by J. J. McAvoy
“Are you drunk already?” Declan laughed along with me.
“What did Mel say?”
I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Don’t even get me started with that woman again. I don’t tell her shit and she tries to kill me. I fill her in and she tells me to do whatever I think is best. Either she wants to drive me insane or she has lost her mind, maybe both.”
“So what you’re saying is you’re even crazier about her than you were when you first met?” Declan teased, a smug grin on his face.
“Do you hear that Neal?” I leaned forward with a finger on my ear. “Coraline broke a nail, shouldn’t you be off running to buy her a goddamn spa to add to your collection? There is already the Coraline Restaurant on Main.”
“And the Coraline flower shop on 37th and Stonewall,” Neal jumped in.
“The Little Coraline Boutique on Madison and Richard—”
“Both of you shut the fuck up,” he grumbled, a little bit embarrassed.
“Aww brother, are you blushing—”
“Neal don’t even fucking come for me after buying Mina a star,” he snapped at him and almost I died—no really, I couldn’t stop laughing. I had completely forgotten about that.
“She’s into romantic shit like that.”
“A fucking star. At least my wife can visit the places I bought for her,” Declan added. Meanwhile, I tried to calm myself down.
“Oh, laugh your ass off at us, but at least our women allow us to buy them gifts,” Neal stated.
I shrugged. “She has the best gift of all: me. Just look at this face.”
They both groaned.
“What? I’m like Christmas, the gift that keeps on giving. Besides, my Mel doesn’t want stars or boutiques…she wants power, and I gave it to her. She’s the ruler of the state and next she’ll be president. What tops that?”
“Was it you who gave her all of those things?” The door opened as my mother entered, now dressed in casual black pants and a button-down shirt. She always wore black unless we were going out; she’d never stop mourning our father. Her brownish-copper hair was now highlighted with gray hairs. “I’m pretty sure Mel would argue it was a team effort.”
“Ma? You eavesdropping on us now?” I said, putting the drink down to go to her.
“It’s hardly eavesdropping when you all are so loud. I never thought I’d see the day where all my boys would be sitting around drinking and talking about women.” She kissed both of my cheeks.
“Correction, we were drinking before we started our conversation…kinda.” Neal smiled, hugging her as well, along with Declan.
“Don’t stop on my account. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be screening new nannies for the children tomorrow along with Coraline.”
Remembering the morning made me tense again. She patted my arm. “Don’t worry, no one will harm my grandbabies.”
“Thank you, Ma.”
Nodding, she moved back to the door. “Oh, and as good as all your gifts are…they will never top your father’s, even if Mel becomes president.”
We all just stood there for a moment, letting her words sink in before I turned to face them. “What did Father give her that we don’t know about?”
“Maybe she’s bluffing?” Neal said, and I rolled my eyes.
“Maybe she’s being just as cocky as Liam here and means we are the best gifts she ever got?” Declan said; it was plausible, but I wasn’t sure.
Damn it, now I really want to know.
“Anyway.” I sighed, sitting on the edge of my desk. “We will not sell Blphine. Our father, his father, our great-grandfather, all of our family has stuck to the classics; I won’t be the one to diverge from that path.”
Declan ran his fingers through his hair. “You do know this means the triad will have a hold here. And once that happens—”
“They’ll try and fight us out…if they are dumb. I don’t give a damn how popular their shit is, it took us decades to get to this point and there is no way in hell they can tear us down so easily.” Empires weren’t built in a day. I was not ignorant to what this meant, I just wasn’t going to lower myself to sit with dogs. “When the Tàiyáng family starts to walk on two legs instead of four, we’ll kill them.”
“All right—” Neal started to say when there was a knock at the door.
“Enter.”
O’Phelan stepped inside. “Sir, your wife requests you meet her in the basement. She is with Madam Coraline.”
I glanced over to Declan, who shook his head tiredly.
“Mina?” Neal questioned.
“With the kids, sir.”
“Then I will join her.” Neal finished off his brandy before putting the glass on the table. “You two have fun with that.”
He meant watching our wives most likely sparring in the ring. It wasn’t hard for me to watch—Melody always won—but Declan, he hated to see Coraline take a hit. Even after all these years, he refused to get into the ring with her, which only pissed Coraline off, but there was no changing his mind.
“Well let’s go,” I said, already walking toward the door. “It won’t be that bad.”
He snorted. “Last time she had to get stitches, Liam.”
“Mel felt bad.” It was wrong to smile, but I couldn’t help it. It was thrilling to watch her fight.
“You don’t understand,” he muttered when got on the elevator. In truth, I didn’t. Coraline wasn’t complaining and she had become a great fighter. It wasn’t like she never got Mel back, it was just that Mel was better.
My wife was better.
MELODY
Her fists were fast.
Her eyes were focused, clear, like a tiger.
Her movements were solid, not wasting even a single motion.
Coraline had come a long way. She wasn’t just a good fighter, she was a great one. She was someone I actually enjoyed being in the ring with because no matter how badly she got knocked down, she got back up and pushed back harder. The harder she pushed, the better I became, also. It almost made me feel sorry…almost.
