The Love We Missed novel · Chapter 9 of 24

Chapter 9: The Swing

Ciaran picked the drill up off the rail.

"It's her swing, Pat."

"It's my porch until closing. Nothing leaves this house."

"She paid for it."

"With money from our account," Patrick said. "Which apparently we're counting now."

Ciaran came down the steps.

He was half a head taller than his brother and twice as wide, and he stopped on the walk with the drill hanging at his side.

"Go sit in the car, Patrick."

"You don't get to come back after seven years and tell me where to sit."

Patrick put both hands on his brother's chest and shoved him.

Ciaran rocked back one step on the walk.

That was all.

He didn't lift his hands.

He just looked at Patrick, and the drill stayed hanging by his leg.

"You done?" he said.

Patrick shoved him again, harder.

Ciaran's shoulder hit the porch post, and the whole railing shuddered.

Bria had her phone up again.

Across the street, the man with the rake had come out to his mailbox to watch.

I got off the swing.

I walked down the steps and stood between them with my back to Ciaran.

"Go ahead," I said to Patrick. "Do it again."

"Get out of the way, Aileen."

"No. Do it again, in front of your new father-in-law. She's filming." I tipped my head at Bria. "Maybe she'll put it up next to the ring."

Patrick's eyes went to the phone.

Then to Bria's father, standing on the lawn with his arms folded and his gold watch shining.

"Patrick," her father said. "Car."

Patrick's jaw worked.

He turned and walked to the convertible.

Bria lowered the phone and followed him without a word.

Her father nodded at me once, like we'd closed something, and went after them.

The convertible pulled away.

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