That Thing Between Eli and Gwen (35 page)

Now at 33, I stand as the most powerful woman in the goddamn state.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, please join me in welcoming 
my personal friend
 and our Governor, Melody Nicci Giovanni Callahan,” the Mayor spoke into the microphone. His body turned towards me as he and the rest of the guests clapped.

Liam rose as I did, kissing my check quickly before I moved to the podium in the center of the stage.

“I don’t have friends, Benjamin. You should remember that,” I whispered into the ear of the old man as he congratulated me, gripping tighter on his hand. He smiled for the cameras, but in his blue eyes, I saw a mixture of fear and hate, something I was not only used to, but proud off. Benjamin Weston, the fifty-seven-year-old, lanky, white-haired snake, who tried to move heaven and earth to make sure I didn’t get re-elected.

Standing behind the podium, I couldn’t get past the irony, our enemies, the police, were being fed by our own hands now. Meanwhile, Liam and I were the ones who drove them to the brick to begin with.

It seems they have learned their lesson as well.

“Five years ago,” I spoke into the microphone, “the people of this great state elected me as their governor in the hope that a better and safer state would be in their future. Today, with the help of community organizers, congressmen of both parties, the mayor’s office and staff, along with the Chicago Police Department, we are finally seeing that future. From the beginning, I understood the key to a better society has always been the safety of its people, this safety could only be brought about by the support of our brothers and sisters in uniform, who put their lives at risk every day, not only in Chicago but all across Illinois. This is why I passed the Roman Bill, which not only increased the pay for police officers, but all other civil servants. On top of that, we have provided better healthcare benefits for them and their families. In doing so, the number of civil servants has doubled in the last five years, but best of all, the crime rate across Illinois has dropped by sixty percent. It is a great honor that I welcome representatives from police forces all across the state here tonight in celebration. Thank you all for your service.”

Stepping back, I applauded along with everyone else before moving to take photos with Mayor Weston, his wife, and various police commissioners from across the state. Like always, Liam stood beside me, but I could tell he was couldn’t wait to leave.

“Your biggest fan is trying to get your attention” he whispered in my ear.

I didn’t understand. “Who?”

A small smile spread across his face as he nodded over to the family table and sure enough, there was my Ethan, dressed in a bow tie, and a Ralph Lauren satin lapel suit jacket. He smiled brightly at me, giving me thumbs up. I gave him a quick wink  and faced back to the cameras as more people came up beside us.

“You brought him with you to see Tàiyáng?” I quietly questioned Liam through a smile.

“Yes,” he said sternly, giving my waist a soft squeeze, “and he did well. Better than—”

“You should have told me.”

“I just did.”

At that, I did turn to face him, however he didn’t return my gaze. He just smiled for the cameras saying, “smile, sweetheart, they’ll think we’re arguing.”

Looks like we were going to fight tonight.

I nodded to Mina, who was dressed in a long lavender and grey floral gown. She stood up and said, “thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, the Governor and our family truly hope you enjoy your evening.”

“Has the Governor—”

“Tonight is to the celebrate the united efforts of our men and woman in uniform, and nothing else. Thank you again.” She smiled and nodded back to me.

Peeling Liam’s hand off of me, much to his annoyance, I walked over to Ethan who stood in between Declan and Neal. He and Neal both laughed over something, the height difference between them was hilarious. But even more amusing was how much more mature Ethan tried to be in front of his uncles.

“
Mio bel leoncino
,” I called out to him, my hands outstretched.

“Mommm.” He groaned with a frown on his face at my nickname for him, but I walked over to give him a hug away.

“Don’t mommm me,” I said cupping his cheeks forcing him to look at me, “because I can think of something much more embarassing.”

His green eyes widened. “
Leoncino
 is good.”

“I thought so. Now what where you and your uncles laughing about?”

Ethan and Neal shared a look before both saying, “guy stuff.”

I felt my eyebrow raise at their alliance, then turned to to see Declan putting his phone back into his lapel pocket.

“They were laughing at Ethan’s imitation of our 
guest
 earlier,” Declan confessed, causing Ethan’s mouth to drop open.

