Page 47 of Faithless Vows

That makes sense. And it loosens something in my chest. I’d been so sure, after not seeing them since I arrived, that they didn’t want to see me. Knowing it hadn’t been that at all leaves me lighter. “I guess it worked out,” I say. “You’re here now.”

He hums. “We’re coming for dinner tomorrow. Your grandmam invited us when she saw me at the house.” He bumps his shoulder lightly against mine. “You’ll see Catríona then, Mam too.”

“That sounds really good,” I say, smiling.

He grins. “Good. Because Catríona’s already impatient.”

We stand and start back up the lane together. This time, when I slip, Finn just catches my elbow and steadies me without comment.

Halfway back, he nods at my boots. “Those Maeve’s?”

“Yes,” I say, instantly defensive. “Don’t start.”

He doesn’t tease me. He just says, matter-of-fact, “You should get your own, though.”

I sigh. “I know.”

“Catríona’s been wanting to go into town,” he says. “She needs a new coat.”

I glance at him. “You think she’d want to go with me?”

Finn gives me a look. “Lannie. I think if you asked her, she’d have you out the door before you knew what hit you.”

That makes me grin. “And if I don’t ask?”

Finn shrugs. “Then I’ll tell her you’re still borrowing Maeve’s boots, and she’ll show up at your door out of spite.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Fine,” I say. “Tell her to call for me. Or we can talk tomorrow at dinner.”

“I’ll tell her,” he says. “She’ll be pleased.”

We reach the house, my grandmam’s humming drifting out through the open kitchen window. Finn pauses at the step, his hand resting on the latch. He looks back at me. “I’m really glad you’re home, Lannie,” he says.

I meet his gaze, warmth blooming in my chest, and give a small smile. “I am too.” Then he opens the door, and we go inside.

The house is warm and busy, voices overlapping from the next room. My grandmam sits at the table with a bowl of potatoes in her lap, knife flashing as she works. “Sorry I took longer than I meant to,” I say, already moving toward her. She smiles and rises, setting the bowl of potatoes and her knife on the table. I step in and kiss her cheek before she turns back to the stove.

I take her seat and set the bowl of potatoes on my lap, then pick up the knife, still warm from her hand. Peel. Turn. Peel again. The motion settles into my hands the way it always has.

My thoughts drift back to the stone wall by the shore. Finn’s voice. His laugh. The easy quiet between us. My family has been good to me since I came home. They’ve been loving but also careful, like they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. With Finn, nothing needed minding. The time I spent with him had felt normal. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed that until now.

My grandmam hums softly as she shaves cabbage at the counter, then glances over her shoulder at me. “That smile suits you, Alannah girl,” she says, and turns back to her work.

I duck my head, but the smile only grows. “It feels right,” I murmur, more to myself than anyone else. My knife keeps moving. Peel. Turn. Peel again.Yeah… I think once more.It does.

Chapter Nineteen

Ronin

I pull the Ford up in front of my parents’ house and cut the engine. Seamus’s car is already parked there. Great. This should be fun.

When Da called this morning and told me to be here for noon, I didn’t know what to think. Still don’t, if I’m honest. It’s been six months since I’ve been welcome here. Not since the wedding. Not since Alannah disappeared and Mam told me she was disappointed in me. Not angry. Disappointed. That was worse.

She loved Alannah like the daughter she never had, and it broke her heart when she left. I know she’s spent most of her time with Siobhán since, comforting her friend. Da made sure I knew that during one of the few conversations we’ve had since the wedding that wasn’t about business. Because really, that’s all we talk about now. And Seamus? He was once like a second father to me. Now, even when work puts us in the same room, he barely looks at me.

I sit there, hands resting on the wheel, not ready to go inside and face whatever this is. My thumb finds my wedding ring the way it always does. I trace the woven lines of the Celtic knot she chose.Forever. That was the idea.Damn, I miss her. I let out a tired sigh.

The curtains in the front sitting room move, catching my eye. They’ve seen me. No point putting it off any longer. I get out of the car, and the cold cuts through my coat before I’ve even shut the door. My boots crunch over the snow-covered walk as I head for the house. When I reach the step, I lift my hand to knock, but the door opens before I can.