Beers, Lies and Alibis (Warblers Point Series Book 2) (21 page)

“Love, it will be okay. We don’t need any more children and we will get help for Catherine if we start to see any signs of Bipolar Disorder in her.”

“But you want more children,” Neala said, as she wept into her hands. “You have always wanted a big family. I can’t do that to you. I can’t take away that dream from you. You deserve to be with someone who is able to give you everything you want.”

Liam pulled Neala into his arms and buried his head into her hair, taking in the sweet smell of her shampoo.
 

“My only dream is to be with you, Neala. I don’t care if we have any more children, all I care about is being with you and Catherine. I want my family back, damn it, and I refuse to be without my two girls any longer.” He lifted Neala’s chin up so she had to look him in the eyes. “What we have between us is something not many people find in a lifetime. We were made for each other, love. I don’t care about you being Bipolar because I vowed to marry you in sickness and in health and I damn well meant it. We will get through this together. All I want is you, love. Please tell me you feel the same.”

Neala shook her head. “I don’t deserve you, Liam.”

“Yes, you do.”

“What if I start to hallucinate again? What if I hurt you while in a manic state?”

“That’s not going to happen. We are going to have a nice sit-down with your doctor and see what we can do to help you and curb any manic episodes you might experience. We are going to overcome this together, love. Just you and me…and granny of course.”

Neala playfully slapped Liam’s chest. “I hate it when you call her that.”

Liam laughed and kissed Neala’s head. “I know, but I love it.”

“I love you, Liam.”

Liam’s heart seized in his chest at Neala’s words. When he decided to come to the rehab center to get his wife back, never in his wildest dreams did he think she was going to tell him she was Bipolar and never did he think she would also be telling him she loved him. He’d been dying to hear those words come out of his wife’s mouth for so long and, now that he finally heard them again, he could die a happy man.
 

“I love you, too.”

Lifting her chin up, Liam grabbed her jaw with his hand and directed her mouth close to his. Slowly, he pressed his lips against hers, waiting for her to protest, but she never did. Instead, she moved her hands up Liam’s body and around his neck so she was holding onto him for dear life. The moment his lips touched hers, he forgot about everything around them and only focused on the sensation of Neala’s lips gliding across his. It was such a sensual kiss that Liam had to pull away or else things were going to get out of control…and fast.
 

He rested his forehead against hers, cleared his throat and said, “God, I’ve missed you, love.”

“I’ve missed you too, Liam.”

***

Sophie was putting some bear claws in her pastry case when the front door bells chimed, alerting her that she had a customer. Expecting to see Marge and Maggie walk through the door, Sophie was almost shocked when she saw Finn walk in. The last time she saw Finn, his brother was yelling at her to get out of the hospital when she was only trying to be a good person.
 

“Hey Soph,” Finn said, while his hands were in his jean pockets. It was hard not to be attracted to the man when he had day-old stubble caressing his face and his brown eyes were framed by his thick-rimmed glasses.
 

“What’s going on, Finn?”

He walked closer so they weren’t talking to each other across the store and that was when she noticed the dark circles under Finn’s eyes. Even though she hated the O’Learys, she still felt bad that they were going through such a rough time because of what Murphy and she had planned. It almost seemed unreal that she had conspired in such a horrible thing, but then again, her business was going down the drain…as well as her life because of the O’Leary men. Tit for tat, was what she kept telling herself.
 

“I wanted to apologize for what happened the other day.”

“Don’t worry about it, emotions were running high. I get it,” Sophie lied, but she wasn’t going to tell Finn the truth; he didn’t deserve to know how she really felt and she didn’t want to show any weakness around him.
 

“I know, but I just felt horrible.”
 

“It’s done with Finn, drop it, alright?”

“Okay,” Finn said skeptically.

“Was that all?”

“No, I wanted to get a couple dozen muffins for the guys who will be coming over today to help at The Sleeping Potato. We’re going to start shoveling and preparing the area for rebuilding. We have to put up some work stations and tents to get ready.”

“A couple dozen? How many people are you expecting?”

Finn was about to answer when Sophie’s front door rang again. They both looked up and saw Murphy strutting toward them with a giant grin on his face.
 

“Mornin’ lad,” Murphy said, while patting Finn on the back. “I just left ya sister’s apartment; didn’t expect to see ye fine ass in here tis mornin’.”

Finn’s brow crinkled at Murphy’s confession about where he had been prior to the bakery. Sophie felt her brow crinkle as well, which was odd since she knew the plan all along was for Murphy to get back with Fiona. It just didn’t seem fair because Murphy’s plans seemed to be working out, but Sophie felt like she was still being dragged through the mud.
 

“You better be staying away from Fiona, Murph. She’s with Booker now.”

“Aye, that she is,” Murphy turned his attention toward Sophie and smiled. “Mornin’ lass, can I get a cup of ye delectable brew, please?”

“Sure, once I finish with Finn. What kind of muffins do you want?”

“Only blonde ones, aren’t I right lass?” Murphy laughed while referring to Blaire.

Finn rolled his eyes. “A variety is fine, Soph.”

“Ah, where is ya sense of humor, lad?”
 

“No offense Murphy, but I’m not really feeling like being humorous this morning when I know you’re planning on doing something with my sister. You need to leave her the hell alone. Booker is good for her and she doesn’t need you screwing that up for her. You two aren’t compatible; it’s over and time to move on.”

Murphy held up his hands. “Ya need to calm down, lad. I haven’t done anythin’. Ye sister knows what she wants and maybe what she wants is changin’, only she knows that. So for now, I’m goin’ to be the helpful Irishman me ma taught me to be and meet ya out back of The Sleepin’ Potato.”

