by Trina Lane
“I know that, but she really only sees the boys once or twice a year. It may take some getting used to, but I don’t think she would let it affect her relationship with Kevin’s children.” She reached over and gave her mom a hug. “Thanks, mom. I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetie. Now why don’t I go gather up the boys and get some toys out, and you and your men can go upstairs and finishing dressing. Although I must say, I greatly appreciated the view when I walked into the kitchen earlier.”
“Mother!”
She patted Calleigh’s cheek. “I’m happily married dear, not dead.”
Chapter Five
Calleigh was bone tired. She’d taken a double shift at the hospital because one of the other nurses had called in sick. One of the major advantages of having Rick and Conor at home now was having them available for the boys should a situation like this come up. Before she’d have had to call her mom, and she hated disrupting her parents’ evenings together even though they claimed they never minded.
She reached into her locker to grab her purse and coat. A nor’easter had arrived yesterday, and the temperatures were near record lows and predicted to stay that way for the next several days. It was November again. Hard to believe but true. She sat on the bench beside the lockers as tears pooled in her eyes. The anniversary of Kevin’s death was coming up, and it was always a tough day for her. Kevin’s mom was coming up once again. They always went and visited Kevin as a family. He was laid to rest in Massachusetts National Cemetery. She would like it if Rick and Conor came with them this year but had yet to ask them.
Rick and Conor were subletting their condo and had moved in a month ago. The boys loved having them around and so far didn’t even seem to question their presence in the house every day. They questioned everything else around them but seem to accept Rick and Conor’s presence with no problem. All her men had formed a boys’ only club, which she found hilarious. Every night, Rick or Conor would take them upstairs for baths then both men would go in to read a story before bedtime. When club time was over, she would come in and say goodnight. Rick and Conor’s willingness to immerse themselves in fatherhood was amazing. Not to mention a perk on her end.
She and Kevin had been married for three years, and he had been sent on his first deployment to Iraq after only six months. He was gone a year. When he’d returned she got pregnant with the boys, and he was recalled when she was five months pregnant. She fully supported her husband’s choice to join the service, but she would be lying if she said she hadn’t been lonely while he was gone. Having Rick and Conor come home every night was a new and still exciting experience. Sleeping in their arms was heavenly, and the sex was beyond anything she could have imagined. Whether the three of them were together or she was spending time with them individually, it was always intense, always hot, and always better than the time before.
“Calleigh? You okay, hon?”
She jumped at the voice. “Jeez Carla, you scared me. Sorry, I was drifting. Just finished a double, and my mind started to wander.”
Carla smiled. “I know that feeling. Do you need a lift home? You usually take the T, don’t you?”
“Normally, yes, but Rick is going to pick me up this morning.”
“Good, I’m glad you won’t be by yourself, walking around half asleep. Well, I’m off. Gotta get the kids off to school.”
Calleigh waved goodbye as Carla ran out of the locker room. She had introduced Conor and Rick to Carla and her husband a couple of weeks ago. They both had been surprised but had accepted their relationship with little trouble. This so far seemed to be the consensus of all their friends. Carla was her only close friend, and all of Rick and Conor’s had known of their lifestyle beforehand. They had gotten a few looks when they’d gone out, but for the most part, people didn’t say much.
She looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:15 a.m. Rick would be there soon, so she closed up her locker and headed for the entry doors.
She groaned as she stood inside the doors and saw Miles walking towards her from the parking lot. The man had been making a nuisance of himself since that one date they’d had almost two months ago. It seemed as if he were always the person she had to talk to in radiology no matter what time of day, and he always tried to drag out their conversation. Every time they passed in the hall he would touch her. Nothing threatening but always annoying. A hand on a shoulder or he would even grab her hand and hold it tightly when she tried to pull back. He left little notes on her locker, and he frequently would be standing at the employee’s entrance and walk with her to the T, even though he lived on the other side of town. She’d started eating lunch at a different time so they wouldn’t cross paths any longer.
She hadn’t said anything to Conor or Rick because she knew how protective they were, and they really, really hated Miles. It was almost funny. If his name was ever mentioned, they would get scowls on their faces, and she would hear the words ‘wanker’ and ‘gobshite’ under their breaths.
He was almost to the doors now, and Calleigh turned her back trying to be less noticeable. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
“Hey Cal! I thought you were off today.”
She reluctantly turned around to face him. “I am. I just came off a double.”
“Oh wow, you must be beat. Can I give you a lift? I’m a little early. I don’t start for another half hour. I was just planning on getting a cup of coffee. Do you want to grab one with me?”
She saw Rick’s car pull into the parking lot and breathed a sigh of relief. “No, thank you, Miles. My boyfriend just pulled in. He’s taking me home.”
She wasn’t prepared when Miles moved so quickly. Grabbing her upper arm and squeezing, he pushed her back against the wall.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Let go of me!”
“What do you mean ‘boyfriend’? What about us?”
“Let go, you’re hurting me, Miles.” She tried to wrench her arm away from his grasp, but he held tighter, and she winced. “There is no us, Miles. We went on one date two months ago.”
