Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

M iranda

By Friday, everything I'm needed for at work is complete. I'm surprised and a little embarrassed Jonah organized a small party in the large conference room for me. All I want to do is sneak out. But it feels rude. It is only noon. I figure a half hour or so is the least I can do. With that thought in mind, I text Declan I'll be ready to leave by the time he gets here.

The questions are numerous: Was I going to another firm? Am I leaving to get married and have a baby? The questions made me ache a little. Declan hadn't said anything about marriage—hell, he hasn't even said he loved me back. He said everything but those three words.

I finally understood the night he punished me. He didn't like not being in control. It made a little more sense that he might see love as something he couldn't control… I thought it didn't bother me only to now realize it did .

Pain I haven't felt in years comes back at the baby question. On one hand, I would love a baby with Declan. To have a miniature of Declan with his dimples and blue eyes…but would it be safe for our children?

"Miranda, I was surprised to find you were leaving." Oliver Darcy is a boss to Jonah's boss. He was a friend of Michael's, and after the divorce, he gave me a wide berth, barely acknowledging me.

I shrug. "It's time."

"It doesn't have anything to do with Michael and his divorce, does it?" His eyes narrow on me.

"Michael is divorcing? I had no idea. It's been since the divorce I've seen or talked to him." I'm not completely surprised. But I try not to show it. The newer, younger model probably just grew up and realized he was an asshole.

"Oh," I don't miss the disappointment in his eyes. "Yeah, the divorce has been in the works for a little while. He caught her cheating. Since she was pregnant, he wanted a paternity test done on the pregnancy because she wanted more money for the baby. When it came back, it wasn't his, he had a paternity test done on Mason, too. Mason wasn't his either. He's pretty broken up about it."

I go cold. Michael wasn't the father? Maybe the problem wasn't with me. What if it was Michael?

I'm not sure what I say. I don't remember how I made it downstairs to wait on the sidewalk for Declan. What if…

Declan is in front of me. "Miranda, love, are you all right?"

In a daze, I nod. "Sorry, I guess I just… It's all hitting me, you know. "

"Ah, come now, love." His hand at my back gets me into the car.

The city passes by outside me in a rush I don't take in.

I'm pulled back when his hand goes over mine. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I didn't expect it. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I get it's a huge change."

Grateful he doesn't press me again. The day passes in a bit of a haze for me. He takes me to the pub with him where we have lunch together. Then we're at home.

"Now that you have time to focus on it, I want you to change this place in any way you want to make it more your home."

"Really?" I'm shocked into the moment, my swirling doubts and questions disappearing.

"Of course. I couldn't care less about the colors on the walls. What I want is you happy with your home. The place hasn't been changed since before my da died. I've thought of updating it a dozen times and didn't have the time."

"You're okay with me changing it to look like your gran's place?" I smile as his blue eyes darken with heat.

"My gran's place, a bordello out of the last century, whatever you want." He assures me.

I tug him upstairs. "It's been too long since this morning."

His grin is wicked as he follows me. "There's my greedy girl."

This time, when he thrusts home inside me, I wonder if this is it—could Declan be the difference and the one to give me the baby I've longed for? A baby boy with his dimples in both cheeks and one in his baby chin…

Only hours later, while we're still entwined with him inside me the way I love—his phone rings. A language comes out of the phone I've never heard before.

He frowns. But all he says is, "Okay." Before hanging up.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm being called to Ireland."

My heart drops. "Forever?"

His own eyes go wide. "No, god no. It will never happen. I'm sure it has to do with the shit that went down with a cousin..." He sighs. "I was hoping no calls meant it was accepted, but I guess not."

"Let me guess, I can't go with you?"

He runs his face over my cheek. "I'm sorry, baby. No. Please don't leave while I'm gone. I don't know how long it will be. But I want you to be here. I want you all moved in. You can rent your house, sell it, and stash the money—I don't care. All I want is to be sure when I come home, you'll be here."

I nod, and his smile fills me full. "My home is with you, and if I can't be with you, then it's here. I do want to go get some of my things. But I'll be here." His relief soothes all my fears. "When do you leave?"

"I'm to be on the five a.m. flight."

