hugged him, and then everyone else in the room, before she returned to my side and slid her arm around my waist.
“Me and Damien have talked, a lot, and he has told me everythin’ he needed to,” she said. “I wanted your stories to come from each of you, and I know you’re all willin’ to tell me, but as of right now, I don’t need to know any more. If I do, I’ll ask. At this moment in time, I just want to leave the past in the past and focus on our futures.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself, Lana.”
She looked at Dominic when he spoke and smiled.
“I just need you four to help me with somethin’,” she said, nodding to Ryder, Alec, Kane, and Nico. “Somethin’ important.”
“Anything,” they replied.
“I need to ye’ tell Damien not to blame himself for all the horrible things Marco and those other people involved have put ye’s through because he blames himself and doesn’t believe me when I say otherwise. He doesn’t feel like he is truly a brother to you lads, and it breaks me heart that he feels that way.”
I tensed and looked down at her, shocked she had mentioned that.
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“I do,” Dominic said, gaining my attention. “Say that you aren’t to blame, and that you’re my brother.”
“I am to blame, though,” I replied. “This happened, all of it, because of me. Every job you all had to do, every ounce of pain and worry your women went through, was because of me. I ruined everything.”
I remained still when Dominic got in my space, grabbed the collar of my sweater, and hauled me up against him. I saw pain in his eyes, and I wanted to make it go away.
“Whatever you have done or whatever you do, you’re still my fucking brother! Realise that, and then fucking accept it. I love you to death, man. I wouldn’t change a thing about my life; it’s made me who I am and brought me to my family.”
“But your life—”
“Wouldn’t have turned out like this if our past didn’t happen. I’d have never met Bronagh, the woman I’m going to marry, and she would never have given me a beautiful baby girl or be pregnant with my second baby.”
I stared at my brother, my twin, and I felt lost.
“But Dominic—”
“No!” He shook me. “You. Did. Not. Ruin. Our. Lives.”
“Dominic—”
“Damien!” he screamed, his head shaking. “You did nothing to us. So many people are responsible for the bad shit that’s happened to us, but it was all because of one person, and that person was Marco, not you. Never you.”
I remained mute.
“Acknowledge it,” he pressed. “Out loud.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “I can’t.”
I felt responsible for everything, and I couldn’t just switch it off.
“Damien,” Dominic said slowly. “Acknowledge. It. Out. Loud.”
I heard Alannah’s cry, and it broke my heart that this confrontation was upsetting her.
“Damien.” Alec spoke from behind us. “Say it because it’s the truth, bro. Everything that happened to us was not your fault. None of it.”
I didn’t know how he could say that to me after what happened to him.
“Say it, kid,” Kane urged. “You’re not to blame, for fucking any of it.”
I opened my eyes and looked at each of my brothers. I looked into their eyes, and a sob caught in my throat when I saw their truth. They truly didn’t blame me for anything that had happened to us. They weren’t just protecting me because I was their brother; they were telling me the truth because they loved me.