First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

They sat in silence for a while, pulling on the long-necks. Two brothers, so in tune that conversation was often unnecessary. Yeah, Ian thought as the minutes dragged on. He should have called Jake, at least to let him know he was still in one piece.

“So how’s Taryn?” Ian asked, draining his bottle and grabbing two more.

“Good. We’re expecting.”

Ian shot a surprised look at Jake, for a moment forgetting he didn’t care about anything anymore. He, like the rest of his brothers, knew that Taryn had lost their first child at the hands of a monster a little more than a year earlier. It had broken something in Jake, but made him stronger, too. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jake said, grinning. “Found out a few weeks ago. Due in March.”

Ian chuckled. Of the seven brothers, all were either conceived in March or born in March. It was an inside joke among them, and the reason they all had “Patrick” as a middle name. “A real Callaghan, then.”

“Yeah.”

“Congrats, man.”

“Thanks.”

They settled into that comfortable silence again for a little while before Jake spoke again. “Heard anything from Lex?”

Though he’d been waiting for it, Ian tensed; his hand gripped the bottle so hard it was in danger of breaking. Ian downed the rest of his beer in one long pull before answering. “Nope.”

“Taryn talked to her a while ago, you know, to tell her about the baby and all.”

Ian said nothing. What the hell was he supposed to say? Every phone call, every letter, every email he made or sent went unanswered.

“Funny thing was, Lex asked if Kayla had the baby yet.”

Ian’s head snapped up, his eyes like blue flames.

“Yeah, thought that would get you,” Jake said soberly. “Taryn was pretty stunned too. Before she could ask Lex what the hell she was talking about, Lex apologized for asking, said it was none of her business, and hung up.”

“Why would she think Kayla was pregnant?” Ian demanded.

Jake pinned him with a hard stare. “Yeah. Excellent question, that.”

It was as if someone had thrown open the windows in his mind, letting cool, clean air in. Kayla had spoken to Lexi right before she collapsed. In the hospital, Lexi had refused to meet his eyes. “Sweet Christ. Lexi thinks I got Kayla pregnant.”

Jake nodded approvingly. “That’s what Taryn thought too, so she tracked Kayla down and asked her.” Ian almost smiled at the thought. Taryn was as fierce and protective as any of the men. If she thought for one second any of them had been wronged she was on it like a mama tiger.

“She asked, did she?”

Nearly all of Jake’s teeth showed in the resulting grin. “Yep. And guess what?”

Ian didn’t have to guess. He knew. All of the pieces started falling into place. “I have to talk to Lexi.”

Jake’s smile faded. “Lexi’s gone, man.”

“Gone?” Ian’s heart seized up and refused to beat for several interminable seconds. “What do you mean she’s gone?”

“Fuck, man,” Jake cursed, immediately apologetic. “Not like that. Gone, as in moved out of her apartment – leased it out to some single mom or something, someone she knew from the restaurant whose husband’s MIA. She quit her job. Seems to have just disappeared. Taryn’s been trying to reach her. Her number’s been disconnected, email comes back as undeliverable.”

Ian started breathing again. Fuck the English language and all the words that could be so devastatingly misinterpreted. “Aidan knows where she is.” Ian would bet his life on it.

“Most likely,” Jake agreed. “She’s hidden well, and you don’t get that kind of cloaking without some major cash and influence. He’s not sharing though.” Jake paused, and Ian sensed there was more.

“What are you not telling me?”

“Word is he asked her to marry him. She turned him down, then did her little vanishing act.”

Aidan asked Lexi to marry him? Son of a bitch. “There’s got to be a trail.”

“Shane and Kieran have been taking turns hacking your machines, but no luck so far.”

Ian’s eyes glowed with life again. “I’ll find her.”

*

“Bed rest sucks.”

Aidan chuckled even as she pouted at him, her arms crossed over her chest, her amber eyes defiant. At least they still held the signature spark, and as long as it was there, there was hope.

“So you keep telling me,” he said, sliding off his shoes and easing up on the edge of the bed so they were sitting side by side, propped up against a myriad of pillows. It was something he found himself looking forward to everyday – just sitting here with Lexi. Sometimes they talked. Sometimes they watched TV. Sometimes they did nothing at all, just enjoyed one another’s company.

“Personally, I kind of like it. I always know exactly where you are.”

Lexi stuck her tongue out at him, making him laugh even harder. She did it for his benefit, he knew. So he wouldn’t dwell on the dark circles beneath her eyes, or the paleness of her complexion.

“So...” she said, brightening a little as she peered over him to the shopping bag he’d casually dropped alongside the bed. “What did you bring me?”