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

by Tuesday Embers

  “Don’t you dare leave me!” Fallyn bellowed, gripping his hand for all he was worth. “Make it stop!”

  At a loss, Seamus leaned over Fallyn’s belly and started yelling at the baby. “Knock it off, O’Keefe! Come on out and stop torturing your mother.” He looked up at Fallyn when she let out another scream through her contraction. “That didn’t work? Let me get you some ice chips. I’ll be right back.”

  “No, Seamus! Don’t leave!”

  “Go on, you coward,” Vince barked. “Send in the next O’Keefe.”

  “Don’t bring Danny in,” Killian ruled. “He yells every time Fallyn does. Sends the whole room into a panic.”

  “Vince, I don’t want to do this,” Fallyn admitted when the pain muted enough for her to talk without shouting. “I don’t know how to be a mother, and this really hurts!”

  Vince dabbed the sweat from her forehead with a wet rag. “You’re already a great mother. Who takes care of the D’Amato men and the O’Keefe boys, huh? You do. You already know how to do this. It’s just a few more rough minutes, and then we get to meet our baby.”

  “Vince?”

  “Yeah, tesoro?”

  “If I give you this baby, will you carry the next one?”

  Vince chuckled, pushing his nose to her cheek. “Anything you like.”

  Killian checked the monitor, his voice coming to them in a warning. “Brace yourself, kid.”

  Fallyn’s screams were operatic when Carrigan entered the room. Though he was scared, he ran to Fallyn’s side next to Vince. “Hey, Fal. I was wondering if I could borrow twenty bucks.”

  “Huh? I’m kind of in the middle of something here.”

  “Yeah, but this is really important.”

  Fallyn gaped at her best friend until she realized he was trying to distract her with mundane conversation. “Well, if it’s really important, you should sing me a song for it. Earn your tips, Princess.”

  Carrigan started singing off-key the last thing he’d heard on the radio, making Killian and Vince groan for him to shut up. “You want something different?” He thought for a second and switched to an old Irish tune they used to sing to Fallyn when she’d been a baby. She’d done her fair share of operatic screaming back then, and the one bit of magic was the song that always seemed to calm her down.

  When he finished, Fallyn gazed up at him in wonder. “Thank you. That’s exactly what I needed.”

  The doctor was the only calm one in the room when the next contraction hit Fallyn. “It’s time to push, Fallyn, so I need you to focus.” He grabbed a tool from the nurse’s tray. “Vince, do you want to come see your baby being born?”

  Killian moved toward Fallyn’s feet next to Vince, stopping short when she screeched at him, “Don’t you dare, Kill! You and Carri stay up near my head, you dummy. Gross!”

  “Well, when you ask so nicely,” Carrigan teased, then quickly realized his sister was in no mood for joking. He stood to her left while Killian positioned himself on her right, each holding onto a hand. She gripped them so hard, Carrigan was certain she would break a bone in his hand if the baby didn’t come out soon. “Breathe, Fal. Just breathe.”

  Temper flared up in Fallyn. “How about you push a watermelon out your dick, and I stand by and tell you to breathe through it? Shut up, Carri!”

  Killian chuckled, but quickly wiped the smile off his face when Fallyn reared on him. “I’m sorry! I wasn’t laughing. Not cool, Carrigan.” He shook his head at Carrigan, who scoffed.

  The doctor reined them all in with the calm cadence of a practiced practitioner. “Fallyn, I need you to focus on me now. This baby’s coming, so when I count to three, I need you to give me a big push. Don’t stop pushing until I tell you to.”

  Fallyn gripped Killian and Carrigan’s hands, readying herself to be done being pregnant.

  Push. Scream. Agony.

  Push. Scream. Agony.

  Push. Scream. Agony.

  Push.

  Scream.

  Baby.

  28

  Granddaughter

  The postpartum room was far larger than the delivery room had been, and much quieter. Vince glared at anyone who spoke above a whisper. The baby spent most of the first twelve hours in Vince’s arms until he finally conceded that he was tired. He trusted no one to hold the baby, save for his wife, the nurses and Killian, who gave him no choice. Fallyn had only been permitted to hold the baby with help – so arduous was her labor. She had lost too much blood, and was being monitored round the clock for the first twenty-four hours after the baby was born.