“We had chemistry, Cal. You can’t deny it. I know you felt it when I kissed you.” He loosened his grip on her arm and reached up to caress the side of her face.
Calleigh turned her head away from his touch, but his fingers clasped her chin, and he turned it back.
“All I remember feeling was apathy.”
“Apathy, huh? Well, maybe, I ought to remind how good it was between us.”
Miles was holding her head in a tight grip, and she watched him angle for another kiss, but when his lips were about to touch, a large arm wrapped around his neck.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Let go of her. Now!”
She looked up to see Rick. He was furious, the sapphires of his eyes practically glowing. Miles’ hand released her head and she angled away from the wall to stand beside Rick.
Rick let go of Miles and gave him a little push so his back was to the wall. “Just what in the hell did you think you were doing? Is that the way you treat women?”
“Who the hell are you? This is none of your business. I was trying to have a private moment with my girl here.”
Rick snorted. “I know for a fact that she is in no way, shape or form your girl. In fact, I can guarantee that she’s my girl. I know this because I live with her.”
Miles looked over at Calleigh. “You slut! You go from being the ice queen of the hospital to shacking up with some guy in two months?”
Calleigh was pissed. How dare this little twerp first accost her and then turn belligerent when she turned him down? She was so glad in retrospect that she hadn’t continued to date Miles. She had no need for a Jekyll and Hyde character in her or the boys’ lives.
“Actually I’m living with two men. Rick here and Conor whom I’m sure would love the honour of meeting you. The two of them are worth more to me than any number of you. Stay away from me, Miles. Stop calling my department, stop leaving notes on my locker and stop
hanging around the doors when I leave. I have no problem alerting the administration if you harass me any further after today.”
“You try it and I’ll call Social Services. I bet they would love to know that a single woman is fucking two different men in the same house as her young impressionable sons. You never know, if they’re both fucking you maybe they’re even fucking each other. I’m a conscientious citizen. It would only be right for me to alert them that young children are living with sexual deviants.”
A couple of people, either coming on shift or leaving, were standing there watching the scene. She didn’t want to perpetuate anything further so she turned her back and walked out to Rick’s waiting car.
They sat in silence as Rick drove down Commonwealth Avenue. Calleigh saw that his knuckles were white, he was gripping the steering wheel so hard. She couldn’t tell if he was mad at her or the situation, so she figured it would be best to wait until he started the inevitable conversation. Nothing had been said as they pulled up to the house. Rick turned off the ignition but remained in the driver’s seat.
He took a deep breath and let it out. “Let’s go inside. Conor called Lilly and she’s coming to pick up Mike and Brandon so you can get some sleep. Before you argue, she volunteered to pick them up last night, but we told her the boys would stay with us overnight and she could have them today. Then you, me and Conor can sit down and talk. I didn’t want to start any discussion of this nature without him.”
She nodded her head and climbed out of the car. She reached the front door and was surprised to see that her hand shook a little when she reached for the handle. Rick must have seen it too because he put his hand on top of hers and gave it a little squeeze. The trembling stopped. It was amazing what one of their little touches could do.
She opened the door and walked inside.
* * * *
Rick was beyond incensed. He’d seen red when he’d spotted that Miles character holding Calleigh to the wall and trying to force himself on her. The sliding glass doors almost hadn’t open fast enough as he’d raced towards them. When his arm had locked around that son-of-a-bitch’s throat, he’d wanted to squeeze the life out of him. These intense reactions were not normal for him, and it made him feel very off balanced.
From what Calleigh had mentioned, it sounded as if this guy had been bothering her since their date months ago. Rick didn’t understand why she would keep something like that from him and Conor. It was their job to protect her. He had taken a vow. And those things Miles had said at the end just made it worse. But to threaten Calleigh like that was inexcusable.
Rick had used the drive home to try to calm his emotions a little so he wouldn’t fly off the handle when they sat down as a family to talk about it. Seeing Calleigh’s hand shake as she’d reached for the knob had sent a knife through his heart. He was mad, wanted to be mad but he did not want Calleigh to fear that he would take his anger out on her. After they had their talk, he would feed her some breakfast then put her to bed. He knew she had to be exhausted, and having to deal with this crap after working a double shift was not good for her.
He stepped into the kitchen and picked up the phone to call work. He told them that both he and Conor would not be in today, citing a family emergency. His boss knew their living situation and didn’t question why both he and Conor would be absent. When he walked back into the living room, Conor was walking down the hallway tying his necktie. He looked up and stopped in the middle of the treads.
“What’s wrong?”
“I called the office. We’re not going in today. We need to have a family discussion.”
He stopped in front of Rick. “Where’s Calleigh? What happened?”
“That SOB Miles has been hassling her at the hospital. When I pulled up, he had her fucking pinned to the wall and was trying to kiss her.” He spun around and started pacing in the living room. “The little fucker even threatened to call Social Services on her for living with us.”
“I’m gonna kill that feckin΄ little gobshite!” He ripped off his tie and threw it over the back of the sofa. “Where’s Ár ghrá? Is she gran’?”
