Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
ELLA
All week, I mentally prepared myself for seeing my father again. Even after eight years apart, I didn’t miss his smug face… or the judgment in his eyes. I noticed it the second he entered Wellington Manor.
Since Aiden’s family was technically impartial with concern to the Irish Mob business, his grandfather agreed to host the sit-down at his mansion. This place was so big I got lost on my way back from the bathroom, which I’d been to twice already to vomit.
Gotta love morning sickness .
We gathered in the ballroom, where our families sat on opposing sides of the table, Carl Wellington III at the head. I clung to Aiden and Sonny’s sides, choosing them over my family. My father arrived with several bodyguards and my three older brothers—Killian, Sully, and Rowan.
Of course, Declan O’Shea had a gang of armed men. Like Sonny and the rest of his family, he was tall and blond. Even Sonny’s mother was on the taller side and gorgeous. I could see where Sonny got his model good looks from. His younger brothers were adorable and had the cutest dimples on their cheeks. Callum and Finn looked like Sonny but with longer hair and less pretty.
“Let’s get started,” Carl said, hands folded on the table. “We’re here to settle the ongoing feud between the Cormacs and the O’Sheas. My heir,” he said, looking at Aiden, “has been brought into this drama, and I will not have my grandchildren or great grandchildren involved in such nonsense.”
When Carl spoke, people listened. Even my father and brothers sat a little straighter. Sonny’s parents stiffened at the mention of grandchildren. They weren’t thrilled about my pregnancy or that I would take their last name.
“Carl, I’m sorry to bring this into your home,” Conrad said. “I had no idea Sonny was carrying on with Ella Doyle again. I thought the matter was resolved years ago.”
“Ella isn’t an issue to resolve,” Aiden snapped.
“Aiden,” Carl warned, throwing out his hand to silence him. “Let me handle this before you lose your temper and say something you regret.”
Aiden pursed his lips, eyes narrowed at Mr. Cormac.
We had dinner with Sonny’s parents the night before, which was awkward. His dad had an issue with his bisexuality. He made a few remarks about Aiden and said at least Sonny was marrying a woman. Then he left with a glass of scotch and never returned to the dining room.
His mom was kind and welcoming, but she voiced her concerns about us, worried about what people would think about the future CEO of Mac Corp being in a throuple. After we ate dessert, Sonny asked his mom for the family ring and proposed to me. It was sweet, especially when Aiden got on one knee beside him, the duo asking me to be theirs forever.
“The fight between your families started over a woman,” Carl told the group. “And it seems that a union between your families can just as easily resolve the issue.”
“My daughter is not marrying a Cormac,” my dad fired back, his nostrils flared. “She’s already engaged to Jimmy Walsh.”
“I ran for a reason, Dad.” Despite the nerves slithering down my spine, I faced him. “Jimmy is a horrible man. He would have killed me if I married him. I had to run. Getting into that shipping container was my only option for survival.”
“Speaking of the container,” Declan interjected. “Where are the guns you stole from me?”
“I didn’t steal shit from you,” Dad said through gritted teeth. “And neither did my daughter.”
They went back and forth, arguing, my brothers eventually entering the conversation. Once they did, everyone was yelling so loudly I couldn’t think straight. All the shouting was giving me a headache, and my stomach started twisting into knots again.
“Silence,” Carl shouted authoritatively, instantly getting everyone’s attention. He rose from his chair and glared at my father. “No one in this room has the AK-47s. Ella overheard Jimmy Walsh tell his men to remove them from the container to start a war between your families.”
“He set us up?” Dad asked, confused. “No way. I’ve known Jimmy for a long time. He wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Well, he did,” Carl shot back. “So it seems that your problem is not with each other. It’s with Jimmy.” He settled back into his chair and sipped from a highball glass. “Now, let’s get back to the matter at hand. The union between the Cormacs and the Doyles. Your daughter is pregnant with Sonny’s child.”
His head snapped to me. “Is this true?”
I nodded. “I’m having Sonny’s baby, and I’m going to marry him with or without your approval.”
His nose wrinkled in disgust. “I’m not letting my daughter marry a Cormac without getting something in return,” he said, focusing on Carl.
“Of course, you want a handout,” Mr. Cormac interjected, tugging his tie.
“I don’t want your charity,” Dad said, pushing his chair from the table. “I want what’s owed to me.”
Sonny grabbed my hand and calmly said, “What do you want, Cian?”
“I had a deal with Jimmy Walsh to deliver AK-47s monthly.”
“We’re not gangsters,” Carl said, an amused look spreading across his withered face.
“Then my daughter is going back to Ireland.” My dad shot out of the chair, and my brothers joined him. “End of discussion.”
“No, she’s not,” Aiden and Sonny said simultaneously, standing between me.
My father tipped his head back and laughed, then his eyes flicked to me. “Two men, Ella?” He shook his head. “I’m glad your mother didn’t live long enough to see her daughter turn into a whore.”
“Don’t you dare speak to her like that,” Aiden shouted, teeth bared and ready to fight.
I loved how fiercely protective he was of me. Aiden wasn’t afraid of anyone and never backed down.
I pushed myself up from the chair and grabbed their hands. “Yes, I’m with two men. I don’t expect you to understand me or my relationship with Sonny and Aiden, but I love them and want to spend the rest of my life with them.”
Sonny cleared his throat. “How much will it take to settle the score?”
My dad glared at me, his expression so intense I felt his hatred from across the table. He briefly considered Sonny’s question and scrubbed a hand across the stubble on his jaw. “Ten million.” He looked at Aiden. “From both of you.”
Sonny glanced at Aiden, who nodded and then said, “Done. But with one caveat. Your feud with my uncle is over.”
“I’m not the one with the problem,” my dad said. “Declan has been trying to dismantle my business for nearly three decades.”
“You stole Bridget from me,” Declan shot back. “What did you expect? That I was going to sit there and take it.”
Dad shook his head, a sly grin tugging at his mouth. “Get over it, Declan. You dated her for a year. It wasn’t serious.”
“I was going to ask her to marry me, you ignorant asshole.”
My dad sighed. “Bridget has been dead for over nine years. Time to move on.”
Once upon a time, they were best friends. Declan had worked with my father until he stole my mother from him.
“I tried to make amends when Bridget died. I even offered my help finding her murderers… and you kicked me off your property. I barely left with my life.”
My dad straightened his tie and held Declan’s gaze. “If my daughter is going to be part of your family, I want assurances that she will not be harmed.”
“I would never harm Bridget’s daughter.”
Even after years without her, I could see Declan still harbored feelings for my mother. I wondered if she would still be alive if she had chosen both men. My father created more enemies than allies, and to this day, we still had no idea who killed my mother. We suspected the Murphy crime family sent those men to our house, but we had no proof, only whispers and rumors.
“Our wedding is next month,” Sonny told him. “I expect you to be there to walk your daughter down the aisle.”
Dad fixed a hardened glare at my soon-to-be husband and nodded. Just like that, years of hatred ended with a baby, a marriage… and my happily ever after.