  “We have to repaint the treehouses,” Declan suggested. The minute Fallyn had been permitted visitors, the entire D’Amato and O’Keefe crew showed up to infiltrate her hospital room. “The treehouses are all brown right now, but she’s going to want something girlier.”

  “Dude, I can’t deal with a pink treehouse in my backyard when the kid isn’t actually mine,” Danny ruled. “Little Kelby can deal with brown.” He pried his eyes away from the baby in Killian’s arms to glance at Declan. “Maybe some pink curtains, though.”

  Seamus started a game of catch with a balled up pair of socks the hospital had given Fallyn to wear around the ward. Vince had vetoed her wearing the socks, due to him not knowing how many other people had worn them previously. He’d sent Angelo home to pack her new socks, food she liked, and anything else she needed.

  “Finn, catch!” Seamus tossed the socks to Finn, who threw the fabric ball to Tony, who passed it to Joey, who launched it to Carrigan.

  When the ball whipped by Killian, the head of the family barked out in a whisper for the guys to knock it off. “Outside, all of you! Can’t you see there’s a baby here?”

  Angelo held open the door for the men to exit through as he brought in a bag of things for Fallyn, nodding to Killian in gratitude that he’d said something. “They’ll head back to the house for a while so you can rest,” Angelo said to Fallyn, who looked more than a little worn out.

  The guys took turns kissing Fallyn’s cheeks, shaking Vince’s hand and patting Killian on the back with a hearty, “See you later, Grandpa.” The family secret had quickly become the family joke, forcing Fallyn and Killian to come to a truce for the greater good of keeping the peace in the ranks.

  Killian sat in the glider and rocked his granddaughter, an expression of total calm washing over him at being so close to something so precious and small. “I don’t deserve to feel this happy.” His whole hand engulfed her back that was so tiny, she barely felt real. “I don’t deserve any of this. She’s perfect, Fal. Absolutely perfect.” Kelby Antonia had been born at only five pounds, so she had a long way to go before she would be on par with her peers, but Killian only saw the glory of the halo he knew his granddaughter had been born with.

  “She is incredible. I mean, her little ears are so tiny! So cute!” Fallyn hit the recline button on her bed to stretch out a crick in her back, smiling up at her husband who resituated the sea of pillows he’d demanded for her. “I mean, I knew I’d love her, but I didn’t expect it to feel like this.”

  Killian was enraptured by the tiny baby, clutching her to his chest as if he needed her close in order to draw air into his lungs. “You weren’t as tiny when you were born,” he mused, his eyes far off as he reminisced. “You were louder, for sure, but I think that’s just nature’s way of compensating you for being the only girl. Had to give you a big voice so you could be heard.” He closed his eyes as he rocked Kelby. “You were totally bald when you came out. Angry at all of us and pissed at the world off the bat. It was kind of funny.” His voice trailed off. “I didn’t know what to do. I mean, Melanie and I weren’t in love, but she was a nice girl. I didn’t think she’d beg off.” A tear squeezed out of the corner of his eye. “Vince, take Kelby.” He volunteered to give Kelby over to her father, but the parting was a mark on his heart – so deeply did Killian need to be with her. He sat in Vince’s seat next to the bed so he could hold Fallyn’s hand. “When you st
arted bleeding too much?” He tapped his heart. “You have no idea how scared I’ve been. I know you probably want me to let you two be alone with the baby, but I can’t leave. I just can’t. You’ve always seen me as your brother, but to me you’ve always been my daughter. So be more careful. Like, look both ways three times before you cross the road. Don’t walk Vince’s neighborhood at night until we’ve got it cleaned up for good.”

  Fallyn lifted a tired hand to place on Killian’s. “You worry too much. You, Mom and Dad already raised me.”

  Killian nodded, but pressed on. “I never got to say this stuff to you as your father before. I have to get it out.”

  A smile lifted the corners of Fallyn’s lips, and despite her hurt at the years of secrecy, she could not help but love him. “Okay. Teach my how to tie my shoes again.”

