Marrying His Best Friend

by Jennifer Gracen

  Niall shot her a venomous look, but stayed where he was. He glared at Aidan, who didn’t budge from his protective stance. Their heated gazes locked. They were about the same size, six feet tall and lean of build, but Maura knew Aidan could probably take Niall out if they went at it. She hoped so.

  “Move another inch forward,” Aidan warned in a lethal tone, “and I’ll fucking flatten you. Make no mistake.”

  “Dare you to give it a go,” Niall sneered.

  Aidan’s fingers flexed before balling into fists. “We know you’re good at hitting pregnant women. Let’s see how ya do on a man your own size. I’ll give it a go, all right.”

  Niall snorted out a laugh. “Neither one of you are worth my time. I just want my daughter.” His dark gaze turned to Maura. “You won’t keep me from my own flesh and blood,” he said, eyes flashing.

  “I didn’t,” Maura said, “you did. When you hit me, then left.”

  “Don’t you come around here again,” Aidan said. His voice was as steely as his gaze, and his fists tightened at his sides. “Ever. Ya hearin’ me?”

  Niall’s dark eyes blazed as he glared at Aidan, then Maura. Something in his glare made Maura shiver. Back when they were together, he skated around things, as if rules didn’t apply to him. There was a disconnect there… she could tell it was still like that. His mouth curved into a smile, charming as could be. It unnerved her more than his openly angry looks. “I’ll see ya around,” he said. “Count on that.” He stalked down the front walk, climbing into a dark car at the end of the block and peeling out.

  Aidan shut the door hard and turned to face Maura, gripping her shoulders as his wild gaze scoured her. “Jaysus, are you all right?”

  She shook her head, unable to speak. Aftershock set in immediately; her insides started trembling as hard as her outsides. He pulled her into his arms and held tight.

  “I’m so glad you were here,” she choked out in a whisper.

  “Me too. Christ, you’re shaking.” He rubbed her back as he held her. “Shhhh. It’s all right, Em. Everything’s going to be all right. He’s gone. I’m here. Chloe’s fine.”

  She closed her eyes and felt tears slip down her cheeks. There was a whirring noise in her head… her heart was still hammering in her chest, making it hard to draw a deep breath. A fresh shudder ran through her entire body, harder than the others. She wondered if she’d shake enough that she’d break apart. Aidan pressed a kiss to her forehead and held her tighter, whispering words of comfort.

  “Mummy?” Chloe walked to them. “Who was yelling? Where’s the pizza?”

  “It’ll be here soon, sweetheart,” Aidan said to the girl, still rubbing Maura’s back as she clung to him. “Go on and play the bunny game, okay? We’ll be right in.”

  “Are you all right, Mummy?” Chloe asked, frowning.

  Maura couldn’t speak. She shook so hard, she could barely even breathe.

  “She’s fine, love,” Aidan said. “Just, ehm… had a bit of a scare. There was a prankster at the door, that’s what you heard. I took care of it. Go on, now. Give us a minute. Please.”

  Still frowning, but without a word, Chloe did as she was asked.

  “I can’t breathe,” Maura stammered into his shoulder. “I’m flipping out.”

  “I’ve got you,” Aidan said, his deep voice gentle, his hands sweeping up and down her back. “Just hold on to me and try to breathe. I’m right here.”

  Niall, back in her life, in their lives, just like that. It was incomprehensible. Maura willed her racing heart to slow; falling apart now would only scare Chloe and not accomplish a damn thing. Aidan held her close and whispered soothing words, over and over. After a few minutes, she stopped shaking. Her head rested against his chest; he never ceased his slow, gentle strokes up and down her back.

  “Ya with me, love?” he asked carefully.

  She nodded. “Better now. Thank you.”

  He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m just glad I was here.”

