Chapter 19
RONAN
“Are you sure you don’t want your sling?”
Angel turns away from Hazel to look at me. Her eyebrows rise. “My sling?”
“Yeah.” I cast another glance around the crowded auditorium.
Nearly all the seats are filled, and those that aren’t have a coat draped over the back, marking them as occupied.
More adults line the back wall, clustered in small groups as they talk amongst each other; overflow from the sold-out Christmas Eve show.
In our row, eight from the front, Hazel and Alec are seated to our left. To our other side are Frank and Wendy, the owners of Blissful Brews. Gage and Rory are three rows behind us, on the aisle, which I know Gage chose specifically for a quick exit if necessary.
Not that he’s going to need to make a quick exit. He’d better not. Because that would mean something went wrong, and my team and I have taken plenty of precautions to make sure it doesn’t.
Granted, there haven’t been any problems in the twenty-seven-year history of the annual Christmas Eve production, at least according to Principal Everts, who I met with last week.
“Well, aside from the year Ennis Kingsley snuck a flask of vodka in,” she conceded with a wry smile.
“He got so drunk, he started singing along from his seat. Then he tripped on his way out of the auditorium and broke his nose. But we haven’t had any issues other than that. ”
If Haley weren’t in the performance, I’d likely have taken Vanessa Everts at her word and left it at that.
But if Haley weren’t in the performance, I wouldn’t be here, period.
I wouldn’t be worrying about security and having meetings with my team and the school principal to ensure Haley’s safety.
I wouldn’t have asked Alec to set up small metal detectors near each of the entrances to the school.
I wouldn’t have searched the entire auditorium before it opened to the public to make absolutely sure the space was secure.
Am I being overprotective? Probably.
Would I do anything differently? No.
Not when Haley is quickly becoming one of the most important people in my life. Not when I’m in love with her mom, and I’d do anything to keep her and her daughter safe.
My teammates get it. When I told them during our meeting last week that I wanted to add security at the school on Christmas Eve, they didn’t tell me I was overreacting. They just asked how they could help.
“I know it’s not GMG business,” I told them. “And with Sharon in jail, there’s no reason to anticipate a threat. But after everything Angel’s been through, I want her to be able to enjoy Haley’s play without worrying. And Haley…”
“I get it,” Enzo replied. Then he flashed me an understanding smile. “You never stop worrying about your kid. It doesn’t matter where they are.”
But Enzo’s situation and mine are different. He actually has his own kid—little Nina, who turned one a few months ago. Haley’s not mine. As much as I’ve grown to love her, if things between Angel and I go south, I could lose Haley just like I lost Nate.
I’ll admit; that scares me. Just like I’m scared of losing Angel.
And if it were a year ago, or even six months, I might have let the fear control me.
I might have chosen the safer option. I might have chosen to watch my friends get married and build families while I stayed steadfastly single.
I might have even convinced myself it was better that way.
That was before I realized how life could be with Angel and Haley.
That was before they both captured my heart.
That was before I nearly lost Angel for good.
Shit, I still break into a cold sweat when I think about what could have happened two weeks ago. If we hadn’t arrived when we did, and Sharon had gotten off another shot… the damage would have been a lot worse than a hole in Angel’s arm.
My gut churns at the memory of Angel laying on the ground, blood soaking her sleeve, and a fucking bullet hole in her arm. A bullet hole. From that crazy woman who shot her.
Sharon Henderson. Justin’s mentally unstable mother, who got it into her head that she’d reunite him with his long-lost daughter by any means possible.
First she tried tampering with Angel’s ladder—an impulsive decision, according to Sharon, that she made when she was scoping out Angel’s house not long after finding out about Haley.
“I was so mad at her,” Sharon confessed.
“Keeping my granddaughter from me. My only granddaughter. Then I saw that woman up on the ladder, messing with her gutters. And I thought… what if she had an accident? Then Justin could step in. Or if she died, he’d get Haley right away. It was a win-win.”
Once Sharon was arrested, she confessed to everything. The ladder. Breaking into Angel’s house and planting the drugs. And when her other efforts didn’t work, holding Angel at gunpoint and demanding she sign over custody.
It took almost a week to get everything straightened out after that.
Phil was released from jail, which I was hesitant about at first, but I’ve come to accept.
