Beneath an Irish Sky (Choc Lit) Read Online Free PDF Page A

have guessed because she poured him more tea. The answer to everything.
    ‘I believe you,’ she said. ‘And it must be terrible to be accused of something you haven’t done.’
    That was unexpected. He’d thought counsellors stayed neutral.
    They did.
    ‘I also believe Luke … well, I believe that
he
believes it. He’s been told you rejected him and his mother. You never showed up to contradict that. So why should he trust you – a stranger – over the people who’ve taken care of him all his life? Can you see that, Jack?’
    He could, but there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
    ‘In a strange way, the accident might help,’ Emer said. ‘Luke’s not in a position to walk away right now, so you should have some time to try and convince him you care.’
    ‘I don’t know if … if I do care.’ There, he’d said it aloud. Voiced the fears he’d held ever since Flynn told him of Luke’s existence. He looked at Emer, expecting to see disgust.
    ‘You’ve had a terrible shock,’ was all she said. ‘Not only learning your wife has died, but also finding out you have a grown-up son. And you don’t know Luke. He’s not like a child you’ve raised from birth. You can’t be expected to feel instant love.’
    ‘I don’t even feel instant
like
. And if he isn’t mine? That Traveller the detective said she was with, after she left England – he might be the real father.’ He didn’t tell her he wanted that to be true so he’d be off the hook.
    Emer flicked through a form on her desk. ‘Luke was born on the 28th of October. When did Annie leave?’
    ‘Late February. So Annie was pregnant before leaving Baronsmere – unless Luke was premature. But …’
    ‘But what?’ prompted Emer.
    ‘But maybe she met the Traveller in England. An affair would have been a reason for her to leave.’ And what better time to do that than when Jack was abroad for a week? No arguments, no drama. But if that were true, then he’d completely misjudged Annie’s character. And she’d given a performance worthy of an Oscar.
    ‘A DNA test is the only way to find out for sure if you’re the father.’
    Jack nodded slowly, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted hard proof that Annie had been unfaithful to him. Why put himself through all that? Luke hated him, and would want nothing more to do with the Stewarts when he got out of hospital.
    ‘Luke might react very badly to a request for a DNA, though,’ Emer commented. ‘In his mind, it would be like another rejection. If he really is your son, you could lose him completely because of that. Perhaps you should wait until he’s fully recovered from the accident.’
    Jack frowned. ‘He’ll be back with his family then. He’s not likely to want any more contact with me.’
    Emer shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. Remember what happened when you asked about his uncles?’
    True. Luke had seemed terrified. ‘That would be any sane person’s reaction.’
    ‘Were they violent?’
    ‘Liam Kiernan wasn’t so bad. Annie told me they’d been quite close until he suffered a head injury on a construction site. After that, he had mental health issues and suffered bouts of aggression that were aggravated by booze. Joe Kiernan had a real temper. He got involved in more than one pub fight while he was in Baronsmere.’ Jack gave a wry laugh. ‘One of which was with me.’
    ‘Do you think Joe was responsible for Luke’s bruises?’
    Jack shifted in his chair. He remembered the doctor’s words:
He’ll need peace and quiet … and support … to heal
.
But Luke was an adult. He could make his own decisions. ‘It’s possible. Or a brawl … who knows? You’d have to ask Luke.’
    ‘You know he and Annie were leaving Ireland,’ said Emer. ‘Luke told me they were going to Wales.’
    ‘No, I didn’t know that.’
    ‘It’s odd, though,’ Emer said. ‘There was just one suitcase between them. The hospital staff opened it, looking for information. There