KILLIAN: A Mafia Romance (The Callahans Book 2) (18 page)

Stacy

Cassidy watched me tear at the cardboard that held the pieces of the crib I’d picked. I hadn’t said anything to her since she came through the door. I didn’t know what to say to her.

What do you say to the woman trying to replace your mom?

“I’m sorry, Stacy,” she said softly.

I looked over at her. “What?”

“We got off on the wrong foot. Your fiancé’s death on the day your father and I got married and everything…”

I shrugged. “That’s in the past.”

“Yes, but I feel like it’s standing between us. He should have been in New York with you. If I’d known that you were supposed to marry the next day—”

“No one knew, but maybe Killian. I never told anyone.”

“I know, but—”

“That’s not an issue, Cassidy,” I said, pulling myself clumsily up to my feet. “Davis and all that is in the past.”

“Then why won’t you speak to me? Why do I still feel this tension between us?”

I crossed her arms over her chest. “I never knew my biological mother. And I didn’t have a female figure in my life until Abigail Callahan came into my life.”

“And I’m not trying to replace her.”

I shrugged. “She was a saint. No one can replace her.”

“I get that.”

“And you had an affair with my dad while they were married.”

She nodded. “I know. But you should know that I didn’t know he was married until we’d been together for months.”

“Does that matter? You stayed with him after you knew.”

She inclined her head slightly. “I did. But I was in love with him by then.”

“That’s not an excuse.”

I turned back to the crib box, trying to figure out how to open it without having to bend over again. I hadn’t asked for Killian and Pops to set this up; I didn’t agree to allow this woman into my house. The only reason she was here was because Killian told me it would make things easier at family get-togethers and that he would see it as a personal favor to him if I’d do it.

I loved him. How could I refuse him anything?

I bent over and started tugging at the cardboard again, feeling very clumsy. This pregnancy was turning me into someone I’d never been before. I was fat and round and ungraceful. Killian said I was beautiful, but I didn’t feel it. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying this pregnancy. I liked the feel of the baby moving inside of me. I liked how thick my hair was now and how big my boobs were getting. I even liked the idea of what would happen at the end, of the baby I would get to hold and love for the rest of my life.

“Let me help with that.”

Cassidy came over and knelt beside the box, tugging at the corners.

“I can do it.”

“But I’m here to help. Let me help.”

I waved my hand, moving over to the dressing table that was still in its box, leaning against the wall. I pulled at the cardboard of that box, slipping the long pieces out. One piece didn’t want to come out easily, so I had to tug a little, nearly losing my balance as I did. Cassidy was behind me when I did, catching me and steadying me.

“Everyone needs a little help. Especially a new mom.”

“I’m not a mom yet.”

“Sure you are. And you’re joining a very big, exclusive club.”

I pulled away from her. I didn’t want her opinions.

Being pregnant had made me realize more and more every day what I was missing not having my mom around. I had so many questions I could quite wrap my mind around them all. If she’d been here now…but she wasn’t.

“I know you miss Abigail,” Cassidy said softly.

“I do.”

“She’s not here. I’m sure she would have wanted to be. And I know that I wish she was here. You kids deserve your mother to be here at your side. I’m not trying to take her place.”

“But aren’t you?”

“No. I just want to be with your dad. I think we make each other happy.”

“But you’re living in her house.”

Cassidy looked a little uncomfortable for a moment. Then she nodded.

“I wanted to buy a house of our own, but Brian didn’t want to sell your house. He said that you kids needed to be able to come home from time to time, to feel welcome somewhere.”

I crossed my arms over my chest again. “He said that?”

“Yeah.”

“And you agreed with it?”

“I did. I knew that I couldn’t come in here and make demands about everything. He was yours first. I never wanted to change that. I just want to join the family, that’s all.” She came to me and tentatively took my hand, her touch soft and almost nonexistent. “Can you imagine what it was like for Abigail, coming into your life the way she did? Can you imagine how hard it was for her, wanting to be your mom, but knowing she could never replace her?”

I nodded slowly. “I suppose.”

“I don’t want to be your mom; I don’t want to replace anyone. I just want to be your friend.”

