Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Although Dair distractedly noted his father, yet again, made moves to protect Dair, this time doing it also protecting Blake.
But he didn’t have it in him in that moment to have a mind to it.
“Why would she do that?” he asked a question his dad couldn’t possibly answer.
However, he did.
“Why, for the same reasons Helena did it.”
Now Dair was finding it difficult to breathe.
Balfour kept talking. “To remain relevant. To fix her place in society. To make herself seem important. To compete with the women in her circle.” His father fixed him with a stare. “I ken ye two are hot and heavy right now, Dair. She’s a beautiful girl. I always thought she was a little lost, and Helena was no help guiding her in being found. Seems from what I’ve witnessed recently, she figured that out for herself. Even so, I’ll just suggest…be wary of her. Although it appears she’s made her own way, I see a good deal of Helena in that girl, and I always did.”
“Helena sold photos of herself too?”
Balfour gave a sharp nod. “Aye, all the time.”
After his father said that, if asked an hour, two or even ten days later, Dair could not say what else happened at that lunch.
It vaguely penetrated that his dad was giving him concerned looks by the time he left, and he texted him twice after Dair was gone, but in the days to come, outside that, his dad left him alone.
But the only thing Dair could think was how Blake had eviscerated Jeff (twice) without blinking. The lad had deserved it, but she hadn’t hesitated in doing it.
And he thought about how she’d blanked Chad. When she’d claimed Dair in front of him, it was like the man wasn’t even there. Again, he deserved it, but he wasn’t even a blip for Blake.
Not to mention, the things Rix said.
And the fact she’d sold pictures of herself, including one that exposed her own body, globally, in order to…
He didn’t know.
Chase fame?
And that was not good.
Chase notoriety?
That was worse.
To compete with her mates?
Also not good.
None of it was good.
There was no excuse for it.
And he had experience with this kind of shite.
He’d been very wrong.
He needed to talk to her about all of this.
He could not get into another mess like the one he made with Signe, one that he was still dealing with over a decade down the road.
He certainly couldn’t marry her and bring children into it. His father and mother’s marriage was over, and even with Dair and Davina fully grown and living their own lives, it was devastating their family.
His head was so full of this shite, he didn’t phone Blake on his way home from lunch with his dad.
He avoided her frequent texts and her call that evening.
As he did the ones the next day. Though, he did text to say he was busy, reiterating he’d collect her at the station on Saturday, two days away.
He did that because this chat needed to be had, face to face.
He got no communication after his text.
But he was at the station to pick her up.
And this was the first step he didn’t know he was taking in making the biggest mistake of his life.
Chapter 20
Mistake
Dair
* * *
The hug they shared at the station when Blake arrived in Edinburgh was awkward.
The anxious, rattled looks she was giving him were torture.
The silent ride to his house was wildly uncomfortable.
The only thing that happened between them that was sweet and relaxed was, after she took off her coat and he wheeled her bag to the boot room, when they entered his kitchen, Sorcha showed how excited she was to see her and Blake returned that with a full-body rubdown of his pup and lots of puppy cooing.
“Would ye like something to drink?” he asked.
She straightened from his dog, looked right at him, and she didn’t lead into it easy.
“Actually, I’d like to know what’s going on with you.”
No, this wasn’t easy.
But it was good.
They could get into it so they both could get beyond it.
“Aye.” He nodded. “We do have something to discuss.”
“I think I got that with the ambiguous ghosting I’ve been getting from you since your lunch with your dad.” Her eyes narrowed and she tipped her head to the side. “Did he upset you?”
“It wasn’t any easy talk,” was the only way Dair could put it.
He could tell she was getting angry on his behalf when she demanded, “What did he say to you?”
They weren’t going to do this standing in the kitchen.
“Let’s go in and sit down.”
She gave a single, irate nod and stomped out of his kitchen.
Sorcha followed her.
He never wanted Blake to be upset (though, what was about to happen was bound to be upsetting, until they got past it).
But he couldn’t deny it felt good she was so angry, and she was that for him.