I’m still pissed at him for shoving Angel, but he was innocent of the rest. Apparently, he went to Angel’s house the night of the Wonderland Walk in a drunken attempt to apologize.
Then he noticed her porch step was wobbly and got the idea that fixing it would be a way to make it up to her.
As for the crying Sharon mentioned to Angel?
Well, Phil was drunk. And remorseful. So I guess it makes sense.
Still, I’m keeping an eye on him. Just like I’m doing with Justin.
After hours of questioning, Justin was declared innocent, too. He was horrified when he found out what his mother had done, and he swore up and down he had no idea.
“I lied,” Justin confessed when I found him lurking outside the waiting room at the hospital. I’d been waiting, along with the rest of my team, while the doctor took care of Angel.
As soon as I saw Justin, I stormed over to him and dragged him down the hall. “How dare you come here,” I growled at him. “You stay away from her.”
“I know.” His expression was sad. Regretful. Defeated. “I just wanted to see if Ang was okay. Then I’ll leave.”
“Why are you here to begin with?” I snapped. “You didn’t care before. Why now?”
“Because—” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “I was a loser. A deadbeat. All the things I’m sure Angel’s called me; I deserve them. I didn’t want to grow up. Be a dad. All I cared about was partying and drinking.”
I pinned him with a hard glare. “And now?”
“I got in trouble,” he said. “Drug possession. Two years ago. I spent six months in jail. While I was in… I started to realize some things. Things I fucked up. When I got out, I started going to AA. Counseling. I found a job. I…” His features pinched like he was trying not to cry.
“I know I fucked up. Bad. But I thought if I could fix my life, earn some money to give to Ang and Haley, maybe…”
“You could take Haley away from her?”
“No.” He shook his head vehemently. “Never. I have no right to Haley. I know that. I just want to make things right. And maybe… I thought I could meet her. Just… meet her.” His gaze lifted to meet mine.
“I was ashamed. So when my mother heard me talking to the lawyer about Haley, I lied. I didn’t want her to know what a loser I was.
I didn’t know she’d do any of that. I swear, I didn’t. ”
I want to believe him. As much as I dislike the asshole, I don’t want to think that Haley’s biological dad could have been complicit in the things Sharon did to Angel. It’ll already be hard enough for Haley when Angel tells her the truth of what happened without dragging Justin into it.
That won’t be for a while, though. For now, Haley thinks Angel cut her arm by falling on a piece of broken glass. Haley doesn’t know about the break-in or the drugs. She doesn’t know about Sharon.
“I’ll tell her one day,” Angel quietly explained the other night after Haley had gone to bed. “When she’s old enough to handle it. But even then, I won’t tell her everything. Just that her biological grandmother was sick and made some decisions that hurt me.”
As for Justin? When Angel finally spoke to him, she said she wouldn’t rule out having him meet Haley one day, but for now, he needs to give both of them space.
Selfishly, I wish he’d move across the country to never be heard from again. But barring that, my team and I will definitely be keeping an eye on him.
“Ronan?” Angel frowns as she looks at me. “Are you okay?”
“Hmm?” I’m not sure how long I’ve been lost in my thoughts. Giving myself a quick mental shaking, I reply, “Yes. Of course. I was just thinking.” Then I glance at her arm, which set me off on the tangent to begin with. “Your sling. Do you want to put it on?”
“I haven’t worn it in over a week,” she replies. “Why would I want it now?”
“Because it’s crowded in here. Someone could bump into you.”
A smile tugs at her lips. “While I’m sitting between you and Hazel? How is that going to happen?”
“It could,” I reply stubbornly. “You never know. And what about when the play is over? You know how everyone rushes to leave.”
Angel studies me for a second. Then she leans over to kiss me. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I have you to protect me, isn’t it?”
I thread my fingers between hers and kiss her back.
She tastes of mint and chocolate from the hot chocolate we all shared before coming here.
“It’ll help me get into the role,” Haley explained solemnly.
“And Miss Webber says it’s very important to feel the motivation of the character. I think hot chocolate will help.”
The three of us were sitting in Angel’s living room, watching Rudolph for the umpteenth time while we talked about our plans for tomorrow.
I’m forgoing my usual trip to my parents so I can stay in Bliss to celebrate with Angel and Haley.
And this coming weekend, we’re all heading to Maine so they can meet my family.