Chapter 38 The Donnellys
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
THE DONNELLYS
Devon
Four weeks later
The Donnelly family reunion has been delayed twice.
When you still have a sibling working as an MI6 operative, you have to be flexible. And not flexible like we need to move up dinner by an hour when a bride decides not to walk down the aisle because malevolent and sinful plans were made to take her out while on her honeymoon.
I’m talking flexible like when your older brother goes off grid, you can only assume he has no time to take holiday.
No one was really worried. Not even Mum, so she says. The Donnellys don’t know anything different than this life.
But just like we knew he would, Archer finally surfaced, and the family meetup was back on the calendar. Life forever takes a backseat to the schedule of an operative.
Do I miss it?
Every day.
Would I go back if I had the chance?
No fucking way.
Buying a rundown estate and turning it into a luxury resort is the last thing I would’ve ever imagined for myself. Somehow, I have amassed the most diverse team of employees dedicated to the manor as if it’s their own. We learn as we go, and I wouldn’t trade a single one of them.
Even Lennon is looking promising as a general manager.
I found her a room in town, even though it is in the basement of the Winslet Library, she hasn’t complained.
She’s about a third of the way into her tryout period.
I’m not ready to make an official offer yet, but I have a feeling she’ll work out.
She does exactly what I need and is the added layer I want between me and the guests.
The place hasn’t burned down, and everyone seems to like her. I call that a success.
She really stepped up since the Donnellys have taken over the private top floor of the estate.
With Bella and Cole’s family, we’re busting at the seams in two suites.
Since they arrived, I haven’t walked into my office once or opened my laptop.
Lennon has shit under control. I’m not worried about the next calamity.
That was the plan.
One goal I never had was finding someone to do life with. Even so, no goal I could’ve dreamed up would have lived up to the woman I stumbled upon.
Life with Harlow started out balls to the wall. We didn’t have time to breathe with shit flying at us from every direction. The way we fell into each other was as natural as it was essential. Like our next breaths depended upon it.
When every menace and felon were taken care of, we somehow settled into a state of normal. If chaos was good with Harlow, normal is bloody fantastic.
She went back to work. It seems Harlow doesn’t always zip around the world in Patrick’s private planes.
She prefers commercial if it works. So the first time I dropped her at the airport for a work trip, I was unwell.
It went against every fiber of my being to send her off into the world without having her back.
Being close to Harlow—hell, being her shield—has become something so ingrained in me, I almost insisted on going with her.
She must’ve known.
And as much as I know she needs me, she’s still formidable all on her own.
She saved herself from Albert, after all. I came along after the fact to tidy things up when shit got messy.
But that’s done. Life won’t be chaotic for her ever again.
And the woman who has taken over my suite, my every thought and motivation, and other organs I haven’t admitted aloud yet, is getting on just fine with the Donnellys.
For the first time since I bought the place, I’m experiencing The Manor at Winslet in a whole new way—as a guest.
Since my family arrived, we’ve had the full experience. We sailed, hiked, fished, and dined like royalty. I even had my first tennis lesson from Rob. He’s great when bullets aren’t flying in his general vicinity.
But when Felicity called and said there was a special delivery, I broke the promise I made to Harlow about staying away from the office while my family was here.
I know what this delivery is, and it can’t wait.
This is too important. It’s been weighing in my gut for weeks.
It feels as heavy as an anvil even though it’s a basic overnighted envelope. I maneuver the last twist and turn of the labyrinth and take in the sight ahead of me—Mum, Dad, Archer, Bella, Cole, Abbott, Isaac, and Harlow.
And Harlow.
Fuck.
I like the way that sounds as much as I like the easy way she fits in with the Donnellys. We’re taking it easy today and spending it at the pool.
Cole is in the water with the kids, Dad and Archer are in deep conversation while having lunch at a nearby table, and Harlow is lounging in the sun next to Mum and Bella.
I barely get close when Mum calls me out, but she does it with a loving smile the way she has my whole life.
“You’re my workaholic, darling. I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away the whole holiday.
Harlow was right, living where you work is not healthy. ”
Harlow pulls her shades from her face and narrows her eyes. “You broke your promise and went to the office? You said you were going to the bar to order another round.”
I ignore all of them but Harlow. I can’t take my eyes off her.
She’s glowing and happy. Safe and healthy.
She’s exactly the way I want her. As life has slowed, it’s all I can do not to push forward and demand more.
I feel the need to utter words she might not be ready for and move onto other contracts that are more binding and permanent.
Until death do us part.
What’s in this envelope won’t change any of that, but it will change the course we’re on.
One way or the other.
Because she’s made up her mind.
“Did something happen, love?” Mum asks.
“I know that look,” Bella says. “It’s not good. What’s wrong, Dev?”
Harlow’s frown deepens the closer I get. When my ass hits her lounge next to her hip, she’s the next one to question me. “Something happened? You haven’t been this broody in weeks.”
“A delivery for you.” When I hand her the envelope, I have a moment of déjà vu.
This isn’t unlike the moment she found out Jett Parker Cross is her brother.
Since then, he made one trip to Winslet for a long weekend.
Harlow and Jett spent three days getting to know each other.
The whole time, Harlow was selling the charm of Winslet as much as she was bonding with her new sibling.
Jett didn’t make any promises, but he didn’t hate it either. His sister even made him look at a few houses while he was here.
Harlow’s hopes are high.