I didn’t know what to say. But I’d seen her with Pops, seen the way his face lit up whenever she walked into a room. He loved her despite everything.

“Why did you never tell him about Brianna?”

Cassidy dragged her fingers through her hair. “Because he chose Abigail and I didn’t want to interfere with that. Because Killian and Sean needed their father.”

“But you must have needed him.”

A bitter smile twisted Cassidy’s lips. “I did. More than you’ll ever know. But he made his choice. I couldn’t take those boys’ father from them.”

“Thank you,” I said softly. “If you had taken him away, I never would have found my family. I never would have found Killian.”

She nodded, her eyes bright with tears. “I believe all things work out the way they’re supposed to.”

“Yeah.” I turned to the crib. “Do you think we should just let Killian do this?”

She laughed. “Might not be a bad idea.”

“Can I ask you something about pregnancy?”

“Sure.”

“There’s this clear liquid…”

Killian

“Babe?”

I was dreaming about fast cars and gunfire when Stacy pushed my shoulder.

“It’s two o’clock,” I moaned, glancing at the clock. “We have hours to sleep.”

“I know. But the baby has other plans.”

“Tell him to go back to sleep.”

“I would,” she said, her voice twisted with pain, “but my water broke.”

I sat up, the reality of what she’d just said spreading over the sheet beneath her. We’d planned for this, planned every step, but I was suddenly drawing a blank.

What was I supposed to do? Something about a suitcase and a phone call…

“Call the doctor,” she reminded me.

I made the call, then pulled on a pair of jeans before scooping her up out of bed.

“I need clothes, Killian. Dry clothes.”

“Are you sure we have time.”

“I think so.”

She made me set her down. Some irrational part of me was afraid the baby would just fall out if she insisted on walking around the room that way. But she managed to pull on a maternity dress and clean underclothes without any flying babies making an appearance. I drove faster than I should have through the city to the hospital, hearing her admonitions to slow down, but not heeding them.

She moaned as I took a hard left. For some reason, the pain that came with the contractions hadn’t crossed my mind until then. Her face was twisted with it, her lips puffed as she tried to breathe through them and struggled to hold onto what they’d taught us in that birthing class.

“It’s okay, babe,” I said, reaching over and taking her hand. “You’re going to be okay.”

She just nodded as she continued to work through the pain.

Fear suddenly settled in my belly. I kept reminding myself that this was a perfectly natural process, but bad things happened every day. I managed to get her to the hospital and into her room before I had to step out. I leaned against the walls and closed my eyes, taking as many deep breaths as I could.

Then I called my dad.

The family arrived one by one. Ian, then Kyle. Sean and Brianna. Pops and Cassidy.

Stacy’s eyes lit up when Cassidy came through the door.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she said.

“Of course you can,” Cassidy said, taking her hand. “Just imagine that little bundle of joy that will be lying in your arms when all is said and done.”

Stacy seemed to relax after that. But I was going insane. It was killing me to watch my wife in so much pain.

Pops moved up behind me, his hands on my shoulders. “It’ll all be over soon.”

“I did this to her,” I said in a low whisper. “What if—?”

“Don’t do that. This is a happy day, son. Don’t darken it with your fear.”

But how could I avoid it. I waited so long to be with Stacy. If things went south and I lost her, I don’t think I could live with that.

But then the nurse came in and said something about ten centimeters and this flurry of activity began and Stacy was holding my hand, making these hard, groaning sounds as she sat up and pushed. My beautiful wife, so perfect and delicate, was enduring the most incredible pain as she brought our child into the world.

I don’t think I ever loved her more.

And then he was there, his eyes big and brown, just like his mother’s.

Brian David Callahan.

Stacy

Cassidy brought the baby to me, lying him gently in my arms. I smiled, always so excited to feel the weight of this perfect human being in my arms.

Ian’s laughter burst through the open doors, Kyle’s following. Kevin and Brianna were tucked into a corner of the back deck, whispering to each other. I suspected there was something going on there, but I wasn’t sure what. Maybe another illicit romance. Maybe just a friendship that spanned a kidnapping and the traumatic adjustment back to real life.

