Exhaling: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection Book 3)

by Tuesday Embers

  “Hi, Fally.” Keenan looked lost, unsure of himself – which was a first for him. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing well. How are you?” The mundane conversation tugged at her, ringing in her ears with falsity. There were so many things she wanted to say to Keenan, but she could tell he was barely holding it together.

  His lower lip quivered, and her heart broke when the pained whisper escaped him. “I want to go home!” Prison had changed the arrogance he’d strutted into it with so long ago. He was hollow and tired, possessing so little of his formerly cocky self. “I miss you. I miss the guys. I miss my bed. I just want to go home.”

  She didn’t tear her eyes away from her brother’s pain even when Vince joined them ten minutes later, sitting down beside her. “Honey, tell me what happened. Who hurt you?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I can’t take it, Fal! I can’t take two more years of this! I’m going crazy in here. It’s getting… People are tense, and it’s a rough situation right now. The inmates are taking sides. It’s the territory wars all over again, except I don’t have any of you!”

  Fallyn glanced around and noticed for the first time that two of the other four inmates in the visitation room were sporting injuries similar to Keenan’s. “I’m here, sweetie. I’m here. Tell me how to help you.”

  Keenan shook his head and then bowed it, defeated. “No one can help me anymore.”

  Vince took in the raw emotion emanating from the man and leaned forward in his plastic chair to speak low to Keenan. “You’ve got two years left in here? Be straight with me, Keenan. Have you caused any problems in here? Started any fights?”

  “No. It was a yard brawl that didn’t involve half the inmates, but nearly everyone ended up getting pulled in.”

  Vince shook his head. “I mean the entire time you’ve been in here. You’ve served three years of your five, right? How many fights have you started?”

  “None. I’m not stupid.”

  Vince asked a few more poignant questions that Fallyn tried to understand the relevance of. Finally, Vince leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his stomach. “Give me a week. Keep your head down. Stay out of trouble. I mean, far away from trouble. I’ll see what I can do about improving your situation.”

  Keenan’s one opened eye flicked toward Vince curiously. “Okay. I mean, what can you really do? I appreciate it and all, don’t get me wrong.”

  “Just let me make some calls.” Vince nudged his wife’s chair. “Did you tell him about the treehouse the guys started building on the back of our property for the baby?”

  Fallyn groaned. “The baby’s not even born yet, and they’re already planning for wilderness adventures. It’s really cute, actually. You should see everyone working together. O’Keefes and D’Amatos hammering and measuring. And it’s not technically a treehouse, you know. The thing is almost as big as a small house, and it’s not in a tree. It’s just near two trees, so they can still call it a treehouse.”

  Keenan’s usually easy smile was nonexistent. “I want that. I don’t want you to have this whole life-changing thing without me. A treehouse? You’re killing me, Fal.”

  Fallyn grimaced. “I’m sorry, sweetie. How about I tell them not to start construction on the one they want to build next at Daddy’s house? Would that help? You’ll be out in a couple years, and the baby won’t need two treehouses yet.”

  “Yeah, okay. Thanks.” Keenan glumly participated in a moderate back and forth with his sister while Vince listened and made mental notes. The siblings mimed hugging with tears welling in their eyes when they parted.

  Vince stopped by one of the guards and spoke low in his ear in tones Fallyn could tell contained a deadly threat. Then he shook the guard’s hand and left the visiting area with his arm around his wife. “I need to see the warden before we go to the cabin. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

  “Okay. What about? Do you know the warden?”

  Vince led Fallyn down several bare-bulbed concrete hallways to get to the office he was seeking. “I do. Well, my father did a long time ago.” He touched his nose. “Used to be a customer.”

  Fallyn’s nose crinkled. “Seriously? Well, that’s just great.”

  “Used to be. Not anymore. Not for years. I’m going to see what I can do about Keenan’s situation.”

  “What can you really do? I mean, don’t get me wrong, you hung the moon, but don’t do anything that’ll get you put in there.” She jerked her thumb behind her in the direction of the cells.