“She’s fine. She’s saying good morning to the boys before Lilly comes to pick them up.” He smiled when he remembered how Calleigh had stood up to the little fucker before they’d left.
“What are ye smilin’ fer?”
“Calleigh gave no quarter. Once I got her free of his clutches, she lit into him. Our sweetheart has gumption if not the physical strength to defend herself.”
“Bleedin’ mess. If he had hurt her…”
“I know… I know.”
Rick heard footsteps on the stairs and saw Calleigh come down with Mike and Brandon in tow. Both boys had rather hangdog expressions on their faces. He schooled his features so the boys wouldn’t see any distress. Conor walked over and squatted at eye level.
“Are ye gasurs ready for a day with mamó?”
They both shook their heads.
“We want mommy,” Brandon said.
“I know, mo greine. Your ma had te work all night, and she’s real knackered. She’s goin’ te take a nap, and when ye get home later, ye can play.”
“Will you be here, Conna?” Mike asked
“Yes, mo gealachí. Rick and I will be here when you get home.”
The boys still didn’t quite understand that the men lived there now, even though they saw them all the time. They’d yet to come into their bedroom at night or see either Rick or Conor kissing their mom. He heard the doorbell ring and went to let in Lilly.
She scooped up the boys and gave Calleigh a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning.” She saw that neither man was fully dressed for work. “Aren’t you two going in to the office?”
“Not just yet, Lilly. We need te have a family discussion first,” Conor said.
“Is that what they call it these days?” She looked at her daughter and saw the dark circles under her eyes. “Calleigh, as your mother, I’m ordering you after your family discussion to go to bed, for sleeping purposes only.”
Calleigh laughed. “I promise, mom. I don’t think anything else is even possible at this point.” She gave each boy one last kiss and saw them out the door. She turned to face Rick and Conor. “Okay. Let’s get this done. Then you can go to work, and I can go to bed.” She walked over and flopped down on the sofa.
Rick and Conor walked over and sat on the large ottoman in front of the sofa. Calleigh looked so tired. Her normally bright complexion was dull, her hair was tied up in a messy knot and her limbs looked disjointed. Rick hated to cause her further stress, but this was important.
“Calleigh, why didn’t you tell us that Miles has been hassling you?” Rick asked.
“He wasn’t doing anything threatening. He was being an annoyance, but nothing I couldn’t handle. He’d never done anything aggressive like this morning. If he had, I promise I would have told you.”
“Well thank God for that, but I still wish you would have said something. I know you’re used to doing things for yourself, but you’re not alone anymore. We’re here for you, angel. We were your best friends long before we became your lovers. I don’t want you to think that part of our relationship has changed.”
Conor moved over to the sofa and placed his hand on Calleigh’s cheek. “Murinín, if he’s been blaggardin’ ye in any way I want ye to tell me. I want te stop it before ye get hurt. The thought of that fecking gobshite’s hands on ye is twisting me up inside. We love ye.”
“I love you both, too. I’m sorry. I really didn’t consciously keep it from you. Miles is all bluster. It’s become widely known in the last month that he has a severe inferiority complex. I had no idea what he was really like when I accepted that date.”
Rick joined them on the sofa on Calleigh’s other side. “Angel, what about the threats he made before we left. Do you have any concerns?”
“No. I know I’m in the right at work, and the Social Services stuff is just ridiculous. We all know that there is nothing
detrimental to the boys occurring in this house. Worst case scenario, he calls and someone comes out for an interview. We explain the situation and let them see with their own eyes.”
He stood and held out his hand. When Calleigh placed hers on his palm, he lifted her up and gave her a soft chaste kiss. He rested his forehead against hers for a moment. “I love you, angel. Let’s not do this again. My nerves can’t take it.” He smiled down at her.
Conor stood and pulled Calleigh into the circle of his arms. He gave her soft kiss. “Let’s get ye upstairs and in bed. How does a nice warm bath sound?”
“Heavenly. I’ll draw one after you leave.”
“No, murinín. We’re on the hop today.” He took her hand and led her upstairs.
Chapter Six
While Conor was drawing Calleigh a bath, Rick went into the bedroom and pulled the blankets back. He found some scented oil in the nightstand and drew the curtains over the windows to dampen the light in the room. They had a small stereo tucked onto a bookshelf in the corner, and he put on one of Conor’s Moya Brennan CDs. The soothing instrumentals and harmonies of Celtic music always relaxed Rick. It was funny that he’d never really appreciated his Irish heritage until Conor had come along. Now, he embraced it more than anyone else in the family. He looked up as Conor stepped into the room.
“Very nice. Yer thinking massage?” He stepped over and turned the volume down a little on the stereo.
Rick arranged the pillows on the bed to suit their needs. “Yeah. Thought it would be nice after the bath you drew. She’s so exhausted she might fall asleep, but that’s okay.”
“I’ll go see if she’s ready te get out of the bath.”
While Conor went to get Calleigh, Rick changed from work clothes into some comfortable lounging pants. He sat on the bed and waited for them to return. Conor carried Calleigh into the room and set her next to him. She was wrapped in a towel.
She looked around the room. “What’s all this?”