First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

Lexi kissed his forehead and smoothed his hair. He was asleep again before she even made it to the door.

Once inside the bathroom, she closed the door silently and sagged against the frame. Her entire body felt like it had been in a train wreck. Every muscle burned in protest, every joint felt like a toothache. The third cramp hit her again and she doubled over, sliding down to the floor until she could catch her breath again.

With a sense of dread, she forced herself to look down, knowing what she would see. Her legs were black and blue from her knees upward; patches of deep purple ringed her hips. Tears filled her eyes, a profound feeling of loss blossoming within her. Time was running out too quickly.

She had no choice. With a silent curse she reached for the last vial. She hated this. Hated what she was forced to do, just to pretend to live a normal life. This week had been a welcome respite from what her life had become – a structured series of tasks that carried her from one day to the next. But this week – this week she had actually lived.

When the pains stopped coming every few minutes, Lexi switched off the light and eased into the main room just long enough to grab her cell, moving slowly and carefully so as to not wake Ian. Once back in the bathroom, she tapped out a text, wishing she didn’t have to. Then she pressed send and settled against the cool wall to wait out the remainder of the night alone.

*

A knock at the door woke Ian. He heard Lexi’s sweet, quiet voice, and seconds later the room was filled with the delicious smell of coffee and bacon.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she teased, wheeling a cart over to the bed. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I ordered a little bit of everything.”

Ian’s stomach rumbled hungrily at the huge assortment of breakfast items displayed before him as Lexi uncovered plate after plate. Pancakes. French toast. Eggs. Bacon, Sausage, Ham. Several different kinds of pastries. And, God love her, two full-size carafes of coffee, one of which she was pouring into a pair of mugs. She handed one to him.

Ian looked her over carefully from tip to toes. He’d slept soundly for the last few hours, but he was pretty sure Lexi hadn’t returned to the bed. Now she was already dressed in faded capris that hugged her figure like a glove and a long-sleeved, light fabric peasant top. By all accounts she looked fine, but he sensed that something was off.

“You okay?” he asked, an edge of concern in his voice.

Lexi gave him a patient smile. “Yes. Stop worrying, Ian. I’m fine.”

“Come here.” She did, without hesitation, sitting beside him on the bed, though she did so rather gingerly.

“You’re a rotten liar,” he said.

Lexi had the good grace to look a little ashamed. “Okay. So maybe I’m a little tender. But you don’t hear me complaining, do you?”

“That’s all?”

“Well, I think I’ll have to skip the pony rides at the fair, but other than that...”

Amusement glinted in her eye, and Ian breathed a sigh of relief. “You know, I could help you with that soreness.”

Lexi scooted off the bed, beyond his immediate reach. “Oh no you don’t, mister,” she scolded with a grin. “You promised me a county fair.”

Ian smiled back, even if he was a little disappointed. Not too much, though. He could give her a couple of hours to rest. “That I did. And I always keep my promises.”

*

The fair was as wonderful as Lexi remembered, even if it didn’t seem quite as big as it once did. There were still dozens of food booths, games, shows, bands, and rides. Truly something for everyone.

The entire Callaghan clan was there. For community-wide events such as this the Pub closed its doors, all of the men taking an active part in the festivities. Lexi got to meet some more of their extended family as well – the Connelly cousins. Johnny (whom she’d met), his brother Michael (not to be confused with Ian’s brother Michael), his sister Lina, and their spouses. They’d taken over a pavilion at the far end of the grounds for their annual reunion.

Ian got dragged into a few spirited games with his brothers and cousins, while Lexi watched with the rest of the “wives”. Taryn, she knew. Celina, Stacey, and Keely – wives of Kyle, Johnny, and Michael (Connelly), respectively, were a riot to be around, and Lexi found herself enjoying the afternoon more than she ever thought she would. Odd as it seemed, she felt comfortable around these women, and they, in turn, seemed to accept her among them easily. It made it that much more difficult to do what she had to do.

“Uh-oh,” muttered Taryn. “Here comes trouble.” As one, the women turned where Taryn was looking and saw Kayla approaching.

“She is trouble,” Lina agreed.

They watched in silence as Kayla approached the pavilion, keeping to the far side, out of the line of sight of the men.