Page 29 of It Will Always Be You
“There’s a lot more to the O’Neill empire than business holdings, and not all of it is above board. As far back as history goes, my great-whatever grandfather has had his toes dipped in all sorts of pots. One of those happens to be the Irish Mafia.”
I pull back to look at him, and the determination on his face has me biting my tongue, letting him explain all about the Four Points and the criminal world he thinks I know nothing about. As he spits Angus’ name out with hatred, the fear of revealing my secrets returns tenfold, and rather than confessing my sins, I dig a deeper hole for myself by continuing to uphold my lie.
“This is...a lot,” I settle on after a moment. “I mean, this kind of thing just doesn’t happen to girls like me.”
“I swear, you’re safe. More than safe. I give you my word,” he vows as the opportunity to come clean slips through my fingers like quicksand. It’s all I can do to act shocked while my mind races withwhat the fuck have I done. But it’s too late to backtrack now. Instead, I have to commit to the façade of being new to the mafia world, let him teach me all about it, and pray that Angus never finds out and blows it to smithereens.
Even as I say nothing, the guilt gnaws at me, carving into my chest like a dull blade.
I had a plan—I swore I would go back for Freya, pull her out of the Clan’s grasp, and make sure she was safe once and for all. But now,I’m tangled in lies, sinking deeper into a world I swore I’d never return to. And yet…two little lines changed everything.
I’m so sorry, Frey. I can’t risk it. Not now
Chapter 25
Two months later
While the timing could do with some work, the news that Helen’s pregnant was far from a bad thing. Sure, becoming parents in our twenties wasn’t on our agendas, but the feelings between us aren’t going anywhere, so why the hell should it matter if we have kids now or in a few years? And the way she took the news about the Four Points just cemented my belief that she couldn’t be any more perfect. Keeping the fact that I have a pregnant girlfriend on the down low has been close to impossible. If not for Seamus and Donna, I doubt we’d have pulled this off for so long.
Keeping her and our child a secret grates on me. All I want to do is be able to shout it from the rooftops, but at the same time, the last thing I want to do is open up Helen and our unborn child to an attack. It’s a huge part of why moving her out of that rundown flat and into my penthouse was one of the first things I did. No one and nothing gets in or out of here without my express permission and knowledge.
Now, as she creeps past the four-month mark, she’s starting to show in a way that drives me crazy with both want and fear. The timefor keeping this to ourselves is fast disappearing, and soon, the choice will be out of our hands. But for now, I focus on getting her ready and out the door before we’re late.
“Do I look fat in this?” She’s tugging at a purple maxi dress and frowning as it clings to her newly rounded middle.
“Sweetheart, you look as radiant as always. Now, please, we need to get going, or we’ll be late.” I come up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her neck. Her hitched breath and bitten of whimper are enough to have me smirking as I make her a deal. “If you’re a good girl and come with me now, I’ll forgive you for insulting yourself. That means we can skip the punishment and get right to the fun part later.”
“Mmm, what if I want a little punishment?” she teases, pressing her ass back into the cradle of my hips. With a groan, I detach myself from her with a swat to her ass before leading her out of the bedroom and into the lift before she has a chance to delay us any further. Crowding her against the back wall of the lift, I silence her protests with a kiss, and soon, she’s melting like butter in my hands. Good. I’ve big plans for after this appointment, which means we don’t have time for any more delays. We make the drive in comfortable silence but, as we get closer to the clinic, she grows tense, frowning to herself as she looks out the windows.
“What’s put that frown on your pretty face?” I ask, reaching over to lay my hand on her knee.
“Hmm? Oh, nothing. It just hit me. This isn’t just any baby—it’s your heir. What if it’s a girl?” She worries her bottom lip. Her words give me pause. My natural instinct is to reassure her, but the truth is, I don’t know what will happen if our child is a girl. There’s never been a woman at the head of the Points before, but at the same time, I know my men. I know their hearts.
“It’ll be okay, Helen. While it hasn’t happened yet, there’s no rule saying a female can’t be in charge. Plus, that’s years away from being a worry. We have time to figure it all out. Together.” I squeeze her kneein reassurance as we pull into the clinic. Making my way around to help her out of the car is second nature, and as I guide her inside, I can’t help but note how right it is. She belongs in my arms, by my side, and in my life. I can’t believe I ever thought otherwise. I’d be lost without her sarcasm keeping me on my toes.
As we’re led into the examination room by a friendly nurse, I keep my hand steady on her back before helping her up onto the exam table. Once she’s settled with a death grip on my hand, the doctor comes in with a warm greeting and gets to work checking over the baby before turning to us with a smile on her face. “Would Mum and Dad like to know what they’re having?”
“Absolutely. Please, I can’t handle one more moment not knowing.” Helen laughs, clutching my hand as the doctor takes note of a few things on the screen before pointing out something to us.
“See that? That’s the head, the torso, and that…is a clear indication it’s a little girl.”
A girl. We’re having a little girl. A daughter. As I stare at the blur on the screen, I already feel her wrapping me around her tiny, invisible finger. Helen looks equally awed, clutching the printouts in her hand. She lets me help her into the car, still lost in thought, and we’re already halfway to Southend before she glances up with a curious frown.
“I thought we were headed home.”
“Soon. I wanted to take a walk along the beach with my girls first.”
God, that feels so right to say. Of course, it’s a girl. It could hardly be anything else. I hope she looks just like her mum—or maybe not. I’ll have my work cut out for me, warding off unworthy boys.
With a sharp inhale, she reaches across to thread her fingers through mine on the gearstick as we make our way to the beachfront.
“I hope this isn’t your form of punishment,” she teases as we make our way toward the walkway.
“Of course not. I know your preferred methods of torture. This is just a trip to get some fresh air,” I reassure her. We walk in comfortable silence for a while, until I spy an older couple on a bench. I squeezeher elbow gently to get her to stop before I head over to them.
“Excuse me, sir. You wouldn’t do me a favour and take a picture of us, would you?” I ask.
“Young love. How sweet, Bob. Take the photo for the young man,” the lady prompts, and with a hearty laugh, Bob gets up, following me back to Helen’s side and taking a few pictures before heading back over to his wife and leaving us to look out at the sea.
