Page 219 of Override

"I thought..." My voice catches. I clear my throat and try again. "I thought you and Dad would care more about the alliance than...than my marriage." The words sound smaller out loud. "I thought you'd tell me to work harder." To be quieter. To stop making problems. "I thought you'd tell me this was what wives did."

My mother's fingers go still around mine. When I finally look up, she looks horrified.

Before she can answer, another voice fills the room.

"Our family business is important."

I turn.

My father stands in the doorway to his office, the rest of Grayline lingering several steps behind him. No one says a word.

He walks toward me slowly. "It is one of the most important responsibilities I've ever been given." His eyes never leave mine. "But it has never..." His voice roughens. "...and it will never be more important than you."

The tears I've been fighting all morning finally spill over.

"I would've moved heaven and earth to get you home if I'd known." His jaw tightens. "Being unhappy in a marriage..." He exhales slowly, choosing each word with care. "Trying to work through disagreements. Learning how to live with another person..." He shakes his head. "That's marriage."

His expression hardens into something I've only ever seen directed at men who crossed my father. "What he did to you..." His voice drops lower. "Putting his hands on my little girl..."

He stops. His nostrils flare once. "I want to—"

The sentence dies before it's finished. His gaze flicks briefly toward the people standing behind him. Toward Callum. Toward Matt. Toward Keaton. Toward my mother.

He closes his eyes for the briefest moment before opening them again. "When this is over..." he says quietly, "...Ronan Gallagher will be dealt with."

The promise settles over the room like stone. Not shouted. Not dramatic. Certain.

My mother squeezes my hand before standing. "Come on, sweetheart."

She offers me a gentle smile. "We'll have your room made up. I'm sure you're exhausted."

I am. I should go upstairs. I should want nothing more than to crawl into my own bed and sleep for a week. Instead...My eyes search the room.

They find him immediately.

Keaton is standing near the back of the group, hands tucked into his pockets, giving everyone else space.

He isn't looking at anyone else. He's looking at me.

The corner of his mouth lifts. Just enough.

A quiet smile to remind me I am not alone. I'm here.

Without moving, without drawing anyone else's attention, he says so quietly I almost convince myself I imagined it. "Whatever you want, Maeve."

Not... Go upstairs. Not...Stay. Just...Whatever you want.

Because that's what he's been giving me from the very beginning. A choice.

I look around the room one last time. My mother. My father. The home I'd spent months believing I'd never see again. This is where I'm supposed to stay. It's where everyone expects me to stay.

It's safe.

So why does it suddenly feel like I can't breathe? My gaze drifts across the room until it lands on Keaton. He hasn't moved. He hasn't tried to persuade me. He hasn't even looked like he expected me to choose him.

He's simply...waiting. Waiting for me to decide. Just like he has since this all started.

The answer settles quietly inside me before I have the chance to second-guess it. "I want to go with Keaton."