by Debbie Mason
He practically leaped off the bed. “I’ll be back in a minute. I just have to check…” Grabbing her comforter off the floor, he wrapped it around himself and headed out the door. She waited for five very tense minutes before he came back into the room. He rejoined her on the bed, draping the cover over her.
“Connor, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“There was a tear in the condom. But you don’t have to worry. I’m clean.” He blew out a breath and then carefully drew her into his arms. “I freaked out a little until I remembered you can’t have kids. Jesus, sorry. I shouldn’t have blurted it out like that. I know it’s something you struggled with.”
She stared at him, wondering what he was talking about until she remembered her divorce. She’d found out about her son while she was married to Gary. At the time, after learning the truth, she couldn’t contemplate having another baby. She should have told Gary everything, but they’d been having problems for a while, and she didn’t trust him with her secret. He’d held her unwillingness to have a baby over her head for years. She didn’t know why—maybe it was some kind of ego thing—but he’d told friends and family, and obviously his lawyer, that she was barren.
Connor’s hand moved over her stomach, a soft, tender caress, as though soothing her for what could never be. There wasn’t an inch of her his fingers and mouth hadn’t touched or stroked. He must have attributed the scars on her stomach to the skin graft. The scar from the C-section went deeper than all of the rest; it cut through to her heart and her soul. It made her who she was, made it even harder for her to trust.
Yet she knew for this to work with Connor, she had to tell him the truth. Even if she was scared to death of what it meant for them. With Gary, she’d been one of those sweet, wide-eyed brides who thought everything would be perfect as soon their vows were said. But her secret had come between them, widening the fault line that had developed in their marriage within a year of saying I do.
Connor rose onto his elbow to look down at her, brushing the hair out of her eyes. “Please tell me I didn’t just blow our night together.”
“You didn’t. You couldn’t. But we need to talk—”
“Hold that thought,” he said when his cell phone rang. He reached across her to retrieve it from the nightstand. Checking the screen, he frowned. “Sorry, honey. I have to take it.” He kissed her forehead as he brought the phone to his ear. “Hey, what’s up? You know it’s after midnight…What? When? Okay, yeah. I’m on my way.”
“Connor, what’s wrong?” she asked when he disconnected.
“They think Uncle Daniel had a mild heart attack. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was indigestion. You wouldn’t believe what the guy eats. Anyway, they can’t get him to go to the hospital. I don’t know why, but they seem to think he’ll listen to me. Which would be a first in my family.” He leaned across her and turned on the light.
“Connor!”
“Relax. You’re covered. I can’t see anything but your beautiful face.” He smiled down at her. “I wanted to see if you looked the same as you used to after we made love.”
Self-consciously she lifted a hand to her face. “I was seventeen.”
“Yeah, and you look exactly the same. All soft and glowy, your eyes sleepy.” He framed her face with his big hands. “And the last thing I want to do is leave.” The kiss he gave her conveyed how badly he wanted to stay, as did the frustrated sound he made when he stood up.
Oh. My. He definitely didn’t look exactly the same as before. In a good way, a very good way. Her hand, fingers, and lips hadn’t done him justice. And by his cocky grin, he knew what she was thinking. It wasn’t until she’d said goodbye to him at the door that her lust-filled haze dissipated, and she realized the consequences of the phone call he’d taken. If Connor was wrong and Daniel really did have a heart attack, he’d drop out of the race, and she’d win by default.
Chapter Fourteen
As the elevator doors opened on the top floor of the manor’s tower where the family’s residences were housed, Connor stepped out. His brothers were waiting for him outside the closed door of the room where his uncle had been staying since he’d first arrived. Connor had fond memories of the suite. It had been his great-grandmother’s.
There were three places you were guaranteed to find GG when she was alive. Her study, the library, and her suite. The tower room was his favorite place to visit. She’d always have a plate of cookies and a glass of chocolate milk waiting just for him and another adventure story ready to tell. She’d probably done the same for each of her great-grandchildren, but she had a way of making you feel like you were her most-loved. And for a kid who’d never felt like anyone’s favorite, that was pretty special.
