Chapter 19 Autumn
CHAPTER NINETEEN
AUTUMN
After the meeting at The Haven, Sully took me back to the hospital. I visited for a while, then spoke with Carrie, the caregiver he had hired temporarily. She was young, bubbly, and obviously fond of Lynn. I recalled how often Lynn had mentioned her, so I knew the fondness was returned.
Carrie was grateful for the extra hours. “Saving up for my wedding,” she informed me. “This is great.”
“I appreciate it,” I replied, looking over to where Sully sat by Lynn, the two of them talking quietly. They were both grinning, and I wondered what they were plotting. They were like two old women gossiping and matchmaking. Already fast friends.
“Mr. Black says he plans on giving me extra hours as a companion for Lynn. I am so lucky. We all love her at The Haven. Always smiling and cheerful. I’m glad she is staying with us.”
I tilted my head in confusion. “Extra hours?”
“After you leave, so she isn’t so lonely. I can take her shopping and to lunch. I can drive since she can’t anymore.”
“I see. And Georgia is all right with this extra job?”
“Mr. Black spoke to her and made it all okay. And laid it all out in a contract. He was very generous. I only get three days a week with them, so I have hours I can offer.”
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him. Charming Lynn.
Employing her favorite person to be a companion.
Getting a fancy suite so she would be happy.
Smoothing it all over with Georgia. I knew if I had tried that, it never would have been agreed on.
I would have been charged extra for a companion through the billing office. But once again, Sully got his way.
The independent part of me wanted to tell him to stop. I would handle it all. But the other part of me, the worried, not-sure-how-to-take-care-of-everything side was grateful. Overwhelmed with the generosity. Wondering how I got so lucky to meet him. Have him love me.
He looked up and winked, as if knowing what I was thinking. He stood, pressing a kiss to Lynn’s cheek. “We’ll be back in the morning and fill you in on everything,” he promised.
She smiled and waved him off. “Carrie and I are watching Manslaughter and Mayhem tonight. It’s about passion killings.”
He chuckled. “You’ll have to tell me all about it tomorrow.”
I kissed her goodnight, then left her in Carrie’s capable hands.
I was quiet in the car. When we got to the hotel, I walked over to the windows, staring out at the vast city.
Sully came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “All right there, love?”
“Yes. A bit tired, still. A lot to take in today.”
“It’ll be an early night. Just dinner.”
“Do I have to dress up?”
“No, it’s in Finn’s suite. Casual.”
“Good. I don’t think I have anything dressy in my bags.”
He spun me so I was facing him. I pressed my hands to his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat. His eyes were intense as he looked down at me. “You took everything.”
“What?”
“When you left. You took everything. I came home, and your suitcases were gone. Your robe. All that was left was a hair band I found on the counter.” He swallowed. “And your keys were on the table. I thought you’d decided to leave me.”
The pain was evident in his voice, the torment in his eyes. I cupped his face.
“I was upset and not thinking clearly. I hadn’t unpacked yet.
It was easier just to throw everything back in the case that was open on the floor.
And I left the keys so I didn’t lose them.
I didn’t know what I was facing here. How long I’d be gone for.
If, perhaps, you’d change your mind while I was gone and realize you’d jumped the gun and didn’t want me back. ”
“I love you. That is not going to change.”
“I know that.” I pressed my hand over his heart. “You came when I needed you, even though you thought I’d left you.”
“I will always come to you.” He drew a deep breath. “Are you coming home to me, Autumn?”
“I have to settle things here. Make sure Lynn is okay. Sort my things—”
He stopped me. “I know all that. I mean, can you accept me, my life, my world, now that you know about my family? That I am more than just a solicitor.”
“Yes. I understand you more now. Your world.”
He shut his eyes, and when he opened them, they were damp with emotion. “And you’ll still leave your life here to be with me? Do you still want that?”
“Yes. Once I have settled things here, I will come to you.”
“I will do everything I can to make it happen quickly. Hire movers. You can ship all your things and sort them after if it makes it faster—”
It was my turn to stop him. “No, I will sort them here. It’s not a lot. I thought I would get them from the storage unit and take them to Lynn’s place and sort it all at once. I will spend my time after work and seeing her to do all that.”
“How long?” he asked, his voice tight.
“A month, maybe less.”
“Let’s make it less.”
“I’ll try.” I smiled. “I have a hair band to collect, so I’ll go as fast as I can.”