  He paused when they reached their destination to kiss her lightly. “That you ever doubt me blows my mind. Did you not see the treehouse? I mean, you said it wouldn’t work when you looked at the construction plans, but it’s coming along fine, isn’t it?”

  “It is. Just be careful when you work your magic in there.”

  Vince winked at her. “Oh, dolcezza. It’s not magic if it’s careful.”

  19

  Carrigan’s Guest

  Fallyn was so distracted by Keenan’s black eye that she forgot about the envelope that might shift her perception of life. The DNA results to see if Patrick O’Keefe was her father remained unopened once again as they set out to spend a weekend with the two families. The bigger Fallyn’s belly grew, the more her brothers treated her as if the slightest breeze might upset the balance. “I’m really fine, guys. Honestly, I can go for a walk by the creek by myself. Are you afraid I’m going to fall in or something?”

  “Can you wait a few minutes?” Carrigan asked as he stood from the couch in the den. He’d lost the last hand of poker and stretched his arms over his head to shake off his defeat at Tony’s masterful hand. “I’ve got something to say.”

  Beers were set down and heads were turned to take in whatever grave announcement might rock everyone’s carefully constructed canoe they’d all taken refuge in.

  “In light of recent… I don’t know why I’m making such a big deal out of this. I, um, I started seeing someone.” Carrigan rolled his eyes and waved off the catcalls that rose around him from the peanut gallery. “Calm it down. Her name’s Kara, and we’ve been seeing each other for a couple months now.”

  “Months?!” Danny cried, indignant. “You’ve been seeing someone for months? What gives with all the secrecy?”

  “It’s because he knows once she meets the better looking brothers, it’s all over for him,” Declan guessed, high-fiving Finn.

  Carrigan’s nose rose in the air. “I’m only telling you because she got curious as to why she’d never been introduced to my family.” This was met by a slew of whips being cracked in the air. “Whatever. I told Fallyn about her a while ago, and she’s been wearing me down about bringing Kara around. I invited her to come here tonight to meet all of you, so you know, be cool.”

  Declan grinned at Seamus, the brothers exchanging the same evil grin. “Oh, you mean like show her old family photos and tell her the story about when you sat in chocolate milk at school? Dude, if she doesn’t already know your nickname was poo-pants, then she doesn’t know the real you.”

  “Shut it. I wasn’t going to ever bring her around, but she’s getting antsy, thinking it’s her I’m hiding instead of you lot. So be on your best behavior, and I mean best. Act as if your car being keyed or not depends on it.” He pointed to the D’Amatos. “That goes for all of you. Your cars are at stake too, you know.”

  Angelo narrowed his eyes at Carrigan, but Joey threw a piece of popcorn at him. “Is she hot?”

  “She’s covered in leprous boils and scales, as far as you’re concerned. Keep it in your pants.”

  Joey nodded and stood. “She’s hot. I’m going to hit the shower. Think I’ll walk around without a shirt all night.” He shrugged at Carrigan’s glower. “What? It’s warm in here.”

  “It’s barely March!”

  Fallyn clasped her hands under her chin and swooned. “You guys are missing the cuteness! Kara and Carrigan. Isn’t that precious? You have to marry her. I want a sist
er so badly!”

  Carrigan whirled on his sister, face stern. “Now you quit it with that kind of nonsense talk. Get it all out of your system before she gets here. I mean it. She’s already doing that annoying girl thing of dropping hints that she wants to get more serious, so don’t encourage her.”

  “So I probably shouldn’t tell her the story of how Vince and I got married only a couple months after our first date?” She winked at her husband, who tossed up a lax smile at Carrigan being put in the crosshairs. “I shouldn’t tell her that I got pregnant on my honeymoon?”

  “How about you keep all that noise to yourself,” Carrigan said, glowering at his sister. “No one wants a replay of that story.”

  Fallyn grinned at her brother. “I’ll just tell her how supportive you are of us. How great you’ve been with helping baby proof every single house, including your own. How sweet you’ve been about the idea of being an uncle.” She clapped her hands a few times as a new brilliant idea occurred to her. “Oh! I could tell her that you sing to the baby. She’ll love that.”

