Perfect Sinner by Maggie Cole

12

Gemma

Liam isn't answeringhis phone and Nolan says we'll go to Darragh and Ruth's house if Liam isn't home when we drive by. I clean myself up the best I can. The entire time, I keep thinking about how our little mistake could end up with significant consequences. I've always had safe sex and taken the pill. Nolan said it was his fault, but I can't only blame him. I curse myself over and over for letting Orla scare me so much, I made bad decisions. I've always wanted children but with the right guy. I barely know Nolan. The last thing I need is to bring a baby into this screwed-up situation I'm in due to my bloodline.

I'm adding my last layer of mascara when Nolan comes into my bathroom. He stands behind me, leans over, and I look up. "You almost ready, gorgeous?"

My flutters erupt. "Yep."

He gives me a peck on the lips then steps back. We leave the house and get in his vehicle. Once he backs out of the driveway, he puts it in drive, then clasps his hand in mine. In a low voice, he asks, "How's your leg feel?"

"It's throbbing a bit, but I can deal."

Guilt fills his expression. He glances quickly at me. "I'm sorry those idiots didn't do their job."

I sigh. "Nolan, I don't want to get them in trouble."

He refocuses on the road and clenches his jaw. "They had one job. It was to protect you. They didn't. They aren't a server at a restaurant and gave you the wrong dinner by accident. This is your life."

"Well, they did come in before she sliced my neck," I offer, trying not to wince at the thought.

"There aren't any excuses," he firmly states. "Liam's house is dark. Let's go to Darragh's." He veers into the left lane. "What did Orla say before they came in?"

My chest tightens. A pain shoots through my heart. Everything about what Orla said doesn't make sense. How could my mom kill anyone? She doesn't have it in her.

Or does she?

"Are you going to tell me?" Nolan gently asks.

"Oh, sorry. Umm..." I twist my fingers in my lap. Nolan already doesn't have a good impression of my mom. He didn't say it, but I could see it on his face. If he wasn't an O'Malley and my mother didn't have her preconceived notions, I'm sure they'd like each other. And what if Orla is right? Surely, I shouldn't tell anyone my mother killed someone?

"Gemma?"

Once again, Orla makes me into a liar. I blurt out, "She said she was going to kill me since I turned off my location services on my phone." Guilt eats me. I hate that I've become so used to fibbing, I can do it on a whim without thinking. Nolan's warning the first night we met flies into my mind, and I cringe inside.

"She hasn't reached out since I changed your phone number, has she?" Nolan asks.

"No."

"But she didn't say anything about that?"

"No."

Nolan pinches his eyebrows together. "So she hasn't tried to contact you in a few weeks after harassing you daily?"

My face grows hotter from continuing not to tell the truth. "She didn't say. Can we not talk about it anymore? I want to forget about it."

Nolan studies me briefly before turning in to a driveway. He parks and turns to me. "Was there anything else she said?"

I dig myself deeper. "No. The guys came in."

"At least they did one good thing," he grumbles then opens his door. I get out and meet him at the front of the car. He puts his hand on the small of my back and guides me to the front door.

He rings the bell and tugs me closer. "I'll need to talk to Darragh in private."

"I understand."

He kisses the top of my head.

Ruth opens the door. Her eyes are red, and she looks like she's been crying.

"Auntie Ruth. Are you okay?" Nolan questions.

She sniffles and nods. "Come in. Sorry, Darragh didn't tell me you were coming over."

"Sorry to pop in. Is he here?" Nolan steps forward and kisses her on the cheek.

Darragh's loud hack fills the air. Ruth closes her eyes, and Darragh steps into the room. His face is beet red and his eyes bloodshot. His handkerchief has blood spots on it. He catches his breath. "Nolan, what are you doing here?"

"We need to talk."

Ruth takes my hand. "Why don't I make us some tea, Gemma?"

"Okay."

"Ruthie, are you okay now?" Darragh asks.

She lifts her chin and smiles at him. "Yeah."

He pats her on the back. "I'm going to talk to Liam about this."

"No. You don't have to."

"What happened?" Nolan asks.

Ruth attempts to dismiss it. "Nothing—"

"Liam and Hailee kicked Ruth out of the house," Darragh angrily states.

"What? That's not like my sister," I claim.

Ruth firmly states, "Hailee didn't do anything." She turns to Darragh. "I told you, it was all Liam."

"Details," he mutters.

"Important ones," she insists.

He kisses me on the cheek then gives Ruth one. "Nolan and I will be in my office."

Ruth motions for me to follow her. We go into the kitchen, and she pulls out a chair. "Please, sit."

I obey. Garlic, onion, and other aromas fill the air. My stomach growls.

"Do you want tea or something else?"

"Tea would be nice," I reply.

She sets a wooden box in front of me then adds water to the kettle. It's green and gold, with Celtic hearts on it.

"That's beautiful," I say.

She sets it on the stove then sits across from me. "Thanks. Darragh gave it to me on our first anniversary. He had it shipped over here from Ireland."

"Wow. It looks new."

She smiles. "I try to take good care of it."

