Charlie

by Elin Peer

  Stroking her hair, I kissed her again. “Try not to worry about it. The social services will find a solution. I’m sure of it.”

  She didn’t look convinced, but she cuddled up in my arms and closed her eyes. “Good night.”

  “Good night.” I was on my back staring up at the ceiling. My thoughts were all over the place, analyzing and processing. Her breathing had slowed down when I said, “I’m a dual citizen.”

  “What?” Her speech was drowsy.

  “My mother was Irish and before she died, she made sure I had both Irish and American citizenship. That’s why I can live in Ireland.”

  “Oh okay.” She closed her eyes again, probably half asleep.

  “Maybe we could adopt the children as a couple, with me being Irish.”

  Her eyelids were heavy but she opened them enough to look at me. “You would do that?”

  “To keep the children together, I would. But I don’t know if I’d be any good as a parent. I didn’t have much of a role model.”

  That made her eyes open wide. “Darn it. Did you call Mr. Robertson – I mean your grandfather? What if he reads in the paper that twenty-eight people were killed? He’s going to die from a heart attack before he finishes the headline.”

  “I don’t have the energy to call him right now.” I reached for my phone on the floor. “I’ll text him instead.”

  Charles: Liv and I got the children out. We’re safe and I’ll call you when we’ve had a chance to sleep.

  Liv read the text on my screen and the minute I pressed send, she closed her eyes again. “Thank you.”

  I put the phone on silence before placing it back on the floor, and then I wrapped one arm around Liv. “It’s me who should be thanking you. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but as long as it includes falling asleep with you in my arms, I’ll deal with it.”

  “Yeah, me too.” She yawned and two seconds later her breathing told me that Liv was fast asleep just like the five children around us.

  When I first came to Ireland, I’d felt lost. My role as the heir to Solver Industries brought me only an empty feeling of misery, because the outlook of living as a copy of my grandfather felt meaningless.

  Then I’d found a family in the Red Manor Group and my life had blossomed with meaningful conversations, laughter, personal growth, and a deep sense of connection that I hadn’t known before.

  The Red Manor Group was gone now, but as I lay with my arm around Liv, my heart was bursting from a new sense of purpose. The bravest and most selfless woman in the world needed me, and so did five truly amazing children. I had wealth, connections, and I knew about international law. If anyone could find a way to make sure these children stayed together, it was me. In that quiet moment, I made a vow to dedicate my life to making sure that the six people sleeping around me would wake up to a better tomorrow. I would work night and day to make sure they had each other and everything else they needed to heal from this tragedy.

  CHAPTER 27

  Goodbye

  Charles

  The hardwood floor in the old house creaked as I walked to my grandfather’s room. The light was low and the sound of a machine beeping made me take in the changes since I’d last been in here.

  “He just woke up.” A nurse stood by his bed and with a trained eye, she did a last check on the machines around the hospital bed that had replaced the four-poster bed that used to be here. “I’ll give you privacy.”

  Looking down on the man in the bed, I hardly recognized my grandfather. His cheeks were sunken and everything about him looked gray, from his lips to his skin color, eyebrows, and the few strands of hair that he had left.

  “Charles.” His hand shook as he tried to lift it. A needle was inserted in a vein on the back of his hand with a piece of tape covering it.

  “I’m here.” I tried to swallow the hard knot in my chest and took his hand as I sat down on the bed.

  “Did Liv come with you?”

  “No, she had to stay with the children.”

  He sighed. “Ah, yes. I had hoped to thank her in person. Liv is your guardian angel. I hope you know that.”

  My nose twitched from talking about it, as I was trying to hold back tears at seeing my grandfather dying.

  “How was the flight?”

  “Fine. I would have come sooner but we’re trying to find a way for Liv and me to adopt the children and it’s taking most of my time.”

  There was a small lift of his lips. “Hurry. I would like to know that I have five great-grandchildren before I leave.”

  I leaned in. “Then I think you’ll be happy to know that Liv and I married last week. I was planning to propose to her in Paris, but things have been crazy with getting the social services to cooperate. One of the lawyers said that our chances of adoption improve if we’re married, so we made a quick decision.”

  “Was it a nice ceremony?”

  “It was at the city hall. The kids were there and we invited Kit, the detective you hired, and her brother Damian. Remember I told you he was the policeman who saved Lumi’s life?

  “Yes, I remember.”

  “We went out for a lunch afterward to celebrate, but we’ll have a proper wedding later. Liv promised her mom.”

  “Ah, so she’s talking with her parents again, is she? That’s good.”

  “Yes, she called them and they talked for hours.” I smiled. “There was a lot of catching up to do and apologies to be made, but her whole family is flying over in a few weeks.”

  “How are the children?”

  “Traumatized but better than expected.”

  “I wish I’d had time to meet them all.”

  Pulling out my phone, I showed him a picture of all the children that I’d taken before I left. “You’d love them. They are all academically ahead and very smart. Atlas and Lumi are the perfect candidates to take on leadership roles at Solver. They are sharp and analytic by nature.”

  “Charles.”

  “Mmm?”

