Chapter 24
Waiting for Me
Sammy
It’s early morning and we’re headed to the private jet that will take me home. Uncle Wyatt pulls into the hangar to drop me off. Maldonado and I step from the SUV.
With my backpack on my back, I head for the plane to board. There is someone waiting on the plane for me. Uncle Wyatt calls my name, causing me to pause to turn to him.
“I wanted to say thank you and give you a hug if that’s okay,” he says.
I move back toward the vehicle and wrap my arms around his waist. He gives me a good squeeze before releasing me. Then he pats the top of my head.
“Don’t worry. I will call if I see anything that changes. You are welcome to call me if you ever have questions. I will do my best to help and answer,” I say, knowing he’s worried about the things I told him and his brothers.
I will tell my dad about the task force watching the Blacks. It’s just going to take some time to get the problem under control. This is why I had to give the warning.
“Let me know if you need anything else. We’re always here to help. Felix isn’t the only one you can connect with remotely. Any time I’m free, I’ll jump on with you.”
“I will remember that. Bye for now,” I say and wave.
I turn and head for the plane. As I board, excitement fills me. I’m pushed forward to my arrival at home. They are all waiting for me. Dad will spend time with me, and we will talk.
Mo-mo has lots of hugs for me. Elijah will want to spend the night in my room and Paulie will ask to join us this time. As long as he doesn’t start his lying and tattling, I will let him because I miss everyone.
“Hello, love.”
“Hi, Granny McGowan. Good morning,” I say as I move closer.
With a smile on my face, I move into her arms as she holds them open for me. She gives me a squeeze and pats me on my back. Mo-mo has made me a hugger.
I’m much more willing these days to accept them. I can’t do it all the time, but I’m more open to them than I used to be. Unless I just don’t like you.
When I pull away, she holds my face between her hands and looks me in the eyes. She has a fiery glow about her, and she gives off warmth. I remember being younger in Ireland and her allowing me to sit and hide in her pantry when I became overwhelmed.
She wouldn’t bother me or rush me out. She would just bring me water and snacks every now and then as she checked on me. I would laugh as she would curse the others out to keep them away from me, no matter who or how old they were.
A few times, she did sit with me on the closet floor to play cards. I liked those times. She always makes me laugh.
It’s not really her humor but the way she says things. I think she knows and understands this, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She lets me be me.
“Did ya see I’d be on the plane to ride back with ya?” She whispers.
I smile. “Yes, ma’am. I asked Uncle Wyatt to stop for a deck of cards for us to play. You like card games, right?”
“Aye, that’s our thing. Ya were so little and adorable, but ya kicked me bum every time. Let’s get to it, lad.”
She rubs her hands together and smiles. She smells like baked cookies. I don’t like sweets, but I love the scent as it clings to her. It makes me think of Mom.
I’m happy to be going home to see Mo-mo. I miss her. Ready to get back home, I take the seat across from Granny.
“Ya look like ya got taller since ya been here. This might have been a bad idea. Yer mum might clobber me for bringing back the wrong lad,” she murmurs the last part to herself.
“Mom will be happy to see me. She will know I’m her Sammy. Besides, Uncle Ronan needs you. You will keep Danny busy so his little girl can be conceived before they change their minds and don’t have her.”
“Ach,” she gasps and covers her mouth. “Me Ro is having another baby? Oh, me Danny is so sweet but a little lass.
“The big lad makes me so proud. Wait until we land. Aye, it’s time I call Cianán, he needs to be in America.”
It’s clear that she’s very excited. She and Cianán will move to the States for a while. Until Cianán’s health sends them back to the countryside. I will be a man when that happens.
“This news is grand. A wee lass. She’ll be the prettiest grand I have,” she sings.
“She’ll be your only granddaughter,” I snicker.
She smiles. “I know. I knew me Ronan was special. Took him forever, but he got me me lass. But he’s a good lad, he is. All the others gave me nothing but boys.”
Suddenly, I’m pushed forward into the future. I’m standing in a brightly lit room. My peace is with me.