Finn’s face relaxed as he realized Murphy was going to be one of the helpers they so desperately needed.
 

“Sorry, I just don’t want to see Fiona screw up one of the best things that’s ever happened to her because she is hanging out with the likes of you,” Finn chased his statement with a smile, so he wouldn’t completely offend Murphy.
 

“Got ya, Lad.”

Finn paid for his muffins, saluted them a goodbye and left the bakery, but not before thanking both Sophie and Murphy for their support.
 

“Damn, why does he have to be so nice?” Murphy asked.
 

“Why are you helping them rebuild?” Sophie asked, while her hands went to her waist. She was angry at the stupid smirking man.

“What am I supposed to do? Just sit back and watch them struggle?”

“Well yeah…”

Murphy shook his head. “I’m not heartless, Sophie.”

“You burned their establishment down!” Sophie found herself shouting. “You caused Carlin to have a heart attack. If that’s not heartless, I don’t know what is.”

“Ya don’t think I don’t know that?” Murphy matched Sophie’s tone as he ran his hand through his hair. “Ya don’t think I think about that every day? I’m the reason why Carlin is fightin’ for his life. I just can’t sit back and watch the family struggle, not when I care about them and I’m more than capable of helping them.”

“If you cared about them, you never would have set the place on fire.”

The tension between the two of them was unpalatable. They were not very good evil cohorts because the minute things went wrong, they were at each other’s throats.
 

“Where is this comin’ from?” Murphy asked, as he looked Sophie up and down. “Are ya really that bitter that ya can’t put ye’self to the side for a second to realize that this family needs help?”

Sophie threw her hands up in anger. “That was the whole point of us doing this Murphy, to take down the O’Learys. Now that we did, you are all of a sudden going to fly to their side and be their knight in shining armor?”

“Ya could do the same, ya know.”

“No, I can’t!” Sophie shouted. “Unlike you, I have a business I have to try to save. I don’t have time to save someone else’s. Because of those men, I am struggling every day to keep this bakery alive. They have made Warblers Point a living hell for me. Do you know what people say when I walk by? They call me a home-wrecker; they say I’m a slut and I deserve everything that is thrown my way. I did nothing!” Sophie slammed her fist to the counter. “Nothing!”
 

Anger seethed through her body as she thought about the struggles the O’Learys had brought her. The day in and day out struggle she had to fight was almost unbearable sometimes, especially when she went home caked in flour to the welcoming arms of absolutely no one. She was lonely, very lonely.
 

She didn’t know how it had happened, but Murphy was holding her and stroking her hair telling her to calm down as she tried to regulate her breathing.
 

“I know, lass. I know it’s been hard, but ya have to think about what the O’Learys are goin’ through. They might lose their da, that is somethin’ no one deserves.”

“But…”

“I promise ya, when this is all over, I will make things better for ya, okay? I promise we will fix this, but for now, we have to fix what we started. I want Fiona, but I don’t want her this way. We have to help them as much as we can and then we will help ya, okay? I promise, we will make things better.”

Murphy kept telling her he promised over and over while he stroked her head, but Sophie didn’t believe him. For some reason, she could only see things getting worse for her. If Murphy was not going to help her, then she was going to have to take things into her own hands. There was no way she was going to let Finn and Liam get away with what they did to her…how they made her feel. They deserved to be humiliated, embarrassed, and ripped away from everything they loved. They didn’t deserve happiness because they turned a perfectly good girl into the crusted panties of Warblers Point.
 

***

Booker dropped Keara off at Murphy’s ski shop because she needed to get some winter clothes, apparently she didn’t pack enough. When they picked up their luggage from the airport, Booker was shocked to see she only had one small suitcase. He knew she wore lingerie for a job, but he expected her to have a little bit more clothing then what she’d packed. Whatever, he didn’t care, as long as she was out of his life…that was all that mattered.
 

The rest of the drive from the seedy motel to Warblers Point was torture. She kept trying to entice him any chance she got and it was starting to rake Booker’s nerves. Not only did she try to touch him any way possible, but she tried to show off as much skin as possible whenever she got a chance. It was like, once she recognized him as Booker James, the famous director, she turned up the volume of her flirtation. He wouldn’t lie, she was hot as hell, but what it came down to was that she wasn’t Fiona.
 

Knowing Fiona would be at the hospital with her dad, Booker drove straight there as quickly as the roads would allow him. He braced himself for the image he was going to see when he walked in Carlin’s room. He knew it wasn’t going to be ponies and cupcakes when he walked in, but when he finally got there, he wasn’t expecting to see what was in front of him.
 

As he opened the door, he was bombarded with paper construction shamrocks, rabbit’s feet, horse shoes, candles sporting Jesus and…Lucky Charms cereal boxes?

“Booker!” Fiona said, as she launched her body into Booker’s arms.
 

All the anxiety and fear that was running through Booker’s body instantly melted once he held Fiona in his arms. She was the reason why he was such a lucky guy, why he was so happy with his life. Not all the fans and money and publicity, no it was Fiona.
 

He buried his head in her auburn hair and breathed her in. “Hey baby. How are you doing?”

“Better now.” Fiona pulled back and kissed Booker forcefully on the lips. He wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome, especially after the iffy conversations they’d had over the phone and the way they’d separated the dreaded morning they found out about Carlin, but he wasn’t going to complain. It was good to have his girl back.
 

Mary Margaret cleared her throat behind them. “Not in front of ya da, Fiona. Ya know he can’t stand to see all that mushy stuff. He still likes to think of ya as his little girl who doesn’t know what a penis is.”