He let out a long breath. “Christian. Who, it turns out, wasn’t my son but was actually fathered by my best friend.”
The sympathy in her expression returned. “How awful! You really don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“You can hear it from me,” he said and shrugged. “Or via one of the local gossip channels.”
“Okay,” she said, quieter than he expected. “You can tell me about him.”
Kieran’s chest tightened further, and the band of pressure at his temple returned. Fatigue spread through his limbs, and he sat back in the chair. “I believed he was my son for eighteen months before my now-ex-wife admitted the truth.”
Memories of that awful day bombarded his thoughts. Catching Tori and Phil together And then finding out the son he treasured was not really his child. He remembered Tori crying. Tori pleading. Tori telling him she should never have married him, that she loved someone else. Tori saying she wanted to be free of him and their marriage so she could raise Christian with the man she loved...the man who was his son’s real father.
“You never suspected anything?”
He shook his head. “Phil was my colleague and best friend. Tori was my wife. I guess I trusted the wrong people.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“Yeah,” he said, aching all over. “Me, too.”
* * *
Nicola’s heart felt heavy in her chest. She didn’t like the feeling. Didn’t want to imagine that she had any feelings toward Kieran other than dislike and resentment. But...his story saddened her deeply. She’d heard it anecdotally...from Kayla and her friend Connie who worked at his family’s hotel and knew everything about the O’Sullivans. So yes, she knew about his marriage ending and discovering his son was fathered by someone else. And of course she thought it was cruel and despicable. But she always managed to shrug her shoulders and wave off any feelings of sympathy or compassion for the man who had callously dumped her in front of the entire twelfth grade on the biggest day of their high school lives.
But hearing it from Kieran was different. And as much as she wanted to hang on to her resentment and rage at him in that moment, she couldn’t. Particularly as he’d gone out his way to help her with Marco. Thanks to his kindness and understanding, her nephew was now safely asleep in his bed.
“So...you divorced her?”
He shrugged lightly. “We divorced each other.”
“And Christian?” she asked, saying the child’s name almost as a whisper.
She watched as Kieran took a sharp breath and then sipped his coffee. “I didn’t want to confuse him, you know, or make things difficult...so I had to step away.”
She saw his eyes darken and experienced an odd discomfort in her chest. “That must have been hard.”
“The most difficult thing I have ever done in my life.”
“So, you don’t have any contact now?”
“No,” he replied. “I made a decision that was best for him. He needed to bond with his...with his father,” he said, swallowing hard. “And Tori didn’t want me interfering in her new life.”
Nicola tried desperately to ignore how her heart rate increased. She didn’t want to feel sympathy for him. She didn’t want to feel anything when it came to Kieran O’Sullivan. And she didn’t want to listen to his apologies, either. But she couldn’t help being drawn into their conversation. She’d always been a good listener—her career in human resources had demanded it.
“So this way, only one person got hurt...is that what you’re saying?”
He shrugged lightly again and picked up another cannoli. “Exactly. Everyone needed a do-over. Me included.”
“And that’s why you came back to Cedar River?”
“Sure,” he said and took a bite. “It was time I came home anyway...with everything that was imploding here.”
Nicola sipped her coffee and then looked at him over the rim of her mug. It was true, he certainly had a lot going on with his family. “Do you get along with your new brother?”
His mouth curled up at the edges. “You know me, Nic... I get along with everyone.”
He was right. Kieran had a reputation for being easygoing and likable. Perfect attributes for a physician. But she wasn’t fooled. “Cut the crap.”
He chuckled. “Have you met Jonah?”
“A couple of times, like at Liam and Kayla’s wedding. He seems very...intense.”
Kieran laughed. “That’s a good way to describe him. He is intense. And moody. And kind of unpleasant most of the time. But to be fair, he’s mellowed a little over the past few months. Not that I can blame him for putting up a few walls, considering he’s known about us all his life, but we didn’t know about him. He still lives in Portland but visits his mother, Kathleen, regularly.”
“She moved back to Cedar River,” Nicola remarked and then laughed humorlessly. “We’re heading back in droves.”
“She wanted to spend more time with her mother and brother—you know, Kayla’s grandmother and father.” He shrugged. “It’s become something of a confusing family tree.”
She nodded a little. “And your parents are really getting a divorce?”
“So they say,” he replied and sipped his coffee. “Mom can’t forgive him for the infidelity, even though Dad ended his affair with Kathleen before Jonah was born.”
“She’s a lot younger than him, isn’t she?”
“Yeah,” he said and sighed heavily. “She was eighteen and in love with an older man. To be honest, I don’t think my parents’ marriage was ever a love match. And Dad still appears to care for Kathleen.” He shrugged. “Who knows? I’m not exactly an expert on the subject of what constitutes a successful relationship.”
Nicola saw weariness in his expression, and her insides took a foolish plunge. “Me neither,” she admitted and managed a small smile, annoyed at herself for being so easily swayed by him, but suddenly unable to fight the feeling. “You might get married again.”
“Maybe,” he said quickly and drained his mug. “But I have zero interest on that score for the foreseeable future.”
“Not all marriages end badly,” she said and shrugged. “My parents had a happy marriage. As did Gino and his wife. And your brother and Kayla seem really happy together.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t possible,” he remarked. “Just that I wasn’t interested in the idea.”
“So, you’ve become a cynic?”
“Exactly. Haven’t you?”
Nicola shrugged again. “I’m hopeful. But next time I intend not falling for a man who’s still in love with someone else.”
“So, you want assurances?” he laughed humorlessly. “Good luck with that.”
She felt her tension return. “Believing in people doesn’t make me naive, Kieran. I can be as cynical as the next person. Let’s face it, I’ve been dumped more than once and have had plenty of experience at being humiliated.”
He rested his elbows on the table and stared at her. “So, I guess about now is where you swear at me in Italian?”
She got to her feet and pushed the chair back. “No, it’s where I say good night.”
He stood immediately and, without another word, he grabbed his jacket and made his way to the door. Nicola hurried after him and almost plowed into his back when he came to a halt