  Killian held her hand between his, warming her frail fingers and looking into her eyes with determination that he would say his piece, and she would listen. “Don’t ever cosign for anybody. And you should always backup your files, no matter how unimportant. Floss. I know you don’t floss more than once or twice a month, but you should do it every day.”

  Fallyn laughed, and then winced at the soreness the slightest movement inflicted on her body. “You’re worried I’m not flossing enough? That’s totally cute.”

  “I’m worried you’re not worried enough. You walk right into danger with a smile and just expect people will move out of your way and put their guns down. You have to be more careful.”

  “When am I not careful?”

  Killian’s eyebrows furrowed, and his tone landed on incredulous instead of stern. “Um, how about when you hooked up with Vince? Not exactly the safest move you could’ve made.” He glanced at Vince, who looked exhausted, though not too tired to squint sideways at Killian in distrust. “No offense,” Killian offered.

  Vince shrugged sleepily. “Why would that offend me?”

  “Just be more careful. Being a parent? I mean, not that I can speak from any real place of authority on the subject, but from the little parenting I’ve done over the years for you, all I can say is make sure at the end of the day that Kelby knows you love her. Those weeks we were separate when you ran off with Vince?” He stabbed an invisible knife into his chest. “Ripped out my heart. Don’t make that mistake with Kelby.” He examined Fallyn’s messy, unwashed hair, her pale skin and the bags under her eyes. “I love you, kiddo. Don’t ever question that.”

  Fallyn pulled Killian forward, wrapping him in a weak hug. “I love you, Kill. You should go on home and get some rest.”

  Killian held onto Fallyn, not sure how his biggest secret had been found out and dealt with in a matter of days. He sunk into her sweetness, knowing it was his daughter that kept them all from turning off their remnants of humanity and mutating into stone cold killers. They softened for her, needed her far more than she ever needed the help they offered. “Call me if you need a thing. I mean, a single thing.”

  “What if the thing I need is your favorite car?”

  Killian managed a small smile. “It’s yours. I’ll even have it gift wrapped.”

  “What if I really need a unicorn?”

  “I’ll start the hunt first thing in the morning.”

  Fallyn tilted her head up at him, her voice quieting. “What if I just need my dad?”

  “Oh, kid. Don’t you know? From day one, you owned me. I didn’t have a prayer.” He kissed Fallyn’s forehead. “Now get some sleep.”

  When Killian stood to leave, he looked at the three he never expected would belong together. Vince was cut from the same mold the O’Keefe men had been sliced from. He needed Fallyn to redeem the darkness inside him and to wash the blood from his filthy hands. As Vince sat on the bed next to Fallyn and held the baby to his chest so she could see her daughter before she drifted off to sleep, Killian knew that his daughter was in good hands. To be fair, Vince’s hands were terrible, murderous and brutal, but they managed to be gentle with her. He met Vince’s tired eyes with a look of solidarity that warned the man to take care of his girls.

  Vince nodded once, understanding the chance he’d been given, and vowing from day one to cherish that gift.

  When Killian left, Fallyn snuggled into Vince’s side, her hand on Kelby’s back. “Promise me something,” Fallyn muttered, her eyes fluttering shut at Vince’s free hand brushing through her hair.

  “Dolcezza, you could ask me for the moon, and I wouldn’t even blink before I kidnapped the bastard. You gave me a baby. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

  Fallyn smiled, content with the two great loves of her life. “Promise me that you’ll be the best father that ever was. Promise me that no matter what we fight about, we’ll find a way to work it out. Promise me that you’ll fall so in love with us every single day, you’ll never leave us. Promise me, Vince.”

  Vince gazed at the beauty in his arms and the beauty laying at his side, and knew without a shadow of a doubt there was no way his heart could ever harden against the two who owned him so wholly. “I promise. No matter what, I’ll always be here, and I’ll always be in love with the two of you.”

  Kelby had long since fallen asleep, and though Vince didn’t want to part with her, he knew he couldn’t be trusted to sleep with her in his arms. He drew the bassinet to the side of the bed and lowered Kelby into it, marveling at the intricacy of her loveliness.