  Carrigan looked up at the ceiling. “Weren’t you going on a walk?”

  “Oh, I can stick around for this.” She touched her forehead. “Oh, I think I have some pictures of you graduating from the Academy. So cute! She’ll want a peek at those.”

  Carrigan pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Forget it. I’ll tell her she can meet you all another time when you’re less… yourselves.”

  Seamus swiped Carrigan’s phone from his hand and tossed it to Declan, who shoved it down the front of his pants with a sinister smile. “Can’t wait to meet your special girl, Carri. Please tell me she’s got some hot friends so we can double date.”

  “The only double you’re getting is the one you pour yourself.” Carrigan ran his fingers through his hair. “Now I’ll have to dip my phone in antiseptic to get your stank off it.”

  Declan did some deep lunges just to irk his brother. “Please tell me you put this thing on vibrate.”

  Tony laughed as he picked up the football that had seen its fill of usefulness the last time they’d been on vacation together, but not this time yet. “Anyone up for a game?” The guys all moved outside, except for Vince, whose phone rang as the others meandered out.

  “Yeah?” He motioned for Fallyn to sit on the couch by his side as he chatted in a conversational business tone. He tangled his fingers in her curls, conversing with the caller as he admired his wife’s beauty. She had been worried about the added weight as her pregnancy progressed, but Vince’s smile had only widened the rounder she got. She’d gained most of the weight in the best areas – the baby belly, her breasts and her hips, making her curvier. His hand drifted to her back to rub the spot he knew would be bothering her, watching with satisfaction when she quietly moaned in relief. “Thanks again,” he said into the phone. “I’ll see to it your mother’s laundromat gets taken care of this weekend.”

  Fallyn raised her eyebrow at her husband. “Do I want to know?”

  “Oh, you really do. This’ll get me all kinds of favors from you. You’ll be singing ‘Vince is the king’ all night long for a while once you find out the magic I worked.”

  “Did you buy me a unicorn?” she teased.

  “Better than a unicorn.”

  “Did you buy me roller skates?”

  Vince snorted, picturing her pregnant form klutzing around in the gear. “Yes. That’s exactly it. I get heart palpitations when you run down the street, but roller skates are fine. Your doctor needs his license examined, letting you off bedrest like he did.”

  “What can I say? I told you all I was fine, and finally someone listened. Now, what’s my surprise?”

  Vince kissed her lips and laughed to himself that his plan actually worked. “I’ve got to make a few calls, tesoro.”

  Fallyn knew that was code for: I’m about to do illegal things you don’t want to know about. She squeezed his knee and made to stand, grunting twice before Angelo stood to help her up. “You’re going down by the pond?” Angelo inquired, proffering his elbow to her like a gentleman.

  “I am. I was going to think up some decent ways to torture Carrigan when Kara gets here. Want to join me? Evil plan it out together?”

  “Sure.” Ever since she’d taken him to the hospital that night, Angelo had become her shadow. There were no more words exchanged about the gratitude he felt, but he showed it to her every day he was around her. He opened doors, picked up foods he knew wouldn’t make her sick, and even stopped by on occasion to check in on her bakery, making sure she was alright whenever she went into the store for a few hours. He walked her silently to her weeping willow, carefully lowering her to the grass and sitting a respectable distance from her. He knew he owed much to Fallyn, and he did his best to be counted as one of the men who made good on the love she beamed at them all.

  20

  Kara and Carrigan

  When a timid knock sounded at the door, Carrigan paled, making his barely noticeably freckles stand out. Fallyn lit up and ran toward the door, freezing at the several shouts that told her to stop running. She wanted to accuse them all of being overprotective, but her doctor had ruled her pregnancy high risk, so towards the end, she was instructed to take it easy, lest she be put on bedrest again.

  Carrigan intercepted his sister and two of his brothers who wanted to be the first to get a peek at the new addition to their lives. He plastered his body to the door, eyes wide in warning. “Please, guys. Don’t be yourselves.”

