TWO
Erin
Seventeen Months Later
I put on a fake smile for the rich asshole who wants to be a prick and act like I’m the one who fucked up the order and not that he was the one who told it to me wrong.
The customer is always right.
I mock myself in my head.
“I’m sorry for the mix up, sir. We will get this straightened out right away,”
I tell him, picking up his plate and fully aware of his hand on my exposed thigh and his eyes glued to my exposed chest. I fucking hate this uniform, it makes me feel like some cheap whore. My boss is a total sexist prick and believes the women here are only good for bringing in horny men. A few of us have asked for uniforms that cover more of our bodies, but we all get “it's my company and I will do as I want, if you don’t like it, you can leave.”
He knows he pays us really well, and finding another job that pays as much isn’t going to happen. With a baby at home, I can’t afford to take a pay cut.
I handed the plate back to the chef, telling him the customer wanted it rare not medium rare. Chef glares at me, cussing in French under his breath before remaking the plate. I go refill my tables drinks, and as I am bringing a woman her water with fresh ice and lemon, I see a set of green eyes that look identical to my son’s.
NO!
This can’t be happening. He can’t be here. I purposely moved across the world to get away from him.
I look away and quickly finish filling my drink orders and returning the plate to the asshole customer. I go in the back and sit down, feeling myself spinning out of control.
Deep breath in, one, hold it, and breathe out.
Deep breath in, two, hold it, and breathe out.
Deep breath in, three, hold it, and breathe out.
Deep breath in, four, hold it and breathe out.
Deep breathe in, five, hold it and breathe out.
I feel slightly better, but I know for my safety and the safety of Charlie, I can’t finish my shift. I decided to use the one thing that grosses my boss out the most: periods.
I knocked on his door.
“Come in.”
I walk in and shut the door behind me.
“Erin, why are you not serving your tables?”
“I need to leave.”
“Why?”
“Umm… it’s that time of the month.”
“Time of the month?”
“For a woman…”
“Eww, TMI, Erin. Are you saying you can’t work because you’re on your… thing?”
“It came early, and I don’t have what I need.”
“Go ask one of the other ladies.”
“I would, but since having my son, they are heavy, and I basically need a diaper.”
“Stop, I don’t need details. Just go home and be back tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir,”
I tell him and quickly grab my stuff and exit the restaurant through the side door.
“Please, don’t let him have seen me.”
I beg out loud having no idea who I’m speaking to but maybe, just maybe I will get lucky, and luck will finally be on my side.
I am so relieved when I manage to make it home without him seeing me.
“Erin?”
Saoirse questions from the couch where she is watching TV with her older brother, who is my roommate.
“Hey,”
I say but rush past them, needing to put my eyes on Charlie. I open my bedroom door, and I quietly walk over to his crib. I take a huge breath when I see my sweet baby boy with red hair like his father’s. His eyes are closed as he sleeps peacefully, and I know behind those lids are his blue eyes also from his father. I gently stroke his face. “I’m so sorry, baby boy. I thought we were safe.”
I wipe away the tears off my cheeks. I bend down and kiss his cheek before walking out of his room.
“What’s wrong?”
Fionn asks as soon as I’m back in the living room. He always treat me like an older brother. Granted, he has acted like one for years; he was in one of my many foster homes and was more than helpful when I reached out to him over a year ago.
“I saw Charlie’s father.”
“What? Where? Did he see you?”
Fionn jumps up from the couch and pulls me away from the door. He tugs on the dead bolt, making sure it is engaged.
“He was with his family at the restaurant, and I have no idea if he recognized me. I made sure to get out of there as soon as possible. What? What if he saw me?”
Fionn pulls me into his arms. “Calm down, shortcake.”
I start shaking my head. “What if he knows what I saw? He probably is over here to kill me. But how did he find me. I never gave him my real name…”
“If he is as powerful as you say he is, there is nothing a man like that can’t do.”
“I guess.”
“Why don’t you go take a bath? Charlie’s already down for the night, and we can get him if he wakes up,”
Saoirse suggests.
“Okay. Thanks.”
Oscar
“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.”
I say to Brayden, my nephew, while I tickle his belly. I soak in his giggles. It seems like he is the only thing who can bring me true happiness besides killing fuckers who dare to cross my family. Knowing one day he will have to become one of us, I treasure these moments while I still can.
Watching Brayden grow makes me want one of my own, but that will only happen with my angel. But, fuck, it has been over a year since that blissful evening, and it is like she just disappeared into thin air.
“I should start telling you do it for Brayden if it makes you this cooperative,”
Cillian smirks.
“Tell your daidí (daddy) to be nice to your favorite uncail (uncle).” I smirk.
Three.
Two.
One.
“Excuse you, Mr. Moody,”
Keegan says.
“In your dreams,”
Aiden says.
Ma glares at me. “Did you have to get them started again. Aiden is three years younger than me, and Keegan, being the baby of the family, is six years younger than me. As their older brother it is my job to tease them relentlessly, but of course every time I did, Cillian would harass me just as badly. I swear the fucker is fucking good at getting even, probably comes with some of the intense training he got from daidí .When I was a young, stupid preteen I was jealous but then I started to realize how hard daidí was working him and was glad I was the second oldest. That doesn’t mean daidí didn’t make me work my ass off, but it wasn’t as rough as Cillian had it.
“It’s not their fault, my cara beag (little buddy) loves me the most.”
I say as I snuggle her into my arms.
“No, he loves me the best.”
My father smirks down at me when he lifts him from my arms and tosses him in the air.