Killian and Pops were standing off to one side, talking quietly about things I wasn’t sure I wanted to know about. I no longer resented the business Pops chose to participate in, nor did I resent his decision to bring my husband and our brothers into it. But that didn’t mean I was eager to hear the details.

Sean was sitting on the loveseat, staring at the screen of his phone.

“Business?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Not exactly. Just a text from a friend.”

There’d been something different about Sean recently. A new light in his eyes. Cassidy thought he’d met someone. I hoped she was right because he deserved a little happiness.

Things had been calm lately. The kidnapper who’d been harassing Pops had stopped texting again. Everyone thought that the death of his hitman had cooled his heels. I wasn’t too sure that was it, but I was hoping they were right. It never hurt to be optimistic, right?

Killian came over and ran his hand gently over the baby’s head, leaning low to kiss him.

“Hello, little man,” he said softly.

“Could you be any prouder?”

“Give me a daughter and we’ll find out.”

“Can I recover from this one first?”

He kissed me, the feel of his lips as new as the first kiss. I leaned into him and closed my eyes, exhausted, but in a happy way.

When I opened my eyes again, I looked around the room at my family. My brothers. My dad. My stepmom and stepsister.

For a little girl who began this life abandoned by her mother and hurt by her drunken father, I didn’t have that bad a life.

I hugged my baby closer to me, sending up a silent prayer to my mom.

Thank you for bringing us together. Thank you for giving me something no one else could do. Thank you for touching my life. I wish we could have known each other longer…but thank you for what you gave me.

Thank you.

~~

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Volume 2

Xander

“Call me when it’s ready,” I said, handing Jonnie the file I was holding. “They want to see it as soon as possible.”

“No problem,” she said, skirting off to her desk.

I walked into my office, kicking the door closed with the heel of my foot. I could still hear the hum of working taking place outside the glass walls, but it was down to a dull roar, which was great for the headache I could feel coming on behind my eyes.

When I started this company, I thought it was going to be a breeze. But don’t all young entrepreneurs? I’m proud of what I’ve built over the last five years. This business has been my life for these past few years, but now, I’m ready to think about something other than security systems for a while. I’m ready to think about settling down and having a family.

I’ve already met the girl. I just need to convince her to marry me.

There’s a picture of her on my desk. Long blonde hair. Bright green eyes. A cute little button nose that accents her full lips perfectly. And curves that would catch the attention of a blind man. But it’s not just the way she looks. Harley is one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever known. And an incredibly talented artist. That’s how we met, actually. My company was contracted to set up security at an art gallery in Texas. She was the showcase artist at the time.

I knew I wanted her the second I laid eyes on her. She was in jeans and a t-shirt, her hair sweaty and tangled from her efforts of bringing a dozen, oversized canvases into the warehouse-like gallery without any help. That was her personality in a nutshell: strong, fiercely independent, and determined. I walked over and turned the charm on, and she shot me down in a single look.

I was a goner.

It took me almost a week to convince her to go out with me. But that first dinner led to a late lunch and another long dinner and six months later she’d moved to Los Angeles to move in with me.

I’d never thought of myself as the one-girl-for-the-rest-of-my-life kind of guy. But with Harley, I was dreaming of green-eyed babies and rocking chairs on the front porch. I even had the ring in the top drawer of my desk.

Like I said, I just need to convince her.

I settled down behind my desk and woke my computer, scrolling through emails that needed my attention.

Part of my job entails a lot of hand-holding. We provide security systems for companies, big and small. And these companies need to be reassured—some on a daily basis—that the system is working and we’ve got them fully protected—from their computer systems to their hiring protocol to their physical locations. So, most mornings, I have the equivalent of a single email from each client, which amounts to hundreds of emails. Harley told me once I should hire a secretary whose sole job would be to answer these emails. I was beginning to think she was right.

In a few minutes, I was lost in the emails, writing reassurances to clients I knew well and clients I’d only just met. I didn’t even hear the phone ring until Jonnie, my office manager, stuck her head in the door.

“Xander?”

I looked up. “Did you get those—?” I stopped because I could see something in her expression that caused the fingers of dread to dance up and down my spine. “What’s going on?”