  “How dare he just show up like that?!?” she finally said with a mixture of disbelief and outrage. She took a few more slow, deep breaths. The whirring noise, the frightening, consuming tornado noise, had faded from her head. “He’s not her father,” she said angrily, pulling back to look up at Aidan’s face. “He can’t just waltz back in here and decide he wants to be a dad now. The gall! And the way he tried to barrel in here…” Fresh tears sprang to her eyes. “Is he going to try that again? Will he try to hit me again? Or is he going to stalk me now? Or—oh, God—is he going to try to stalk Chloe? Or maybe he has been already?” The tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “Listen to me. If he comes near you again, or her,” Aidan said firmly, “you call the Garda, straight away. And then me. You call me and I’ll get to you as fast as I can. You hear me?” He cradled her face in his hands and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. “I’ve got your back, Em. He’s nothing but a coward, always was. Try not to worry, all right?”

  She swallowed a sob and let her head drop back onto his chest. Again his arms slid around her and he held her close.

  “I’m in shock,” she whispered. “And I’m a little scared, not gonna lie. He’s not just a coward, he’s a loose cannon. Was then, and seems he still is now.”

  “You don’t have to be scared,” Aidan commanded gently. “You’re not alone. You’ve got your mum, both your sisters, and me. We’re all here for you.” He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. “Team Chloe will close ranks. We’ll keep her away from him. Don’t you worry.”

  Maura again tried to breathe. She had a terrible feeling this was only the beginning of something long, ugly, and potentially life changing. The only thing keeping her from losing it completely right then was the feel of Aidan holding her, solid and sure.

  Chapter Three

  ‡

  Aidan couldn’t concentrate worth a damn. Sunlight streamed through the windows of his office, bright and cheery, yet he felt anything but. Bloody Niall, that bastard. Aidan had insisted on sleeping over Maura’s house the night before in case Niall returned, and she’d gratefully accepted. When her mother came home, they’d had to fill her in, and Peggy Callahan had been furious. He’d tried to talk both Peggy and Maura down after helping them get Chloe to bed, but he’d ended up feeling useless. These were strong, capable women, used to being on their own, and entitled to their anger on this. Once Maura had regained herself, she’d been spittin’ nails like she usually did when she was pissed off. There was nothing he could do just then that they couldn’t do for themselves.

  So he’d just poured them each a shot of whiskey, and one for himself, as he listened to them talk. Later, he’d barely slept in her younger sister’s old room, and it wasn’t just because the twin bed was small and the room was painted a loud shade of hot pink. He was upset for Maura. She was right about one thing—Niall was a loose cannon. That made Aidan worried, angry, uneasy… all the same feelings Maura was having. They were that strongly connected.

  In the morning, he’d gone with Maura to drop Chloe at child care, and stood by her side as she explained to the woman who ran things there what was going on. Then he’d accompanied Maura to her job, wanting her to feel protected and safe. Maybe making sure of that for himself, as well.

  Before she got on the lift to go up to her office, she turned to him with tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you last night,” she confessed in a thick whisper, throwing her arms around his neck and crushing him with her hug. “Thank you, Aidan. Thank you for being such an incredible friend.”

  “Eh, stop. I’d do anything for you, ya know that. I’m just glad I was there.” He hugged her back just as tight and promised, “Everything’s going to be fine. Try not to let this consume you all day, all right?”

  “Easier said than done,” she sniffled.

  “I know. But you have to live your life, and not in fear. C’mon, Callahan, you’re strong. Remember that.” He’d pulled back, pressed a ki
ss to her forehead, and looked down at her. “Call me, text me, whatever you need today, okay? And I’ll come by again tonight. We’ll order takeaway, I’m buyin’. For your mum, too, if she’s home. We’ll watch a movie or somethin’. All right?”

  Maura had gazed back up at him with such gratitude and affection; it had made him weak at the knees.

  “You’re the best friend anyone could ever have,” she said. “Thank you. Thank you for everything. Last night, this morning…”

  “Deep breaths, now.” He gently tweaked under the chin with his knuckle and winked. He’d be damned if he let on how concerned he was, she needed his strength now. “You got this. Just go about your day, don’t give in to worry.”

