Page 60 of Cherished Union

“Good luck trying to stop that from happening. You’re stuck with me now,” I tell her with a laugh, and she smiles widely.

I know that no matter what happens, I have a friend for life in Anna.

CHAPTER23

HAYDEN

“The kid is good,” Cody says with a grin. “He’s determined, and he’s a great fighter.”

I nod. In the past week, Calvin Moore has more than proved himself to be one of my men. He’s doing everything he can to become a soldier. He needs the money. His da died, and he’s now the man of the house, which means he’s paying the bills as his ma raises his five younger siblings. “Set him up with a house for his family here in Indianapolis.” Da should have been paying the bills but Calvin’s ma wouldn’t let it. She lost her shit when her husband died and blamed us—Not that any of us would ever blame her for that— he died while working for my father. We take care of our own.

“On it. What about the boy?”

I shake my head. “He’s a soldier now, Cody; he’ll do just as the rest of them did. He’ll learn how to manage his money and become a man.”

I did it, Cody did, and every other man that has worked for the Gallagher family. Becoming a made man lets you access things you wouldn’t normally access. The women come to you freely. They want a bad boy and being a soldier for the biggest crime family in the world is an instant turn on to women. You can’t bring a woman back to your ma’s house, that’s not done. So, Calvin will be finding his own place soon enough. Especially if he wants to get laid.

I whistle and every man stops to look at me. I point to Calvin, and he stops what he’s doing and walks over to me. “Sort the Moore family out, Cody, and if they need help moving, see to it.”

He nods. “On it, boss.”

“Take Lewis and Ben with you,” I instruct him. Right now, it’s time to be cautious. The Masters are going to be wanting to try to take us out, but they’re in hiding. The moment they make a mistake, we’ll capitalize on it.

He leaves, taking the others with him just as Calvin reaches me. “Yes, boss?”

“Your ma should have been taken care of when your da passed, kid,” I tell him. “That’s being rectified now. You are my soldier. You’ll be living here in Indianapolis. So, Cody is going to your ma now and getting her sorted. We’ve got property that we own, and your ma and the kids will be moved into one of them.”

He stares at me with wide eyes. “You don’t need to do that.”

“I do,” I tell him. “It should have been done before now.”

His throat constricts as he swallows hard. “Thank you. I’m in your debt.”

I shake my head. “No, we’re in your da’s debt, kid. Now you work for me, you don’t need to worry about your family. We’ve got them.”

“Thank you. I’m honored that I’m your soldier, Hayden.”

Jeez, this kid.

“Alright, go to your ma. She may not be happy with men turning up she doesn’t know.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, she’ll probably take the wooden spoon out.”

I bite back a smile. The memories of Ma with that fucking spoon hit me. It’s got to be every Irish woman’s weapon of choice.

I say goodbye to my men. We’ve recruited many in the months since Addie and I have been married. Apparently, being a married man helps my image. How the fuck that works is beyond me. But in the past four months, we’ve gained at least fifty men and have many more wanting to join. I know Elio has been picking men up just as fast. He’s already gained at least thirty men and he’s not been here more than a month.

“Addie?” I call out as I enter the house. The place is quiet. She called me when she left the doctors and assured me she was fine and the doctor was happy with how everything was progressing.

My men told me that Addie and Annemarie were smiling and laughing the entire day, and that Annemarie was actually pleasant around my wife. Something I know to be true. Since the party last week, the women have been constantly talking, and Annemarie is actually helping Addie regain even more confidence.

Walking further into the house, I see Addie sitting in the dark living room. I flip the light on, and she looks up at me. “Dove, is everything okay?”

She gets to her feet, a bright smile on her face, her emerald eyes shining with love. She looks beautiful. She’s clutching a teddy bear in her arms.

“I love you,” she tells me. “I love everything there is about you. How you make me feel.” She shakes her head as tears fall. “I swore I wouldn’t cry. I love that you make me feel as though I’m the only woman in the world. That I’m sexy and beautiful. You make me feel safe and protected, but you don’t stifle me. You encourage me, push me to reach for my dreams.”

Fuck me.

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