Chapter Twenty-Four
The precocious child was enamored with my place already. While I’d initially expected my daughter to be more reserved in the beginning, she was bright, warm, and fully open to others. There was no fear in her eyes when she looked at me, nor was there any anger, mistrust, or even apprehension.
She had awakened first, and after trying to rouse her mother awake, she came over to me to ask where the bathroom was.
I’d pointed it out to her and even had the flight attendant show her to it.
When the woman brought back my daughter, she was wide awake and ended up spending the last hour or so in the air regaling me with stories about her life, school, and mother.
The latter ones were the most interesting ones to me.
Why, I had no idea, but I had wanted to hear about Reagan’s life, even if it was the one that hadn’t included me.
From what the child said, her mother was home all the time, and she never hung out with anyone outside of Monica.
I could sense Ciara’s affection for the other woman, and maybe one day, I’d fly her out to see them.
For now, I needed to get both Reagan and Ciara settled in.
Neither would be leaving anytime soon, but I knew the inevitability of the truth.
Once my grandfather got wind of their presence in my life, he might try to finish what he’d started years ago.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever make it through that, and Reagan had only narrowly escaped death herself.
No, I would make sure that my grandfather knew that they were under my protection.
I was no longer the same seventeen-year-old I had been when I’d first met her.
I was now as feared as any other Brannington in our empire.
I ran things, despite any objections my grandfather would make to the contrary.
She was still my wife, so she and my daughter would be under my protection from this moment forth, and by the end of the night, those within the organization would know it.
Before I handled business, I did want to show them around. I moved to the window where Ciara was excitedly pointing at landmarks in the distance. The happiness rolled off her in waves, and I couldn’t recall a single time in life, or even my cousins, when we were ever this joyful and free.
“I would like to show you to your room, Ciara,” I said to the child.
“Okey dokey,” she said as she pulled away from her mother and came willingly over to me.
I took the small hand she extended, much to the chagrin of Reagan.
Ignoring her, I focused on my daughter by leading her down the hallway.
“I had no idea what colors you like, or designs, but we can go sometime next week and pick out some new things for your room,” I said to her as I opened the door to her bedroom.
When I released her hand, she made a beeline for the bed. Like most young kids, she climbed on it, then began to jump until Reagan came inside and said something to her. I couldn’t hear what as her tone had been hushed, but the child stopped jumping immediately and fell to her bottom.
She didn’t stay still for long though as she got off the bed, then ran to the window where she would have the same view as the one she’d been staring out at in the living room.
When I had found out that I would be bringing Reagan and Ciara to Ireland with me, I’d had one of my men bring his wife in to partially decorate the rooms in this penthouse that would now belong to my wife and child.
Esther had done a great job on Ciara’s room.
The colors were pastel pink and green, and there were stuffed animals and a few dolls scattered throughout the space.
Matching framed photographs of bunnies and kittens were strategically placed on the walls, and there were even matching pillows on the window bench that Ciara had just noticed.
As my daughter ran to the window and kneeled on the cushions so she could see outside, a fear I hadn’t even realized I’d been harboring disappeared, and the weight on my chest felt so much lighter.
Relief was what I was feeling until Reagan entered the space and walked over to the twin size bed.
“Would it be possible to move a few things around so I can bring in a cot or something for myself?” she asked as she turned toward me.
I would’ve chuckled at her suggestion had I not realized that she was completely serious. Clearing my throat, I responded. “You’re not going to be in this room.”
“Yes, I am,” she said as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at me.
I was immediately reminded of the one or two times that we had fought back in our youth. Reagan was as headstrong as she was beautiful, and as I had done back when I was seventeen, I was looking forward to tamping down her defiance once more. Only now, I was not infatuated by her in any way.
In fact, the price of her betrayal would’ve been death had she been anyone other than the mother of my child.
And, had she been anyone other than the once love of my life.
The longer I stared at her, the more those feelings came rushing back.
I was growing angrier, and not just at her, but my grandfather and anyone else who contributed to me losing what had been he only thing in my life that had truly mattered.
Esther came up behind me, and before I could respond to Reagan’s defiance, I turned to Oscar’s wife. “Would it be possible to help Ciara get her things placed into the closet? You can also find out from her what else she requires, so I can be sure she gets it.”
“Yes, of course, Mr. Brannington.”
“And you,” I said to Reagan as she tried to follow Esther over to Ciara, “are coming with me.” From there, I firmly grabbed her arm, then pulled her out into the hallway.
“Of course, Mr. Brannington,” she sneered at me, and I wasn’t sure if she was trying to make fun of Esther or not, but the moment I flashed my disapproval at her, she cleared the haughtiness off her face. “I’m not sleeping with you,” she then said in a low tone.
“I never intended for you to do that,” I said to her, and nearly growled at the immediate relief on her face.
“Good. Now that we’re all clear on that, I’ll just join my daugh—”
“Our daughter,” I said in a low tone as well. “And you have your own room just down the hallway,” I said to her. “Allow me to show it to you.”
I released her arm from my hold, then motioned with my hand for her to follow.
I could see her shadow on the marbled floors as she trudged along behind me.
I hated watching her act as if she was headed down Executioner’s Row to a death chamber.
Just thinking about her and death though did something to me still after all of these years.
We finally reached her room, which was three doors down from Ciara’s. Before showing her the room, I did backtrack one door and quickly opened it. Inside, it was a standard bathroom. “This will be for Ciara to use. Your room is an ensuite,” I said.
Reagan stepped inside and gave it a quick peek before exiting it.
She then walked to the room where we had just stopped, then opened the door.
I hadn’t asked Esther to make her room look any different than it usually did, so I already knew what she would find.
In addition to the same view as all other rooms on the eastern side of the penthouse, it was the normal beige and silver that I had scattered throughout.
There would be a simple, yet modern, queen sized bed, dresser, and nightstand, along with a walk-in closet and small bathroom.
Ciara’s bathroom contained both a shower and a bathtub, while this particular room had just a shower.
For a moment, a memory of her standing there with rivulets of water dripping down her pale skin came rushing back, and I forced them away.
If I kept on with this mental trip down memory road, I would drop my eyes farther down to where I would remember seeing my cum dripping down her legs.
Just the mere thought of it, no matter how brief, made my cock swell.
I hadn’t wanted to be attracted to her on any level again, but I was a man, and this woman once held my very heart in her hands until she, along with my grandfather and his despicable men, had shattered it into pieces.
After her supposed death, I’d returned to Ireland a shell of a man, broken and empty all at once.
The only things that drove me for months after were my grief and my anger, the latter of which made me find out which men had carried out the dastardly orders, and killing them with my bare hands for their actions.
Now, the only one I wanted to choke was the woman standing in front of me. Once upon a time, I’d wrap my hand around her throat as I made her come, but now I wanted to watch the last few breaths of hers leave her lungs as I made her pay for her betrayal.
“Mommy...Mommy,” I heard seconds before I felt a smaller body brush past me. “Is this your room?”
“Yes, baby,” Reagan said to her, then pulled her farther inside.
Esther joined me and smiled at me when I glanced in her direction. “I have a list of things Miss Ciara would like. Would you like for me to go and pick them up?”
“That won’t be necessary. I plan to take them into the city for more clothes, so we can get whatever it is that she wants there. You’ve been a great help. I appreciate it.”
“Anything for you, Mr. Brannington,” she said before leaving.
Mr. Brannington.
I smirked as those words now echoed, but not of the older woman’s voice but of Reagan’s instead. My Anamchara had been jealous. I wasn’t sure why it made me happy to know that, but it did. As did seeing my daughter smile as she excitedly talked about her room to her mother.