She swung her arm and I twisted to the side, my fist colliding with the side of her jaw, her whole body falling back onto the floor.
“Cora!”
I paused for a second to see Declan staring wide-eyed at us…and in that one second Cora sideswiped my legs, sending me to the ground. I tried to roll away but she was already on top of me. Bringing my fists up to my face, all I could do was defend myself until she slowed. Opening my arms, I took a punch to the face in order to grab both her arms, twisting us over onto the mat and pinning her down.
“Damn it!” She hissed when she tapped out and I let her go, wiping the blood from my nose. “You took the hit to lock me into place?”
“What’s one hit when you win the battle?” I smiled, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“One of these days I swear I’m going to beat you in at least one round. That punch doesn’t even count because someone interrupted.” She made a face as she rolled over to look at Declan, who only threw a towel at her before offering his hand.
“It counts.” Liam grinned, grabbing on to the ropes. “Mel got distracted and she paid the price for it, just like she would have in real life.”
“Are you lecturing me on my fighting skills right now?” I replied, standing back up even though my legs were sore. We’d only been at it for a little under an hour but Cora had been aggressive since we’d gotten into the ring.
“Are you done hitting my wife now?” Declan called up to me, which caused Coraline to roll her eyes.
I pointed to my nose. “It was a two-way street.”
“Hear that?” Coraline smiled, elbowing him. “Your wife is a badass.”
He poked her side and she winced in pain. “I’m in awe of your badassery, sweetheart. Now let’s ice.”
“I’m not a child Declan, I’m fine.” He ignored her, wrapping his arm around her and leading her toward the sauna.
Cora glanced over at me, shaking
her head, but let him be the overprotective husband he was. Even so, I knew she secretly enjoyed how much he doted on her.
“We could be like that if you weren’t…” His voice trailed off when I glared at him. Moving to the corner of the ring, I grabbed my water bottle and towel.
“Well, Mel, I’m down here…are we fighting, too?” he questioned, already pulling off his tie.
I shook my head. “I asked you here to talk to you.”
“Talk to me? In a ring?” His eyebrow rose. “All right.”
“As of tomorrow, Dona and I will start training…seriously.”
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
“Define seriously.” He frowned, arms crossed as he stared at me with no hint of humor in his tone or eyes.
“As serious as my father was with me.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“No,” he said again, moving to get out of the ring as if that was all and I was supposed to just bow down to his orders.
“LIAM CALLAHAN! Don’t you dare move!”
“MELODY CALLAHAN, I have nothing else to say about this. My daughter is not going to be put through hell. No. End of discussion.”
This motherfucker has lost his mind.
“Your daughter?” I repeated; he didn’t even look at me, just shook his head. “Our daughter! She was in me. I gave birth to her. I can still remember how she felt on my chest the day she was born. I remember how many hairs were on her head. Don’t you dare bark at me as if I’m insane or as if I will willingly harm our daughter just for the hell of it.”
“Then why are you doing this? She is protected—”
“By who? You? Me? Her brothers? You have already taken Ethan under your wing, and Wyatt’s already target practicing. I know you love Dona to the moon and back and around the earth ten times but putting her in a bubble isn’t enough! My father loved me enough to train me.”
“Your father knew you would be alone! Alone. Melody, you thought your mother was dead. Your father was dying. The rest of your family was gone. All you had was yourself! Your father made you into a weapon because it was the only thing he could do for you. I understand, but I also understand how it destroyed you! You've been fighting for so long you don't know when to stop! When we first met you didn’t even know how to love. Even now you can't move five feet without exerting your dominance. You never feel safe. You struggle with being a wife, a mother, and everything else. You are constantly struggling! And I love you for all the effort you make. I love you for all your scars, but I love Dona too much to let her struggle like that.”
It felt like he had punched me under the belt. I couldn't figure out what hurt more: the fact that he thought I was more broken than he was or the fact that he really didn't see the world as I did. We had always been on the same page…now I wasn’t sure.
But I could hit below the belt too. “You talk about my family like you don't know yours.”
“What?”
“Maybe you’ve forgotten, but you’re the prince who inherited the keys to the kingdom from your father. Do you know what it was like for your family before your father became Ceann na Conairte? Probably not, because Sedric did his best to keep you all in a bubble. Your father had two sisters. One was raped and beheaded, and the other was trapped in her house when it went up in flames. Declan isn't your brother, he is your cousin. His father and mother were gunned down, 87 bullets between them. After losing his precious son Shamus, your grandfather abandoned America and returned to Ireland. Your father was nearly killed to save the Callahan name; the war between the Irish and the Italians was bloodier than ever. The Callahan family army? Where was it when your mother was attacked, when she almost lost you and actually lost your twin sister? I look over my shoulder because I'm never safe, not because my father made me into a warrior, but because I was born into the mafia. The moment you get comfortable, the moment you think you’re safe is the moment you get arrogant and someone puts a bullet in your brain.”
“You were just pissed at me for taking Ethan out! Make up your damn mind woman! Do you want them to be just kids or do you want them to be kid soldiers?”