She’s standing beside me. Bagpipes can be heard in the distance. I turn and Patrick is at the altar with his bride.
“This doesn’t happen if you don’t see the full picture. It all falls apart if he loses them. No Patrick means no me.
“You will be too angry and cruel to see me. Don’t let them take me from you,” my peace says.
“But I’m trying. Every time I look, I see the same ending,” I say in frustration.
“My sweet boy.” I turn to see my first mom watching me. “My selfish decisions are still affecting you.
“Because I saw what wasn’t mine and still chose to take it, you will see many things for others but will struggle with your sight for self.”
“I don’t know what to do. How do I fix this?”
“Make wise decisions, Sammy, and this too, you can change. You, my sweet boy, are change.”
Mom vanishes and I’m standing alone. The bagpipes are still playing, but I’m no longer at the wedding venue. Everyone is gone.
I back out of the vision, humming and rocking. If I am change, I can figure out the way to save Patrick’s family. Losing them is wrong.
I don’t want to lose my peace. I will need and want her in my life. I wish I knew what her face looks like.
“Something has changed. The answers will become clearer. You still have time.”
It’s that whispering voice in my head. My racing heart calms a little. I grab my backpack and pull my notebook out to jot a few details down.
“Excuse me. We will play in a little while. I must do something first,” I murmur to Granny McGowan as I begin to write.
“Aye, take your time, love. I can’t go anywhere.”
Tasha
“His plane has landed. Granny McGowan rode in with him. She’s returning to spend time with Dean and Ronan,” LaSalle says as I go through my checklist for the groceries just delivered before they’re put away.
I want to make sure everything I wanted for Sammy’s return came in. I cleaned out his personal refrigerator and had to replace almost everything in there.
“Oh? He probably had a good time with her. I love that little lady and she’s always so patient with him. I believe he likes her too.”
“I would say. Ronan sent me a text saying she got into the car talking about gifting Sammy with property in Ireland.”
“Really? That’s nice of her.”
“It’s very gracious of her. The McGowans own tons of land in Ireland, but it’s usually reserved for family to pass down to family. This is a great honor to be bestowed with such a gift. I believe I was the last person who wasn’t a family member in any capacity to be gifted land by them.”
“You have land in Ireland?” I say and lift a brow.
“I do.”
“Why don’t I know about this? You plotting a hideout to run away from me or something?” I tease.
“To be honest, I forgot about it until just now. Cianán takes care of the maintenance and things. I never decided what to do with it.”
“Wait, what made him gift it to you in the first place? Your best friend isn’t related to them by blood. Although I love the way the Blacks and McGowans treat each other as blood.”
“It’s a long story. It had a lot to do with Ian Black himself. One word from him and Cianán began to treat me like a son.”
“I wish I could have met him. He always sounds like such an interesting man. It’s funny how I feel like I knew him and Ellen more than I did when I’ve learned more about each of them from letters and journals, not real life,” I muse.
“You would have loved him. The man was brilliant and commanded everything in the room around him, no matter where he was.”
“Um, sounds like he rubbed off on you,” I say as I move to wrap my arms around him.
“I was lucky to know him.”
“Mommy, Karen took the puzzle I was playing with,” Paulie comes running into the kitchen to whine.
“No, I didn’t. I had it first. Stop lying on me,” Karen calls out.
“Paulie,” I groan.
He turns the corner and sees his father and stops in his tracks. I want to burst out laughing as he starts to slowly back away. He knows he’s in trouble.
“Why shouldn’t we lie, Paulie?”
“Be … because if you lie about the little things, you can’t be trusted with the really important things and people won’t believe you when it’s important,” he says in almost a whisper.
“Do you think any of us should trust you with all the lies you tell?”
“No.”
“Then why do you keep lying?”
“Because … because. Because I wanted to play with that puzzle. It’s the only one I haven’t done yet.
“Karen just got to it before me, and I wanted Mom to make her give it to me. It’s mine to play with,” he says.