  Declan and Finn exchanged identical evil grins. “I’ll be you, then,” the two said in unison, pointing to each other.

  Carrigan closed his eyes, taking a bracing breath before opening the door to find not just the blonde petite beauty with doe eyes that blinked up at him nervously, but Killian standing behind her with a stack of pizzas he’d picked up from the nearest eatery for everyone’s dinner.

  Killian’s grin was filled with too much play to be trusted, so Carrigan swept Kara into the cabin to introduce her to the jackals. She wore khaki shorts and a green silk blouse that were too perfectly unwrinkled to have not been ironed with a nervous hand. Her fingers twisted the strap of her beige purse as she forced a brave smile.

  Each word Carrigan uttered contained a heavy warning to it. “Everyone, this is Kara. She just came up here for dinner to hang out and meet you all. She’s a nurse from the east end near Greenfield.”

  “We met outside. We’re already best buddies, right Kara?” Killian’s deviant eyes met Carrigan’s threatening ones, looking at his brother while addressing Kara.

  “Um, yeah. It’s nice to meet all of you. Carrigan tells me you’re two families? Which ones are the brothers?”

  Killian spoke for the group. “Actually, we all are because our sister married that one there. That’s Vince, and those are his brothers, Joey and Tony. And the one who never smiles is Angelo.” Angelo did not look up from his hand of cards at the woman, but raised a finger in the air in greeting.

  “I’m the sister.” Fallyn stepped forward with a wide grin painting her features. “Obviously. Fallyn. It’s so nice to meet you! Carrigan’s just said the most wonderful things about you,” she said, spackling in the gaps her brother had left.

  “Really?” Kara seemed genuinely surprised by this.

  “Oh, yes. He said you’re kind and generous and the best thing that’s happened to him in a long time. After seeing you? I believe every word Carri’s gushed about how great you are.” Fallyn pulled Kara in for a hug in lieu of a handshake, surprising the new girl. Fallyn used the opportunity to wink and smirk at Carrigan’s slow headshake of warning directed at his sister. “Come sit at the table. Are you hungry? You must be. It’s such a long drive.” She snapped her fingers to her brother. “Carri, get her something to drink.”

  “Oh, sure. Beer or water? I don’t think we have much else.”

  “Water’s fine.”

  Seamus’ arm went around the girl as he stood on the other side of Kara, wa
lking her to the table. “I’m Declan,” he lied to confuse the poor girl. “Did Carrigan ever tell you about the time he cried for his mommy to come pick him up from a sleepover? How old were you? Twelve? Thirteen?”

  Carrigan’s ears were red. “It was kindergarten, you tool. Get off my girl. Don’t listen to a word they say, Kara.” Carrigan shoved Seamus off of Kara, whose nerves were breaking into a smile. “And that’s Seamus, not Declan.”

  “I’m Finn,” Declan chimed in. “Carrigan, how about the time you didn’t want to go to school, so you shoved a pencil eraser up your nose? That’s a great story.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Come to think of it, that’s just about the whole story. Hold on, I’ll think of another one.”

  Pizza slices were passed around as more childhood stories about Carrigan were shared. When Seamus started telling the one about Carrigan knocking over two cones on his driver’s test that were supposed to be pedestrians, Carrigan stood. “I think you’ve met everyone enough, right? I mean, can this be done now?”

  Kara was all smiles as she shook her head. “I’m having the time of my life. Who knew you had such a cute childhood? You’re always so perfect around me. Nice to know you were vulnerable once upon a time.”

  Several of the brothers blew loud raspberries. “Perfect? Carri? Let me tell you about the time…”

  Fallyn intervened on Carrigan’s behalf, wiping her hands off on her napkin once she finished her slice of pizza. “Girl time. I’m going for a walk. Want to join?” she asked Kara, who nodded quickly. “Let’s give these clowns time to regroup. They haven’t really embarrassed Carri enough yet, so you gotta give them a minute to come up with something real good.”