Protector (The Brannock Siblings Book 4) (4 page)

"Of course," her mother nodded, hesitating a
moment and looking at Isabelle the way she used to. The way she did when she
showed her only daughter a fraction of the love a mother could give to her
child. Then, as quickly as it came, the moment was gone. Her mother's
expression went from soft and concerned to completely impassive before she
quickly stood and left the room.

Isabelle turned to her suitcases and robotically packed the
rest of the things she would need for her month in Ireland. The pain she felt
because of her parents' ignorance was nothing compared to the anticipation of
being far away from every single one of them.

This was her time.

It wasn't until a few hours later that she realized the
'rules' Christopher mentioned were more unreasonable than she anticipated.

He drove her and her parents to the airport and said that he
'only wanted to be able to say goodbye like a fiancé should'
. His
I'm-not-in-love-with-you-but-trying act was what made her parents so sure that
she would come around in the first place.

How romantic of him to
try
to love the girl that he
was intended to marry based off of a business deal. How wonderful a sacrifice
it was for him to settle on marrying the daughter of a man who was about to
lose everything.

After everything she'd seen and heard, Isabelle knew that
was no longer the case.

"A phone call every day seems a bit unreasonable,
Christopher."

"You are getting a month, Isabelle. I expect that you
want the
full
month, so these are
my
conditions," he hissed
when her parents stepped away to give them a moment to say goodbye.

She was only feet away from the door that would lead out to
the tarmac, which would then lead to the stairs connected to the plane that
would take her away from this man.

Thousands of
miles
away.

"You are forgetting one thing, Christopher. I'm not
near as afraid of you as you hoped I would be. My side of this agreement has
not been fulfilled yet."

His face turned to stone. He wasn't going to tolerate any
misbehavior from her, but if she didn't get what she wanted in the first place,
she would do whatever it took to make his life miserable. She would cause a
scene anywhere they went. She would act out every chance she got until all the
eyes watching him would wonder at his own sanity to be with a woman so...
intolerable.

"Fine. What will you agree to? And don't test me,
Isabelle."

She couldn't stop the smile pulling on her lips. Another
victory was won even if it was minor.

"Every other night. I will call you at your home once I
am settled for the night."

He nodded stiffly. "You will tell me everywhere you
went. The phone numbers, locations... everything."

She wanted to argue, but he already conceded to more than
she expected him to. "Fine. I need to leave, Christopher."

His hand wrapped tightly around her upper arm causing her to
wince in pain. She glanced over at her parents and wasn't surprised to see that
they weren't watching a damn thing happening.

"You may think you have won this, Isabelle, but you
haven't. You must remember who I am."

She looked him in the eyes and said the first honest thing
she had said since that day in her father's office.

"I know exactly who you are."

Liam

Present day...

William Brannock wasn't sure if he was having a flashback or
just a moment of déjà vu. Watching his youngest child and only daughter walk
around his kitchen with her eight month pregnant belly looked so familiar. Like
a distant memory that kept playing over and over in his head every time he saw
Aislinn.

She looked so much like his Isabelle had when she was
pregnant with Conall and it amazed him every day to see that they were not only
very similar in looks, but in their personalities as well.

Aislinn and Isabelle got along better than most mothers and
daughters did. They agreed on almost everything and the way they handled serious
situations was identical; humor and laughter. Isabelle had also been somewhat awkward
in the first several years of their marriage. Something that he always adored.
But what was once clumsiness turned into gracefulness when her self confidence
and the love they shared was at its peak.

He worshipped Izzy every day since the very
first
day. She'd been a bright light in his world, shining like a spotlight from
which he could never look away. In other words, he was a goner from the first
glimpse of her with no desire to ever come back to reality.

Some days, he still felt like that when he thought of her.

Aislinn and Lucas were nearly impossible to tell apart from
Izzy and himself.

"Lucas, I know you think it's silly, but I just think
that it would be a good idea, that's all," Ash said, giving her husband of
two months that sweet smile that got her anything and everything she wanted.
She rested her hand on her protruding belly, caressing their unborn daughter
before she looked down and started whispering to her stomach.

Lucas beamed at Aislinn while she told her baby how much she
loved her. He then looked to Liam with the faintest color of pink in his cheeks
and shrugged.

Liam knew exactly how his son-in-law felt. Talking to his
own wife's belly felt somewhat unnatural at first, especially around others. It
was always slightly embarrassing, but only because the things he wanted to say
to his babies were between him and his babies and his wife. Those were moments
that he didn't want to share with anyone else.

Luke was back to staring at Ash in that way that told Liam
his daughter would never want for anything. "Ash, Baby, it's not really
something I would like to do in front of people."

"Oh, come on. Now
that
is silly. Who
cares?" Ash rolled her eyes before directing them back to her belly.

