Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
RILEY
What are the chances of Kieran letting me out of the house two days in a row?
Realistically, probably none, but I have to at least ask.
The sooner I speak to my professor about my options regarding the internship, college, and my secret pregnancy, the sooner I can put my dreams behind me and start moving forward.
It sounds really depressing when I put it like that, but that’s my reality.
I can’t have it all, and I think the sooner I accept that, the sooner I can start trying to enjoy my new future.
But I can’t do anything about that until I find Kieran.
He must have come home at some point in the night because his car is in the driveway, but he never came to bed.
Honestly, I can’t remember what it’s like to not wake up alone.
I never thought I would miss having Kieran Sullivan in my bed, but then again, I didn’t think I would be exchanging my college degree for motherhood.
After searching the entire downstairs of the house, I eventually find him hidden away in Ronan’s office.
The room is cast in shadow, with the curtains still shut and the lingering smell of coffee in the air.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
“I’ve been stuck in here all night, doing damage control.” Kieran leans back in his chair and runs a hand through his hair, messing up the slight curls.
I hover in the doorway. “I’m sorry to interrupt. But I need to ask you something.”
“You can ask me anything if you come here.” He pats his thigh.
My cheeks burn as I pad over to Kieran and take a seat on his knee.
His arm wraps around my waist, pulling me tight against him, and he quickly buries his face in my neck, nipping at the sensitive skin with his teeth. “Now, tell me what you want for Christmas?”
“I want to never picture you as an old, fat guy with a beard ever again.”
Kieran pinches my waist. “I could pull it off, you know?”
“Want to test that theory?”
Kieran pulls back and grins at me. “Who knew Riley Walsh was into such kinky role play?”
“You’re twisting my words.”
“Deny it all you want, but I will be getting you a Mrs. Claus outfit.”
I slap his shoulder. “Don’t you dare. I will set it on fire.”
“Ah, so you’re a secret pyromaniac."
“I fear we may have gone off topic.” I lean against his chest and glance at his computer monitor, at the multiple spreadsheets open. “This looks…fun.”
“It’s a thrill a minute. Now, what did you need to talk to me about?” Kieran strokes my waist.
“You’re not going to like it.” I fiddle with the hem of my shirt.
Kieran takes my chin in his hand and turns my head so I’m facing him. “You don’t know that, little dove. Now, tell me.”
His dark eyes soften, and I can’t help but reach out and gently stroke his cheek.
There’s a few days’ worth of stubble coating his jaw, and the rough feeling of it against my chin makes me shiver.
It’s been days since we’ve had a moment alone long enough for me to even savor the feeling of his skin against mine.
Is this just our relationship now? Nothing but secrets and stolen moments?
I continue to run my fingertips along his jaw. “I have to go to campus today to have a meeting with one of my professors.”
Kieran frowns. “But school is out for the summer.”
“It is, for the students. But I need to talk to him about the internship, seeing as he’s the one who put my name forward for it.”
“What do you need to talk to him about? I thought you were turning it down?”
“I am, but I want to talk through some options, that’s all.”
“And this can’t be done over email?”
I know I’m pushing my luck, considering I visited with Lucy only yesterday, but I have to at least try. “I’d rather talk to him in person. But the campus will be basically empty, and I’ll take Jace with me too.”
Kieran taps his fingers on the desk as his frown deepens. “Jace is already assigned to something today.”
“Oh…”
“Take Allister,” he says after a beat. “I trust him to keep an eye on you.”
“So, I can go?”
Kieran reaches out to cup the back of my neck and pulls me forward until my lips brush against his. “You can go.”
The Columbia campus feels like a ghost town. Usually, the place is buzzing with students, but this morning, it’s eerily still.
My chest tightens with something that feels a lot like grief. The fall semester doesn’t start for weeks, and the realization that I might not be here makes my stomach sink.
I’ve loved every second of college, and to walk away when I’m so close to the end feels like I’m doing myself a disservice.
But what I want no longer matters.
Allister, my guard for the morning, kills the engine and glances at me in the rearview mirror. “You sure you don’t want me to come in with you?”
I pull my bag closer to my chest. “I’m fine. It’s just one meeting.”
He doesn’t look convinced, which is understandable.
Kieran’s men are all cut from the same cloth. They’re overly cautious, hyper-vigilant, and loyal to a fault.