His baby brother scowled at Connor as he walked their way. “You look like I’m supposed to. It’s my wedding night and you’re the one who obviously got lucky.”
“Seriously? You’ve been living with Shay for months. You get lucky all the time. I don’t.” Despite what his brothers seemed to think, it was true.
What he’d experienced with Arianna transcended luck. It had been one of the best nights of his life. And not because the sex had been off-the-charts amazing. There’d been some awkward moments. She’d been overly cautious of her arm, self-conscious of the scars on her stomach, and a little uptight.
But none of that mattered; he’d gotten a second chance with his first love. A woman who, although he hadn’t been willing to admit it until now, had been his only love. Now he fully intended for her to be his last. He just had to convince her.
“No need to ask who with; the evidence is on your tux,” his older brother said, lifting his chin at the dark stain. Logan looked about as pleased with him as Mike did. “Jenna ordered Arianna’s costume, which means she’s on the hook for repair and replacement.”
“Relax. I’ll take care of it. But I didn’t leave—” He cleared his throat. He wasn’t a kiss-and-tell kind of guy. “I didn’t come out in the middle of the night to take crap from the two of you. And if you’re out here giving me crap instead of in there with Uncle Daniel, I’m assuming everything’s good and I can leave.”
Mike grabbed his arm. “No. Don’t. We’re sorry. We shouldn’t have jumped all over you. It’s just that Mom had no problem calling me and telling me to get my ass here right away, and Dad did the same to Logan. And you, you get off scot-free like always.”
And there it was, more evidence of his place in his family. They didn’t need him. They had Mike, the brilliant one, and Logan, the dependable one. But what Connor didn’t understand was how his brilliant brother, who was also in touch with his feelings, didn’t seem to get how what he’d just said felt like a slap in Connor’s face.
“What can I say? It’s good to be me.” He went with his default defense mechanism, the one that never failed to tick off his baby brother.
“Do you always have to be so cocky?” Mike said.
“Do you always have to be such a sanctimonious pain in my ass?” Connor said, sticking to his usual script.
“Jesus, you’re not teenagers anymore. This is serious. And Mike’s right, Con. You’ve skated through life with no real demands put on you by the family. I’m not blaming you, so don’t get defensive. It is what it is. But right now you’re being given an opportunity to step up to the plate, and I for one would appreciate it if you did.”
“So would I,” Mike said.
He didn’t know what they were talking about. He always showed up when any of his family called. “I’m here. What more do you want from me?”
“It’s not what we want. It’s what Uncle Daniel wants.”
“Since when do you care what Uncle Daniel wants, Mike? You can barely stand to be in the same room with the guy.”
“I know, but here’s the thing. If you do what he wants, you have the best chance to get Mom away from him and back with Dad,” his baby brother said, looking almost feverish with excitement.
“You wanna maybe relax there, Mike. You�
��re starting to worry me,” Connor said.
“Always the smart-ass,” his baby brother muttered.
Logan sighed. “You guys realize you’re just like Dad and Uncle Daniel, right? Why you’re partnering up together, I’ll never know.”
“Yeah, and that’s the only problem I see with Uncle Daniel’s plan. How’s Con going to work with me and be mayor?” Mike asked Logan.
“What are you talking about? I’m not running for…” He gaped at his brothers. “Come on, you can’t be serious. He’s bowing out of the race and wants me to run in his place?” No way. They had to be pulling his leg. “Okay, I guess I deserved that for leaving your wedding early. But you took it a little far, don’t you think? You had me going though. I didn’t think you two had it in you.” He lifted his arms to give them both a fist bump. At the expressions on their faces, he lowered his hands to his sides. “You have got to be kidding me. You are serious.”