“Uncle!”

Declan struggled to keep a smug look off his face; “What? My boss asked for an answer. I answered.”

He crossed his arms frowning. “Dad’s the boss.”

“Ethan.” Liam stepped up, towering over him, and once again Ethan stood straighter.

Two emotions rushed through my veins the moment he spoke those three little words—

rage and pain. It wasn’t a lot, but it was there. Smiling, I just petted his hair.

“Right, dad’s the boss,” I said and I saw them all, Liam, Declan, and Neal share a glance in response. “Come on, it’s way past your bedtime. Fedel?”

He stepped up. “The car is already up front.”

“We should get going Cora and Evelyn must be exhausted dealing with all of the kids,” I told them before reaching for Ethan’s hand. He stared wide eye trying tell me not to.

Fine.

Forcing another goddamn smile I did not mean, I turned away from them as Mina made her way back to us, her eyebrows frowned together as she tried to read my facial expression. Shaking my head at her, I took my clutch from her hand, along with my phone.

“Mel?”

“Bathroom. I’ll meet you at the car,” I said not bothering to look back, knowing full well my security detail was already following discreetly.

It was a much longer walk from our table to the bathroom tan it needed to be. Every other step, people kept popping up in front of my face, pushing my restraint to the maximum capability. I thought I had finally escaped them, pushing the wooden doo, and stepping into the marble tiles of the bathroom, but right there at the sink dressed in her hotel uniform was some blonde in tears.

For the love of fuck.

Sighing, I ignored her and put my purse on the counter, pulling off my rings in order to wash my hands.

Don’t talk to me.

Don’t talk to me.

Do not even fucking think of talking to me.

“Sorry for all the crying…”

Fuck me.

“It’s alright, don’t care either way,” I stated and grabbed my lipstick.

“This city!” She inhaled sharply her fist clenching at her sides until she finally smacked the black counters. “Why is everyone here so cold? I don’t get it? I’ve been here a month and everyone is just horrible and miserable! It’s like the most negative people on the planet decided to move to Chicago and live!”

“Then leave,” I said calmly, finally facing her.

“What?”

“Pack your shit. Get on the next bus to nowhere-I-don’t-give fuck-vile and stay there instead of bitching to people who do not know you, nor would like to in five-star hotel bathrooms,” I replied. I put my rings back on, dropped my lipstick into my clutch and turned to leave before she further ruined my mood.

I made my way back to the door before remembering something. “If the most negative people on the planet have moved to Chicago, what does that say about yourself? If you can’t make here, that is no one else’s fault but your own.”

She stood there like a statue frozen in her own hypocrisy.

“Ma’am?” Huston Murphy, my head of security, stepped up to my side, glancing back over my shoulder at the door. “ We heard shouting—”

“I’m fine. What did I tell you, Murphy? I’m not like past governors, and you don’t need to hover, especially in one-on-one situations” I said. It was times like this that I wished I still had Fedel and Monte beside me. Since becoming governor, everyone on my staff needed to be squeaky clean to the point of annoyance.

Like all American boy Huston Murphy, 31, a decorated Marine, and recipient of the Medal of Honor, born and raised in Chicago, black hair, blue eyes, 6’1 and a half. He was also voted most popular in high school—queue eye roll. No arrests, no tickets, just a few unpaid student loans. When his file came across my desk two months ago, I wanted to shred it. Anyone with that clean of a record had some secret. I didn’t trust him with my shoes, let alone my life. However, Mina insisted.

“Ma’am, your family is heading to the cars” he said to me.

Ma’am.

Ma’am.

Ma’am.

The more he said it, the more I heard Ethan’s voice in my head saying 
‘Dad’s the boss.’ 
I spent twelve hours pushing his hairy head out and he goes and stabs me in the fucking heart.

“Ma’am—”

“Governor. Just call me governor!”

LIAM

When she left, both Neal and Declan cringed at what would only be one hell of a fight tonight. I was partially excited, but then I remembered the look in her eye as Ethan spoke.