“There’s only one way in and out of the building. Clear it, then wait outside. You’ll have eyes on me the whole time.”
He nods. “Fine. But don’t take too long.”
Once Allister has declared it safe, I head inside the business building and take the stairs to the second floor where Professor Hughes’s office is situated.
The air smells faintly of floor polish, and the notice boards have been stripped bare, ready for the new school year to start.
Professor Hughes’s office door is ajar, and I knock lightly.
“Come in!”
I slip inside, closing the door behind me. “Professor Hughes.”
“Riley,” he says warmly, standing to shake my hand.
Even in the height of summer, he’s wearing his signature brown tweed jacket that has a button missing.
He looks at me over the top of his wire-rimmed glasses that are perched low on his nose.
“It’s good to see you. Now, what did you want to talk to me about? Your email was very vague.”
I’ve barely sat down in one of the wooden chairs in front of the desk before the words come tumbling out of my mouth. “I’m pregnant.”
Professor Hughes’s eyebrows shoot up, but to his credit, he quickly schools his expression into something more neutral.
“I see.” He leans back in his chair and clasps his hands together. “Congratulations.”
I shake my head. “Professor, I came here to tell you I don’t think I can do the internship anymore. Everything’s different now. I can’t—”
He holds up a hand to silence me, so I clamp my mouth shut.
“Slow down, Riley. You don’t have to make this decision today. You have options.”
I let out a humorless laugh.
“I don’t see how. Believe me, I want this internship more than anything. It was supposed to be my way of proving I could build a career for myself. But now? I mean, what kind of boss wants to take on an intern who’s pregnant?”
“Have you spoken to Ross about this?”
“No, and I wasn’t planning to.”
Professor Hughes shakes his head. “You’re making a bigger deal out of this than you need to. Having a baby doesn’t mean your career is over. Plenty of women juggle children and demanding careers.”
“Yes, but—”
“My wife is one of them. She finished her degree while pregnant with our second child. It wasn’t easy, but she managed, and I know you can too.”
I bite the inside of my cheek.
His calm certainty feels like a lifeline I don’t deserve.
“But it’s not just about me. My life isn’t exactly…simple.”
Professor Hughes chuckles. “Whose is?”
“I don’t know how understanding Ross will be about all of this.”
“You won’t know unless you talk to him, but I suggest you be upfront with him,” he advises. “People appreciate honesty. You might be surprised what accommodations can be made when someone shows commitment and integrity.”
Honesty.
The word feels like a slap to the face.
Somehow, I can be honest with my professor, and I can send Ross an email explaining my change in circumstance, but Kieran? The man I love, the man I’m building a life with, for some reason, I can’t seem to bring myself to tell him when he’s the one who deserves the truth the most.
I force a smile. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
We spend the rest of the hour discussing potential options when it comes to finishing up the final credits I would need to graduate, such as using the college daycare or putting my degree on hold for a few years.
By the time I step back out into the empty hallway, the weight on my shoulders is a little lighter.
Maybe Professor Hughes is right. Maybe this pregnancy doesn’t have to mean the end of my career.
I lean against the wall outside Professor Hughes's office and quickly type out an email to Ross Lever on my phone, requesting a meeting before I can talk myself out of it. Then I head back downstairs to where Allister is waiting outside the double doors.
He straightens from where he’s leaning against the wall and quickly scans me from head to toe. “All good?”
I manage a smile. “Yeah. All good.”
“Let’s go.” He falls into step beside me as we make our way back to the car.
I barely take two steps before my phone buzzes with an incoming call from Oscar.
My pulse spikes as I sneak a glance at Allistair.
He’s too busy focusing on our surroundings to notice the name on the screen, so I quickly swipe my thumb across it and hold it to my ear.
“Hey, Lucy, what’s up?” I glance again at Allistair.
He’s stopped in his tracks and is watching me closely with those dark eyes that I know never miss a single detail.
There’s a pause before Oscar replies. I hope he realizes I’m not alone and decides to cut this conversation short.
“I want to see you again.” His words are laced with urgency. “Now.”
I chew my lip.
This is completely reckless, and the chances of getting caught are through the roof. Despite that, I can’t find it in myself to shut him out.
“I’m actually on campus right now. We could meet in the library to finish the applications?”