Hunger gnaws at my stomach. "What are you making? It smells great."

She glances at the slow cooker. "Corned beef and cabbage. It should be ready soon. It's Darragh's favorite. We had brunch for St. Paddy's Day with Liam and Hailee. Nora always has a platter of food sent over from the pub, so I don't ever make it until a few days after."

"Yum. I love corned beef and cabbage. My mom used to make it all the time when we were little. It smells delicious." My stomach growls.

She laughs. Her face lights up, and she reminds me of Liam. "Do you and Nolan have plans tonight? We'd love to have you stay."

The tea kettle whistles and the steam flies out of it.

Ruth gets up and removes it from the stove.

"I don't know what Nolan has planned. I'm free," I state.

She hands me a mug of hot water. "It would be nice if you can join us. I don't get to spend a lot of time with any of my nephews. They are all so busy."

I open the tea box and sort through it. "Wow! You have a good selection!"

She beams. "Thanks. Darragh only drinks Irish Breakfast Tea, but I like to switch it up."

"Me, too." I pick up an exotic fruit blend and smell it. "This is yummy." I stick it in my cup.

She opens the slow cooker and fills a small bowl. She sets it in front of me with silverware. "Why don't you test it out for me?"

I put my arm in the air for a victory pose. "Thank you. I'm starving."

"Oh! Hold on!" She opens the bread bin and pulls out a crusty loaf. She tears a piece off and sets it on the plate. "Do you want butter?"

"No, thanks. This smells so good." I pick up my fork and separate the meat. Then I dip the bread in the bowl, add the beef and other ingredients to it. I take a bite of my concoction then moan.

Her eyes twinkle. "Is it done?"

"Mmhmm." I finish chewing and swallow. "This is delicious. Honestly, the best I've ever tasted."

"Really?"

"Yes." I stick more bread in the bowl and add a layer of pure Irish deliciousness to it.

"I'll teach you how to make it if you want. It's really easy," she offers.

"Really? I'd appreciate that." I shove another bite in my mouth.

Nolan and Darragh enter the room.

"Ooh! You made corned beef and cabbage?" Nolan licks his lips.

"It's soooo good! Try this." I offer a piece to him.

He leans down and bites it then groans.

"Can you stay for dinner, Nolan?" Ruth asks.

He looks at me for permission, and I nod. He quickly takes the seat next to me, and a boyish grin I've never seen fills his face. "Feed me, Auntie Ruth."

Joy explodes across her face. Her green eyes glow. "Great. Sit down, Darragh." She motions to the seat next to Nolan and turns to the counter.

Darragh sits, and she serves us dinner. We spend several more hours at their house, talking and laughing. It's been so long since I did anything family oriented, and it feels nice. When we leave, I give Ruth a big hug. "Thanks again."

She embraces me back. "You're welcome any time. Let me know when you want to learn how to make my recipe."

"I will. Thank you," I gratefully reply.

We leave and get in the car. I turn to Nolan. "That was fun."

His mouth turns up in a nostalgic smile. "Yeah. I don't get to do that very often. When my mom died, Auntie Ruth and my nana did everything they could to help us. She used to have my brothers and sisters over several times a week for dinner."

My heart almost stops. I knew about Nolan's father's death but not his mother's. "Your mom passed?"

His face falls. He mumbles, "Yeah. A year after my father got murdered, my mother drowned in a lake. It was on the Fourth of July."

A chill runs down my spine. I reach for his hand. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

He clears his throat. "It happened a long time ago."

I squeeze his hand and keep it secure in mine. "You said, sisters. Do you have another one besides Nora?"

He takes a deep breath. "Erin and Nessa. They're twins and older than all of us. The four of us don't talk to them a lot."

"Why?"

He glances at me. "They're nasty, greedy, and jealous. My nana gave the pub to Nora when she died. Erin and Nessa thought they should have gotten it even though they barely stepped foot in it the past decade besides to party. Nora worked her butt off. She's spent her entire life in the pub. No one deserves any part of ownership, except Nora."

I hesitate to dig deeper but decide if he doesn't want to tell me, he'll say something. "Is the pub the only thing that drove a wedge between all of you?"

He sarcastically laughs. "Nope. They've always been like that. When my mother died, they took all her jewelry and cleaned out the safe. They claimed nothing was in it, but we all know my father kept a large sum of cash in it. My mother never touched it. Killian was at the house the week before she died. He sold some of my dad's tools, and she put the money in the safe. He saw it was still full."

"Wow. That's..."

"As I said, nasty, greedy, and jealous." He pulls into the garage and shuts the car off. We get out and go inside.

"Hey, what did Darragh say? Are Tiernan and Fergal in big trouble?" I ask, feeling bad if they are.

His eyes turn to slits. "Don't worry about them. And Darragh is sending for two of our top guys. They're out of state right now. It'll take a bit for them to wrap up what they are doing and get here."

My pulse increases. "Who will protect me when you aren't here?"

His eyes scan my body. He pins his green gaze on me. His lips twitch. "No one. Until they arrive, you and I might as well be attached at the hip."