Grabbing him by the bow tie, I crouched down right in front of him.

“Dad?”

“Hold your ears,” I said seriously and I waited. Frowning he did what I asked. “To everyone you meet I am the boss, the Ceann na Conairte, Don. There is only one person alive who is the exception to this and it is your mother. The reason being is that she is the boss, the Ceann na Conairte, Don. Everything I am, she is. Saying anything less than that is an insult. Are we clear?”

I could see he looked hurt and confused, but nodded. His head dropped down. I stood back up and put my hand on his head, rubbing the back of it when he dropped his hands.

“Ethan, will you walk me and wait for your mom?” Mina asked with a smile.. He nodded and stepped over to herleft, and as always Neal stepped up just a little bit in front her, like he was going to guard her with his body. He’d been doing it for so long that I don’t even think he realized it.  

“If only Mel was around to hear that little speech,” Declan said beside me.

“Not even that would help me. She needs to get a few hits in at me first.” Once Ethan had said it, there was no going back. Plus, on top of taking him on the ‘job’…tonight was not going to go at all as planned. I could feel it. 
God fucking damn it.

“Look on the bright side,” he said when we got on the elevator.

“What’s on the bright side but sunburn?” 

He snickered and leaned against the paneling. “After all these years, she running out places to not lethally shoot you.”

Neal laughed out loud causing Mina to elbow him in the ribs, but it didn’t stop him.

“Fuck you both,” I muttered under my breath when the doors opened again and we were in the cream and gold hotel lobby. Across from us, another pair of elevators opened and even though I knew she was pissed off at me, I couldn’t stop the small smirk from forming on my lip as she stepped out—an army of black suits behind her.

She was so stunning; no one could look away from her, in their eyes lust, jealousy, respect, and fear. She walked into a room and commanded all of that with one glance. Her place was at my side, but instead of coming to me, she walked over and placed her arms on the shoulders of our son, sparing me not even a glance.

“Looks like we’re going to fight tonight,” I muttered to myself, my jaw tensing up. The two clowns beside me grinned.

“So—”

“Don’t make me hurt you,” I said to Declan. Strolling right up to her side, I wrapped my arm around her waist.

Her brown eyes focused on me, eyebrow raised, we’d been married for so long, I could tell what she was thinking “You’re really going to touch me when you know I’m pissed off at you?”

So I smiled and winked at her. Her nose flared because she knew what I meant. “Yes, I know what I’m doing. Get over it, sweetheart.”

“You’re not tired?” She ignored me and focused on Ethan as we walked to the car.

“Nope.” He yawned and leaned in closer to her.

“Okay big kid,” I replied.

“I’m really not tired.”

“I believe you,” she said ,shivering with the instant change in temperature. It was only March and yet it felt like November tonight. 

“Boss,” Fedel nodded to her and opened the door for us. Ethan stepped in first, followed by Mel and then me.

The moment the doors closed, Ethan rested his head on her side.

“I’m not tired,” he muttered softly.

“I believe you,” she said softly, again kissing his forehead as his eyes closed.  “
Mio bel leoncino Significhi tutto per me.”

“And his father?” I asked her. “If he means everything to you, what happens to me?”

“Are you jealous of your son?” she asked, not bothering to look at me, her eyes only on him.

“Yes.”

Her head snapped to me like she wasn’t expecting me to admit it. Reaching up, I brushed her hair behind her ear, leaning in closer to whisper, “I love seeing you as a mother, you are stunning. But 
Sei il grande amore della mia vita. Il mio cuore è solo tuo Senza di te la vita non ha più senso. 
(You are the love of my life. My heart is yours. Without you, life has no meaning.) So never look away from me for too long.”

I kissed her cheek. She glared at me, but said nothing and leaned back in the seat.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax; however, only seconds later the car came to a stop and we were already at the gates of the mansion.

Over the years, we had expanded it to make room for the newest members of our family. Rule Five: One family. One Roof. Yes, even though we basically lived in a palace now, it still felt crowed some days.

“I got him,” I told her. I got  out of the car and came around to the other side to lift him out of the seat.