My mother, Mirren Reid, the woman who raised me, would have had half a dozen children had she been able. Despite being the youngest in her family, she was a born caretaker. From what I’d gathered, she’d kept her three brothers in line almost better than their parents had. That probably had something to do with their adoration of her. Still, it was owed in no small part to her natural ability to be the glue that bound us together. When people met Mirren Reid, they subconsciously wanted to make her happy.
That devotion she instilled made me most apprehensive about telling my family. Noemi was right. I was worried about how the news would affect the others, but more than anything, I was afraid of hurting my parents.
Dad busted his ass to fit in with Mom’s brothers. As the only girl and brother-in-law of the family, they constantly had to prove themselves. With this information, I would take the one thing that was theirs alone and give partial ownership to the brothers who already had everything.
Or at least, that was how it felt to me.
I wasn’t sure my parents or anyone else would see it the same, but that was my fear. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt the two people who had loved me unconditionally.
I considered keeping my identity a secret and moving on, but that option didn’t sit right either. When I saw Shae at the club and thought about how she was my sister, I didn’t want to hide that. I’d always wanted siblings like my cousins had. We weren’t children anymore, but that desire hadn’t faded. I wanted them to know the truth.
In my gut, I knew I would tell them, but I needed assurance that what I was doing was the right thing. That was how I found myself sitting in Paddy and Nana’s living room two days later.
“You keep showing up with orange slices, and I’ll be big as a house in no time,” Nana teased.
“I could come less frequently if that’d help.”
“Don’t be daft. Just leave the candy with that pretty wife o’ yours. She’s young enough to eat her weight in the sweet stuff and not gain an ounce. How is she, anyway?” Despite her fussing, Nana took out a candy wedge and ate the whole thing in one bite.
I stifled a grin. “She’s better than I had expected, actually.”
“Oh! Hey, now. So things are going well, are they?” Her eyes gleamed. “Paddy, did you hear that? Conner and that new wife o’ his are gettin’ along well.”
Paddy grunted. “Of course, they are. Never met a Byrne man who couldn’t charm the pants off a woman if they wanted to.”
I gave a dry chuckle. “Funny you should say that. It’s actually the reason I’m here.”
Nana’s wrinkles congregated on her scrunched face. “You need charm lessons?”
“No. I wanted to talk to you about the Byrne men—specifically, about Brody.” All humor faded from my face as worry set in. “I haven’t told anyone yet, but my birth mother came to me a few days ago and told me who my father was.” The words caught in my throat, making it hard to continue.
“Well, now,” Nana breathed. “It suddenly makes sense. You were the spitting image of him as a baby. Never could explain it.”
My lips parted in shock. “Uncle Brody?”
“Aye. His eyes darkened through childhood to a gray-blue, but when he was born, his eyes looked just like yours.” The fondness in her smile wavered with grief. “Such a shame he never knew. Did you hear that, Paddy?” She called over to her husband in a raised voice.
“Never could keep a leash on that one,” he grumbled, making me grin. “Not that it matters. You were one of us regardless.”
Fuck me.
I hadn’t cried since I was six years old and broke my wrist jumping off a skateboard, but a few words from my grandfather, and my sinuses were burning like a motherfucker. He had no idea how much his comment meant to me. Or maybe he did. It was hard to say with him.
I took in a slow, even breath. “I appreciate that, Paddy, and I’m hoping everyone feels that way, but it still worries me to share the truth with everyone. I guess that’s why I’m here. The last thing I want to do is hurt the family, and especially my parents.”
Nana’s eyes softened, the creases in the corners deepening. “Yer a good lad, Conner. Everyone thinks my boys are tough as nails, but my wee little Mirren had them all beat. She’s a tough one, she is. Don’t underestimate her. She and yer da will be thrilled to know they were lucky enough to raise their nephew and call him their own.”
I nodded, hoping she was right. “I suppose the cat’s out of the bag, now. I’ll have to tell everyone before you get to them first.”
The old woman’s flinty eyes narrowed. “You sayin’ I have loose lips, Conner Reid?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I grinned, snagging an orange slice from her brown paper bag. I tossed the candy in my mouth and stood when I heard Paddy mutter, “I would,” and Nana sucked in a lungful of air.
“Well, that would be my cue to head out.”
“Probably best,” Nana grumbled. “I’d hate for ye to see a grown man cry.”
I chuckled, giving her and my grandfather hugs before letting myself out. I didn’t make it to the car when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
“Yeah,” I said after seeing Keir was calling.
“Everything’s been set up. It’s time.”
The blood in my veins chilled so fast that a gallon of anti-freeze wouldn’t have kept them from icing over.
“On my way.” I despised what I was about to do, but we’d discussed the options and decided it was the best way to cut the head off this particular snake. I just hoped we didn’t get bit in the process.