  Vince lay down in the narrow bed next to Fallyn. He knew the chair would be a more comfortable resting place, but he was unwilling to be parted from the girls he adored. He kissed Fallyn, savoring the taste of her and filling his nose with her vanilla and lavender scent that calmed and excited him in equal measure. He rolled onto his side and held his wife, counting himself the luckiest man alive as he closed his eyes. “I love you, tesoro,” he breathed.

  Fallyn laced her fingers through her husband’s, thinking back on their first kiss under the desk in his restaurant. “I love you, Vince,” she whispered. Then Fallyn fell asleep in the arms of the man she’d risked it all for, and knew that despite everything, she would gamble it all over again if it landed her in his embrace.

  Epilogue

  In the year since Kelby had come into their lives, Fallyn and Vince fell into a rhythm of contented love that no one could shatter. Vince’s businesses grew less demanding as the crime rate in the city began to drop, thanks to the help of the O’Keefes, who would not let up until their niece’s neighborhood was safe for her to play in. Fallyn’s bakery had expanded beyond the one location, so she opened a second store three miles from their home for Jen to run.

  Fallyn stood in the bathroom of the church, looking in the mirror and knowing there was no rational reason to feel nervous.

  “You’ve done all this before,” Jen encouraged her. “I mean, this is just for fun, so maybe try breathing.”

  Fallyn shook her head. “Can’t. Breathing doesn’t go with this dress.” She pinned a sprig of baby’s breath to the side of the intricately looped curls at the base of her neck. “Why am I doing this?”

  Jen had talked her through this no less than four times already that morning. “Because your family didn’t get to go to your first wedding. Keenan didn’t even have the option. Now that his anklet’s off, and they’ve decided to stop being idiots, they want to see their sister get married.”

  The knock on the door interrupted Fallyn’s worrying. She shifted her vintage satin fitted bodice in an attempt to suck in a deeper breath as Jen let Killian and Kelby in. He stopped short at the sight that was his daughter in her glamourous wedding gown. “Wow, Fal. You look beautiful.”

  Kelby clapped her chubby hands, her four teeth visible when she smiled at her mother.

  “Thanks, Kill. You look like James Bond, or like, the fanciest waiter I’ve ever seen.”

  Killian quirked his eyebrow at her. “I’ll go with James Bond and ignore the rest.”

  “Did Loretta have any problems setting up the cake? Four tiers can be tricky.”

  �
��She’s fine,” Killian confirmed, holding his granddaughter with pride. Kelby was modeling a lacy white dress with a bow in her hair to match.

  “How about the florist? Did Vince get his boutonniere? He needs someone to help him pin it on, or he’ll get frustrated and just throw it in the trash.”

  “Vince is fine.”

  “Is someone making sure he doesn’t curse in front of the minister? The minister’s Italian, so Vince can’t hide it like he usually does.”

  “Fallyn?” Killian said, his voice soft with emotion.

  “And the harpist. Did she have trouble setting up?”

  “Fallyn,” Killian cooed.

  “My dress is too tight!” She shifted the sweetheart neckline that hugged her curves in soft satin folds. “I can’t breathe!”

  Killian handed Kelby to Jen and put his hands up for Fallyn to focus on. “Sweetheart, take a minute. You’re in your wedding dress.” His smile held only adoration for his daughter. “You’re beautiful.”

  Fallyn melted into Killian’s arms. “Thank you. I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”

  “Thanks for doing this for us. Now it’s time for your big entrance. You know, it’s not too late to back out if you don’t want to marry him,” he teased.

  Fallyn narrowed her eyes at Killian. “Don’t talk like that in front of Kelby. She’s going to start understanding your terrible jokes soon enough.”

  Carrigan entered the room without knocking. “Okay, the music’s starting, and we’re supposed to be walking down the aisle right about now. It’s okay I told them to play death metal, right?”

  “Don’t screw with me today. I’m doing all this for you lot, so knock it off. I’m nervous enough.”

  Carrigan held up his arms in surrender. “Okay, Bridezilla. I just came to pick up my date and walk her down the aisle. You know, it’s a bad sign when you’re crabbier than the one-year-old baby who hasn’t had her nap.”