Blackness Takes Over & Blackness Awaits (83 page)

They sit and stare at each other for a long time after he finishes. This is what they do. They communicate through their eyes and it’s creepy and mesmerizing to witness.

“You’re not fucked up,” Kid repeats the same words to Cal that she said almost fourteen years ago as tears prick the back of her eyes. Kid doesn’t cry but pregnancy hormones are going to make that hard on her. Cal nods and sits back in his chair.

“Cal I think you should have a doctor take a look at you,” I say concerned in tone.

“I’m good, Kav,” he dismisses me.

“What’s wrong with him?” Kid asks with more concern in her voice than I had.

“He got knocked out holdin’ Johnny in the back of the SUV,” Kieran explains. “My bad. I had to take out the tires to get it to stop. Crashed into a row of parked cars.”

“I think it’s time I heard the whole story,” Kid says with an edge to her voice. Kellerman clears his throat and launches into the story. Watching the fear, anger, pain, nausea and love wash over her face as she listens is almost too much to bear. This chapter in her life has to be over now. She’s had enough. It’s time for her to live the life she’s always deserved filled with nothing but unconditional love.

Shannon

September 20, 2014

“Happy Birthday, Momma,” Kel whispers into my neck holding me from behind his hands resting on my barely-there baby bump.

In front of me is a huge three tiered cake covered in cream fondant decorated with stunning sugar flowers in every color possible. It’s breathtaking and in danger of melting from all of my candles. I close my eyes and make my wish…blow. It takes a few tries, but I get them all out and applause erupts from my party goers.

Everyone is here at Flannery’s to celebrate my thirty-first birthday. After we eat heavenly cake, I scan the room and take in the faces of the incredible people that fill my life.

Maggie and Mary are fussing over Johnny and he’s loving every minute of it laughing and spitting bubbles at them. Pop, Doc and Pappy are huddled together discussing something very important (football from what I can hear). Ryan and Adam are laughing at Collin and Hugh trying to pick up one of the waitresses working tonight. She’s not giving any one of the guys in the room the time of day. Good for her! Aidan and Finn are discussing Aidan’s move here in a few weeks. He took a job at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He’s moving into our house of course, which is under major construction currently. By the time it’s done I think the house will almost double in size and Kavy assures me it’ll be done before the twins are born.

Karl is at a table talking to Kieran. Those two are the strangest pairing in the world but they have formed a weird friendship. Thomas is at the bar talking to Nicky. Thomas is still my bodyguard even though there are no longer any threats to my life. I love having him around and he keeps me safe. Nicky is the same old secret agent telling me nothing but always around. Butch and Rodger are playing pool together smiling over at Johnny more often than not.

Kavy, Sully and Cally are standing here talking to Kel over my shoulder about how much cake I could put away in my teens. They aren’t lying. Kel’s deep laugh rumbles through my body and I smile at the warm tickle it sends through me.

A year ago I had almost none of this. I had my family and that was it and it was enough then. Now looking around this room I can’t imagine living a day without all of these people in it. My life is fuller, richer and happier than I ever imagined life could be. I’m safe. I’m happy. I’m loved.

Kavanagh

Standing here in Flannery’s for Kid’s birthday is nothing short of a miracle. For the last year people have been trying to kill or take her from me and she’s done nothing but fight against it. Amazing is too small a word to describe her.

She’s glowing brighter than I’ve ever seen her. Pregnancy agrees with her. Who knew the world’s most stunning woman could look even better? It took a week or so for her to bounce back after the hospital incident with Grady. But she’s back and better than ever!

Former Governor Grady lived through surgery only to be shipped off to a federal penitentiary. He’ll never see the light of day again. Mancini pled guilty to various charges but got a good deal because he cooperated against Grady.

Mancini gave the whole story about what happened to Kid and her dad. Kid’s “mother” (the evil witch that gave birth to her, she was no mother) gave Mancini the route the driver would take to Wrigley Field so that he could ambush the car. Mancini was to eliminate Kid and her father. He’s the one that took the final shots at Kid while she hung in the backseat of the burning town car. There’s a special place in hell for that motherfucker.

Grady is not Kid’s father. Why he thought that (lied about it) we’ll never know but a DNA test proved that was a fucking lie. Mancini took out Kid’s “mother” a few months after the ambush. She never saw Kid at the hospital. Kid’s memory of her mother putting her in a car with a driver was wrong. It was a nurse that did that. Uncle Mick orchestrated the entire thing. We have no proof of that but it’s the only thing that makes sense. He kept her safe and trained her to stay that way for the rest of her life. That man is a God send that I’m thankful for every day.

So that’s it. Kid’s safe. Kid’s pregnant. Kid’s loved. All is right in the world.

Kellerman

The size of Kid’s family makes it a long ass process saying goodnight to everyone. But I finally have her to myself.

