Page 96 of The Celtic Resolution
I’m out of bed and dressed in ten seconds flat, then I scoop my hair up into a ponytail while hurrying through to the adjacent bedroom where my gorgeous baby boy lies sleeping in his crib without a care in the world. Bringing him home at New Years was the perfect way to start the year and while it’s only been two days, I still can’t get over how he looks sleeping in his bed. No tubes. No wires. No machines hugging him and no plastic keeping him away from me.
He’s here, he’s real, and he’s home.
“Hi baby,” I coo gently as I approach the crib and clutch the edge. “Look how beautiful you are!”
As if on cue, two gigantic blue eyes open and stare up at me, then Liam gives the most adorable toothless smile I’ve ever seen in my life. My heart hurts as it melts. How can I love something so much? It’s almost as if there isn’t enough space inside me for how much I adore him.
Leaning over the edge, I scoop Liam up into my arms and I’m barely able to fight the tears that well in my eyes. After months of watching him grow in a box, it’s hard to decipher the overwhelming emotions that surge from having him in my arms. As tiny as he is, he’s heavy and the weight is a welcome comfort against my chest.
He gurgles against me, waving both his arms up at my face and brushing his tiny hand against my chin as I cradle him.
“Come on, darling. Breakfast time.”
It takes me fifteen minutes to reach the kitchen where my family is having breakfast. I’ve dealt with some of the most dangerous people in the world, handled grenades and dynamite,but nothing compares to how gently and slowly I handle my son. Cormac assures me that in time I will grow better because babies are much tougher than they look but right now I’m terrified of dropping him or hurting him so my steps are slow.
Approaching the doorway, I nudge the door open with my foot to witness the chaos of the morning breakfast.
Bruno is near the stove, frying some mouthwatering bacon while Cormac and Cian wrestle over a bottle of orange juice. Rocky stuffs his face into a bacon sandwich but catches my eye a moment later and swallows quickly.
“Honestly, if Evelyn were here it wouldn’t be so chaotic.” Rocky laughs.
“Is she coming for breakfast?” I ask, walking inside and easing into a chair at the table with Liam happily cooing in my arms.
“Yeah, she’s picking up Sarah from her nightshift, and they’ll be here.”
“Morning!” Cormac cheers his victory over winning the orange juice from Cian but it’s short-lived as Cian uses his cane to smack Cormac’s knuckles. He yelps and drops the bottle into Cian’s waiting, gleeful hands. “Son of a bit?—”
“Oi,” I snap, delicately covering Liam’s ears. “Watch your language!”
“He’s Irish.” Cian laughs. “Surprised he didn’t come out of the womb swearing.”
“True, but if anyone’s going to teach him it will be me,” I scold softly. “So watch it.”
Cian holds his hands up in defeat while keeping the bottle away from Cormac who finally relents and slumps in his chair. All small arguments are forgotten when Bruno dumps another plate of bacon on the table and everyone suddenly acts like they haven’t been fed in years.
“Shit, is that what you’re gonna be like in a few years?” I laugh, lightly touching Liam’s nose. Bruno sets down a milk bottle next to me and kisses the top of my head.
“You want bacon? Cereal?”
“Bacon,” I say, picking up the bottle. “But after I feed this guy. I don’t want him puking on my food like last night.”
Bruno grimaces with a chuckle and nods. “Fair.
I settle into feeding and watch my brothers start up yet another argument about some kind of sport, something that Rocky also gets involved with. Normally, I’d be bored of such a thing but after the hell of last year, it’s nice to see. Normal conversations between people who care about one another are proof that the Irish-Italian bond remains strong.
Coming out of the hospital and stepping back into the world was strange. The Italians and the Irish have been working hard to repair a lot of tension, and no one has been hiding Domenico’s role in a lot of the terrible things that happened. Anastasia has returned a lot of Domenico’s victims to the States and has them in her recovery program, while Evelyn houses them at her hotels around the city to keep them safe until they’re ready to return to life. The majority of them don’t have loved ones, which makes them the perfect targets, so we’ll take them under our wing if they trust us.
Cian’s leading the search overseas for the third secret money behind Domenico’s plan and the Triad have admitted defeat after Cormac went through them like a bulldozer. There’s barely any left to be considered a problem.
To think I nearly gave up.
Life was so dark for a time that all hope felt crushed.
Now I sit, surrounded by friends, squabbling brothers, a man who loves me, and my baby in my arms. Six months ago, this felt impossible. Now, somehow, it’s my life.
Bruno sits next to me with a cup of coffee and sets it down, his eyes locked on Liam as he feeds hungrily from his bottle. His hand rests on my thigh and he squeezes a little as he smiles.
“Look at him,” Bruno says softly. “Our little fighter. Both of you.” His gaze flicks up to me and his smile widens. “I love you.”
“I know.” I smile back as my heart swells. “I love you too.”
I can’t promise to know what the future holds for any of us but there are two things I am certain of. I love Bruno and that will never change, and Liam is going to have the best, most vibrant future I can give him.
I never thought anything was missing from my life.
Now, I know it’s complete.
