"Yeah?"
"I’m proud of you," he said fiercely. "I was proud even before I knew you were mine. And now?—"
He broke off, shaking his head like the words were too big to fit.
She blinked hard against the sudden sting in her eyes. "I’ll see you next Sunday," she said, voice thick.
He stood, hesitated, then reached out.
For a moment she froze, then stepped into his hug.
His arms wrapped around her tightly, no hesitation, no half-measures. And for the first time in her life, Aisling felt like maybe she wasn’t so alone after all.
When he pulled back, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered, "Thank you for giving me this chance."
And then he was gone, stepping out into the evening mist, leaving Aisling standing in the flickering firelight, clutching her tea, her heart aching, but also, strangely, hopeful.
CHAPTER34
By the time the sun broke over Mountshannon the next morning, Aisling was already in a foul mood. Sleep had been a fleeting, cruel thing—every time she closed her eyes, the letter from her mother haunted her. The past bled into the present so thoroughly, she wasn’t sure where one ended and the other began.
The sounds of hammers and saws filled the house as the construction crew worked on the final touches to the library and upstairs bedrooms. She wandered into the kitchen, cradling a mug of strong tea like it was armor.
The kitchen and family room were gorgeous together. The house was coming along, and she wished for just a second that her life in Ireland would come together as well.
When she heard the knock at the front door, she frowned. Visitors were rare this early. If it was Declan, he wasn’t getting sweet words or a smile—he was about to get a piece of her mind, not a piece of her body.
Wiping her hands on her jeans, she opened the door—and immediately stiffened.
Ronan stood there, his jaw set in a grim line. Beside him, leaning heavily on a cane, was an old man with fierce blue eyes and the kind of presence that seemed to fill the entire doorway.
Séamus Gallagher.
Everything inside her went tight and brittle.
Before she could slam the door, Ronan lifted a hand. "Please, Aisling. Hear him out."
Séamus gave a snort, unimpressed. "Girl looks just like her mother. Same fire in the eyes. Same sharp tongue, I’d wager."
Aisling's spine stiffened. "You’re lucky all I have in my hand is a teacup. And believe me, yes, I have a sharp tongue.”
Séamus barked a laugh. "A true O'Byrne."
Ronan looked uncomfortable, shifting his weight like he’d rather be anywhere else, but he stayed silent.
With a clipped nod, Aisling stepped back. "Fine. Five minutes."
She led them into the sitting room where the sounds of the construction upstairs rattled through the old walls. Séamus lowered himself into the armchair with a grunt and settled his cane between his knees.
Aisling crossed her arms. "Start talking."
The old man didn’t flinch. "I tricked your grandmother, Noreen, into signing a binding agreement over twenty-five years ago. We had betrothed you at the time of your birth, but I wanted to make certain that no one received Noreen’s property but us. So I tricked her into signing the addendum. It stated that if you didn’t marry my grandson within ninety days of your inheritance, the land would revert to us. My goal was that no one else would ever own the property, but an O’Byrne or a Gallagher.”
The words dropped like stones in the room.
She blinked, stunned. "You tricked her?"
"Aye," Séamus said, unrepentant. "Told her it was a simple border agreement, a protection against future disputes. She trusted me. Shouldn’t have. O’Byrnes and Gallaghers have been feuding for generations, but she wanted peace. Especially after your mother left. I used that against her."
