Chapter Two

March.

Wednesday—Southern Maryland.

Sam.

The past month has been uneventful. I have spent my days off with Melody and Summer, planning a baby shower and nursery for Summer. Otherwise, it has been like any cold, icy February at home. Aside from the fact that I have been on edge waiting for tonight. Because tonight is the night that Colin is supposed to prove to me that he is a werewolf.

As we drive down the road to Finn’s house, Colin asks, “What’s on your mind, doll?” Melody invited the two of us to dinner with her since she and Colin, and Finn are leaving to go to Ireland for an anniversary celebration for the brothers’ grandparents.

“I think this is all just too much, Colin. After dinner, I want you to take me home. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter to me what you say you are.” I sigh. “I just don’t think this is going to work out.” When we get to Finn’s house and head in to eat, Colin is silent. He simply nods at me.

***

Colin, Melody, and I sit at the table with a half-empty box of pizza in the middle of it after we have finished eating.

“I’m so jealous of you two and this trip to Ireland,” I say, nibbling on a piece of crust from my plate. “I mean, Mel, did you think that you would ever get to go to Ireland, honestly? I know you’re going to see Finn and Colin’s family for this celebration thing, but do you think you’ll get to do much sightseeing while you’re there?”

As she finishes her slice of pizza, smiling, Melody tells me, “Um, well, I have told Finn that, even though we will be spending most of our time in Kildare with their family, I want to make sure we take a trip to the Burren to see the Cliffs of Moher and to Wicklow to see this waterfall that I have dreamed of seeing for years.”

I notice that Colin has hardly said two words and is sitting at the table with us, just staring out the window. No doubt due to our conversation in the car on the way here.

“But what do your parents think about you delaying the start of the spring semester?” I ask her. She avoids my eyes and keeps pushing crumbs around on her plate. “You did tell them, right?”

“So, about that, Sam. I didn’t know how to bring it up. But since we’re going to be gone for six weeks, I’m actually not delaying the semester. I’m going to take the whole semester off.” I shoot her a look of confusion at these words, then turn to Colin for answers. Did he know?

“What? You’re going to be gone for six weeks! When did that happen? Melody, why didn’t you tell me?” I screech out the words at her and they echo off the walls of the small room.

“I’m sorry, Sam.” I can tell she is struggling to find the words to explain this. “Hey, Colin. Do you mind giving us a minute?” she says, tapping him on the shoulder, bringing him back to the present.

“What, lass? Oh sure. I’ll be out front.” He gets up from the table and heads to the door. Stopping at it, he turns back to me and says, “Let me know when you’re ready to go, and I’ll take you home.” Then he closed the door behind him with a soft click.

“Has he been this way all day?” Melody asks me, pointing at the door Colin just exited through.

“Oh. My. God. Mel! He has been so distant for the last week. I don’t know what his deal is, honestly.” I cross my arms over my chest, and just glare at the door he left through, my frustration getting the better of me. Ready to be done with this night and all of the drama with Colin.

“I have a feeling I do.” I continue to look at Melody, waiting for her to go on, wanting to see if she will tell me the truth I suspect I already know. “Sam, how much do you know about Colin and his family?”

“Not a lot. It’s not exactly like he is a man of many words. I expect he is more likely to club me over the head and haul me off to his bed, rather than to sit down and have an actual conversation with me, like with real words, not just non-committal grunts.” I pick at my fingernails when I tell her this, not wanting to seem too eager for information about Colin.

“Well, Finn has told me a bit about them. They moved here when Colin was sixteen, from Ireland. Their dad had a bit of a falling out with their grandparents. Finn didn’t go back until he was seventeen. It was after their dad died in an accident.” She shifts in her seat but goes on with her story. This is more than Colin has told me in the short time we have been dating, and I’m eating it up.

“Finn spent the summer with his grandparents that year. But Colin was twenty-three at the time, and he refused to go with Finn. He has refused to go back every time Finn has gone since. Sam, Colin hasn’t been back to Ireland in over fifteen years.” I look past her at the front door and picture Colin, sitting in his truck in the driveway.

“Melody, I didn’t know. He didn’t say anything. No wonder he is freaking out. In less than two days, you guys are supposed to be leaving, and he clearly is still struggling with some unresolved issues.”

I jump up out of my chair, the legs scraping on the wood floor. “I’m sorry, Mel. I have to go.”

“Sam, wait!” Melody stands and wraps me in her arms. “I love you, chica. I’m going to miss you.” I wrap my arms around her and squeeze tightly, not wanting to let her go.

“I love you too. Promise me you’ll text and call. What am I going to do without you for six weeks?” I pull back from our hug and look into her eyes, sad to see my friend go.

“I promise to send lots of pictures and try to text you at least once a day to let you know I haven’t drowned myself in pints of Guinness.”

“Thanks for the pizza. I’m sorry again, Mel,” I apologize for leaving so abruptly, “but I need to go to Colin. Will you be fine until Finn gets home from work?” I hold her hand as she walks me toward the front door, and pick up my purse off the couch.

“I get it. Trust me, Sam. There is something about these Caomhanach men, isn’t there?”

“You know there really is,” I tell her, patting her on the cheek and opening the front door. “I love you, Mel.”

“I love you too, Sam.” Melody closes the door behind me. I stand staring at the truck. Colin sits inside, his head down. I sigh and go to climb in. I’ll let him take me home with him and show me what he is, but this is it. One chance.

“Melody told me some things,” I say, trying to prompt him as we drive through the night on the way back to his house. He remains silent and stares out the windshield. “You haven’t been home to Ireland since you were a kid? You refuse to go back with Finn?”

“It’s not home, doll. Don’t get that idea in your head. Where are you going with this?” His words are harsh, and I immediately shut down, regretting that I didn’t stick to my guns and make him take me straight home.

“You know what, Colin, I think this is a mistake.” The hurt in his eyes when he turns to look at me stops me in my tracks, but I can’t keep second guessing myself. I can’t keep going on this way. I will be expected to put up with him hating himself, for how long? “I was right before. Please just take me home.”

“Sam,” he starts, then stops. I can see when he decides not to continue on. He slows the truck and makes a U-turn, heading in the direction of my house. I let out a sigh. It’s over. Whatever this is between us, it is over.

***

I sit on my couch in the silence for a long while after Colin drops me off, contemplating what I’ve done, if ending it with him is the right thing. I understand he is going through something right now and clearly he is struggling with going back to Ireland. Sighing, I get up from the couch and grab my keys, maybe he deserves one last chance.

When I pull up outside of Colin’s house, Finn’s truck is in the driveway, and I can hear them yelling inside. I get back into my car and start to back out of the driveway. This isn’t something I want to be involved in. When I see Finn emerge through the front door and stomp to the bed of his truck, taking his clothes off as he goes, I hesitate with my foot on the brake, watching the scene unfold. That’s when I see it. Finn shifts into a massive wolf. Holy shit! They’re werewolves.

Watching the wolf in front of me stalk towards Colin, I realize that everything he has been telling me is true, and he could, in fact, prove it. I back out of the driveway, leaving the brothers to deal with whatever their differences are in this moment and resolve to call Colin in the morning, and apologize to him for being so quick to dismiss his claims.