“Who else is going to spoil him rotten when his parents tell him no?”
He grins as Bia quietly laughs. Cillian turns his glare at us to smiling softly at Bia and kissing her forehead. What a one-eighty he has done in the way he treats her, and if we thought he was bad with Bia, don’t even get me started on the way he is with Brayden.
The man has literally demanded a room of men who were working out and boxing to be quiet because his son was asleep in his arms. He told those twenty something men if any of them made a sound and disturbed his rí beag (little king) they would earn a bullet to the leg before having and then made to run five miles.
Brayden moves his head and sees his parents, immediately starts to fuss, and Cillian is up out of his seat. He swoops Brandon from daidí arms.
“What’s wrong with my rí beag?”
he coos, he snuggling, Brayden’s face into his shoulder. I watch as my older brother, who is a cold-hearted bastard to anyone who is not sitting at this table, rocks his eight-month-old son, while humming.
Is there such a thing as your balls wanting to burst because you want your own baby like when a woman’s ovaries burst from wanting a baby? Is it a thing? No? Well, I’m making it a thing.
I need to trademark that shit.
We all enjoy eating our meal and keep teasing each other. But while we are waiting for desert a brunette bombshell catches my eye. I whip my head around, “Destiny?”
I hoarsely whisper.
I watch her as her eyes go wide and she looks scared. Why is my angel scared of me? Is she hiding something? Destiny quickly scurries away, I want to get up and chase her down but I will wait for her until her shift ends just like I did the night of Cillian’s crowning. I do let my eyes appreciate her figure though; my mouth salivates as my eyes travel down her body.
Those hips are wider than I remember, and my cock twitches in my pants thinking about how I can’t wait to hold onto them as I have her bent over from behind. The way her pussy will stretch around my cock, hugging it, like it did that night in my car. And fuck, that ass. I want to bite it, smack it but then I also want to kiss it.
“Earth to Oscar.”
I hear my name being called and I look over at Kayleigh who is next to me. She gives me a glare but I give her my cocky smirk. I keep half an eye on the door waiting for Destiny to walk back through, but almost an hour later she hasn’t come back in. I excuse myself after deciding I need to hunt down my angel.
“Excuse me,”
I say to one of the waitresses.
“Can I help you, sir?”
“Yes, I was wondering if Destiny is still working?”
“Destiny?”
She scrunches her eyebrows up in confusion.
“Yes, she is a family friend and we wanted to say hello.”
“No one by the name of Destiny works here,”
she states.
I know I saw her; is this woman hiding my angel? I want to shove this woman in a closet and scare the answers out of her, but knowing my family, especially Cillian will beat my ass if I dare to ruin Brayden’s first vacation.
“I must have gotten confused. Thank you,”
I say before heading back to the table.
Where the fuck did my angel go?
I can’t shake the look she had when she saw me. Why did she run? Was she spying on my family? Is someone threatening her?
I remember when I called Brendan after I found out she had run off. I wanted to try and find any information on her, but when searching the records there was no Destiny, and the problem with the company, we used to cater was they sometimes use temps when employees call out sick. I personally went down to their office and asked about her; that’s when the manager explained about the temp agency and how it works. She also said it wouldn’t be the first time that one of them gave her a fake name. It made me think my angel was a spy or was hiding, but from what.
As soon as I’m in my hotel room I call Brendan.
Oscar: I found her.
Brendan: So, I can finally stop searching the whole world for her?
Oscar: Not exactly. She saw me at the restaurant where we were eating tonight, and she left.
Brendan: Do you at least have a name?
Oscar: No, but when I asked another waitress about her, pretending, she was a family friend, she said no one by the name of Destiny worked there.
Brendan: Fine, I can at least start with the employee records there and check the surveillance. I will call you when I’m done.
Oscar: Thanks.
Brendan: Just adding it to your tab.
Oscar: I’d pay my last penny to have her.
Brendan: You are so fucked.
He laughs as he hangs up the phone.
Any thought of sleeping tonight went out the window earlier today when I saw Destiny. My mind goes over why she would be scared when she saw me. Did I do something? Then I spend hours going over every interaction I had with her with a fine-tooth comb. But as I toss and turn all night, nothing, I could have done to scare her comes to my mind.
I groan when my alarm goes off the next day, it feels like I just fell asleep.
I walk into the other room, where most of my family is already sitting down eating. I greet my Ma and sisters with a kiss on the cheek before I sit down with them. I keep myself busy eating, but I feel eyes on me. I look up and Ma is staring me down.
“What’s wrong, Oscar?” She asks.
“Nothing, Ma. Just didn’t sleep good last night.”
“Why?”
“Not sure.”
“Oscar, you may be an adult but don’t think I don’t know when you're lying. I know you saw your angel last night at the restaurant.”
“What? How?”
I ask, flabbergasted.
“I’m your mother. You didn’t think I didn’t pushed your big head out of me then raised your hellfire ass, but don’t know when something is wrong with you?”
She smirks.
Daidí just chuckles, “Remember to never underestimate a woman, son.”
he says before pecking Ma on the lips.
I nod and we finish our breakfast, and we head out to the beaches. We spend the rest of the morning swimming, the girls are tanning, and everyone takes turns playing with Brayden.
It isn’t until later when I’m back in my hotel room that Brendan finally calls. Not like I haven’t been pacing and trying to find something to keep myself busy for the past hour and half.
But what Brendan tells me has flipped my world upside down. It doesn’t change anything though. No one and nothing will get in the way of me making my angel mine, not even her. And God anyone who gets in my way.