  Well, he’d given her great advice, but hadn’t been able to follow it himself. The workday had been pure crap so far. He hadn’t accomplished a thing. All he could do was think about Maura and her suddenly distressing situation. In a flash, her life—and Chloe’s life—had been thrown off kilter, and he didn’t like it one bit.

  Maura… his sweet, gorgeous girl. God knew how many times over the years she’d been there for him, in ways big and small. He wanted to help her now. Every fiber of his being was screaming with the need.

  He loved her so much. Had since day one, and never even hinted it to her. He was afraid to. The thought of her rejecting him was too much to take, so he’d swallowed the words all these years and tried to just express it with actions. Only recently had things gotten to a boil inside him, that he was determined to finally tell her the truth and take the risk. When Gavin had told him about the ceremony in New York, Aidan thought it was a perfect way to sweep her away in a romantic gesture and admit his deeper feelings at last, make an overture for them to turn their close friendship into more… and this had happened. Goddammit.

  He flexed his fingers, balled them into fists. Glancing at his right hand, he suddenly recalled when he’d broken his arm playing basketball, of all things. One night after work, out on the court in the park with his mates, he’d jumped up to take a shot, came down wrong against one of the guys, and landed smack on his right forearm, hard. The pain had been so bad he’d almost fainted from it. Baz was there and took him to emergency, and they’d set it in a cast. By the time Baz took Aidan home, slightly woozy from the painkiller, Maura had been there waiting for him. She’d let herself into his flat and cooked a hearty beef stew. The three of them had eaten, but Baz had been fine with leaving Aidan in Maura’s care.

  Ma and Da told him to move back home so they could all help him until it healed. As the youngest of eight, Aidan knew they meant well but would’ve bloody suffocated him; he absolutely dreaded the idea of staying there.

  Turned out, he didn’t have to. Maura swooped in like Florence Bloody Nightingale. Even with Chloe being only months old, Maura came to take care of him every night. They either went out to dinner—his insistence—or she cooked for him, which he didn’t want her doing every single night after she’d worked all day, hence his insistence they go out to eat some nights. And after dinner, she’d helped him with showers, which had become complicated as a one-armed man. He’d pull off his shirt, and she’d help him secure a plastic bag over his cast to keep it dry. She’d go into his tiny bathroom and start the water running, leave a towel out for him, and go watch TV while he managed to undo his pants and clumsily get through the shower process. He’d manage to towel himself dry, get dressed, and go out to the living room… she’d be lying on the couch, half asleep, watching American sitcoms that made her giggle. He’d take the opportunity to gaze at her for a few seconds before she was aware of his presence. Then she’d get up, make sure he was all right, that he didn’t need anything more before hugging him and going home to see her baby and do her own thing.

  She was Wonder Woman, as far as he was concerned. Selfless, patient, caring. And so beautiful. If he hadn’t fallen in love with her from the day he’d met her—which he had—surely he would have during that time, because her thoughtful kindness had touched his heart like nothing else.

  She was his. She didn’t know it, because he’d always been too afraid to tell her, but she owned his heart. Now, she was gripped by uncertainty and fear… his heart felt it all. Something about the look in Niall’s eyes, the dark malice of his words… Aidan’s inner white knight was suited up and ready to ride, sword drawn for battle. No way on earth would Aidan let that man get at his girls.

  On a whim, he turned to the computer and began searching the government websites about custodial rights in Ireland. Starting with the basic laws already in place was a good place to start. He knew what Maura and Peggy had said last night was the truth—that in Ireland, mothers had exclusive rights where their children were concerned, married and unmarried. But did Niall have any sort of rights where Chloe was concerned? Was there a loophole they were unaware of?

  Normally, he’d never condone keeping a man from his child. But he remembered the phone call. Maura, the morning after Niall had beaten her in a drunken stupor. Raging at how she’d gotten pregnant to trap him, and he’d make her pay for that. Her voice, thick with shame, as she told Aidan what had happened. He’d left work right away to go see her, and when she opened the door… her black eye, her swollen mouth, the bruise on her pale cheek… something primal had reared its ugly head in his core and made him want Niall’s blood.

