Exhaling: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection Book 3) by Tuesday Embers, Mary E. Twomey Page B
Authors: Tuesday Embers, Mary E. Twomey
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her tears and nodded. “Just please don’t leave me. And we can’t end up like you and Maria. I don’t want to yell at each other like that.”
Vince shook his head as he pulled on his own shoes and grabbed his keys, phone and wallet. “Maria and I started out like that. That’s not you and me. We’ll work hard to make sure that never becomes us.” He gazed down on his wife who, in her fear, looked so small. With careful fingers, he wrapped an arm around her back and snaked the other under her thighs, lifting her off the bed and carrying her down the stairs. He only paused at the stove to turn off the oven per her instructions before carrying his prize to his car and tucking her inside. Though Vince assured her over and over that everything was fine, he gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles as he drove his bride to the hospital.
11
Uncle Killian
F allyn tried to suck back her tears in the waiting room, but they fell like slow drips of rain, fat and heavy down her ripped-up cheek. The chairs were stiff-backed and uncomfortable, but she couldn’t feel anything unrelated to her fear that she might be carrying a dead baby inside of her. The television in the corner of the waiting room had plenty to say about the affairs of the nation, but the only thing she could hear were her own silent prayers repeated over and over in her mind for everything to somehow work out alright. She closed her eyes to try centering herself, but the chaos within her roared. A cleansing breath only brought the sting of antiseptic to her nose, upending the balance she tried to grab onto. Leaning against her husband, his arm wrapped around her, she sobbed into his shoulder. “I need you to do me a favor. A big one.”
“Anything. You want some water? Something from the vending machine?”
She pulled back to look Vince in the eye, wiping away her tears with a damp tissue. “I know you hate him, and you have every right to, but I need you to call Killian.” She knew he would stiffen against the request, but he didn’t interrupt, so she pressed deeper into his fresh wound. “Today’s all messed up. I’m a mess. Everything’s a mess. I need my brother, Vince. If I lose this baby, I just… I’m on the brink of crazy, here. I don’t want you to have to deal with me if I lose it.” She gripped the tissue in her hand as she gestured with it. “What I really need is Carrigan here, but that would be a disaster. Killian’s the next best thing, and I need it. I need my brother.”
Vince’s arm tightened around her, his jaw clenched. “I’ll stay with you no matter what. I signed up for forever, not until you lose it.”
Fallyn’s voice lowered. “If we lose this baby, you’ll need someone to lean on every bit as much as I will. Please, Vince. We both need Killian here.”
Vince closed his eyes. “You’re sure this is what you want?”
“Please, Vince.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose as he called Killian on his phone. “Yeah, it’s me. Shut up and listen for a second, stronzo . Your sister asked me to call you. Just you. Not the others, got it?” He cast a look at Fallyn to let her know how much he loathed making the call. “Maria attacked her today, so I took her to the ER to have her looked at.” Vince handed the phone to Fallyn when Killian started shouting.
“Kill?” Fallyn said through her tears.
Her brother’s voice immediately softened to a gentle coo. “Fally, what’s wrong?”
“Kill, I need you to come sit with me. Can you get away? I don’t want the others. Don’t even tell them you heard from me. I just need you. Promise me, okay?”
Killian pled with her for answers. “Honey, what happened? What did Vince do?”
“Vince broke up the fight and got Maria off me. Vince drove your sister to the hospital, so don’t talk like that about my husband. Just come here and stay with me!” She hung up the phone before he could ask more questions that would only upset her further. Fallyn
Vince shook his head as he pulled on his own shoes and grabbed his keys, phone and wallet. “Maria and I started out like that. That’s not you and me. We’ll work hard to make sure that never becomes us.” He gazed down on his wife who, in her fear, looked so small. With careful fingers, he wrapped an arm around her back and snaked the other under her thighs, lifting her off the bed and carrying her down the stairs. He only paused at the stove to turn off the oven per her instructions before carrying his prize to his car and tucking her inside. Though Vince assured her over and over that everything was fine, he gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles as he drove his bride to the hospital.
11
Uncle Killian
F allyn tried to suck back her tears in the waiting room, but they fell like slow drips of rain, fat and heavy down her ripped-up cheek. The chairs were stiff-backed and uncomfortable, but she couldn’t feel anything unrelated to her fear that she might be carrying a dead baby inside of her. The television in the corner of the waiting room had plenty to say about the affairs of the nation, but the only thing she could hear were her own silent prayers repeated over and over in her mind for everything to somehow work out alright. She closed her eyes to try centering herself, but the chaos within her roared. A cleansing breath only brought the sting of antiseptic to her nose, upending the balance she tried to grab onto. Leaning against her husband, his arm wrapped around her, she sobbed into his shoulder. “I need you to do me a favor. A big one.”
“Anything. You want some water? Something from the vending machine?”
She pulled back to look Vince in the eye, wiping away her tears with a damp tissue. “I know you hate him, and you have every right to, but I need you to call Killian.” She knew he would stiffen against the request, but he didn’t interrupt, so she pressed deeper into his fresh wound. “Today’s all messed up. I’m a mess. Everything’s a mess. I need my brother, Vince. If I lose this baby, I just… I’m on the brink of crazy, here. I don’t want you to have to deal with me if I lose it.” She gripped the tissue in her hand as she gestured with it. “What I really need is Carrigan here, but that would be a disaster. Killian’s the next best thing, and I need it. I need my brother.”
Vince’s arm tightened around her, his jaw clenched. “I’ll stay with you no matter what. I signed up for forever, not until you lose it.”
Fallyn’s voice lowered. “If we lose this baby, you’ll need someone to lean on every bit as much as I will. Please, Vince. We both need Killian here.”
Vince closed his eyes. “You’re sure this is what you want?”
“Please, Vince.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose as he called Killian on his phone. “Yeah, it’s me. Shut up and listen for a second, stronzo . Your sister asked me to call you. Just you. Not the others, got it?” He cast a look at Fallyn to let her know how much he loathed making the call. “Maria attacked her today, so I took her to the ER to have her looked at.” Vince handed the phone to Fallyn when Killian started shouting.
“Kill?” Fallyn said through her tears.
Her brother’s voice immediately softened to a gentle coo. “Fally, what’s wrong?”
“Kill, I need you to come sit with me. Can you get away? I don’t want the others. Don’t even tell them you heard from me. I just need you. Promise me, okay?”
Killian pled with her for answers. “Honey, what happened? What did Vince do?”
“Vince broke up the fight and got Maria off me. Vince drove your sister to the hospital, so don’t talk like that about my husband. Just come here and stay with me!” She hung up the phone before he could ask more questions that would only upset her further. Fallyn
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