“Yeah, and from the look on your face, you’re going to refuse. Can’t say I’m surprised,” Mike said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants.
“I would damn well hope you wouldn’t be surprised, genius. The woman I’m in love with is running against our uncle. She’s also the woman our father has been doing his damnedest to get elected. So if you think I’m going—”
Logan put a hand on his shoulder. “Settle down. You know us better than that. Even if it was our best shot to get Mom and Dad back together, we wouldn’t have suggested it if we thought Arianna wanted to be mayor. But not more than ten days ago, you told me you were worried about her. You had serious doubts she even wanted the job. And just so you know, Jenna feels the same. She thinks the only reason Arianna has stayed in the race is because of Dad and Helen.”
Mike nodded. “And don’t bite my head off—I’m only the messenger—but Dad is all in. So is Mom. You should hear them, Con. It’s just like old times. Only now they’re pinning all their hopes on you to follow in Dad’s footsteps instead of me and Logan. Seriously, I never understood why they didn’t pin them on you in the first place. Uncle Daniel said the same thing.”
Connor wondered if this was a new tactic to get him to go along with the plan. It would be just like Mike to figure out Connor’s Achilles’ heel and use it against him. This was the day he’d been dreaming of for as long as he could remember.
Only the cost was too high. Or was it? Because he was worried about Arianna and her ability to take on the job as mayor. Today was a prime example that she wasn’t ready. Like Jenna, he believed Arianna was going along with it to keep everyone happy. And that was on him. He’d been the one to put her in that position in the first place. And now he might just have been handed the perfect way to get her out.
The door opened, and his dad stuck his head into the hall. His face lit up when he saw Connor. “There you are. I was getting worried. Get in here. Your uncle wants to talk to you.”
“I’ll be right there,” he said, motioning for his dad to join them in the hall.
His father frowned and then nodded, stepping back into the room. “I’ll just be a minute, Danny.”
Connor gave his brothers an are you kidding me look.
“And that’s why the family needs you to do this, Con. This feud between Dad and Uncle Daniel has been tough on everyone, especially Grams,” Logan murmured.
Out of all of them, their grandmother had been having the hardest time with the battle being waged between her sons. Lately, she’d been caught in the crossfire, and it was taking a toll. Several people had commented at the wedding on how tired she looked. His father and uncle were lucky Jasper hadn’t overheard the remarks. No doubt Kitty had been doing her best to hide from Jasper how she really felt.
His dad closed the door behind him and stepped into the hall. “Your brothers told you Danny wants you to run in his stead?”
“Ah, yeah, Dad. And they also told me you were all for it. So what, you just drop Arianna now? How do you think she’ll feel? How do you think Helen will feel?” Connor shoved his fingers through his hair. What had he been thinking to even consider this?
“You know your old man. Does that sound like me? I’ve come to love that girl like a daughter, and Helen has become like a second mother to me. The last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt them. Tell the truth, son. It’s just the four of us here. It’ll go no further. Do you truly believe Arianna wants to be mayor? If you do, I’ll convince my brother to concede. You have my word.”
Connor bowed his head and closed his eyes, thinking back over the past several weeks. The image that stuck most clearly in his head was of Arianna defacing her own campaign signs. “No, I don’t believe she does. But I also know she’d do anything to make her grandmother happy. She thinks Helen is doing better because she’s engaged in the campaign.” He grimaced. “I might have had something to do with that.”
“You can’t take all the blame, son. I’m as guilty as you. At least you were motivated by love. I’m not proud of it, but I used Arianna’s campaign to get back at my brother.” He glanced at the closed door. “And now I have to live with nearly putting him in an early grave. It would have been my fault if we lost him tonight. My mother never would have forgiven me.”
“I understand you’re feeling guilty, Dad. But let’s keep things in perspective,” Connor said. “Uncle Daniel is hardly a saint.”
