Page 36 of Beer & Broomsticks
“I’ll have to hold ya to teleport,” Ruairí told her.
Alexander coughed into his hand, “Bullshit.”
Bridget fought back a laugh. Another lie. But one she could easily forgive. Ruairí, the prince of little white lies, was at it again, but she didn’t mind becausesheknew thatheknew that she wasn’t an eejit and would eventually figure out he was codding her. Those small fibs only proved how much he cared and that he wanted to go the extra mile to hold her or remind her what they’d meant to each other.
It was why, when Alexander called Ruairí on his ridiculous game of remember-when, Bridget didn’t get upset. Yes, she’d overheard his confession. Yes, it was sneaky as feck. But in the end, he wanted to take her on a trip down memory lane, and she’d let him. Perhaps she needed those memories to recall exactly how good it had been between them. They couldn’t go back, but maybe they could have something a little more solid moving forward.
She was also curious what he had planned. Whatever it was, it would be clever. Ruairí had a brilliant mind. It was a rare occasion when he used it to benefit himself, as prone as he was to help others out, so this time, she’d let him get away with it—as long as it benefited her, too. And when she returned home after, she’d look for the sword without him being any the wiser.
As Bridget snuggled into Ruairí’s embrace, she grinned at Alexander and gave him a wink. She didn’t want him to believe she was so easily hoodwinked.
Her insides warmed to almost burning but cooled just as rapidly. Opening her eyes, she saw they were standing in the drive outside the fully restored grand house.
“What the fuckin’ hell happened here, then?” Ruairí looked surly and out of sorts, and all Bridget could do was laugh.
“Ah, so you didn’t know Piper restored the old place for Cian and her to settle into?” She shouldn’t have taken so much pleasure in his reaction, but she was only human. If he could try to pull one over on her, she had no problem reciprocating.
His look of frustration made her laugh, and she linked her arm through his. “They’ve given us permission to explore.”
“But this was ours. Our place. We had dreams and…”
When his words became choked, the reason for his reaction became clear.
Bridget turned to him and sandwiched his face between her palms. “We did. Once. But Piper fell in love with the place when Cian showed it to her, and you and I were over. For me, there was no looking back, and I signed the papers over to Cian a month after Piper used her magic to restore the place.”
“So there’s no hope?” His voice was raw and hoarse, as if she’d destroyed all his dreams.
She stretched and brushed his lips with hers. “If we determine we’re meant to be, we’ll make new memories, yeah?”
For the longest moment, he stared at her, indecision on his face. Her stomach plummeted to her toes and she dropped her arms to her sides when he said, “We should go.”
“Then we’re not here to find the sword,” she asked in a carefully neutral tone.
“It’s not here if they already took away the evidence of… well, whatever clues there might’ve been,” he replied flatly.
“Ruairí, look at me.” When he reluctantly did as she requested, she said, “If you truly believe there is a clue here, then we’ll look. Piper told me she’d restored some of the original features. Perhaps what we seek is still here.”
“No. I’m a fool, and what I seek is likely gone. I’m after needing a minute.”
As he walked away, Bridget felt a crushing disappointment. Maybe it was for what they’d lost; maybe it was for his reaction. And maybe it was directed inward for her own trick. Had she understood how important this quest truly was to him, she’d have been kinder and told him the whole of it before they left Lucky’s.
Left with no choice but to make herself comfortable until he returned, she ascended the steps and knocked on the door. Piper answered with a wide smile and a tight hug.
“Bridget! How did you get here? I didn’t hear a car approach.”
“I teleported.”
Eyes wide with excitement, Piper squealed.
“No!” Bridget grimaced. “Not like that, I didn’t. Ruairí brought me.”
“Ah.” Although she appeared disappointed, her new sister-in-law quickly recovered and clasped Bridget’s hand. “Come, have a cup of tea with me. We can call GiGi and make it a party,” she said with a laugh.
“A cuppa would be lovely, but I’m awaiting Ruairí’s return. When he cools off, he’ll be back.”
As she led the way down the beautifully refurbished hallway, Piper glanced back over her shoulder. “What’s he salty about?”
“I’m afraid I let him believe this—” Bridget waved an arm to gesture to their surroundings “—was still in its sorry state.”