“Someone from Cedars-Sinai is on the phone.”

I frowned, not following what she was saying.

“It’s about Harley.”

I snatched up the phone, pressing the appropriate button to connect the call.

“This is Xander Boggs.”

“Mr. Boggs? This is Alicia Franklin from Cedars-Sinai. Do you know Harley Alistair?”

“Yes. What’s going on? Is she okay?”

“There was an accident, Mr. Boggs. Ms. Alistair was hit by a car while jogging.”

That was all I heard. I know she kept talking after that, but it was just white noise. I remember saying I’d be there as soon as possible. And then I was searching for my keys.

“Maybe you shouldn’t drive,” Jonnie said.

“I’ve got to go.”

I charged past her and rushed out the door.

***

“Why won’t you go out with me?”

She looked up, surprise making her big green eyes look even bigger. “You sure are a conceited one, aren’t you?”

“No. I just know what I want when I see it.”

“Yes, well, I’m not something that can simply be possessed.”

“I don’t want to possess you. I want to take you to dinner. Have a nice conversation with someone who knows absolutely nothing about security systems.”

She smiled, but she ducked her head so that I only saw a glimpse of it. I wanted to see more.

“You think you’re so charming,” she said. “But I don’t have time to play games with a guy like you.”

“And what’s a guy like me?”

“Some big city playboy who thinks he can have any woman he wants. Some charmer who thinks the whole world should kneel at his command. I’ve been down that road. I have no intention of walking down it again.”

“So you’re cheating yourself out of a good time with me because some other jerk broke your heart?” I shook my head slowly. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on.”

“Oh, I think I do.”

“I could surprise you, you know. I might be the best thing that ever happened to you. But if you don’t give me a chance, you will never know.”

Again that smile appeared on her full lips, bringing a light to her eyes that could have lit the darkest of rooms. I felt like I was standing in the center of a spotlight when she shone those eyes on me, and that was a feeling I wanted to keep.

“If I go out with you, just once, will you leave me alone?”

“I can’t make promises.”

She groaned…but the groan ended in a soft giggle.

“Okay. One date. But I’m not making promises, either.”

***

I ran up to the nurses’ station the moment I got off the elevator, a little breathless as I slammed my hands on the counter to get their attention.

“Harley Alistair?”

“Are you Mr. Boggs?”

I nodded, watching the short, overweight nurse come toward me.

“If you’ll follow me,” she said, gesturing over her shoulder, as she pushed through the little gate that blocked the area behind the desk from unauthorized access. She walked slowly down the hall before she stopped and gestured for me to enter a door on the left. I thought it would be a patient room, that Harley would be lying in a bed, a little bruised but basically okay, annoyed with all the fuss being made over her. But it wasn’t. It was a small break room with hulking vending machines overshadowing the small table set in the center.

“What’s going on?” I demanded the moment the nurse joined me in the little room and closed the door.

“As I said on the phone, the accident was quite serious.”

“Where’s Harley?”

The nurse pressed her lips together and gestured toward the table, making it clear that she wasn’t going to tell me what I wanted to know until I calmed a little. I took a deep breath, trying to remind myself that this woman was in control here, not me. But it was a difficult thing to concede.

I took a seat, crossing my legs and locking my fingers together in my lap. She sat, too, sighing as she flexed her feet in their clunky white nurse’s shoes.

“Ms. Alistair was brought into the ER via ambulance about three hours ago. The paramedics said that she was jogging on Third Street when a car apparently veered out of control and hit her. She was unconscious when they arrived.”

I stared down at my hands, anger and fear and hatred and a million different emotions I couldn’t even begin to decipher filling my chest. I didn’t look up, didn’t speak. I was afraid if I did, I would say something I shouldn’t and this nurse would have me escorted out by security. I needed to see Harley. I needed to know she was okay.

“Ms. Alistair has a broken leg, three cracked ribs, and a dislocated shoulder. There are also many cuts and bruises, but the injury that doctors are most concerned with is the head injury.”

“Head injury?”

“It appears that Ms. Alistair was pushed forward by the impact of the car and landed head first against some sort of object. The paramedics thought it was likely a tree or a fence post.”