He moved his hand from my waist and pulled back his watch. Under it was my hair band, stretched to fit his wrist, the dark elastic hidden.
“I had a piece of you with me,” he said. “And I’m keeping it until you come back.”
I stared up at him. “I brought your flower with me.”
“We’re quite the pair.”
“Except your flower is safe. My hair band is useless now. You stretched it out of shape,” I teased, not wanting to get emotional again.
He pulled me close. “I can stretch something else, lass. Something far more enjoyable.”
I draped my arms over his shoulders.
“Show me.”
I thought the room Sully and I were staying in was incredible.
Expansive, with a living room and kitchen, a luxurious bath, a bedroom you could run laps in—but it was nothing compared to the one Finn and Una lived in.
Sully had explained to me that since Finn owned the hotel and Una worked there as well, they’d decided to live there until they started a family.
“Una is still nervous out in public, as is Anna,” he explained. “So they made a place here.”
I understood that, but I wasn’t expecting what I walked into.
It wasn’t simply a hotel suite—it was a home.
Comfortable furniture, a dining room, a full kitchen.
Cozy carpets under my feet, books strewn about, a coat over a chair.
Una laughed as she showed me the place. “Oops,” she muttered, straightening the bed. “I forgot to make it.”
“It’s so lovely.”
“Finn closed off the top floor for personal use. Niall and Anna are down the hall. Roisin has a suite for when she visits. So does Sully. And we have a guest suite in case. So, walls were moved, rooms added to.” She shrugged. “Finn wanted it to feel like home, and it does.”
“It’s incredible.”
Dinner was easy, the conversation light for the most part. The men quibbled over details of stories, Una and Anna often interjecting.
Una made a delicious dinner, the chicken in white wine and herbs melting in my mouth. The dessert was an apple tart that Anna had baked, and she added whipped cream on top, making it decadent and rich.
I enjoyed watching the couples. Both men were intense but in different ways.
Finn gazed at Una as if he was obsessed.
He anticipated her needs—more wine, the pepper, stopping her from getting up by fetching whatever she had thought of before she could leave the table.
He touched her constantly. Her hand, her arm, pressing a kiss to her head or nose affectionately.
He listened as she spoke, a small, proud smile on his face.
Niall was darker but no less affectionate.
He slid his chair closer to his wife’s, his arm draped around the back of her every chance he got.
He watched her with such love, even I felt his emotion.
He added food to her plate, winked at her, and teased gently.
Yet the whole time, I had a feeling if danger appeared, he would be ready to defend.
I met Sully’s gaze, his intensity different again. Controlled, but feral. He moved with me at times, as if we were in sync. He checked on me a lot, either by leaning over and speaking or simply lifting his eyebrows as if to ask if I was all right.
Three such powerful men, all very different behind closed doors.
“What are you thinking, Autumn?” Finn asked. “You look amused.”
The words were out before I could stop them. “I didn’t expect this sort of domestic bliss from some Irish mobsters.”
For a moment, everyone froze. Then Niall began to laugh. “Mobster? I hafta say, I’ve not been called that in a very long time. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Sully, you got yerself a funny one.”
Finn chuckled, not at all put out. “I prefer boss. And the only place you’ll see me domesticated is with my wife.”
“Some of the men call you OG,” Niall stated with a straight face, glancing at me with a wink. “Old Goat, I believe.”
“Feck off,” Finn muttered. “Original Gangster. Which I am not.”
Sully slid his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. “I’m not a mobster, lass. I’ve explained that.”
Niall leaned back, cocking his head. “No. He’s right. No mobster would be caught dead making origami flowers.”
Sully glared at him, then smiled smugly. “My flowers show how dexterous my fingers really are. Autumn here has no complaints on that end, do you, mo fhiadh beag?”
The girls squealed at his term of endearment and wanted to know how he’d decided on it.
“The first time I saw her, she was terrified of me. With her tawny hair and dark eyes, she looked like a scared little fawn. It stuck.”
We fell into a conversation about nicknames and other things. We had just finished coffee when Finn asked the big question. “So, when are you heading back, Sully?”
“Soon,” he said shortly. “I need to figure that out with Autumn.”
“And you, Autumn? When will you join him?”
My throat felt thick as I answered. “As soon as I am able.”
Finn nodded. “Whatever you need, you tell us. We’ll make sure it happens.”