“Showing our son how to murder someone is different than teaching him how to protect himself! Dona can learn to be a fighter and still be a kid.”
“And you would know this how? When were you ever a kid, Melody?”
“Dona and I are different; she’ll adapt differently.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling deeply. “I don’t understand you. You know Dona is soft. She likes to make crowns out of dandelions. She loves birds but won’t keep them as pets because she feels like she’s kidnapping them. She won’t even eat meat because she loves animals too much. This is the girl you want to mold? One of two things will happen: either she won’t be the same Dona anymore, or she will make the choice never to fight. There is no middle ground with her.”
“Then you are going to have to learn to love the new Dona because our daughter will always fight. If she hates me, so be it. You can be the fun parent. I’ll be happy knowing she can protect herself if need be,” I said, lifting the rope and stepping out.
He didn’t say a word or follow me, and once I turned my back to him, I didn’t bother checking on him. Instead, I got on the elevator and unwrapped the tape from my hands.
“Fucking idiot,” I muttered to myself, but I wasn’t sure if I meant him or myself…
By the time I got to my room, I was so exhausted I just took a quick shower before changing into a silk nightshirt and peeking into Dona and Wyatt’s room. Of course, Ethan slept next to Dona, both of them curled up into a ball…and because Wyatt hated to be left out, he forced himself to the edge of the bed. He kicked Ethan, who opened his eyes, prepared to kick him back when he saw me.
“Ahh.” He groaned when Wyatt kicked him again. “He’s so annoying.”
“You are in his room,” I said when he crawled away from them, his brown hair sticking up and out in every direction.
Walking over to him, I patted his hair down. “You want me to tuck you in?”
“Mommmm.” He made a face at me, rubbing his eyes. “I’m almost ten, I don’t need to be tucked in.”
“Fine, then will you tuck me in?”
He thought about it for a moment before nodding. Taking my hand, we walked back into the bedroom. Sitting on my side, I laid back on the pillows.
“Did you brush your teeth?” he asked me seriously; I did my best not to laugh.
“Yep.” I nodded.
“What about your clothes for scho—I mean work?”
You’re killing me kid. “Out and ironed.”
“Did you hug Nana goodnight?”
“No hug but I said goodnight.”
He crossed his arms at me.
“I’ll hug her tomorrow.”
He nodded and paused, frowning as he tried to remember what else to ask.
“Did I—”
“Did you say goodnight to Dad?” he asked me.
This kid, man. Even when he wasn’t trying to be, he was still on his dad’s side. “Not yet, but I will.”
“Don’t forget,” he said seriously, pulling my comforter up to my neck. He even petted my hair. “I love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, mio bel leoncino.” I leaned up and kissed his cheek.
“Night!” He waved, running back to the door.
I pretended to snore and heard him softly open the door.
“Night, Mommy,” he whispered before shutting the door behind him.
When he was gone, I sat back up, unable to stop grinning. I leaned back and waited…and waited…and fucking waited.
No matter how many times we fought or how pissed off we were at each other, we always shared a bed. Always. It was a personal rule between us. And yet, it had been almost three hours since I’d left him in the basement and he still hadn’t come to bed. The clock beside me read 3:47 AM and I swore if another minute w
ent by I was going to hurl it at the door. I couldn’t sleep. He better not be sleeping somewhere else, either.
“Oh my God,” I whispered to myself. When had I become this person? The wife waiting up for her husband? “What is wrong with me?” I groaned, grabbing a pillow and placing it over my face. I was Melody Callahan! Bloody Melody. Head of the Italian mafia. The Governor of Illinois. Grown men had shit themselves in front of me. The woman couldn’t even make eye contact! I was a fucking boss! So why the hell am I completely losing my cool over a man? So what if I love him! So what if he is the father of my children? I’m the cool and collected one. I’m the one who is right! He’s the one trying to make our daughter some fairytale damsel in distress! If anyone shouldn’t be coming to bed it is me!
“Mel!”
My eyes opened when the pillow was ripped off of my face. He stared down wide-eyed, sweat dripping down the sides of his face and nose.
“What the bloody fuck are you doing?!” he yelled at me as I sat up.
“What?” I yelled back, but he didn't answer. He took a deep breath, shaking his head as he sat down on the edge of the bed beside me. He had changed into a pair of black running shorts and a sleeveless black shirt, the back of which was drenched in sweat.
“Don't do that again,” he muttered, taking off his sweaty ankle brace and throwing it onto the ground.
“What—”
“I came in here ready to finish our discussion only to find you not responding with a pillow over your face.”
I grinned. “You really think that's how I'm going to meet my end? A pillow?”
“I don't think about how you are going to die, Mel. Thoughts like that…”
He didn't say anything, just rose from the bed and grabbed his brace before walking into our bathroom. I thought about joining him for a moment but just stayed still. He didn’t take long; the shower was on one second then off the next, and he came out drying his hair with a towel, dressed in only dark green satin pajama bottoms. His hard chest, each one of his abs defined, was completely exposed to me. The bed shifted as he lifted the comforter up and sat down beside me. He smelled like fresh spices.