Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
I still wasn’t one hundred percent convinced the police told me the entire truth and until then, I’d rather not be responsible for Lorcan’s immediate arrest.
Two tall men walked on either side of Finn, one of them rolling his spiderman suitcase for him. Finn beamed when he spotted me. He didn’t seem scared at all. He began running, though his left side gave him some troubles today. I raced toward him and caught him in my arms, hugging him tightly to my chest and lifting him off the ground.
“I missed you so much, Finn.”
I kissed his cheek several times until he squirmed a little, and I finally pulled back to look at his face. I’d missed him so much, his cute voice and the way he looked with his pacifier when he slept—even his sticky fingers when he touched me right after eating a marmalade toast.
“M-mmm-mis-mis-missed you too,” he said, still grinning widely.
“How was the flight?”
“C-c-cool! We g-g-g-got to see the c-c-c-ockpit and t-t-alk to the p-p-p-p-pilot, and I had a huge seat with m-m-m-my own TV and the seat t-t-t-t-turned into a bed.” He was so excited, his stutter was much more apparent, but I didn’t have any trouble understanding him.
“That sounds amazing. Did you ride business class?”
“Yes,” the younger man said. “Thanks to this little guy, Lorcan treated us to the luxury of business class too. We’ll always be indebted to you, Sir Finn.” Finn and the man exchanged a grin. The man nodded at me. “I’m Sullivan, and this is my older brother Murphy.” He motioned at the slightly overweight but muscular, bearded man behind him. “We’re here to help your husband extend his business.”
“Nice to meet you.”
We headed toward the exit. Finn clung to me like a spider monkey, so I carried him. Luckily, he was a small kid and I had no trouble with his weight. “I don’t have a car. I came in a taxi,” I explained as we passed through the sliding doors.
Maeve had offered to take me but today I didn’t feel like company. My conversation with the police shook me up too much.
“Seamus is coming to get us,” Sullivan said.
I frowned. “Seamus is away on business with Lorcan.”
“He’s over there.”
I followed Sullivan’s pointer finger toward a Cadillac. Seamus leaned against it, talking to no other than Lorcan.
The color instantly drained from my face. I wasn’t expecting Lorcan to return until tomorrow. I thought I’d have until then to brace myself, to play my part. I was fully unprepared now.
I felt like a deer in headlights when I walked toward him.
Lorcan looked up and spotted me. Though, his expression had warmed a tad, when he met my eyes, his brows pulled together. Get a grip, Aislinn. You need to play your part. Don’t mess up.
I forced a smile, but I knew it wasn’t convincing.
Lorcan briefly greeted Murphy and Sullivan before stopping in front of me. Finn peered up at Lorcan then quickly buried his face in my shoulder. He was always shy with strangers, especially men, and Lorcan was a very imposing man.
“No need to be shy, Finn. I have my trunk filled with toys for you. I hope you like some of them. I wasn’t sure what you’d like.”
Finn peeked out of one eye, curiosity filling his face but he still clung to me. He yawned. The time difference was obviously messing with him.
Lorcan opened the back door, and my eyes widened when I saw a brand-new child seat. “I had Seamus buy it a couple of days ago. I don’t have a clue about child seats.”
I put Finn in it, but he quickly gripped my hand, not letting go. “I’ll sit in the back with you, okay? I just need to buckle you up.” He released my hand but kept a close eye on me as I closed the door and moved to the other side. Lorcan waited beside the driver seat. “You don’t look happy to see me.”
My heart hammered in my chest. “I was just surprised.”
“That wasn’t surprise.”
Think, Aislinn, think. I slanted a look at Finn, who was watching closely from inside the car.
“Are you worried about him?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “Many people treat him as if he’s different. They don’t know how to act around him because of his spasms and stutter. You don’t strike me as a patient man, and caring for Finn requires patience. I was anxious about your first encounter.”
Lorcan pulled me against him, and I tensed. “Not in front of him,” I whispered, hoping Lorcan would buy it.
He chuckled. “Calm down. I’m hugging you. I’m sure he won’t mind. And now about your concerns about me treating him differently. He’s a boy like any other. I won’t treat him differently, except to spoil him rotten perhaps.”
“Why?” I asked. I didn’t want Lorcan to be kind, not after the photos I saw today. What was going on? What was he playing at? I didn’t understand any of this, but deep down I had a feeling Finn would be safe here.