Page 41 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

Keeping them all out of this is required.

You see, the way I was raised, the way my Da and many other leaders run things is that we leave the womenoutof our wars. They are to be respected as the wives and daughters of our organization andnever tobe used as pawns for bartering or retaliation.

Diego did no such thing.

I understand he was out of options and is doing this for the good of so many other innocent people…but bringing Madison and my woman–his sister–into this, cannot be forgiven. This situation couldn’t get more fucking complicated. Selena will hate me for the rest of her life if I kill her brother.

Which is whyIcan’t kill him.

She won’t be hearing about any of this, nor will anyone else. That is exactly why I left Liam out of the equation.

Madison is going to be Diego’s weakness. I can already see it—I know Sel does. It’s not just a character flaw or a way of getting attention. Maddy does this without even trying. She just lives and breathes and men become completely infatuated with her. She is a bright white light in a pitch-black room. You can’t help but draw nearer to the source, even if it blinds you.

I’m starting to understand why Liam left before involving Madison in all this shit. He’s right—she’s too good for this world. Just eight months with us and she’s already experienced so much death and trauma. More thananyoneshould, let alone someone who was never raised in this life.

I grip the marble counter and lean over the bathroom sink, bowing my head.Deep breaths, Kil.On an exhale, Selena’s warm hands rub gentle circles around my back.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, my love?” I look up and gaze at her reflection in the mirror.

My God, she’s a vision, wearing that sexy black satin nightgown and matching robe. I turn around to face her, pulling her in close, needing to feel her warmth. Her robe shifts, revealing the swell of her gorgeous breasts, which somehow look fuller in this set.Not that I’m complaining…

My thumb skims her jaw as I lean down and kiss her neck. She moans and leans her head back, granting me better access to trail my lips across her collarbone and down over her breasts. They rise and fall at a quicker pace. Her fingers lace into my hair, massaging my scalp. I hook a finger into the cups of her nightgown and pull it down, exposing her to me. Circling my thumb around her nipple has her squirming against my erection. Through gritted teeth, she releases a hiss, when I close my index finger over the tight bud and tweak it.

Her hand comes down and slaps mine away. “Sorry, they are just really sensitive tonight.”

Lowering my lips to hers and pressing our bodies together, I show herexactlywhat I desire. Where she normally would begin to tease me and actively participate, she seems withdrawn and lost in thought. It has been an exhausting few days. I’m sure she’s just?—

“I’m pregnant,” she blurts out, gripping both my shoulders. Her eyes burn into mine, looking for any sign of life. I guess that would be because I immediately went rigid, straightening my spine.

After opening my mouth a few times like a fish out of water, gasping for air, I cup her face between both my hands and capture her lips in mine.

“I just found out at Declan and Maeve’s,” she says between sweet kisses. I continue to kiss her, unsure of what to say just yet.

Her hands slide up my forearms and over my hands, wrapping them around mine. “You don’t seem excited…” She pulls away to look at me with watery eyes. A single tear escapes, sliding down her cheek. I swipe at it with my thumb before rubbing the color back into her cheeks.

“I am, sweetheart…”It’s just that I plan on having your brother executed“...with everything going on right now, and these last few weeks…This is wonderful news!Damn. I am going to be a father. I AM GOING TO BE A FATHER!” I shout while picking her up and spinning her in a circle in our bathroom.Jesus. I can only hope to be as good of a father as Jack Kennedy was.

Giggles and sniffles fill the space between us as tears drip onto my bare chest. Hers and mine. “I love you, Killian Kennedy. You are going to be an amazing father. I really am so incredibly thankful for Diego and Madison, for giving us the second chance we deserve. It feels so right to be back here in your arms, to call this my home—finally—and not temporarily.”

I pull her into me, circling protective arms around her. In return, she nuzzles her face into my chest, sighing in relief. The mention of Diego and Madison makes my heart throb. Guilt gnaws at me.How can I continue with my plan?Selena is carrying my child. The grief of losing her brother will only hurt the both of them.

I shouldn’t.

Fuck the plan. Fuck my need for revenge.

I need to call Liam and sort out getting him as close to that yacht as possible.

Although Madison is no longer what I crave…romantically(even though from time to time a shred of jealousy hits me)...she is still someone I genuinely love and care about.

It’s justdifferent.

Madison awakened a part of me that I don’t think I knew was there. The part I had assumed was dead and gone a long time ago. She made me see the importance of not giving up on love. Even when it doesn’t make sense. Even when it seems impossible that it will work out.

She found me as a raw, uncut diamond and returned me to Selena, a brilliant new version of myself. And for that, I am eternally grateful. She is an incredible woman. Liam certainly is a lucky bastard—as am I for having had the chance to encounter such a beautiful soul.

However, Madison was wrong about one thing. My heart does belong to Selena, so she was right there. But she was wrong when she said I loved her like a rebound or that we were two people who found comfort in each other.

A piece of my damn soul belongs to her. And that piece will never belong to anyone else.

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