"So soon?" I push up from his hard chest, grinding on his thick cock I adore with my whole body. "Then we'll have to make the hours count. "

Sleepy eyelids sink low until glowing blue are only thin slits. "I can sleep on the plane. You're so fucking gorgeous." He groans as he reaches up to cup a breast. "If I weren't worried someone would see them, I would take a thousand pictures of your gorgeous body to use while I'm away for you."

I open the door to my house and step inside. Odd how it feels like months instead of weeks since I've been here.

Ryan pulls away from the front of my house once he confirms I'm inside. He's going to get more packing boxes and tape. Since Declan didn't trust me to not work for too long, Ryan is going to help me over the next few days.

For now, I'm just going to pack what I want, which will be quite a few things. I'll figure out what I'm doing with everything later. The idea of getting rid of my house scares me. Thankfully, Declan understood and wasn't pushing me to decide right this minute.

Almost an hour later, I assume it's Ryan at the door, but I see through the peephole it's two men.

"Who is it?" I couldn't make out the figures.

"Mrs. Beckett, this is the FBI. Agents John Tully and Frank Rich. Open the door, please, so we can speak with you."

My heart sinks. I open the door and step out onto the porch. "Can I see your badges, please?"

They give each other a look before opening their badges and offering them to me.

I study them, wondering if I'd even know if they were fake or not. "What do you want, gentlemen? "

"Mrs. Beckett, I think this discussion would be best done inside."

"It's Ms. Beckett. And as I don't see the need for a discussion at all, I highly doubt whether it is outside or inside that would matter. Please state your business, gentlemen. I was about to sit down to dinner." I lie without regret.

Another look passes between them, and Rich sighs."Ms. Beckett, we came here tonight to offer you the chance to work with us and help yourself out. We have had Declan Kelly under investigation for almost a year now, and we are closing in. While we understand you might not know everything there is to know about Kelly, he is a dangerous man. If you help us, we can help you. When we take down his organization, we will take down everyone we can in it. There will be no repercussions for you. We might even be able to help take some time off your brother's sentence in Las Vegas."

Stealing Declan's move, I lift an eyebrow. "What my brother has gotten himself in to has nothing to do with me. And as far as Declan Kelly, I don't understand what you're talking about. He is the owner of pubs and a landlord. I don't know where you've gotten your information, but I can't help you. And I wouldn't—even if I could."

"Mrs. Beckett, we know about your brother and Declan Kelly. Don't do this to yourself. We can help you. If you're afraid of Kelly, we can protect you from what he'll do to you when he finds out you helped us. Loan sharking, gambling, murder, this is not the type of man that you want to protect."

"I don't know the man you're talking about. I would never be afraid of Declan. No matter what I did, he wouldn't hurt me. I think it would be best if you both left now. We have nothing further to discuss. "

Tully stepped forward and handed me his card. "Ms. Beckett, call me. The deal is on the table until noon tomorrow. Don't make a choice you'll live to regret."

I tear it in two. "Have a good night, gentlemen."

Closing the door, I lean against it as my knees leave me too weak to stand on my own. Is this what my life is now? Is it worth it?

Declan smiling when I told him that I love him flashes. It's worth it. It's worth everything.

Declan

"You did what?" I fight everything in me not to send my fist into my uncle's face.

"Come now, Declan. This is on you. You brought a civilian into our world. She had to be tested. And she passed with flying colors. You've got a real one there."

"Fuck you," I growl, walking away from him until the need to shed his blood passes.

"Ach, enough of that." One of the old men waves his cane at me. He's one of the few who started this here in Ireland as a means to fund the IRA's fight and is still alive. His family was rich, and he funded the purchase of one of the pubs in Chicago and another in Boston. We lost control of the one in Boston in the 80's to the fucking Westies. "Sit down, you little fucker."

I frown as I realize this isn't just about them testing Miranda's loyalty. "What?"

"It's time. The doctor says it's coming. Wants me to waste time on chemo. Fuck that. I'm not going through all that. In all these years, you handled shit better than we could have hoped. It's yours. Fuck answering to anyone. It's been discussed, and this is yours."

My head swings to my uncle. He nods. "It's time. I'm tired. I don't want to worry about shipments, police monitoring shit. The cold is getting to my bones. Your aunt is already in Costa del Sol. I'm looking at a condo next door to her." He shrugs. "We'll see how it goes."

"Now sit down. There's a lot of shit to iron out." The old man orders me.

I sit, still in shock from the news.