Luke shook his head with a grin on his face and, again,
regarded Liam.

"Don't look at me, son. Izzy wouldn't leave it alone
until I spoke to her belly enough to satisfy her. I also felt every single kick
when we were together because she would shout for me and I would come running
thinking that she had fallen or gotten hurt. She would snatch my hand and make
me feel every movement."

Lucas was chuckling and Liam could pretty much guarantee
that Ash was the same way. That had been a pet peeve that Liam wished he
wouldn't have been so annoyed with. Izzy just wanted to share everything with
him and although he was proud of that, it cut into some serious time whenever
he ran across the house to find her.

"I just want our child to recognize his voice,"
Ash informed him. "I've read so many horror stories about the baby taking
a long time to adjust to the father. I don't want that to happen. I want
Isabelle to know her daddy's voice and already
be
adjusted," Ash
explained.

Liam watched the softness in Luke's expression go softer, if
that was even possible. It was then that he wished again that his Isabelle
could be there at that exact moment. To see that each of her children found
that one person that made them whole. It was something she'd prayed for every
day. Something she had for herself and wanted so much for her children to have
as well.

"She will know my voice, Ash. I promise you," Luke
reassured her.

"How? If you don't talk to her, how will she know
it?"

Ash put her hands on her hips and tried to look demanding,
but it was pointless. That giant belly she was lugging around lately only made
her more adorable and beautiful. She still got what she wanted, though.

"Do you want me to speak to her right now?"

Liam could sense the amusement in Luke's words and knew
without a doubt that Ash was in for a surprise.

Ash only nodded with a triumphant grin.

Luke slowly inched toward his wife and just as slowly knelt
on the floor in front of her, his hands covering her swollen stomach,
protecting his baby.

"Hi, Isabelle. It's your daddy again," Luke said
softly. "Mommy obviously doesn't suspect our late night talks since she
sleeps like a log these days, but I just wanted you to know that you are off
the hook, baby girl. You don't have to keep it a secret anymore."

He looked up at Ash, grinning like the fool in love he was
and Ash just stared down at him in awe. "What are you talking about?"

Luke kissed her belly before standing with one hand cradling
her face and the other covering her massive belly. "You apparently don't
notice, which I'm grateful for, but this little girl goes crazy at night. She
wakes me up with her kicks hitting my own stomach or back and I discovered that
when I talk to her, she calms down."

"Really?" Ash asked, her eyes wet with tears.

"Really. You're so tired lately and I don't want you to
wake up even more than you already do at night. She knows her dad just as well
as she knows her mom so trust me, love. We'll be just fine when she's finally
here."

"Okay."

Luke pressed his lips to Aislinn's forehead then wrapped her
in his arms. Aislinn drew in a long, shaky breath as she burrowed into his
chest. Liam knew his daughter would cry for a few more minutes until she could
get it under control. Izzy had cried over everything. Luke, however, seemed
more prepared for it than Liam
ever
was.

"I've got to get to the station, Ash. Call me if you
need anything, okay?"

She nodded and kissed him tenderly before saying goodbye.

He turned to Liam and nodded, "See you tonight, Sir."

Liam rolled his eyes and waved goodbye. The boy would die
calling him 'Sir'.

Ash started clearing the counter of dishes from their shared
breakfast and humming happily to herself. Liam just watched his daughter with a
smile on his face.

So much like her mother.

He was grateful she and Luke lived just down the road.
Seeing her almost every day made it easier to be alone most of the time. They
frequently ate breakfast together and Ash always checked on her father to make
sure he was well taken care of.

He would never admit that he waited for her visits. It
should be
him
taking care of
her
. But she had Lucas now and Liam
couldn't think of a better man for his only daughter.

"Are you happy today, my beauty?" he asked.

Ash turned around to face him with a huge smile on her face.
"Yes, Daddy. I'm the happiest woman in the world."

The familiar answer sent a warmth through his chest.
I'm
the happiest woman in the world.
Isabelle had been happy with him and that
was something he would forever cherish.

All his children were familiar with the habits he and their
mother established in their marriage. Every day he would ask Izzy if she was
happy and every day she gave the same answer. They were used to the love their
parents had for each other.

That's what Izzy wanted them to know. To see.

"Did you do that to Mom?" Ash sighed as she settled
next to him and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Do what?"

"Make her melt every time you spoke to her?"

He knew she was referring to Luke. He saw his daughter's
reaction every time the man opened his mouth and it always reminded him of
those days in the past when his Izzy hung on his every word. He chuckled and
wrapped his arm around Aislinn's shoulders. "You mean to ask if I made her
swoon with my romantic ways?"

Ash rolled her eyes, but she nodded.