I push her down to the mattress and capture her mouth in a fervent kiss. She moans in the back of her throat and arches her back into me. Pregnancy has made her a vixen. I unclasp her bra and move my mouth along hers tasting and nipping at her mouth. She pushes her hands into my hair smashing her mouth hungrily to mine. I massage my tongue against hers as a groan thunders through my chest.

I move my mouth across her jaw and down her long slender neck. She tastes like milk and honey. I cup her tit with one hand as my mouth devours the other nipple, nibbling and tugging.

“Kel,” rasps from her lips urging me further.

I whisper kisses down the plain of her torso to her slight bump and stop. I cup it in both hands and press my lips to the home of my children. I can’t wait to feel them move inside her. It’s time.

I sit up on my knees and pull Kid to a seated position.

“Kel,” she protests until she meets my eyes. She can see the seriousness of my gaze and waits. Her green orbs aglow.

“Marry me,” I demand. Not how I had planned this. “Be my wife, Kiddo. You’re everything good about me and I can’t spend another day in this world without everyone knowing you’re mine. Marry me.” She just stares at me for a long time, studying my face. Her face is soft. Her auburn waves are a mess falling around her shoulders brushing across her breasts framing her pendant. Her high cheek bones are flushed with desire and her plump lips are swollen from my assault on them. Her beauty knows no bounds.

“That was quite the caveman proposal, Kel,” she admonishes. She’s right, it was.

“I didn’t plan it to be like this. I have a better plan, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I need you to be my wife like I need to take my next breath. You turned my world upside down when you walked into Mia’s room. My life was nothing but a shell until I saw your stunning green eyes alight with fierce protection at the sight of me. I was dead on the inside and you brought me back to life and made that life something people everywhere are envious of. You are the greatest gift any man could dream of and I have you. I want you to be by my side for eternity. Please, Kiddo. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she answers immediately and smiles her panty dropping smile at me that makes my fucking toes curl.

I push her back on the bed and plunder her mouth while removing both our underwear. In one glorious movement I fill her and shudder when I bottom out. Kid wraps her arms around my shoulders and her long sexy legs around my waist and I begin to rock into her slowly. With each stroke I match my tongue in her mouth and she begins to tremble.

“I love you,” I murmur against her mouth before capturing it again and increasing my pace. Thundering into her she gasps and constricts her legs as her fingernails score my skin. A long deep moan flows from her mouth to mine as her orgasm rocks her to the core fueling my tension. I bury my face in her neck and thrust tirelessly as sweat mists our bodies.

“I love you too,” she whispers into my ear and I come undone, powering forward emptying myself inside her. I slow my strokes as we both come down and temper our breathing. I press long kisses to her forehead, cheeks, nose and chin before I press firm to her mouth. Then I collapse onto her smashing her beneath me. She always lets me until she can’t breathe anymore. I break the connection this time to finish what I started.

“Don’t move,” I say climbing off the bed and opening my dresser drawer. I fish out the black velvet box and come back to the bed. I lie down beside her and scoop her body to my side. She throws her leg over mine and her hand goes to my abs her face tipped up glowing at me.

I crack open the box and remove the ring. She never looks at it. I know she doesn’t give a shit about a ring, but I do. I want there to be no question she’s mine and well taken care of. I grab her left hand off my abs and slide the ring on her finger and wait for her reaction. After a moment she finally looks down and sits straight up grabbing her left hand with her right.

“What the fuck is this?!” she screeches.

“A ring,” I say nonchalantly.

“No Kel, this is not a ring. This is a fucking skating rink. I’ll need a crane to lift my hand!”

I have gone completely overboard with the ring, I’m aware of this. It’s a little over ten carats (cushion cut whatever the fuck that means) with smaller diamonds around it and down the sides of the slim setting. It covers her finger almost knuckle to knuckle. Yeah, no one will question whether she’s taken, not ever again. She can flirt and smile at guys all she wants now.

“Kav told me I had to get you a moon sized rock and propose at Super Bowl half time. I figured I better get half of the equation right. I asked your dads’ permission too. And all your brothers and Karl and Thomas and fuckin’ Cooper and Kieran and Butch and Rodger. Maggie and Mary were cryin’ too hard to answer.”

A lone tear drops from her eye and I sit up to quickly wipe it away.

“Don’t cry Kiddo,” I soothe. She never cries and it makes my stomach churn when she does.

“I love you so much. You asked everyone?” she questions her emerald eyes glistening.

“I asked everyone.”

“I’ll wear this horrible monstrous ring every day with pride, Dylan Kellerman. You’re the only man in this world that would share me with my family and love me more because of them. I hit the jackpot with you,” she finishes with a soft kiss on my lips.

“I’ll never have to be a caveman again as long as that thing’s on your finger,” I explain pulling her back down to the bed.

“I love you, Kiddo,” I murmur into her hair.

She gazes up at me and I see it. There’s nothing left behind her eyes other than radiance shining brightly. The blackness is gone. Only light awaits us.