Chapter Thirty-Six
Lee
I’m sitting in bed a couple of days after surgery watching my Papa and Mac bicker back and forth about who even knows what at this point.
I think they just like to hear themselves talk.
They’re both acting aggravated, but it’s clear they’re just trying to get a rise out of each other.
It started with a dig about the car Mac’s fixing up and has quickly spiraled to their differing opinions on sports teams. Annie and I are lounging in my hospital bed just watching the show and providing commentary that irritates them both.
We’re laughing at them when a knock on my closed door stops everyone.
Quickly both my Papa and Mac move towards the door as it slowly pushes open.
Flynn stands in the doorway, which causes Annie to bristle.
I’ll be finding out what he did to my sister as soon as possible, then I’ll beat him for it. Future brother-in-law or not.
“Hey, I brought someone who wants to see you.” He’s talking to me, but his eyes are all for my sister. What looks like sadness shines through them. That’s interesting.
He moves from the doorway, and Sully pushes a wheelchair into my room that’s holding none other than Declan in it. His radiant smile takes me by surprise. I’m still hurting, so I figured he would be too.
“I’ve missed you, my favorite sister-in-law.” We haven’t seen each other since before surgery, and though I’ve been told he’s doing great, it’s good to see it with my own eyes.
“Your favorite? Don’t tell the others.” I raise my eyebrows in a teasing way.
His laugh is loud and carefree, “I gave you a kidney, Lee. I think it’s well known who my favorite is.”
Everyone aside from Mac excuses themselves from the room, giving us time to visit.
Annie makes sure to leave right on the heels of our Papa.
Seeing this, Flynn sighs in defeat and lets his head hang while he and Sully walk out.
The door has barely shut when I give both Byrne men an accusatory look and point to the door.
“What’s up with that?”
They look genuinely clueless.
“What’s up with what?” Mac asks.
They have to be messing with me, “Your brother, my sister. What was that awkward sad thing that just happened between them?”
Declan is looking at me like I have three heads. “Are the drugs still in your system? I don’t even know if I’ve ever seen them speak to each other before.”
“You guys cannot be that blind. There was something there. Quill, tell me you saw the thing between them.” I turn my attention to my very unaware boyfriend.
“Beautiful, I’m going to tell you the truth. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The groan of frustration is involuntary.
“You guys are clueless.”
It may not be anything romantic, but something happened in general that he’s sorry for, but she doesn’t want to hear.
A big sister just knows. Declan changes the subject to the news that he gets to leave tomorrow.
Just as we start talking about when I can leave Jake walks in, takes one look at Declan, scoffs, and turns his attention squarely on me.
“Let me know when the trash has taken itself out and I’ll be back.” My jaw is on the floor as he turns and leaves the room as quickly as he came.
“Now that I saw. What the hell did you do, Dec?” Mac questions.
“I may or may not still be seeing Natasha occasionally, and he found out.” He grits his teeth and looks ashamed.
“You what?” Mac roars. “Did she not cause enough fucking issues for you already?”
They start arguing, but all I can think of is ‘great, so half of the Fischer siblings are pissed at a third of the Byrnes.’ Just perfect.
* * *
It’s been a month and a half since Declan and I have both been discharged.
Tonight, we’re all at the Byrnes for a family dinner.
This one does not include my family. As much as I love them Mac and I decided that it’s best to keep the families separate for the time being.
We’re all sitting around the big patio table that seats us all comfortably.
The boys are all teasing each other. Clara, Nix, and I are fighting for our lives just to be heard over the boys, and Rhett has just taken his processors out and handed them to his dad.
Same, kid. Same.
So all in all, it’s the perfect family dinner.
Even through the total chaos, there’s a calm to my soul.
Mac absentmindedly reaches over and takes my hand in his while still talking to Rowan.
His thumb rubs gentle circles on the back of my hand.
I can’t help the smile that takes over my face.
He always makes sure I know that when we’re surrounded by noise, he’s my quiet.
I’m talking to Nix about this new assignment that I’ll start next week for her when Mac abruptly stands up. Well, abruptly for me who wasn’t paying attention. I look between him and Kieran, who has also stood up.
“What’s going on?” My eyes flicker between him and Kie.
“Nothing, Beautiful. I’m going to go talk to Kie. I’ll be right back. If you start hurting or anything just text me.” He leans down and gently presses his lips to my forehead. Whoever says forehead kisses aren’t the best kind of kisses is lying to you.
“Okay, you text me if you need me, too.” I’m eyeing him warily.