I don’t know where my hopes fall on the scale of life when I hand her the envelope from the same lab that delivered the news that Harlow and Jett are siblings.
Harlow glances down at the envelope on her lap. Gone is the happy, on-holiday woman who’s enjoyed every moment with my family.
And since the Donnellys are a tight bunch, they know what this is. A rare quiet rushes over the group, and the world melts away. It’s just me and Harlow.
I urge her to take the next step, because I have to know. “Open it, baby. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with what’s next. I’ll be right here next to you.”
She purses her lips as emotion takes over. This is just like when we left Iowa during our first visit. “I’m scared. This is so much more than when I found out Jett is my brother. What if it’s—”
“Baby.” I cup her cheek and force her to look at me. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it. This is what you’ve been waiting for. Open the damn thing before you drive yourself, and me, mad.”
She nods slowly as she takes the envelope, turns it over, and rips it open. The weight of the world presses down on both of us for different reasons as she unearths the results. I’m reminded of words that were thrown around when we first came together.
Life and death.
She reads what’s on the paper.
Unlike last time, she doesn’t need to read it again and again to let it sink in. Her gaze jumps to me.
And she doesn’t have to say a word. I see it in every beautiful feature I’ve spent hours memorizing since the moment I saw her before she was supposed to marry the rat bastard.
She’s happy.
I want to implode.
I drag a hand down my face and force myself to pull in a steadying breath. “Fuck.”
I don’t know why or how, but I know.
And unlike so many other times since she crossed my path, it’s her turn to comfort me.
She doesn’t care that she’s in the tiniest bikini and we’re surrounded by my family. She pushes to her knees and wraps her arms around me. “It will be fine. I promise.”
I twist her and tuck her onto my lap to hold her close. “You keep saying that.”
“Because it will,” she murmurs for only me to hear. “This was meant to be.”
My voice is rough and gritty. “Yeah, you keep saying that too.”
She presses her lips to my jaw and pushes away just far enough to look into my eyes. Hers are wet with emotion again, this time the relieved and happy kind. And for a change, I’m the one filled with fear and dread. “It will be over before you know it, then we can move on.”
I pull her to me tighter and throw my sarcasm around since I have no fucking idea what else to say. “That’s pretty presumptuous.”
Her smile takes over her face. “Only good will come of this. I promise.”
I press my lips to hers and do everything I can to prepare myself, because I know she’s not going to change her mind. “Leave it to you to take this philanthropist thing to the next level.”
That’s when my family decides it’s safe to butt into the life-changing moment with the woman I love and want to grow very, very fucking old with.
“Darling, we’re so proud of you,” Mum says to Harlow.
Bella butts in to be Harlow’s biggest hype-woman. “Of course, you can do this. This is nothing compared to saving yourself from the—” she lowers her voice so the kids can’t hear “—dickless little man. You’ve got this, Harlow. We’re so proud.”
Dad and Archer force their way into the conversation.
“You’re brave, Harlow. Quite the partner for our Devon,” Dad says.
“Have you ever seen Dev like this?” Archer quips like I’m not even here, but he does it with a shit-eating grin on his face. “I think he might cry. He’s become soft in his retirement.”
Harlow tries to suppress a laugh. Hell, I’m lucky she doesn’t call me a marshmallow in front of my family.
“He’s hardly retired,” Bella retorts with a roll of her eyes. “I should know since he demands access to our RESKILL system to casually peruse whenever the curiosity bug bites. Some men play golf or tennis, Devon scrolls the dark web like he’s shopping for fine Italian loafers.”
“When he’s not doing that, he’s taking advantage of his brother-in-law because of my connections with Uncle Sam,” Cole complains, and he’s not giving me shit. That fucker means it.
“Touché,” Bella agrees with her husband. “He takes advantage of us in every way.”
“He can’t stop,” Dad announces. “He’s a Donnelly. It’s in his blood.”
“It is,” Mum agrees with pride before she leans in and presses a hand to my arm. “And you found the one who gives you balance. It’s all I ever wanted for you.”
Cool water hits us from the side. Harlow and I turn to the pool where Isaac just splashed water on us and proves that miniature humans are the key to lightening any moment. “Come and play, Uncle Dev!”
Harlow puts a hand to my cheek and demands my attention. “It will be fine. I promise.”
I press my lips to hers once more before I set her back on her lounge. I toe off my pool shoes and rip the T-shirt over my head. “I know it will, baby, because there’s no other option.”
“Finally,” Abbott complains in her perfect, annoyed preteen tone.
“Yay!” Isaac yells. “Throw me into the deep end!”
I turn for the pool, but don’t head for my niece and nephew.
I go straight for my brother.
And by the look on his face, he doesn’t realize it until it’s too late.
He tries to stop me, but I have the momentum. The last thing I hear before he hits the water fully dressed is “Fucker—”
I roll him in the water before we come up for air. “That’s what you get for calling me soft.”
Bella laughs. “Nicely done, Dev. Archie deserves that and more.”
Archer treads in the deep end, fully dressed with shoes on, and produces his soggy phone from his pocket and holds it above the water. “It’s a good thing you’re raking in the big bucks at this place, arsehole. You owe me a cell.”
“Your phone is the least of my worries,” I tell him the truth. I swim to Isaac and toss him into the deep end as he shrieks and giggles.
What I don’t do is think about the test results or what’s to come in Harlow’s future.