  “Don’t make the same mistake I did. Never put pressure on them to get involved in Solver. They have to want it. Not you.”

  A twitch pulled at my upper lip and I scratched my neck. “Good point, old man.”

  He smiled back with his sunken cheeks and for a second, I recognized the powerful man trapped inside the fragile and old body.

  “Anyway, I’m talking to one of my college professors about Atlas."

  “Why? Does he want to study law?”

  “He’s still figuring out what he wants to focus on, but he’s so academically advanced that he’ll need to be challenged.”

  “And the girl?”

  “Lumi?” I drew a deep breath. “She’s grieving more than the others. Atlas and Maximum saw some of what happened that night, but they were drugged and only have blurred memories. Lumi, however, remembers everything vividly. I don’t think she’ll ever recover from seeing her mother killed in front of her.”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  “She's seeing therapists and getting help, but she’s having a hard time finding joy in anything.”

  “Don’t give up on her.” My grandfather coughed and I helped him drink through a straw.

  “We won’t. I’m grateful that you never gave up on me. If you hadn’t hired Kit, and convinced Liv to go to Ireland, I might have been dead like the others.”

  My grandfather looked tiny and frail in the bed and when he spoke it was so low that I had to sharpen my ears to hear him.

  “When are you coming home?”

  “I don’t know. We might split our time between the US and Ireland. It’s only been a few weeks since the incident, but the social services pushed for the kids to begin new routines and they’re starting to make friends. Nathan joined a soccer club, River is on a dance team, and Maximum wants to play rugby. Liv says it’s important for them to establish a new life with as much familiarity as possible so for now we’re staying in Ireland. I found a large house with a pool thirty minutes outside of Dublin.


  “What about work?”

  “I’ll get there, but for now, I’m using most of my time with the lawyers trying to secure the signatures from the children’s relatives to let us adopt. It helps if the child and their closest relatives all agree. Maximum and Atlas have two aunts up in Northern Ireland that were more than happy to sign the papers since they have a lot of children themselves and broke off contact with Ciara more than sixteen years ago. We also secured signatures from Nathan’s grandparents, who are in bad health and unable to care for a teenage boy.”

  “When I die…” My grandfather coughed again and the beeps on the machine became faster. “There’s a folder in my office. I’ve made all the preparations for the funeral. Please be there.”

  “Of course.” I squeezed his hand.

  “And I should tell you that I’m not leaving everything to you. Some of it will go to a young lady.”

  “What young lady?” I frowned and looked to the door. My grandfather wouldn’t be the first rich old man to be scammed by some young gold digger. “Is it the nurse?”

  “It’s Liv.” He was too weak to smile, but the tiny lift at the edge of his lips told me that if I’d had this conversation with my grandfather when he was healthy, he’d would have had a satisfied smile on his face. “I said I’d pay her a million dollars to get you out and even though she has refused to take the money, I’m earmarking it for her in my will. A million with a tip.”

  “You’re tipping her?” I smiled at the irony because my grandfather had never been a generous tipper.

  “Yes. One million for getting you out and nine million for loving you as much as I do.”

  This was the first time I’d ever heard those words from my grandfather and it made my eyes moist.

  “I love you too, and I’m sorry for everything that happened and the things I said. Liv is going to be very surprised when she hears that she’s in your will.”

  He sunk deeper into his pillow. “I’ve lived a long life and it gives me joy that I can leave something behind that might make a difference in someone else’s life.”

  “You understand that Liv is going to use the money on others, right? It’s how she is.”

  “I know. But you’re going to make sure that she lacks for nothing.”

  “Of course. I can promise you that.”

  He locked eyes with me. “I don’t need to tell you that material wealth will never be enough. Liv and the children will need more than expensive gifts from you. Be generous with your time and affection or there will come a time where they won’t want any of it.

  “I will.”

  He closed his eyes and it was clear that our conversation was exhausting to him.

  “Maybe you should rest a little. I have a meeting with the board in a few hours but I’ll check in on you after. Okay?”

  He gave a minuscule nod. “Charles.”

  “Yes.”

  “When you go into that board meeting, straighten your back, and don’t be intimidated. You might be young, but you’re my blood and none of them would have their job if not for our family. You’re a Robertson and we stand our ground.”

  I nodded. “Count on it.”

  “They have read articles about what happened. The whole world knows about it. Don’t let any of them judge you for what took place. When I was thirty-three, I almost lost the entire company because I was swindled. Rockefeller was scammed by convincing con men, and so were many other successful men before you. You have learned the hard way to be skeptical of people and it will serve you in business. People will underestimate you because of your tics. Let them. They will come to regret it later.”

  I smiled. “Rest now. I’m not the same man who left for Ireland. Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

  “I know you do.” With a last squeeze of my hand, he let go and closed his eyes to sleep. I stayed in the room for a while, watching the peace on his face.

  Before I made it back from the board meeting that night, my grandfather had taken his last breath.

  EPILOGUE

  Pool Party

  10 months later

  Liv

  The melody of the doorbell chimed and made me hurry from the garden through the house to open up.

