Chapter 28
Colton
Ronan’s growl makes me smile. “Well, your Dad is hot.” I tease.
His hand comes up, wrapping around my throat. There’s no real threat behind it. I smile at him.
“Don’t say that again.”
“Why, because it’s your Dad?” I can’t help myself. His jealous side is causing my stomach to do flips.
“Because it’s anyone other than me.”
I press my lips to his before he can finish his sentence. Ronan is mine just as much as he claims me. God, I love this man. I’m questioning my sanity at this point. But how could I not love him?
“Fucking hell. Get a room. Some of us don’t need to see that shit,” Liam says as he enters the office.
I only push harder into Ronan. He groans into my mouth, and I swallow the sound.
When we finally end the kiss, neither of us pulls away.
Everyone in the room is staring at us, mostly with blank faces, except for Alessia, who has a wistful look. I smile at her.
“Conor hasn’t had any luck in locating the fuckers here in town. Finn and Taylor should be here in the next couple of hours. They’re going straight to the compound without guests,” Kieran informs us.
“The compound? You mentioned that before. What is it?” I ask.
“It’s our private little playground. You know, somewhere the neighbors can’t hear the screams.” Liam winks at me when he says it.
“Liam,” Alessia says in a stern tone.
Liam may look like Ronan, but his personality is so different.
Ronan carries himself with cold confidence, calculation, and structure.
Every time I have met Liam, he has been an instigator, in it for the shock value.
If I’m truly going to be a part of this family, I’m going to have to not only find my place among them but also show no fear.
“It’s okay, Alessia. Liam is just trying to test me, I think.
But too bad for him that I don’t care if those bastards scream.
They deserve it.” I try my best to give Liam a nonchalant stare.
“I’m just not sure if Liam is the guy to make that happen.
He seems more worried about the shock factor of what he promises to do.
Maybe Ronan can give you lessons. How was bingo by the way? ”
“What the fuck?” Liam is the one in shock now. A musical laugh comes from the doorway. Declan and Xavier are entering the room. Xavier is laughing to the point of tears.
“That was awesome. Colton, you’re my new bestie. I can’t wait to introduce you to Jess and Blake. Jessie will eat you up with a spoon. She’s the unhinged one in the friend group. She loves to put these guys in their places.”
Friend group. I repeat the words in my head. I’ve never had that. I’ve never had most things that are becoming a reality in my life now that I have Ronan.
“She’s confusing,” Ronan says. “You know that she’s insulting you, but she does it with a smile.”
I can’t help myself, I join Xavier in laughing this time. Ronan is such a literal person, so the fact that he is confused by this, Jess, is no surprise. I can’t wait to meet her.
“Don’t worry, babe, I’ll protect you,” I say.
“I don’t think she would try to hurt me or anyone, for that matter.
Besides, she’s like five foot nothing and maybe a hundred pounds.
So, unless she has a gun or knife, there’s not much damage she could do.
” Looking at his face, I can see that he is dead serious and did not get the humor. I laugh harder.
The tension that had been almost suffocating in the room lightens as Xavier and I laugh to the point of tears. He explains more of the Jess versus the Murphy boys dynamic, and it’s fucking hilarious.
“I’m going to see what Ollie is up to, while you guys do whatever it is you are doing,” Xavier says before kissing Declan and leaving. I really like him and am glad that he wants to be my friend.
We all get back to tracking down the kids and those involved in taking them.
Every time I see my father’s name on the documents that I read, I feel sick.
I can’t understand why. Yes, both he and Mother are cold people, but to this extent is just mind-blowing.
I want to know why. I want to hear it from them, in their own words.
I have a feeling that I’m going to need that to get past all of this. I’m going to need the closure.
“Ronan?”
“Yes,” he looks up at me.
“When you have Mother and Father, I would like to talk to them. Before, you know,” I let the last part trail off. Somehow still unable to voice what I know will happen to them.
“You shouldn’t call them that. I don’t want you anywhere near those sons of bitches.” Ronan’s protectiveness is such a reassuring thing to me. It’s such a strong reaction that it’s like a living thing deep in my soul.
