Just a Little Heartache (The Brotherhood #5) - Merry Farmer Page 0,82

porcelain tub, possibly with Blake, as they dressed and headed out of the hotel without so much as stopping for breakfast.

The address Annamarie had given them was easy enough to find and required minimal stops to ask for direction. Shell Cottage turned out to be exactly what its name implied—a small cottage decorated with shells that sat right on the beach just beyond the area Niall figured was densely populated with holiday-makers in the summer months. It looked downright quaint in the morning sunlight. The tide was in and the gentle lap of the sparkling water would have made the scene idyllic, if not for their reason for being there.

“Greta!” The cry that burst from Blake’s lungs as they reached the garden gate and spotted the children playing in the yard that faced the beach was powerful enough to make Niall’s heart bleed. “Jessie! Alan!”

Before Niall could think to stop him, Blake tore through the gate and around the side of the house.

“Papa!” Three sets of small voices screamed with joy. All three of the children dropped what they were doing to run to Blake, arms outstretched.

An odd but potent burst of jealousy raced through Niall, making it difficult for him to breath. He’d known from the start that they weren’t at university anymore and that he would forevermore have to share Blake’s affections with his children—if their dalliance was anything more than a jolt of nostalgia to begin with—but seeing the undiluted joy on Blake’s face as he dropped to his knees and accepted the embrace of three tiny souls who bore a strong resemblance to him was far more difficult than Niall anticipated. On top of that, he felt like an absolute monster for begrudging Blake anyone’s love but his own.

“My darlings,” Blake gasped, burying his face in his older daughter’s hair for a moment. “I’ve missed you so much. You have no idea.”

“We missed you too, Papa,” Greta said, weeping. All three of the children were weeping.

“I want to go home,” Alan wailed, setting the children off even more.

“We didn’t want to go away with Mama at all,” Jessie added. “She made us go.”

“I don’t like it here, Papa,” Greta went on, Jessie and Alan expressing similar sentiments at the same time. “Please, take us home.”

“We want to go home,” Jessie agreed.

“Children! Get back at once!” Annamarie’s sharp voice sounded from the far corner of the house.

Niall straightened, swallowing the lump of pity that had formed in his throat. Annamarie wasn’t alone. A sour-faced maid was with her. The maid rushed forward to pull the girls away from Blake so fast Blake didn’t have time to react. Annamarie wrenched Alan clumsily off his feet and marched him away herself. In the middle of their actions, Ian rushed around the house as though he’d run from wherever he’d been.

“Give them back,” Blake demanded, face contorted in distress, pushing to his feet. “I don’t care about anything else, just give my children back.”

Ian scowled at Blake as though the devil himself had just crawled out of the ground. Then he spotted Niall at the edges of the scene. “You,” he growled, expression twisting to disgust.

Niall’s jealousy evaporated into razor-sharp purpose. “Ian.” He stepped forward, taking his place at Blake’s side. “You’ve changed.”

Indeed, he had. The charm of youth had vanished from Ian’s face and form. His hair was receding, and he’d grown stout in a way that didn’t suit his frame. He hadn’t shaved that morning, which gave him even more of the appearance of a rogue.

“So have you,” Ian said with a sneer. He glanced between Niall and Blake. “I should have known,” he went on. “All those years ago, I should have known that the two of you were wicked and perverted.”

“Don’t say those things about my papa,” Greta shouted behind Ian.

The nursemaid jerked hard on Greta’s arm, causing Greta to yelp.

“Get your hands off of her,” Blake growled, looking as though he would strangle the nursemaid as he tried to step forward.

Ian stopped him by grabbing his lapels and wrestling him in place. “Get the children inside,” he snapped.

The nursemaid rushed to do as she was ordered, even though Blake shouted, “Leave them where they are. Give them back to me.”

“Children shouldn’t be around your kind of wickedness,” Annamarie said, though to Niall, she didn’t sound convinced. She swayed on her spot, wringing her hands and glancing between Ian and Blake. She bit her lip as well, looking as though she would rather be anywhere else