I can feel Allistair’s eyes on me, but I ignore him.
“I can be there in ten.”
“Great.” I hang up and shove the phone in my bag before I can second-guess myself.
Allistair frowns. “What was that about?”
“Lucy just called and said she’s having trouble with some internship applications.”
“So?”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “So, she’s asked if I can meet her in the library to help her. It’ll just be for an hour. Maybe even less.”
He raises a brow. “Now?”
“Yeah, seeing as I’m here.” I widen my eyes, trying my best to look innocent. “Please?”
“Fine. But I’ll be sitting right outside.”
Perfect. I can work with that.
We walk in silence over to the library, and with each step, my heart rate quickens.
If I don’t pull this off, and Kieran realizes I’ve met with Oscar in secret, he’s going to be pissed.
“You’ll be able to see me from here,” I lie smoothly as we approach a table situated outside the doors to the main study area. “I’m just going to sit at that table inside.”
Allistair nods and settles into the chair, his eyes already scanning every person who walks past.
I head inside the main study area and weave my way to a table near the back, deliberately choosing one half-hidden by a massive potted plant.
Minutes later, Oscar drops into the seat beside me, wearing a dark baseball cap to cover his auburn hair and a Columbia University t-shirt.
“Nice t-shirt,” I mutter.
“I stole it.”
“Of course, you did.”
He smirks. “I feel like I’m in a spy movie or something.”
“You are a mafia boss now.” I sneak a glance at the glass doors where Allistair is sitting. “Hiding from your enemies is basically your life.”
His smirk quickly fades. “I guess, but it doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t ask for this life.”
The comment catches me off guard.
I’ve never really thought about things from his perspective before. I was always so focused on what I wanted, and carving my own path out of this family, that I never stopped to consider that Oscar never had that choice.
He was the only son, the heir to the Walsh empire. From the moment he was born, there was never going to be any other path for him.
“What do you want, Oscar?” My eyes remain fixed on Allistair.
He seems so preoccupied with watching the entrance to the library that it seems like I might actually get away with this secret meeting after all.
“I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to make things right. I’ve already made changes.”
“Oh, yeah? Like what?” My tone is a little sour, but it’s like I told him before, I’ll believe it when I see it.
“I told Rion that our father left his empire to me, not him. So, he can either get on board with the fact that I’m in charge, or he can get the hell out of my house.”
I have to swallow a laugh. “I bet he loved that.”
“It’s Rion. What do you think?”
Despite myself, I smile.
Rion is not an easy man to deal with, especially considering his ego is the size of Texas.
I would have paid good money to see Oscar put him in his place.
“And?”
“And he left. He’s gone and officially out of our lives. Sean too.”
I flinch at the mention of Sean O’Keefe. “Sean isn’t gone.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he’s still after Kieran…and me.”
Oscar tenses, but he stays silent for a few beats.
“Then maybe I should help,” he eventually says.
“No. You’ll just make yourself a target if you get involved. Besides, Kieran doesn’t know we’ve been in contact, so if you suddenly show up, he’s going to know I went behind his back. It’s better if you stay away until this is sorted.”
“I can handle myself, Riley.”
“I know you can, but this isn’t just about you anymore.” My hand drifts unconsciously to my stomach, though I stop short of actually touching it.
He grits his teeth. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Choose to protect him over protecting yourself.”
“I’m not.”
“It sure sounds like it.”
“Kieran and I are married, Oscar. Believe it or not, but I want to protect my relationship. And if that means you have to sit on the sidelines for a while longer, then so be it.”
“Do you think Kieran can protect you?”
“A hundred percent.”
He nods slowly. “Good. That’s all I needed to hear. For what it’s worth, I’m glad you found someone you love and want to spend the rest of your life with.”
My throat tightens. “Me too.”
We sit in silence for a moment before I push back my chair. But as I get to my feet, Oscar grabs hold of my wrist.
“I have to go,” I hiss under my breath as I glance at Allister.
“I know, but…” His throat bobs. “Can we catch up again soon?”
I hesitate, then nod. “I’ll be in touch. But for now, you need to stay away from me. If Kieran finds out I’ve been meeting you behind his back…”
Oscar squeezes my wrist before letting go. “I get it. Be safe, little sister.”
I force a smile, then slip out from behind the plant and head back over to Allister, praying that I didn’t just get caught.