  He’d gone looking for him. Went to his job, only to find out Niall had been fired the day before. It wasn’t hard for Aidan to put the pieces together—Niall got fired, went out drinking for hours, then went home and took it all out on his pregnant fiancée. But then he’d disappeared.

  Aidan had done some digging. He’d never told Maura, didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was… but Niall had debts. Possibly gambling debts, with some undesirable people. Maybe he’d left Ireland altogether to start over somewhere, somehow, without the added pressures of a wife and child. That was fine with Aidan. A man like Niall, with an unpredictable temper and shady ties, shouldn’t be anywhere near a child, much less Maura. Aidan was glad he’d gone.

  Now, Aidan scanned a few sites before something on a parental rights website seemed to scream at him. He read it over three times:

  “If the child is adopted by the mother and her husband, all rights and responsibilities are vested in the family unit. The father will no longer have any possibility of acquiring rights in respect to the child. The child’s mother becomes the adoptive mother, and her husband becomes the adoptive father; this legally excludes the biological father permanently from the child’s life.”

  Aidan sat back in his chair, his fingers fiddling with a pen as an idea took hold and a plan started to bloom in his head. He sat and thought for a long time.

  *

  “Ah, it’s good to see ya, son,” Peggy Callahan said with a relieved smile. She gave Aidan a quick kiss on the cheek before ushering him into the house.

  “How’s Maura?” he asked, his voice dropped low so only Peggy could hear.

  “Not good,” Peggy admitted. She took Aidan’s offering of a bottle of shiraz and added, “She’s trying to act like she’s fine, but that arsehole’s got her all shook up. She’s worried, she’s on edge.”

  Aidan sighed and nodded. “She upstairs?”

  “Aye, in Chloe’s room with her. They’re having a tea party.” Peggy smiled as she turned toward the kitchen. “Maura said you wanted to order dinner in, but I made the steak pie you like. Should be ready in five minutes.”

  As he went up the stairs, his heart skipped a few beats. What he was planning to do tonight had him riled up. But he’d thought it over all day, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. All he had to do was convince Maura of it, too. It was a huge leap, to be sure… but there were so many good things about it, he knew in his gut it was the best thing. Did it benefit him in some obvious ways, too? He knew that it did, but that wasn’t why he willing to do it. His own desires and needs would have to wait. They had for this long; they could for a tim
e longer. Chloe was the top priority now.

  He found his girls sitting on the floor of Chloe’s tiny bedroom. Yes, they were his girls. He’d thought of them that way for so long already… Niall’s sudden reappearance couldn’t alter the bond they all shared. If anything, it might serve to strengthen it.

  “Uncle Ay!” Chloe said, delight brightening her tiny face. “We’ve just finished having tea, but would you like some?”

  “What a proper young lady you are.” He marveled, tossing Maura a grin as he lowered himself to the soft carpet.

  She smiled warmly back at him. He sat across from her, with Chloe between them, each on their own side of a small pink and purple blanket spread on the floor. A tiny plastic teapot, cups, and saucers sat on top of it—from the tea set he’d given Chloe for her fourth birthday a few months ago. The room was painted in shades of pale pink with white accents; he’d helped Maura paint these walls himself. Stuffed animals and pictures of Disney princesses were everywhere. He had four older sisters, and this was still the girliest room he’d ever set foot in his entire life.

  “Princess Chloe,” he said with mock solemnity, trying for his best butler voice, “I’ve come to summon you and your mum for dinner. It’s being served in the grand hall in about five minutes. The Queen Mother has been cooking all evening, ya know.”

  “Then I suppose we shall have to wash our hands, Prince Aidan?” Chloe said, right there with him in the game.

  “Indeed, princess.” He glanced over at Maura.

  There was a tightness around her eyes; she was putting on a good show, but he knew her too well. She was still upset. Maybe not as much as when he’d left her that morning, but she was.

  “Queen Em? You’ll be joining us, aye?”

  “Of course,” she said, rising slowly from the floor. “Not very hungry, but…” She swept her long hair back from her face and huffed out a breath.