I know he and Davis have been working pretty heavily on his ninth step.
Also, he mentioned being ready to talk to his brothers just yesterday, so I can only assume that’s what this is about.
He smiles and squeezes my hand gently before placing it on the table and following his older brother across the yard.
As soon as they’re out of earshot all eyes dart to me.
“What’s that about?” Declan questions.
“None of our business. If he wanted you to know, you’d know.” I smirk as I shrug noncommittally.
Speaking of hard conversations that need to be had, I turn my attention to Elle.
“Hey, Elle. Would it be okay if we walked inside to talk?” The entire table silences.
You could hear a pin drop.
Sully puts his hand on Elle’s arm and whispers something into her ear. She nods and pats his hand reassuringly before standing up.
“Of course. We can go into the living room.” She offers me a shy smile and stands up. As we both step away from the table, I hear Sully call after her.
“Boo.”
“It’s okay, Monster. Calm down.” She throws over her shoulder before opening the sliding glass door for me.
My therapist, Clara, and I thought this would be a good conversation for Elle and I to have.
After her dad’s stunt at my house a few months ago, he started grief therapy, as well as found out that about seven of his men actually knew where I was the entire time and were participants in my abuse.
Those men haven’t been seen or heard of since.
Mac told me about Matteo and Leo. Of course he did.
We tell each other the truth, even when it’s hard.
I wasn’t upset about it. If I’m being honest, he probably needed to do it just as much as I needed to know they were gone and could never hurt anyone again.
Mac is a Byrne at the end of the day, and no matter how docile some of them appear, they all have that beast lurking just under the surface waiting to strike.
I follow Elle into the living room, and it isn’t until we both sit on the couch facing each other that we let out a nerve filled sigh in unison. A small laugh bubbles out of us both.
“So.” Elle drags out the ‘o’ as she fidgets with her fingers.
“I’m sorry.” I rush out.
Her brow furrows as she processes what I just said, “You’re sorry? For what?”
“For not coming back for you after I was adopted. I banked on them not hurting you because your dad would link the pieces if they did. Obviously that was me making excuses to not have to face any of them again.”
“Why didn’t you come back and tell him the truth? Papa would have taken care of them as soon as you returned.” She doesn’t confirm or deny if she was hurt by any of the men, and I think that’s her story. I’m not going to push her for details I don’t deserve.
“Because the world you were raised in, the one I was raised in for seven years, is dangerous. You know as well as I do that you spent your life with a target on your back. I’m sure you can’t even count the number of lockdowns you’ve had to go through.
The threats, the guards, and the bloodshed you’ve had to witness.
My Papa may work for a mafia family, but he always made sure to keep my Mama, myself, and my siblings as far away from that as possible.
This life didn’t touch me after I was rescued until I reconnected with Mac.
Even now, Mac doesn’t let it touch me. That doesn’t mean how you were raised was wrong.
It just means with the nightmare I lived through, I deserve the peace my family can offer me. ”
Elle takes a solid minute to process what I said before nodding, “I don’t agree with it. But I can see your point of view. I can’t imagine what you’ve lived through, and I won’t try to. All I can ask is that you don’t try to speak to what I’ve lived through either.”
“Of course. It looks like both of us are going to be connected by the Byrnes for the foreseeable future. I won’t demand to sweep in and play the big sister role, but maybe we can try to not actively avoid each other anymore?
” It’s the olive branch that I’m willing to extend right now.
I would love to get to know Elle on a deeper level, but I’m not completely there yet, and from the looks of it, neither is she.
“I’d like that.” She smiles, and it’s then that I finally see the resemblance between the two of us.
“So, Annie Fischer is your little sister, right?” Elle quirks her eyebrow at me.
“She is.” I ask with a hint of skepticism. I hope she doesn’t think she can say anything negative about Annie, because I will destroy her entire family’s dynasty if she even thinks about it.
“Keep an eye on her. I don’t know the details, but I do know that Flynn seems all put out any time she’s within view of him. He doesn’t keep anything from us, but whatever it is with her, he’s keeping close to his chest.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you.”
Mac and Sully pick right then to strut into the living room.
“Boo?” Sully calls out for her. She playfully rolls her eyes.
“I’m right here, Sul. Take a breath.”
Sully walks over to her and I tune them out because, in the next moment, Mac is right in front of me pressing his lips to mine.
“Let’s go say bye and head home, Beautiful.” The devious glint in his eye tells me that he’s looking for some playtime.
“Let’s go…. Sir.”