41. Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-One
Finn
C arys is pale against the white sheets in the hospital room. She lost a lot of blood, but they were able to stitch her up and give her a transfusion. Thank God, she’s going to be okay.
When she passed out in the car, I thought I screwed up again by holding her too long and letting Jade talk when I should have been ending her. I should have rushed Carys out of there and straight to the hospital. Now I’m sitting here, staring at her as she sleeps off the pain medication they gave her. At least she doesn’t have to stay here overnight. As soon as she’s awake and not too groggy, we can go.
Kim stands in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. “I negotiated a day and a bit for you. You’ll have to turn yourself into the local police, not tomorrow morning but the next morning at nine a.m.”
“Didn’t I save the world?”
She rolls her eyes. “ We did, yeah. They caught Pierre-Jacques in Chicago with a crew. He’ll never see the light of day. The other bombs were found and dismantled in the locations we pinpointed, including the one in Cork. The bomb with Carys was a decoy. The real device was in the next room. Who knows what Jade intended to do? In the Chicago office alone, hundreds of lives were saved. Probably a few thousand overall with the detonation times.”
“I saved the day, and they’re still going to put me away?” I eye her, annoyed, even though it’s not her fault.
“You did the crimes, now you serve the time.”
“I get tomorrow night too?”
“It was the best I could do. I realized you’d want to be sure Carys was fine before you went back.”
“I need to check in with Semyon.” I rise from my seat.
“Jay called the Volkovs.” Lorcan appears at Kim’s side. “He’s organized Carys’s plane. Everyone will be at Thomas’s house tomorrow night for one last hurrah.”
My chest tightens at the realization I’ll get to see Lucas before I return to jail for another three years. Bittersweet. At least everyone will be there for what I want to do for Carys.
I stare at Kim for a beat, debating whether I can or should bridge the gap. “Once I get Carys settled at Thomas’s house. Can you run an errand with me?”
Kim raises her eyebrows. “Just me?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I promise it’s nothing bad. I want to do something for Carys, and I’d appreciate some guidance.” What do I know about girly shit?
Kim and Lorcan exchange a glance, and he gives a nod of approval. “Okay,” she says. “I can do that.”
Every ring looks the same. We’re on our third jewelry shop in Dublin, and Kim hasn’t seen one yet that she thinks Carys will like. Part of me expected her to pick the first decent-looking one, so she didn’t have to be alone with me. While I wouldn’t call her talkative, she’s been very thorough in her examination of any ring she’s considered suitable. I don’t have a clue, so it’s comforting she has an idea of Carys’s taste.
“Not sure if Lorcan mentioned it,” I say as we wander down another row of rings, peering into the cases. “I suggested he come to Cape Verde for a beer or two when you’re both done working.”
Kim stills beside me. “A beer or two?”
“Or however many you want. Carys and I will have a hotel and casino to run. Lots of jobs if either of you wants to semiretire on the island.”
“You’ve got another three years before you need to worry about that.” Her tone is acidic.
Normally, I’d bite back, but I understand her conflicted response to me. “I realize that. I appreciate the extra time out you negotiated.” We pause by one of the glass cases, and Kim searches my face.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive you for what you did to my family. To my brother. Sometimes I wish I was the type to sweep it aside, but I can’t.”
“I’m not the type to brush it aside either,” I say. “I’m actually impressed you didn’t drive a knife into my back during this assignment.”
Her dark eyes turn sad. “I could never do that to Lorcan. Despite everything, he loves you. And while I can’t forgive you, in the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen the reasons why he loves you—why Carys loves you. You’re not all bad, Finn Donaghey. Maybe someday you’ll even be good.”
“I’m working on it.” I smirk. “I’m not going to be the father to Lucas that my father was to me. I’m going to raise him better. I’m going to be better. I can guarantee that.”
“I won’t stand in the way of you having a relationship with Lorcan, or from him having the chance to be an uncle to your son. So, if he wants to come for that beer, then we’ll be there.” She turns to peer into the case and then points to a ring. “There,” she says. “That one.”
I stare at the diamond she’s selected, and though I don’t understand cuts or settings, a calmness settles over me. I can imagine this ring on Carys’s hand. “I’ll take it,” I say to the saleslady when she wanders over.
“Would you like it sized?” the saleswoman asks. “We can have it ready for you in an hour.”