  “Why didn’t you just come straight out back?” I opened my arms to hug Kit and Damian, who stood wearing shorts and t-shirts while holding towels under their arms.

  “Sorry to give ye such short notice, but we’re meltin’ in this heat and ye’re the only friends we have with a pool.”

  Waving my hand, I laughed. “Come in, come in.”

  Damian walked in and looked up at the large chandelier. “See, sis, this is how the other half lives.”

  “Oh, stop it. You say that every time you come here.” I closed the door and gently bumped his shoulder.

  “That’s because none of my other friends live in small castles and have people to scrub their toilets.”

  “That’s different. Charles and I are Americans. We’re used to big houses.”

  Damian grinned. “I could get used a grand house like this myself.”

  “Charles and River will be here soon. He took her to a dance class, but the others are out back.”

  “Here.” Kit gave Damian her towel as he headed for the pool while she followed me into the kitchen.

  “Why do you always bring towels? I told you that we have plenty.”

  “That’s what Damian said, but I don’t want ye to have more washin’ because of us.”

  “Silly woman.” Shaking my head, I got a tray ready with cold drinks and some snacks.

  “So, did you get the signature?” Kit asked.

  I turned to look at her and had to keep myself from squealing with joy. “We did!”

  Kit lit up and opened her arms. “Oh, come here. That’s wonderful.” Hugging me tight she added, “Does River know yet?”

  “Yes, we told her last night and she cried with joy. It was a beautiful moment and we celebrated with a low-key movie night, all of us together. Charles and I offered that we could go out to a restaurant, but River just wanted some family time and she even let the boys pick the movie.”

  “Kudos to Charles for working his magic. Now the kids can have peace knowing that they’re legally siblings and can always stay together in some way.” We let go of each other but kept holding hands for a moment. Kit and I had only known each other for less than a year, but in that time, she’d been the best friend anyone could ask for. She loved the children as much as we did and made sure to come by often. During our hardest days, her dark humor had brought us smiles, and she and Damian had become an extended part of our family.

  “But while ye’re on a roll, can ye adopt me too?” Kit tilted her head and made deer eyes.

  I laughed. “Very funny. As if five adoptions weren’t enough.”

  “Aye, ye should be proud of yerself. Not only did ye save the prince, ye adopted the peasant children too. It’s such a beautiful story.”

  A snort escaped me. “Peasant children. Where do you get it from?” I gave a nod to the large French doors leading outside. “Come on.”

  Kit carried a bowl of sliced melon while I took the tray with drinks. As soon as we stepped out, the sun was beating down on us from above while the ground burned my feet. “Hot, hot, hot,” I exclaimed as I hurried to my sunbed while balancing the tray in my hands. “I should have put on my flip-flops.”

  “Just come into the pool with me. It’ll cool you down.” Damian splashed water in my direction.

  “Stop it.” Lumi, who was on a sunbed by the pool reading, shielded her book from Damian’s splashing, but it only made him splash a little more.

  “Kit, do you wanna come play with us?” Nathan and Maximum waved at Kit from the lawn, where they were playing around with a soccer ball.

  Kit put down the melon on a side table in the shade and looked over at the boys. “Thanks for the invite, but I came for the pool. I always forget this place comes with pesky kids too.”

 
The boys grinned and Maximum shouted back, “Just admit it. You love us.”

  Kit sent them an air kiss and turned to Lumi, who had gotten up from her sunbed and opened her arms.

  “Do you want a hug from a pesky kid?”

  Kit’s orange-colored hair mixed with Lumi’s black hair and there was a big contrast between Kit’s milky-colored freckled skin against Lumi’s golden brown tan.

  “Ah, don’t be daft. You’ll be eighteen in less than a month now and officially no longer a child. When I was yer age, I was making good money as a spy.”

  Damian shook water out of his hair. “Don’t listen to her, Lumi. She always makes it sound like she was 007 when the truth is that all Kit did was tedious surveillance jobs with our da.”

  Kit smacked her tongue and planted herself on a sunbed, arranging her towel as a pillow. “I’ll have ye know that I also spied on people having extramarital affairs. Sometimes I even took pictures of them in intimate situations. Not something I’d describe as kid’s work, so my point is that at almost eighteen, Lumi is no longer a child while the boys have a way to go.” She nodded to Nathan, who was fifteen, and Maximum, who was turning fourteen in less than two months.

  Damian did a handstand in the water and popped his head up again. “Ahh, I know I’ve said it a million times, but I’m so happy ye bought this house. This pool is world class.”

  “I’m glad you think so. You know you’re always welcome to use it,” I offered.

  Kit was applying a thick layer of sunscreen on her freckled skin and had her large sun hat on. “Don’t tell him that. Soon, he’ll be havin’ all his lads over for pool parties. Damian might be twenty-seven, but mentally he’s their age.” Kit’s thumb pointed to Nathan and Maximum.

  Damian did another handstand and came back up splashing more water around him.

  “Also, I’m not convinced that my brother didn’t just trip over his own feet with the perfect timin’ to catch a bullet. It’s not like him to do somethin’ noble for others. I can’t even get him to walk into the kitchen and bring me cookies from the press when I’m visiting.”