"Oh, my beauty. Your mother melted when I burped."

She smacked him on the chest with a laugh then rested her
head on his shoulder. He soaked the moment in. His children were grown and
living their own lives and soon, he would be considered a lonely bastard. But
he knew in his heart he would never be alone.

"Mom hated when you burped."

"No, she didn't. She secretly loved it, she just knew
she had to teach you all some manners."

Ash giggled softly. "She used to stare at you all the
time, Daddy. She'd get this sparkle in her eyes and this beaming smile on her
face when you weren't looking. She told me one day that her life before you
felt like a dream. Like her life didn't start until she met you."

"Both of our lives started with each other," he
stated, knowing with every fiber of his being that it was true.

Ash lifted her head off of his shoulder and frowned, those
big grey eyes of hers narrowing. "I still can't believe it. What she went
through... Mom never even hinted at the crap she endured."

Liam sighed and for the millionth time wondered if he should
have waited a little longer to tell his kids their mother's story. It took a
long time to explain everything and he didn't touch on the bad things until
after Ash and Luke returned from their honeymoon.

Sitting his children down and telling them that their
grandparents very nearly ruined Isabelle's life was a feat that he didn't want
to have to face again.

"She didn't want that kind of darkness to touch any of
you, Aislinn. She wanted you to know love and family without doubt in your
minds. It also wasn't her intention to turn you against your grandparents
either, so we made the decision long before any of you ever came into this
world."

"Do you think she would have gone through with it? If
you hadn't come along, do you think that she would have gone back and just
taken life as it hit her?" Aislinn's eyes bore into his, begging for the
truth. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears once more and he didn't
think that was something he could handle today.

"No, my beauty. Your mother was a stubborn woman and
devious to boot. She would have found a way out of it, of that I have no
doubt."

He'd learned many things about his wife over the years. She
was small and sweet, but fierce. The man she was supposed to marry wouldn't
have lasted a month with Izzy making his life a living hell and that is exactly
what she would have done. Agreement or not, she would have given the man every
reason to get rid of her. Liam didn't want to think about the how, but Izzy
would have gotten free of Christopher soon enough.

"Luke says I'm just like her. He said that Mom isn't
really gone because she lives in all of us."

"He's a smart man. The two of you very much resemble me
and your mother."

Her mouth curved into a smile and she rested her head on his
shoulder again. "Did you both feel this way, too? Like every time you
looked at each other you would burst like a firework?"

Liam smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Aye, my
beauty. Every time I saw her, from the very first moment, I felt it. I felt
whole."

***

Past...

It wasn't every day that Liam actually wanted to
stay
awake. In fact, he usually counted the minutes until his day was over and he
could go home and crawl into his bed to sleep for as many hours as he could
capture.

He woke early, drove to his job, spent the day hauling,
lifting, hammering; basically doing nothing but heavy labor. Then he came home
late in the evening, usually after his family already had supper. The only
positive was that the work kept him in shape which he needed anyway. Becoming a
guard was what he'd wanted since he saw his father in uniform for the first time,
but he had to get there first.

His job was difficult, but there were no jobs anywhere else
for him and even though his goals didn't include constructing senseless
buildings, he was grateful for it. Lately, however, with all the trouble
happening up north, his days off became more and more frequent. He spent those
days being at the beck and call of everyone in his family.

He couldn't decide which of his jobs he would rather do.

Today would be different, though. Today would mark a change
that determined the rest of his life.

And he wasn't prepared for it.

Who could be prepared for that? A man never expects the
course of his life to take a drastic turn because of a tiny moment.

He'd spent all morning taking care of the final items on the
list he was given two days ago. His aunt's rental house was a disaster and he
spent nearly every day of his life fixing something in that place. It was as if
the small cottage was determined to stay broken.

The work needed to be done, however, and his aunt's struggle
to stay afloat relied on that work. She rented out the house regularly, but not
even close to enough. She tried to pull it off as a small Bed & Breakfast,
but only one tenant at a time ever emerged.

If the house was in Dublin, well, then maybe things would be
different. But it wasn't. And instead of selling it and using the money to
expand her small restaurant, she vowed to keep the house for the people who
needed it more than she did.

"Tourists don't need a cottage, Maggie," he had
argued.

"Not everyone is a tourist, Liam. Some people just need
a place to run to."

He never understood why she was so passionate about keeping
the run down place she used to call home. Her husband passed away a few years
earlier, leaving her to run the restaurant with her sister and desperately
searching for other ways to stay afloat. He thought it was an unnecessary
burden to keep all of it, especially when his mother would welcome her into
their home with open arms. She was determined to hold onto both the house and
the restaurant, though, and Liam just didn't get it. Not until he realized that
his aunt was wiser than he gave her credit for.