Quinn hated being so weak. She hadn’t even whimpered when Carmen and Helen told their stories. She hadn’t shed one tiny tear. She’d held it together pretty damn well, she thought. Now she realized that, more than anything, what she’d been fighting in front of them was anger. She hadn’t said it, but how could she not feel resentment about the family she’d lost? A lifetime set out for her with two parents and siblings and extended family. Something she’d dreamed of her entire life. And that made her feel guilty. She loved her mother. Her mother had sacrificed everything for her. Had given her more love than most children ever experienced. She’d been strong in front of the women, but here in the safe circle of Liam’s arms, she couldn’t stop crying.

The emotion came from deep inside, flowing from her heart and emptying her very soul. She cried for Nama. She cried for the mother she didn’t know who’d lost her. For the father she’d never had, and for Jonah, a child racked with guilt his entire life. And the mother she had known—Beth—she must’ve lived in a state of terror that they’d be discovered. Then while she was at it, she cried about Ethan. And the loss of their trust. Maybe even of their future.

The keening that came from her sounded like a wounded animal’s. She knew this, yet it was out of her control. Quinn cried until she had nothing left. And still Liam held her. Quiet but solid. And like a ship on the rockiest waves in the sea, he rocked her back and forth, bringing her comfort and a sense of peace with his touch. So she simply let go, an unfamiliar endeavor for her but one that was past due.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Quinn opened her eyes and saw that her nose was literally inches from a familiar spattering of freckles. Maggie snored lightly. Quinn turned over and looked at the clock, then remembered the night before. Liam had walked her back to the cottage, making sure she was inside with the door locked behind her before getting into his truck and pulling out of the driveway. Maggie was still up, nervously waiting for Quinn to be in for the night so she could go to bed too.

As soon as Quinn’s head hit the pillow, she was out.