Page 10 of Innocent Union
“How are you feeling today?” I ask, taking a seat beside her bed.
“Better. Not as nauseous. I view that as a good thing.”
“It is.” I squeeze her hand. She’s become so frail.
“How are things at work?”
My mom knows what I do. She’s not part of the Mafia herself and wasn’t happy about me getting involved in it when I was younger, but she’s come around. I think mostly because she knows her end is coming soon, and she wants to be supportive of me.
“Typical. Aiming to take down Patrick O’Connell one of these days.”
She holds up a hand. “I don’t want to hear the details. I’m just trusting you stay safe.”
“You know I’ll try.”
“I don’t want to hear that either. Don’t try. Stay safe for me. Promise me that.”
“I promise, Mom.”
She settles back on the bed, closing her eyes in contentment. “Remember when you and Finn use to run around in circles so fast you threw up?”
I chuckle. “I do. But why bring that up now?”
“Can’t a mom reminisce about her sons?”
“You can. I just want to make sure you’re not doing it because you feel like you won’t make it. You’ll make it through, Mom. Don’t give up.”
“I won’t. But I think I might be coming to the end, Killian.”
“Mom—”
She holds up a hand, cutting me off. “We have to be realistic. I don’t have much more time left. I just want to make sure you’re not alone after I’m gone.”
My throat gets tight. “Mom, I won’t be alone. I have my friends. Antonio.”
“But you won’t have a family any longer. I want to see you happy and married, ready to start a family of your own.”
“That would be great. I just have to find the woman who can put up with me.”
She laughs before wincing. “Mmm. Any woman would be lucky to have you.”
For some reason, my mind slips immediately to Mia. Her pretty face, the burning behind her eyes for more, the fire I sense within her.
“I’d love to be in love, Mom. You have to promise me you’ll stick around long enough to see me get married.”
She holds up her pinkie finger. “Deal.”
I slip mine around hers. “Deal.”
My younger brother,Finn, died when we were kids.
I was ten at the time. He was only eight.
It was a typical day. We jumped out of bed, raced downstairs to eat our mom’s famous blueberry waffles, and headed off to school.
Finn was worried about a presentation he had to give about sea lions. “They’re, like, the lions of the sea. I think they’re so cool. I don’t want to mess it up.”
We were on the bus together. I nudged him. “You won’t mess up. Unless you trip and fall on your face, you’ll be fine. So, just don’t trip and fall on your face.”