I grimace, but Kim holds up a hand. “I’ve got this. I went jewelry shopping with her enough to know her ring finger. She used to try on and buy a lot of jewelry.” The woman gives Kim a slip of paper, and Kim scribbles down a size.
An hour later, I’ve got my future secured in my pocket.
As soon as Lena and Sofia arrived and finished fussing over Carys and Jay, I enlisted their help in decorating the gazebo overlooking a small pond on Thomas’s property. They sent runners to get these tiny lights, flowers, and rose petals. I’m not too proud to admit when I need help. Romance is not my thing, but I’ve got to create a moment that’ll last Carys for the next three years of small tables and stolen conversations. Maybe I can’t give her everything she wants right now, but I can give her the promise something better is coming our way.
“He remembers you.” Carys strokes my arm while I feed Lucas his bottle.
“He won’t be drinking a bottle next time I see him, will he?” He’s making little contented noises in my arms while he sucks back the formula.
“Since you’re going back to minimum-security”—she tries to catch my gaze—“I can bring Lucas for visits. I can arrange for you to see each other. It’ll make the transition easier in three years.”
“Will he remember seeing me in there?” While I don’t want to hide my past from Lucas as he grows up, he doesn’t need the full weight of the decisions I made—the bad things I’ve done.
“I don’t know,” Carys admits. “He’ll be almost four when you get out. So, he might. But I think it’s more important for you two to have a connection than whether he remembers you were once in jail.”
I take a deep breath and give her what she wants because maybe it’s what I want too. “Yeah,” I say. “He can come. If you think it’s a good idea.”
She kisses my cheek and snuggles into me, looping her hands around my bicep. “The next three years won’t be easy,” she says. “But I’m sure they’ll be worth it.”
The lights are strung, the petals are flipping in the breeze, and there are giant vases of flowers at the entrance to the gazebo. I told Carys I had last-minute calls to make before I have to turn myself in tomorrow morning. She didn’t even question it. Kim and Carys are walking around the property, and Kim agreed to end their walk at the pathway that leads to the gazebo. I check my watch. She should be here soon.
Are most men nervous when they propose? It’s not something I ever thought much about. I’m not nervous about the marriage, and I’m not worried she won’t say yes. Mostly, I’m worried I haven’t gone big enough, extravagant enough in my proposal. I don’t want to let her down.
There’s a shuffling noise along the path, and then Kim says in a loud voice. “Why don’t you go check out the gazebo? I have to reply to this message from Lorcan.”
“Oh.” Carys’s voice drifts on the wind. “Sure. Thomas said it’s a lovely lookout over the pond.”
Kim chuckles. “I’m sure it is.”
Carys comes around the corner, and even in the dim lighting from the strands strewn around, her expression is everything I could have hoped for.
“Finn,” she breathes out and takes the two steps up to the wooden platform where I’m standing. “Did you do this?”
My lips tip into an almost-smile. “I’d love to take the credit. I am this amazing, but I had help.”
“Wow,” she murmurs taking in the petals, the lights, the view of the pond, the bouquets of flowers. “This is incredible.”
Relief rushes through me. As long as she likes the presentation, the rest is easy. I have to speak from the heart which used to be impossible but doesn’t feel so difficult anymore. “We’ve got a tough few years ahead of us, but I wanted to give you a really good memory to hold on to. Something concrete to look forward to in three years.” I draw the ring box out of my pocket.
Carys frames my face, and there are tears in her eyes. She kisses me hard. “Yes,” she says against my lips.
I chuckle. “Haven’t even asked you yet. I’ve got this whole sentimental speech planned. You don’t want to hear it?”
She stares up at me, and I’ve never loved anyone more. “Carys Van de Berg, you’ve had my heart for probably more years than you realize. I worshiped you from afar as a kid, loved you fiercely when I was still too much of a boy, and now as a man, I can’t imagine my life without you in it. So, I’m not even going to try.” I go down on one knee and open the ring box. “Will you marry me?”
She wraps her arms around my neck and sits on my bended knee. “Yeah,” she says. “I can’t wait to be your wife.” She kisses me.
“I can’t wait to see what you can cook up with three years to plan.”
“You’ll be horrified.” She traces my face with her index finger.
“And I’ll love every minute of it.” I take the ring out of the box and slip it onto her finger. As soon as it’s secure, a sense of peace blankets me. The next three years might be hard, might even feel impossible some days, but prison isn’t where we end. We’ve got a future together.