First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

“Christ,” he whispered, stroking his son’s head lightly with trembling fingers. “That is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He swallowed hard and raised his eyes to meet hers. In them, she saw raw, powerful emotions swirling restlessly, held carefully in check, but her reckoning would come soon, she knew.

As soon as the boy’s eyes drifted shut and his little body relaxed, Ian took him from her, holding him to his chest and rubbing his back. Lexi frowned, feeling a bit cheated. She loved holding her baby up against her, caressing his soft skin, inhaling his perfect little baby smell. One look at Ian, though, and she felt ashamed. No matter what had transpired between them, Patrick was his son, too.

“Now it’s your turn,” Ian said, walking toward the kitchen. The child remained asleep in his arms; he made no move to put him down. Lexi knew just how he felt.

She heard the microwave door open and less than a minute later, Ian brought her a covered plate. He went back for silverware. Again for coffee. Once more for juice, doing everything one-handed, never once relinquishing his hold on his son.

It was hypnotic, watching him move. He had a silent, masculine grace that radiated strength and control like some lethal predator, yet he held their son with infinite care. Like someone who had been in the dark for ages and was then suddenly permitted to gaze upon a spectacular sunrise, she could not turn away.

There was no denying that Patrick was Ian’s son. The boy was barely two months old but it would be clear to anyone not legally blind that the resemblance went far beyond the black hair and blue eyes. Already her son had the same stubborn set to his jaw, the fierce temper, and the ability to melt her heart with only a look. Seeing them together stirred something inside of her, something at once beautiful and sad. Yes, Patrick was Ian’s son, but he was hers, too, and there was no way in hell she would ever let him go. The only way that child would be taken from her was over her cold, dead body.

Ian stopped moving and stared back at her. As if sensing her thoughts, his big hand came up protectively against the back of Patrick’s head.

“Ian, I - ”

He flashed those blue eyes at her, a look that breached no argument. “Eat,” he commanded, his voice quiet but with unquestionable authority. “Then we’ll talk.”

Her eyes flashed right back at him, but the loud growling from her stomach lessened the impact. Her traitorous body was betraying her left and right this morning, wasn’t it?

The meal was hot and delicious, but despite her hunger, she had trouble swallowing. Ian was here, in her apartment. He waited patiently, holding Patrick, watching her with an intensity that did absolutely nothing for her appetite. Only when she laid down her fork and refused to take another bite did he stir.

Without a word, he removed the dishes one by one. Then, with a kiss to the baby’s forehead that melted her heart, he laid their son down in the little bassinet and began to pace, running his hand through his hair. Here it comes, Lexi thought, bracing herself.

But instead of saying anything, Ian suddenly appeared before her, pulling her to her feet. The next thing she knew she was wrapped tightly in his arms, his body crushing gloriously against her, his mouth devouring hers.

The raw emotion in his kiss was staggering. In it, Lexi felt paralyzing fear, relief, elation, hunger, anger, and desperation. She was swept away in a fast, swirling current, clinging to him as if her life depended on it.

Eons later, he finally broke away, gasping for breath. The cage of his arms didn’t weaken in the slightest, though, as he rested his forehead against hers. “I thought I lost you,” he said, his voice tortured. “Never, ever do that to me again. I swear to God, Lexi, I won’t survive it.”

*

Her heart beating against his chest encouraged his own, and he focused on that until he felt strong enough to release her. Unwilling to relinquish all contact, though, he entwined his fingers with hers and guided them both to the couch.

“Why, Lex?” he asked finally, following up his one-word question with several others, one after the other. Once he got going, he found it hard to stop. “Why did you leave? Why didn’t you answer any of my emails, phone calls, texts? Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? Why did you risk your life?”

“Because I love you,” she whispered quietly.

For the life of him, he didn’t understand. He’d heard the words, but they made no sense to him whatsoever. He opened his mouth to respond, but couldn’t seem to figure out a way to express the complete state of confusion in which he found himself.

She sighed, focusing on where their hands met, moving her thumb slowly over his skin. “You have to understand something, Ian. I’ve been in love with you since the first time I saw you,” she confessed. “Wildly, madly, passionately in love with you, before I even knew what that was.”

Yeah, his brothers had told him as much. The ones that were still talking to him, anyway.