He was doing it… in public! Her face heated up right then, but Diarmuid already withdrew by the time she came to his senses and tried to push him off, as if nothing ever happened, leaving her speechless.
The lights in the amusement park were beautiful at night, and there were also programs planned for children—it was 11 PM by the time it was over.
Tired from playing, Tommy was soundly asleep in Abigail’s arms.
As Diarmuid drove, he asked, “Do you want supper?”
Abigail was a little hungry and she spotted a stall selling grilled skewers.
Pointing at it, she said, “Let’s have that.”
Diarmuid looked over there, but frowned in disdain.
“You never have that before, have you? Try it—it’s good,” Abigail said, noting his look of disdain. “I happen to be craving it.”
Diarmuid stopped the car then and took Tommy off her arms. “Let’s go!
Abigail giggled. “Don’t you find your life dull? It’s only by experiencing new things that life gets interesting.
Heading to the stall, she ordered peppers, corn, salted fish, and some beef, sticking mostly to the vegetables since the meat might not be fresh.
After that, she gestured for Diarmuid to sit at one of the tables, having left Tommy with Eagle in the car since there was a lot of smoke outside.
The man was sitting stiffly, afraid to move an inch—he was certainly much accustomed to fighting than delicate work like this.
When their skewers were done, Abigail picked up a corn skewer and held it beside Diarmuid’s lips.
“Try this,” she said, nodding encouragingly as he looked up at her.
“Trust me.”
Diarmuid took a bite, but he did not really like it. “You can have the rest.
“Should we have something else?” she asked, since she did not want Diarmuid to watch as she ate everything.
“It’s fine, eat.”
His phone rang just then, and glancing at it to see that it was James Cross, he got up. “I need to take this.”
“Okay,” Abigail replied.
Diarmuid walked up beside the road to answer it.
“Hello?”
James’s voice sounded urgent on the other end!
“We have a hit. I’m heading over as we speak.”
James had managed to track down the goons, but they were out of town so he needed to head over to confirm right away.
He was already on his way, but he decided he should give Diarmuid a head’s up.
“Good,” Diarmuid replied. “Contact me when you have something.”
“Sure.”
With that, Diarmuid hung up and turned around, only to see that Abigail was gone from their table.
His heart skipped a beat—the unending list of trouble that occurred to her was almost freakish, leading to his mind always jumping to the worst-case scenario.
He looked around frantically, but he eventually found her carrying a paper bag.
He frowned and strode over to her. “Where did you go?”
Abigail held up the paper bag to show him. “I bought you donuts. There’s nothing else available this late.”
As Diarmuid stared at her in silence, Abigail presumed that he disliked it too. “Everyone likes snacks, but if you don’t want it, we can just head home and ask Mrs. Watson to cook you something—”
“No,” Diarmuid said, cutting her short. “You weren’t there when I turned around.”
Abigail smiled. “What, can’t live without me for one second?” Diarmuid put his arms around her, half-joking and half-serious as he growled with unreasonable affection, “Yeah. Don’t you leave my sight for an instant.”
Abigail looked up. From her position, it was a direct view of his long neck and that alluring Adam’s apple of his, as well as his masculine hormonal scent.
“You could be my bodyguard and follow me around every day,” she cooed in his arms.
Diarmuid chuckled. “What, do I get paid?”
“Sure,” Abigail replied unapologetically, and put the donuts on the table. “Come here, sit—I know you don’t like the grease on grilled skewers, but bear with it for today. I won’t make you eat at stalls from now on.”
“It’s alright. I can do this on occasion, but not all the time.” Diarmuid certainly was not accustomed to this, but Abigail was considerate of his tastes and bought him donuts, since he did not like the charred taste of grilled food.
He did not mind eating what she liked, but that sort of food was unhealthy, and they should therefore try to limit how much they eat that.
Abigail nodded. “Okay.”
On the way home after supper, Abigail was holding Tommy but keeping him at arm’s reach, worried that the smoky scent on her clothes would latch on to him.
With the condiments heavily applied to grilled food, the scent tended to linger.
Leaning toward Diarmuid, she asked, “Do I stink?”
Diarmuid turned on the ignition. “Nope.”
Abigail doubted him, and so leaned closer so that he could smell it, while trying to get him to admit it. “Really?”
Diarmuid held her gaze then. “What, do you want proof?”
“What proof—”
He kissed her lips before she could finish, leaving her speechless.
“Is this proof enough?” He grinned meaningfully.
Abigail shoved him in her embarrassment while Diarmuid leaned forward again, “Need more proof ???”
Abigail almost snapped at him, but instead straightened herself and said, “Eyes on the road.”
Diarmuid drove off then. Abigail’s phone suddenly jingled with a text message notification. She took it out and tapped on it.
[Let’s meet at Blue Sky Cafe tomorrow.]
Abigail read the text, and was perplexed to see that it was from an unfamiliar number.
“What is it?” Diarmuid asked.
“I got a text from a number I don’t recognize,” she replied. “It’s asking to meet.”
“Then don’t go,” Diarmuid told her, when her phone jingled again!
Abigail frowned as she tapped on her phone again, and it was another message.
[Refuse, and I will come to you at your workplace.]
It almost sounded threatening.
“What now?” Diarmuid asked.
Abigail pursed her lips, searching her mind endlessly to find who would possibly do this.
No one came to mind apart from Seth Hedge, but he was not about to bother her with a broken leg.
“They would look for me at work if I don’t go,” she told Diarmuid, unsettled.
She was wary, and certainly did not like having this weirdness like this happening to her.
“I’ll drive you to work tomorrow,” Diarmuid said.
Abigail looked at him, feeling apologetic inside that she could not care for their family as a wife, or ease his list of worries.
Instead, his own work was affected because of her.
She lowered her gaze to Tommy, who was asleep in her arms. Both him and his baby brother were basically raised by Sheryl Harris.
“Give me two years, Diarmuid. Dennis Turner picked me, and he’s not going to find someone else so soon if I throw in the towel now.
Two years would be just right to complete development of the artificial heart, and I’ll resign once I’m done to take care of our children.”
Diarmuid turned toward her just then.
Sensing the pressure on her, he kept one hand on the steering wheel while caressing her face with his other. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” She smiled. “Just want to freeload at home since you can afford anything anyway.”
Even so, Diarmuid heard Zachary Slate mentioning more than once that she was a person with ambition.
Would she really be happy if she was forced to give up on her ideals for their family’s sake?
“I thought you’re the one who’d be paying me a salary. Reneging already?”
“Can’t afford you,” Abigail said, giving him a look. “You’re too expensive.”
Diarmuid was speechless.
What was that supposed to mean, and why did it sting a little?
“Just don’t think about it,” he said, taking her hand in his. “You have me. You have nothing to fear.”
Abigail found that having someone to depend on was so nice just then, and said earnestly, “Thank you.”
“We’re married. You don’t have to be so polite.” Zachary was worn out from the long-distance travel to and from New Kent, but he could not fall asleep even as he tossed and turned in bed.
He could not forgive himself for his mistake, and he felt utterly sickened no matter how he thought about it.
He suddenly sat up, blaming himself for doing that while he was drunk, and to a hostess!
He got out of bed and headed to his study. He had a stack of documents to read following the on-site survey, which he was going to do tomorrow at his office. Instead, he went to work right away since he could not sleep.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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