“You will be there with me, but I need this Ronan. I need to ask them questions for myself. Once it’s done, I never want to think about them again. But I need to hear the answers for myself.” I explain.
“You will have your answers. But I’m not letting you face it alone.”
“Thank you.”
A couple of hours pass before I finish my ninth child search when Kieran’s phone rings. He answers it and listens for a minute.
“Okay, we will be there shortly,” he says as he hangs up.
“Finn and Taylor have the targets secured at the compound,” he tells us. Getting to his feet, Ronan turns to me.
“I need to go with them. You’re to stay in the house. Mom and Kenji will make sure you and Ollie are safe until I get back.”
“I understand. I think I’ll take a break while you’re gone. I’m kinda hungry, and I want to check on Ollie.” I stand with him and kiss him gently on the lips. “I promise to stay in the house. I need you to promise me that you will be careful and come back to us.”
“I will be back as soon as I have the answers that we need.” He kisses me back and follows the others from the room.
Alessia places her arm around my shoulder and squeezes me. “They will be fine. This is what they do. Let’s go get you fed.”
She leads me to the kitchen. I stop in my tracks as I take in the mayhem that is in front of me.
Ollie is sitting in his highchair, covered in what I think is flour.
He has a small piece of dough on the tray, hitting it as if it owes him money.
Xavier has flour on his cheek and a huge smile on his face. Franklin is the first to notice us.
“Welcome to baking 101. I’m teaching Master Ollie the art of bread today.”
Ollie sees me and starts blabbing while still hitting the dough.
When Xavier laughs, Ollie picks up a handful of the loose flour and throws it at him.
He’s quick enough to jump back before it lands on him.
My heart is so full in this moment that I think it might burst. Ollie is normally a happy child, but never like this.
“That’s fantastic, Franklin,” she turns to me. “Franklin is the reason that all the boys know how to cook. I taught them the art of the dessert. We’ll keep that tradition going with Ollie. Do you cook?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m self-taught, though. I specialize in all the easy stuff.” The smile on my face is not going anywhere anytime soon.
“I will be happy to share some of my recipes with you,” Franklin says. He looks over at Xavier with narrowed eyes and then adds. “Maybe you will be able to follow them better than others.”
“Are you ever going to let me live that down?” Xavier asks, giving the cook a cold stare. I can see the mirth behind it.
“What happened?” I want to know.
“I’m not a cook, never have been. Frankie here was teaching me to make spaghetti. It’s not my fault that Declan distracted me and the noodles burned.” He crosses his arms over his chest.
“They didn’t just burn. You ruined my pot.”
“Not my fault,” Xavier stresses again. Franklin just huffs as he places a tray of rolls into the large oven.
Alessia pulls out a few things from the industrial size fridge. After heating some of it in the microwave, she piles a plate full of what she tells me is pulled pork, baked beans, and potato salad.
“This looks amazing. Thank you.”
“I grew up in Savannah, Georgia, so I like to have traditional southern comfort foods.”
That explains the slight accent that I can pick up on from time to time. I picture Alessia dressed in a flowy cream colored dress, complete with lace gloves and a floppy hat. It fits her and makes me smile.
“I think it’s bath time for this young man.” She uses a few wet wipes to clean a good portion of the mess off Ollie’s face and hands. “You finish eating, and I’ll take care of him.”
I learned after the playroom that arguing with her would do me no good. I finish my plate as Xavier keeps me company. It’s just mundane everyday things that we talk about. But the conversation grounds me somehow. It feels real.
After placing my plate in the sink, I thank Franklin for everything, especially with Ollie. I find myself excited at the prospect of learning to cook. It will be my way of taking care of Ronan.
I follow Xavier into a large living room.
It’s filled with comfortable-looking couches.
I smile when I see the baby toys in one section.
This family has already fully integrated Ollie into their lives.
We’re joined by a clean Ollie and a smiling Alessia.
We play for a bit and talk. Alessia shares stories of the boys growing up.
We thankfully steer clear of my childhood.
Kenji rushes into the room. “We have an attempted breach on the south side of the property. Perp is unknown at this time. I would like for you four to stay here until I go see for myself. I’m leaving four guards inside the house.”