“Oh no. Little boy, come—”
LaSalle places a hand on my arm as I get ready to snatch Paulie’s little butt up. I don’t do entitlement. There isn’t a toy in this house that this little boy has paid for to be talking about something being his.
“I’m going to place you in time-out: ten minutes for lying.
When those ten minutes are done, you will apologize to Karen for fibbing on her.
Then you will come to my office—where I work to buy toys for you and your siblings—and you will sit for another ten minutes as you write down that you, Paulie Locatelli, are a person who shares and doesn’t take things for granted.
“I will have your sheet of paper with your words when you come to see me. Once you fill the page, you will read it to me. If you want a puzzle that you can call yours, you will ask me for a job to earn your own money.
“Then I’ll take you to the store to get what you want once you’ve earned enough. For now, you live under your mother’s and my roof, so all those toys belong to us. We say first come, first served, if you don’t know how to play together. Do you understand, son?”
“Yes, Daddy. I understand.”
I turn my back to Paulie and purse my lips to keep from laughing. Paulie is four. What job is my husband going to give him? Better yet, why is this man talking to our baby like he’s one of his soldiers?
“Good, your first time-out starts now. Go to the time-out chair.”
“Okay.”
LaSalle places his hand on my hip and kisses my forehead. He then leans to whisper-chuckle in my ear. “You were going to whip his little ass, weren’t you? ‘It’s mine,’ the nerve of his little ass.” He snorts.
I burst into laughter, not able to hold it in any longer. LaSalle tightens his hold on me, laughing along with me. These kids are something else.
“Sammy,” Elijah squeals from the front of the house.
I turn and hurry to the foyer. I stop in my tracks as Sammy comes into view. He’s gotten so much taller. He’s already a tall boy for eleven years old.
He gives me the brightest smile and drops his bags to rush over to me. I embrace him and hold him tight. He inhales deeply.
“Hi, Mo-mo. I missed you.”
“Did you have fun? How was your trip?”
“I had a lot of fun. Granny McGowan flew back with us, and we played cards on the flight.”
“I heard. What did you get to do with the Blacks?”
“I learned computer hacking. I learned how their system works for their case files. I learned how they track their bounties. I wanted to know everything in case something I learned could help me later in life.
“Uncle Noah trained me in hand-to-hand and weapons. I can snipe now. I enjoyed that very much.
“I like their bookkeeping system better than Uncle Uri’s. I might be able to improve things for him and Uncle Micheal. Oh, and I like curry chicken and rice with roti.
“Do you know how to make that? I would like it if you could make it for me. I will ask Mrs. Paloma to send you the recipe.
“There are dance battles on the weekends. Uncle Joe helps Jordan and the others come up with their routines. I was on Jordan’s team twice and we won.
“I like that they didn’t treat me like a little kid or as if I were autistic. I was a part of the family and team. It felt like how you treat me, Mom.
“I got everything I needed, but I’m happy to see you. I missed you so much. I love you, Mom,” he rambles excitedly.
I have never heard Sammy talk so much at once since I’ve been in his life. His eyes are so bright with excitement. I run my hand over his hair and then palm his face.
“I can make you some roti. You sound like you had a good time. You want something to eat now?”
“I will unpack and then I can have lunch with you and Dad. I have things you should know.”
“We’ll be waiting.”
“Can I come with you, Sammy?” Elijah asks.
“If I say no, you’re just going to stand outside my door. Come on, shadow,” he deadpans.
My mouth falls open. I look to LaSalle and it’s clear he’s trying to fight off his laughter. We look each other in the eyes.
“Ryan,” we say in unison.
“Oh God, what has that man done to my sweet boy. What am I going to have to unteach him?”
LaSalle pulls me into his embrace and kisses the top of my head. I shake my head before I go to make us some lunch. Then I pause and turn back to LaSalle.
“Wait a minute. Roti? How did they get him to try that? Everything touches.”
“Paloma kept the wet and dry parts separate. Sammy was able to mix them when he wanted, and he liked that. Trust me, it was good as hell. I can’t blame him. He was scraping the plate by the end,” Maldonado says, rubbing his belly.