Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
I knew they partly were, but I understood her feeling grateful and the emotion that swelled on occasion after our ordeal.
“I want you to stand up for me,” she said, looking hopeful.
“Me?” I asked, shocked.
“Yes.”
“But you must have other, better, older friends,” I protested, even though I was excited at the thought.
She shook her head. “A few friends.” She paused, once again caught in the past. “We shared something no one else can understand, Anna. We have a bond I can’t explain—even to Finn.”
I understood. There were things I couldn’t tell Niall. Things she hadn’t shared with Finn. We knew and saw what had happened to the other. Heard the horrible threats and saw the pain they inflicted. The connection we shared was one that could never be severed.
“I would love to.”
She hugged me this time, excited. “Finn is asking Niall, of course. So, you’ll both be there.”
The timer went off, and I pulled the final tray from the oven. “I think we’ve made enough.”
She looked down at the piles of cookies with a satisfied sigh. “Finn will love this. I’ve been planning on outfitting his kitchen so I can cook once we’re married. He’s never used it except to make a coffee or heat something. Such a shame.” She glanced around. “We should do the same here.”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be using the kitchen,” I said honestly. I was well aware of Niall’s way of thinking. Even after what we shared last night, his views on relationships hadn’t changed, even if he was spoiling me.
The shopping trip he’d taken me on was unexpected. Especially surprised that it was prompted by the fact that his friend—and cousin—had bought me an outfit. I didn’t understand why he was so jealous if he didn’t have the same feelings for me as I did for him. Maybe it was a male thing. I had said as much to Una after showing her the clothing Niall had bought me. She frowned but didn’t reply.
“You’re so sure he has no feelings for you?” she asked now, picking up a cookie and nibbling on it.
I nodded.
“Why?”
“He says so.”
She laughed. “He also said you had to go to the room next door and then changed his mind. He goes mental when another man even smiles at you. Finn has always said how level-headed and calm Niall is. You have him acting crazy. Finn was sure he was going to punch him this morning over the clothing. Never mind the pissing contest he got into with Roman.”
“Roman?” I asked, shocked at the idea of Niall acting crazy because of me.
She repeated what Finn told her about Roman’s teasing offer.
I frowned. “It doesn’t make sense. He told me he thinks the feelings I have for him are hero worship. Nothing more.”
“Are they?”
I shrugged. “I’ve never had feelings like this before, so I don’t know. Last night meant so much to me…” I trailed off when I realized what I had said. Una’s eyes were wide.
“Last night?”
I bit my lip and nodded. “He, um, was my first.”
She grabbed my arm. “Finn was mine.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
I leaned on the counter with a sigh. “He treats me so well and is so protective. He calls me cute names, and I want to think I mean something other than someone he lusts after…” I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t know. If I push him, he shuts down. If I say too much, he gets mad. Then you tell me he’s all possessive about other men.” I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“What names does he call you?”
“Oh, ah…well, Polly. For one”
“Polly?”
I told her about what he said, and she laughed. “Polly Pocket—that is cute. Finn calls me mo chroí. It means my heart.”
“That’s beautiful. Niall calls me little doll sometimes. Mo mhuirnín,” I said, hoping I was pronouncing it right.
Una stopped mid-bite of a cookie. “That doesn’t mean little doll, Anna.”
“What does it mean?”
Her smile was wide. “My darling. He calls you my darling. Hardly the term a man would use for a woman he wasn’t serious about.”
“Oh,” I murmured, shocked. “He told me he thinks he’s broken. That he doesn’t connect with people—women—the same way Finn or Roman do. That he doesn’t love.”
She snorted. “Bullshit. Finn says he hides his feelings.”
“Well, I can’t force them.”
The door opened, and the two men walked in. I felt my heart race a little when I saw Niall. He smiled as he came forward, sniffing the air. “I smell cookies.”
Finn laughed, walking to Una and pressing a kiss to her head. “What a great surprise. Niall didn’t tell me what you two were up to.” His eyes widened. “Are those ginger molasses?”
Una held out the plate, and he took one, biting down and closing his eyes. “Delicious,” he muttered. “We need the kitchen outfitted ASAP.”