Page 27 of Explosive Union

I glance up from my cup of coffee when I feel someone enter the kitchen. I’m currently perched up on the counter eating a bagel while having my coffee. Last night was the very last night I spend here. I can’t deal with my mam anymore. The constant hovering is too much for me to bear. Thankfully, Annemarie has had my apartment cleaned, along with having the pantry, fridge, and house stocked up with things I’ll need.

After we arrived home last night, we got changed and then Hayden and I rejoined the party while Hayes got rid of the car and clothes, burning them so no one would be able to find them. Thankfully, my brother learned the art of pyromaniacs at a young age.

“You doing okay, mo chailín milis?”

I frown. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

Da raises his brow. His hands on his hips, along with the sigh, brings back memories of when I was younger and Da was trying to rein in Hayden and I. It never worked, but he hasn’t lost the expression, that’s for sure.

“So, you and your brothers didn’t go on an excursion last night?”

I don’t bat an eyelid at his line of questioning. “Of course we did, Da. We were hungry, and while I love Mam’s cooking, I wanted Gianna’s. I hadn’t had it in a long time and my brothers, being the amazing men you taught them to be, wouldn’t let me go alone, so they came with me.”

He tilts his head and gives me a disbelieving look.

I raise my hand and point a finger at him. “The two of them shamed me. I can’t go back there, Da. Since when the fuck did they become animals? They ordered the entire menu.”

His chuckle is enough to let me know he’s not mad about last night's events. “I blame your ma. She feeds them too much.”

I hear the exaggerated gasp. “I do no such thing,” she complains.

“You do, Mam, and your bad habits are affecting Harry. My son is just like his uncle,” Hayes comments, and quickly dodges the hand Mam was about to hit him with.

“Who was at the door?” I ask, hoping to get off the subject of Mam and her cooking.

“Everyone,” she tells me. “Your cousins and their spouses.”

“Okaaay—" I let the word hang in the air.

“I called them,” she says. “After last night, I thought you could use some help.”

I shake my head. “After last night?” I echo, wondering just what the hell she’s getting at.

“Mam,” Hayes warns her, but she doesn’t listen.

“What have I missed? Who called a family meeting?” Hayden asks as he steps into the kitchen and reaches for a mug to make coffee.

“Your ma was just telling us why she called the family meeting,” Da says, and I can tell he’s just as pissed as I am about it.

“Jade shouldn’t be doing this,” Mam begins. “It’s bad enough that she went to prison in the first place, but to do this? To kill?” She shakes her head in disgust. “Not my daughter.”

“Edwina,” my da’s voice is hard and has a bite to it. “Our daughter is more than capable of making her own decisions. She can do whatever the hell she wants.”

Mam crosses her arms over her chest and glares at my da. “I will not allow it. Not under my roof.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m going home today,” I announce, and watch as both Hayes and Hayden busy themselves with the coffee pot, but I don’t miss their matching grins. Asses.

“What?” Mam hisses at me. “You’ve just got home. Jade, what you’ve been through—” She shakes her head, as though she’s trying to find the words. “You shouldn’t be alone.”

I take a deep breath. “This is exactly why I can’t be here. I’m not fragile. Christ, being here makes me feel as though I’m a walking time bomb. You are constantly hovering over me. I’m not going to fucking kill myself, Mam, I’m going to kill them. The sooner you realize I’m not you, the bloody better.”

“Jade, I don’t think that—"

“Then what?” I demand. “Why are you treating me as though I’m a child?”

“You were hurt, mo chailín milis,” Da says softly as he comes to stand beside me. “Your ma and I, we’re just worried about you.”

I sigh, losing some of the anger. “I get that,” I tell them. “I really do. I understand that it must have been hard for you, but I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m able and quite capable of taking care of myself.”