Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“How did you find out?”
“She was at my place all the time—we were basically living together. Loni couldn’t find her bank card one morning, and I was running late. I gave her mine and told her to take what she needed. She gave it back and paid me the hundred bucks a day later. I tucked the cash and the card into the drawer and never thought about it again. I always use my credit card, rarely the debit since I like the cash back thing.”
“We all do.” Liam chuckled. “Dad drummed that into our heads. ‘Free money,’ he’d say.”
I nodded. “A couple weeks later, I got a call from the bank manager, saying he’d been trying to get a hold of me. There was some weird activity on my account. A lot of cash withdrawals. He told me he’d left several voice mails and left messages with my wife. I told him I didn’t have a wife. Loni had been deleting the voice mails at home and intercepting the calls.” I sucked in a deep breath. “She had the password to the account and changed my cell phone number in my profile so I wouldn’t get the calls. He’d gone a step further and called the office to speak directly to me.”
“What a bitch,” Liam snarled.
I lifted one shoulder. “I went to the condo and found her in bed with Dave. We had a huge fight, and it all came out. Her plans. Her scathing opinion of me. How useless I really was. Dave called me a few choice names.”
“What did you do?”
“I punched him, threw her out, and filed charges.”
“You never said a word.”
I met his puzzled gaze. “I was embarrassed.”
“You had no reason to be.”
“My supposed best friend and the woman I thought I loved both hated me. Only wanted me for my money and my connections. Stole from me. And I never noticed.”
“As you say, you were in love.”
“No, I was in lust. And stupid.”
“What happened to the charges?”
“She paid back some of the money and left town. So did Dave. I dropped the charges. I wasn’t going to get money out of a stone, and I just wanted to move past it.”
“She might do it again.”
“Ah, well, I did tell one person about what happened. At least part of it.”
“Who?”
“Reid. He hacked in to her personal profile and is still tracking her in the background.”
“I see.”
“She’s working at a casino in Alberta. Alone. I have no idea where Dave is, and I don’t care. Without me, they had nothing together.”
“I’m sorry you went through that. I’m even more sorry that you never told us, and that you went through that alone.” He shook his head. “Don’t ever do that again, do you understand? We all love you, Ronan. We’re here. For you. You need to understand that.” He jabbed the top of the desk with his finger. “Never again.”
I was surprised by his vehemence. “Got it.”
He was quiet.
“So, by not telling Beth who you are, you felt what—protected? You were making sure she wasn’t like Loni?”
“To be honest, I never compared them. Beth is so different. But I liked just being Ronan with her.” I stared at the top of my desk, the plans covering the surface, files open and waiting for my attention. “But you’re right. I have to tell her and hope she’ll understand and forgive me. And then I’ll bring her out to meet Mom and Dad if she does.” I paused. “Just Mom and Dad and my siblings. I don’t want to scare her.”
He smiled wide, his eyes crinkling. “I can understand. But you need to do it soon.”
“I will. This weekend.”
“Ronan,” he began. “I know you feel a responsibility toward Paul and Jeremy. You’ve always been the watcher. The peacemaker. I know how often you put aside your own wants and likes for them. Ava sees it, so do I.” He paused. “Mom and Dad see it as well—to a point. But I know. It’s okay for you to have something they don’t. To keep part of your life just for you. We all need that. But don’t hide who you are because of what that woman did. She was the exception, not the rule.” He met my eyes. “You deserve to be happy. If Beth makes you happy, grab it.”
“She does. I feel differently when I’m with her.”
“Then later we’re going to sit down and you’re going to tell me all about her. Deal?”
The thought of sharing my feelings about Beth made me smile. “Yeah, deal.”
He stood. “And remember, I’m here if you need me. Anytime.”
“Thanks, Liam. But I’m still giving Ava shit for telling you.”
“You do what you gotta do, little bro. Piss her off, though, and you’ll end up in a headlock faster than you can blink.”
I laughed, knowing he was right. Our sister was strong, and she didn’t take any shit. Especially from us. I’d have to tell her off across the table so I could run if I had to.