Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aurora wanted to attend her doctor’s appointment alone. I told her she was out of her pretty little mind if she thought I wasn’t going to be there. I know what doctors do during checkups, and no one was going to be all up in my wife’s vagina.
The appointment was quick. We were in and out with a script in hand. That was not what I was expecting. “Are you sure those are safe to take?” I ask Aurora.
“Considering women have been taking these for decades, I’m pretty confident,” she says.
“He just gave you a script. No questions,” I mutter.
“What were you expecting? I told you it wasn’t a big deal.”
“I thought that a doctor would, you know, give you a checkup.” I wave a hand over her body.
“You thought they were going to look at my vagina?” Aurora laughs. “That’s why you were so insistent on coming with me.”
“No,” I grumble, then add, “Yes. But I would have wanted to come anyway.”
“Thank you,” she says. “I do appreciate you coming with me.” Aurora tightens her hand around mine.
I wait, counting to ten in my head before I push through the doors and step out first. I look down the street in both directions. The car is parked directly in front of the building. Patty is holding the back door open for us. There are two additional cars sandwiching ours.
“Are you expecting trouble?” Aurora looks around.
My lips tilt upwards. “I married you, princess. I’m always expecting trouble.” Her fist hits my shoulder and I wince, rubbing the spot. “I really wish you’d hit like a girl.”
“Aw, don’t worry, hubby. I’ll kiss your boo-boo better for you,” she says in a sugary-sweet voice before brushing past me and climbing into the car.
I have to take her back to the house and then go and see my uncle.
I don’t know what he wants to see me about.
No doubt it’s to plead for his kin. Aisling’s father is my uncle on my mother’s side.
He works for the organization, but he doesn’t have an overly-active role.
I also know there was no love lost between him and my father, so I’m pretty sure his reason for seeing me isn’t anything to do with that.
“Connor?” Aurora says.
“Yeah?”
“Take me to one of these Irish pubs you guys keep talking about.” Aurora smiles at me.
Fucking hell. A pub is the last place we need to be. But when she looks at me like that, it’s really fucking hard to say no.
“You want to go drinking at ten in the morning, Aurora? There is hope for you yet,” Patty says from the driver’s seat.
“Princess, going to a pub is a bad idea,” I tell her.
“Why?”
“Because we have people actively trying to kill us?” Is that not a good enough reason to stay out of public places as much as possible?
“We can bring your army. And I promise to be on my absolute best behavior,” she says.
“Okay.” I sigh. “But not now. Tonight.”
“Yes, thank you!” Aurora squeals. “You know, we’re actually legal drinking age here.”
“When has that ever stopped you?” I laugh.
“It hasn’t, but it’s kind of cool.”
On the way back to the house, I message my uncle. I told Aisling I’d go see him tonight, but it seems I’m taking Aurora out to a fucking pub instead.
Me:
I’ll drop around in about two hours.
Uncle C:
See you then.
“You know it’s a bad idea,” Patty mutters under his breath.
“I’m aware,” I tell him.
“But we’re doing it anyway?” he asks.
“You try saying no to her.” I point a thumb towards the back seat, where Aurora is watching our interaction.
“It’s easy. One word. NO. Just say no.” Patty shrugs.
“Patty?” Aurora cuts in.
“Yeah?”
“I mean this in the nicest possible way. Shut the fuck up. Don’t try to tell Connor what he should do, especially when it comes to me, because he already is the perfect husband. You can’t improve on perfection. He doesn’t need pointers from you. Have you ever even had a girlfriend?” she questions.
“Ollie,” I say the name that makes Patty shiver.
“Who is Ollie?” Aurora asks.
“The girl Patty dated in eighth grade. She had a few… stalkerish behaviors.” Connor laughs.
“Shut up,” Patty groans. “I don’t do girlfriends, princess. I like my meals varied.”
“Gross,” Aurora says.
After taking Aurora back to the house and making sure her cousin was still there to watch out for her, Patty and I headed out again. The last thing I want to do right now is talk to assholes about a business I don’t give two shits about.
“What if you gave it to your uncle?” Patty says.
“Give what to my uncle?”
“The organization.”
“Why the fuck would I do that?” I ask him.
“Because you and I both know you don’t want this, Connor. You’ve never wanted it. You really want to spend the rest of your life dodging bullets?”
“I married a Valentino—pretty sure dodging bullets for the rest of my life is a given.” I smirk.
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m not going to pass off my problems to my uncle.
I caused this mess. I’ll clean it up.” I shrug.
Also, Aisling does not deserve the kind of attention being the boss’s kid would give her.
I’m selfish in a lot of things, mostly when it comes to Aurora, but there are instances when I’m willing to sacrifice for others.
I will find a way out of this organization. I just have to be patient. And I have to find the two fuckers who have gone into hiding like a couple of cockroaches. The last of my father’s loyal men.
“Set up a meeting for tomorrow, all ten of the tops,” I tell Patty. “It’s about time we end this fucking war.”
“I agree,” he says. “I’ll get it sorted.”
When we pull up to my uncle’s house, I look around. The street is quiet. There are no cars in the driveway and no movement around the house.
“Think it’s a trap?” Patty asks me.
“Nah, he’s family. Family doesn’t turn on each other,” I say in the most serious tone I can muster.
Patty just laughs. We both know that’s bullshit.
“Wait here. If I’m not back in fifteen or you don’t hear from me, grab Aurora and get her the fuck out of this country,” I tell him.
“Yeah, there is no world where I’m leaving your ass behind.” Patty shakes his head. “Besides, your wife would kill me if I showed up without you and tried to shove her on a plane. You might enjoy knife wounds, but I do not.”
“She stabbed me twice, and neither of those times was with a knife. You’re being dramatic.” I roll my eyes at him and exit the car. I feel for my pistol at my back. The weight of it a welcoming comfort.
I don’t think my uncle has asked me here to cross me, but you can never be too fucking careful.
I don’t knock on the door. Instead, I let myself in. “Uncle C, you here?” I call out.
“In here.” His voice comes from the living room. The television switches off as I approach him.
“What’s the craic?” I greet him with a hug before unbuttoning my jacket and sitting on the sofa.
“I wanted to check in, see how you were holding up,” he says.
“Fine,” I tell him. “Now, cut the bullshit. What did you want to talk about?”
“Your mother.”
“What about her?”
“I heard from her. She wants to see you,” he says.
I snort. “Yeah? I want to live in a world where my parents don’t kidnap and torture my wife, but here we are.”
“I didn’t say you should see her. I just said she’s asking to see you,” Uncle C says.
“Did you know?” I ask him. Surely if his sister was pregnant, he would have known about it.
“Know what?”
“That my parents adopted a kid out before they had me?”
“Not your parents. Your father,” he tells me. “That child was not your mam’s.”
“Her name’s on the birth certificate.”
“Your father made sure it was. He had an affair. The kid never would have been accepted. There was no choice but to give it up.”
“Did she know? My mother?”
“No,” he says. “She still doesn’t.”
“Right, well, this has been fun and all, but I do have a million other things to do.” I turn and walk away, closing the door behind me and heading back to the car without another word.
The relief on Patty’s face when I jump into the passenger seat is weird.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I ask him.
“I really didn’t want to have to deal with your wife if you didn’t come out of there,” he replies as he pulls the car out onto the road.
A proud smile crosses my lips. I fucking love that woman. I don’t blame him, though. I wouldn’t want to deal with her either.