The image that conjured in my mind was horrific. Again, I bit my lip to keep from speaking because I was afraid what I had to say was not appropriate.

But, what the hell? What kind of paramedics couldn’t determine…but then, that wasn’t really important right now, was it?

“CAT scans show that she has what is called a subdural hematoma. What it is, essentially, is bleeding on the brain.”

My heart sank. That didn’t sound good.

“The doctors are with her now, trying to determine a course of action. As soon as they are available, I’ll send them in to speak to you.”

The nurse stood with a heavy sigh.

“Wait,” I said, leaning forward with the intention of snagging hold of the bottom edge of her sweater. However, I stopped myself just in time, instead resting my hands on my knees.

She turned and regarded me; the hard, no-nonsense expression she’d maintained from the moment I got her attention softened just slightly. She touched my shoulder ever so lightly and said, “I know it seems overwhelming at the moment, Mr. Boggs, but you should be assured that she is in the best of hands.”

She smiled softly, then walked away, closing the door with barely a sound. I stood and began pacing the small room, barely able to take two steps before I was forced to turn around again.

What would I do if Harley didn’t make it through this?

***

“You look absolutely amazing.”

“You’re just saying that.”

I let my eyes move slowly over her, lingering here and there as my eyes settled on things that were particularly fascinating to me.

“No,” I said, letting the word drag as it slipped from my lips. “You are pretty amazing.”

She laughed, tossing a soiled napkin at me.

She was wearing more paint than she was clothing. She was in her art studio, and the time had gotten away from her as she worked on a new project. While I was standing there in a dark suit that cost more than I cared to admit, she was dressed in denim shorts and a thin little tank top, both of which were covered in splatters of paint, as were her arms and legs. I think there was even a splash of sunny yellow paint in her hair.

“It’ll only take me a few minutes to shower,” she said, brushing past me as she rushed up the little path that led to the back door of her house. “You can wait in the living room. There’s tea in the fridge.”

“Sweet tea, I assume.”

“Of course. Is there any other kind?”

She glanced over her shoulder at me, laughter written in every angle of that amazing face. I could have just stood there and stared at her all day.

“Do you want company in the shower? I could scrub your back.”

“I think I can handle it.”

“Are you sure? It looks like you rolled in the paint.”

She looked down at herself as though she’d only just realized how much paint had adhered to her body. A slight blush colored her cheeks, bringing out the natural bronze of her skin in a most alluring way. And then she shook her head, brushing off the embarrassment that inspired that blush.

“I’ll be down in a minute.”

She disappeared up the narrow staircase. I watched her go, finding it a real struggle to keep from chasing after her. Instinct told me that I didn’t want to rush things with her. Harley was different from any other woman I’d ever been with. I didn’t want to screw things up before they’d even begun. So I was a good boy, sitting on her overstuffed couch, looking through an art magazine that didn’t interest me in the slightest. But it was well worth it when she returned nearly forty minutes later, her curves highlighted by a simple but elegant black dress.

I would never forget how beautiful she looked in that moment, the black a perfect contrast to her light hair and freshly scrubbed bronze skin.

***

“Mr. Boggs?”

A short, handsome man came into the room a good hour later, his lab coat announcing that he was a doctor. I crossed the room in three steps and took his proffered hand.

“I’m Dr. Caliendo. I’m a neurologist on staff here at Cedars.”

“You’re treating Harley.”

“I am.”

Dr. Caliendo gestured toward the table. Once again, I took a seat, waiting impatiently for him to explain what the hell was going on. He sat, too, taping his fingers against the frame of the iPad he was holding.

“As I’m sure Nurse Franklin told you, Harley has multiple injuries from the accident. The most concerning is the head injury. Her skull has several fractures. Those fractures have caused a hematoma, or a bleed, on her brain. This is causing pressure within her skull.” He paused, studying me as though he were trying to measure how much I was comprehending. Apparently satisfied, he continued, “We’ve placed Harley in a drug-induced coma to allow her brain to rest while it heals. We’ll monitor the swelling for the next twenty-four hours before determining our next step.”