\u201cYour faith in them is so endearing,\u201d Phelan said, grinning at her for a moment. \u201cThey\u2019re grown men and they\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMmhm,\u201d she said, sounding as wholly unconvinced as they both knew she was. She couldn\u2019t help but grin back at him, though, and he laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey will,\u201d he assured her. \u201cThey\u2019ll be fine, Jac. Like I said, they\u2019re grown men.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey will not<\/em> be fine if those two figure out what they\u2019re up to before any of them actually tell them.\u201d Jacqueline checked the tea and shook her head, planting one hand on her hip. \u201cYou know what they\u2019ll do and I won\u2019t stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you should, either,\u201d Phelan admitted. \u201cIs the tea ready?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost.\u201d She watched him. \u201cYou seem a little too unconcerned.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n He considered that for a moment, then shrugged. \u201cThey\u2019re writing their own story, Jac. Kind of like we are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo says the Taliesin,\u201d she said softly. She brought him his mug and nudged her work basket aside, settling against his hip. \u201cYou\u2019re certainly singing a different tune now. You\u2019ve been different since Seamus came.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Phelan said softly. \u201cI\u2019ve been different since Thesan ripped my soul out of my body and split it in two.\u201d He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed temple. \u201cBut I\u2019m all right. You don\u2019t need to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t I?\u201d she asked softly. \u201cI love you, Phelan. Someone has to keep you safe.\u201d<\/p>\n The smile he gave her made her heart skip a beat and left her warm from head to toe.<\/p>\n \u201cSafe,\u201d he said softly. \u201cI don\u2019t need to be safe. But I do need to be loved.\u201d He kissed her again. \u201cAnd you do that better than anyone I\u2019ve ever known or seen. After thousands of years, I\u2019ve finally met my match.\u201d<\/p>\n Coming from anyone else, it would have sounded trite or cheesy, regardless of whether or not it was true. From his lips, though, it sounded right<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cDrink your tea,\u201d Jacqueline whispered. \u201cAnd then I\u2019m done working for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n His brows rose and she shot him a wicked grin.<\/p>\n He laughed and drank his tea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cYour faith in them is so endearing,\u201d Phelan said, grinning at her for a moment. \u201cThey\u2019re grown men and they\u2019ll be fine.\u201d \u201cMmhm,\u201d she said, sounding as wholly unconvinced as they both knew she was. She couldn\u2019t help but grin … Continue reading