Page 47 of Love Restored

“Just…be, okay?” Owen’s voice was so serious that Graham opened his eyes, startled. “We don’t get to just be often. Jake missed out on Maya and Border for freaking years because he kept missing chances. Murphy is only now starting to live like he has time left, rather than waiting for the shoe to drop. As for you… Hell, Graham, it was good to see you reacting over a woman, even if you did it in that growly asshole way of yours. I know that Blake having a kid was a shock, but you can roll with it if you need to. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

Graham looked at his younger brother, a new sense of respect settling over his skin. “What about you, Owen? Why aren’t you being?”

His brother met his gaze, his eyes going through a thousand different emotions before settling on bleak. “Just worry about yourself now, okay? That’s all I ask.”

Owen’s phone rang, saving him from any more questions Graham might have thought to ask, and he turned away. Knowing his brothers all had their own secrets, he let Owen be for now. But soon, he’d figure it out because he’d be damned if he let his brothers live only half a life because of missed opportunities and pain. Of course, that was just the pot calling the kettle black at this point.

With a sigh, he took out his phone and dialed Blake, hoping he wasn’t making yet another mistake by getting too close.

“Hey, everything okay?” she asked when she picked up.

The sound of her voice settled him even as it revved him up, and he knew he’d made the right decision even if it scared him. “We had a slight accident at the site.” At her gasp, he quickly continued. “Gary, one of our subcontractors, is hurt, but he’ll be okay. Everyone else is fine, but we’re taking the rest of the day off to deal with the aftermath.” He paused, not sure how to continue, then feeling silly about it. “Have you and Rowan eaten yet? Want to grab something?”

She was silent for so long, he was afraid he’d been cut off or had said something wrong. “We were just thinking about what to get for lunch. Do you want to meet at the burger place near my apartment? Rowan’s been talking about you all day.” She whispered the last part, and he knew it was because she was scared to mention her daughter to him. The fact that she felt that way killed him because it was his fault in the first place. He would have to change that, make sure Rowan never felt unwanted by any single person in her life. And as for his feelings for Blake? He’d have to figure those out as well because he didn’t like the hesitation and pain in her voice either.

When Graham pulled up to the burger place after he’d washed up a bit in the trailer at the site, Blake and Rowan were already there, though still in the car. He let out another breath and turned off the engine.

“Now or never,” he mumbled to himself and got out of the car. Since he’d parked only a couple of cars down from Blake when he closed the door, her head shot up, and she met his gaze. The look of relief and…need on her face overwhelmed him. Had it only been a week or so since he’d last had her in his arms, in his bed? It seemed like yesterday, and yet years ago all at the same time.

Rowan got out of the car first, Blake right behind, and Graham braced himself. The little girl looked nothing like Cynthia and yet reminded him so much of her it hurt. While Cynthia had had black, straight hair and wide, blue eyes, Rowan had brown curls going out in all directions and brown eyes that seemed to see everything. Her eyes, mouth, and nose were all Blake, though, that much he could see.

“Hi, Mr. Graham,” Rowan said as she skipped toward him. “Mom said you were hungry for burgers like us. I’m glad because I didn’t really want the peanut butter and banana sandwich I would have had at home. Today, we had only a half-day at school so I didn’t get to learn as much as I wanted, but since I missed part of school yesterday, I still had to take my spelling test today when the others had a free day. That’s okay because I passed it with flying colors. Mom says I’m really smart, and I think so, too, but that’s because she’s smarter and teaches me everything. I’m better at math than I am at spelling, but I don’t think Mom likes math. She always gets a little line between her eyebrows when we do math.” Rowan put her finger over the spot on her own face and smiled. “See? Right here. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure I help Mom like math like I do. Math is fun.”

He blinked, trying to soak in everything that had come out of Rowan’s mouth in that short period of time. So short, in fact, he didn’t think she’d taken a single breath. For a split second, he thought of what Cynthia would have been like after a day of school. Would she have talked a mile a minute like Rowan? Or hold it all in like he did? Or perhaps, something in between?

He pushed those thoughts from his mind, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to wonder about what would never happen and that he should, instead, focus on the little girl in front of him.

“That sounds like a lot of good days all rolled into one. I like math, though not as much as my brothers, Owen and Murphy. Our other brother Jake hates math, though I think he liked English more than we did.” Graham didn’t quite remember as it had been a while ago, and they’d all settled into their lives beyond taking classes years ago, but he still liked thinking about how things had changed.

“Really? You have another brother?” She batted her eyes. “Is he as pretty as you and Owen and Murphy?”

Damned if he didn’t blush right then.

Blake threw her head back and laughed. “She just likes your beards. And, yeah, Rowan, Jake is pretty, too.”

Graham narrowed her eyes. “Jake is taken. As are you.”

She raised a brow. “Am I?”

Now or never, Gallagher. “Yeah, you are.”

“It’s not just his beard, Mom,” Rowan said with an eye roll. “Mr. Graham has pretty eyes, too. I want a burger. Can we get lunch now?”

Graham smiled at Blake despite the fact that his mind and heart were still going a thousand different directions, and he didn’t think twice when he held out his hand for Rowan. “Let’s start our date, shall we?”

Rowan smiled up at him, her eyes bright and happy as she slid her small hand into his. “Yes!”

Blake took Rowan’s other hand, met Graham’s gaze, and nodded, her eyes bright, as well.

He hoped to hell he hadn’t made another mistake that would end with him curled in a ball on the floor, but for now, he’d take one step at a time. And if that step included taking a little girl and her mother to lunch so they could have one moment of peace before the storm hit, then he’d do it.

And when the pieces fell around him, he’d pick them up.

It was what he was good at, after all.

Restoring what was once lost, what could never be perfectly whole again.

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