His father glanced at the door again. “When it looked like he might go to meet his Maker, he grabbed my hand. Begged for my forgiveness.” His father self-consciously wiped at his eyes. “I gave it to him. Promised we’d do this for him, for the family. You’ll do it, won’t you, son?”
“I have to talk to Arianna first. I won’t do this unless she gives me her blessing. And we need to figure out something for Helen, and then there’s Mike and the clients I’ve just brought on board.” It was all happening too fast.
“You’ll be able to run this town blindfolded with a hand tied behind your back. You have more energy and smarts than four men put together. You can easily put a few hours in at the firm at night, and I can put in a few days a week. Retirement isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be anyway,” his father said just as Connor’s mother stepped out of the room.
“Did I hear you right, Sean? You’re coming out of retirement?”
“I am. My sons need me, and you know I’ve always been there for my boys, Maura.” He got his arms around all three of them, dragging them closer.
“Yes, you always have,” Connor’s mother murmured, and then looked up at him. “Are you going to do it, darling? Are you going to run in Daniel’s place?”
“We’ll see. I need to—”
“Of course he is.” His father rocked Connor against him. “It’s happening, Maura. Just like we always dreamed it would. Once Connor’s settled into office, we’ll get started on his campaign for governor.”
“Okay, you’re getting a little ahead of yourself, Dad.”
His mother and father completely ignored him. His mother was smiling like she’d just been handed a couple million, and his dad let go of Connor to join her.
“Why wait? We’ll get started right away. I don’t think I could sleep anyway. Connor can sit with Daniel and Kitty until Finn comes back with the results from the bloodwork. Do you want to go down to the bar and get a drink?” his mother asked his father.
“Nothing I’d like better. Boys, we’ll be at the bar if you need us,” his father said, smiling down at their mother, who smiled up at him.
“I’m pretty sure the bar is closed, and there are things we need to talk about—”
Holding the elevator door open for Maura, his father cut off Connor. “You forget, I’m one of the owners, son. I can get a drink anytime I want.”
“Actually, Dad, you aren’t one of the owners; we are. And I think you both should stay here.” They were either ignoring him or didn’t hear him because they were deep in conversation and getting onto the elevator. He turned to see both of his brothers grinning at him.
“T
old you; it’s just like old times,” Mike said. “Isn’t it great?”
Connor flipped them off. But the thing was, he understood why they were happy. After the stress of dealing with their warring parents and their mother’s health scare these past nine months, it was a huge relief to see their parents talking and smiling again. And it wasn’t like Connor hadn’t toyed with the idea of running for office in the somewhat distant future. He just didn’t think he’d have to throw the woman he loved under the bus to make it happen.
“I’m serious, you guys. No one breathes a word that I’m even considering taking Uncle Daniel’s place until I’ve had a chance to talk to Arianna.”
* * *
Arianna stretched in her bed, smiling when muscles she hadn’t used in a very long time twinged, letting her know they were alive and well and very happy. She snorted at herself. Happy muscles, really? Connor was turning her into a…She smiled. He was turning her into a happy woman. “You’re a miracle worker, Connor Gallagher,” she murmured, and then yawned, glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand.
Eight o’clock. With only five full days until the election, she imagined Sean and her grandmother were already in the kitchen having an early-morning strategy session. She didn’t know how many times she’d rolled out of bed to find they’d already put in three hours at the kitchen table. It was a little depressing that they had so much more energy than she did. No doubt they’d planned an early start to her day. She never bothered checking the schedule of the day’s events. She just followed their lead, did what she was told, and said what they told her to. In some ways it was like they were in the race and not her.
Except if Connor was wrong and Daniel wasn’t suffering from just a bad case of indigestion…No, Connor was right. He had to be, she thought, tamping down a sudden rush of panic. She got out of bed and grabbed a robe. She’d get a cup of coffee, calm her sudden, totally out-of-proportion case of nerves, and call Connor. He had a way of calming her down. She smiled at the thought and then laughed at herself.