Forty One

My intention to tell Mack about her attempt to kill me goes right out of the window. “Yes. She has. So, like your father, maybe it’ll help if I’m not here so much. I’d still come back to the house in the afternoon to talk to my father.”

Even though I wish I could stay at Adela’s house and not return until Connall and my father have left, it isn’t fair for me to abandon Mack to deal with everything on his own. What I’m doing is already making me feel guilty as it is.

Sighing, Mack scrubs a hand over his face. “What is it?”

“Family,” he murmurs. “Just family.”

I move close enough that I can tuck myself under his shoulder. “I’m sorry. If it’s any consolation, I think mine is just as bad as yours.”

He offers me a tired smile. “Yeah, I got that. I still can’t believe he didn’t tell you about Shane and Bree.”

I shrug as if it doesn’t matter. Although the pain isn’t as sharp as it was when I initially found out, that doesn’t mean it’s gone.

“With hindsight, it kind of makes sense for him. A