RYDER (Slater Brothers 4)(90)

“Double f*ck,” Alec whispered.

“I didn’t know what do,” she said, her lower lip wobbling. “I was scared he would see me so I just ran back to me car and drove back to me apartment. I rang me ma to see what she was doin’ and she said she was preparin’ dinner for me da, his favourite because he had been workin’ such long hours lately. She doesn’t know, Bronagh… how could he do this to ‘er? To our family? I hate ‘im.”

My heart broke for her, and for her unknowing mother.

“We’ll figure this out,” my sister said, consoling her friend.

I knew Bronagh was saying what she thought was necessary, but I could see from her face that she had no clue how she was going to help Alannah through this, but I knew she’d do everything possible to help her. We all would.

“About your car,” Aideen added, shifting the attention onto her. “I’ll ring me da and have ‘im hook your car up at his garage. Me brothers love you. Dante thinks you’re, and I quote ‘im, a goddess, so I’m sure he will work on it free of charge.”

Alannah pulled back from Bronagh’s hold and looked at Aideen.

“I’ll pay, I don’t want them to help me with no charge, but if it could be in instalments, that’d be perfect.”

Aideen said, “We’ll work it out, just don’t worry about it.”

Alannah nodded, but she wore her heart on her sleeve, and I could see worrying was all she would be doing. When I looked at her, I saw myself only a few months ago. She knew her whole life was about to change, and she wasn’t sure if she could handle it.

“Lana,” I said and stood up, feeling Ryder’s hand drop away from me. “Come with me, I want to talk to you.”

We left the room then, and went outside to the front garden where we could speak alone without being heard.

“Don’t bottle it up,” I said. “No good will come from holdin’ it inside. Trust me.”

Alannah’s shoulders slumped. “I know that’s why I told you lot.”

“I’m proud of you for that.”

She wiped her face with her hands. “I can’t tell me ma, this will kill ‘er.”

I didn’t want to tell her what to do so I just listened while she spoke.

“I think… I think I’m goin’ to talk to me da. I don’t know when, I’ll figure it out, but I need to talk to ‘im. Maybe… maybe I can make ‘im stop the affair… I mean, this could have been their first date together, right?”

Her mother said he had been working long hours recently, so I doubted it.

“Lana—”

“I can make ‘im stop,” she continued. “He will pick me and me ma over some little thing. I know he will… he just… he just made a bad decision. That’s all.”

She was killing me.

“Alannah—”

“It’s gettin’ late, I have to get goin’,” she cut me off. “I promised me ma I’d come by and help her bring her old clothes to a few charity shops. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, say bye to everyone for me, will you?”

She gave me a quick hug, and before I could say a word, she was walking down the driveway then across the road to where her car was parked outside Ryder’s house. I saw the damage to the back of her car and how smashed on her boot door was, and I hated that it was just another worry added to her list.

I watched her drive off, and when she was gone out of sight, I re-entered Alec and Keela’s house and went into the sitting room.

“She’s in denial,” I said, getting everyone’s attention. “She thinks she can make ‘er da stop cheatin’ on her ma. She is puttin’ pressure on ‘erself to keep her family together.”

Bronagh rubbed her face with her hands. “What are we goin’ to do?” she asked.

“All we can do,” I replied. “Just be there for her. Tellin’ her what to do will only result in a fight because right now, what she has decided is the only thing that makes sense to ‘er.”

Silence fell upon the room until Damien said, “I have to fix shit with her. I heard what she said to Dominic, and I need to fix it. I hate what I’ve done to her.”

“I understand you better than anyone,” Ryder said, “and my advice is baby steps. You’ve said you’re sorry a million times, and you give her space whenever she is around, but what you need to do now is let her know you’re here, you’re staying, and that you will earn her trust back.”

“How the f*ck am I going to do that?” Damien asked on a groan. “She barely looks at me.”

“I can’t answer that, it’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself, kid, but it’s obvious you do like her, so just stick to your guns.”

Damien nodded, then retreated into the company of his own mind so he could think. We spent the next few hours together and after Keela made us a big feast, we scattered around the house to digest our food.

Kane, Damien and Ryder went upstairs with Alec to look at a new weight set he bought. Dominic didn’t leave Bronagh, which was standard protocol since she hit the thirty-eight week mark in pregnancy. He refused to be away from her side in case she went into labour. He didn’t want her to be without him like Aideen went without Kane for the majority of her labour.