First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

“I swear my heart stopped in that moment,” Lexi continued quietly. “It was like being hit by lightning, except instead of being fried to a blackened crisp, I felt like a part of me suddenly woke up. It was just like in all those fairy tales – you know, love at first sight and all that? Except this was real, and it was happening to me. I wondered if you felt it too, but...”


Yeah, he knew. He took off like the devil himself was on his ass, but hell, he had been nearly eighteen at the time, and she was Kieran’s age. He had no business having a reaction like that to her. And even if she had been older, he probably would have done the same thing. Because he had felt something, and it scared the shit out of him. So much so that he had forced himself to bury it so deep he didn’t have to face it.

“I tried to tell myself that I imagined it,” she said. “That it was all in my mind, a product of my overactive imagination. Too many books, too much time alone. But each time I saw you, I felt it a little stronger than the last, until it got to the point where I could barely function if you were around. Your brothers started to notice, Kieran especially, and I felt like a total idiot, but there was nothing I could do. Eventually, I think, you started sensing it too – or maybe one of them said something to you about it – because after a while, you seemed to go out of your way to avoid me.”

It was true. He did. But not for the reasons she thought.

“And then, well, Kayla found out where I was spending all my spare time. To say she was livid was an understatement. And somehow – I swear I don’t know how – she found out about my feelings for you. That was the night you got roped into picking me and Kieran up from the basketball game. And you know the rest of that story.” She let the silence hang heavy between them for a long time.

“Why did you leave Pine Ridge?” he asked quietly.

“Ah, Kieran didn’t tell you,” she said. “Always my protector. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.” She took a deep breath. “The night of the basketball game – well, I saw you and Kayla and, and I don’t know, I just lost it. Something just... snapped. I waited for her at home, and when she finally came in, I said I was going to tell Dad what she was doing every night when she snuck out of the house to go meet boys. Things got a little loud and we ended up waking our parents.”

“We heard them coming a mile away. All of a sudden, Kayla got this really funny look on her face. Before I realized what was happening, she hit me hard and fast – twice in the face, once in the stomach. I was caught completely off-guard. She’d never done anything like that before. Most of it was verbal, though sometimes a push here or a shove there, but nothing like that. I think I was more surprised than physically hurt, but as you can guess, it looked horrible. By the time my parents opened the door I was doubled over, bleeding profusely from the nose and mouth.”

“Son of a bitch,” Ian murmured. He’d known Kayla was cruel, but he’d never imagined this.

“Then, it was like someone flipped a switch, and Kayla went from raging psycho to concerned sister. All of a sudden Kayla was pressing a balled-up shirt to my face, crying and stroking my hair. It was a great show – she always was a consummate actress with a flair for the dramatic. With her hand holding the shirt in my face I couldn’t say anything. Kayla told them ...” Lexi paused, steadying herself with a deep breath. “... she told them that I’d been ... attacked. That we had been fighting because she insisted I tell but that I wanted to keep it quiet, to protect the one that did it. My father went absolutely ballistic. My stepmother went into hysterics.” Lexi shook her head.

“Who did Kayla say molested you?” Ian asked, sensing he already knew the answer.

“Kieran,” Lexi answered, her voice thick with tears, confirming his worst fears. “She wanted to hurt me, and she figured out the two best ways to do that. Oh, I’ve always known that she was behind that little scene in the parking lot,” she told him. “And the thing with Kieran? I think that was just a bonus.”

“Lexi,” he breathed, pulling her closer. “I’m so sorry.”

“I told my Dad and Patricia it wasn’t true, but if they accepted that then they’d also have to accept the fact that Kayla had been the one to attack me, and I don’t think either one of them was ready to face that little gem of truth quite yet. Patricia, I could almost understand, but not Dad. He knew your family, knew your dad forever. Thought of you boys as his own. I think he knew in his heart that Kieran would never do such a thing, but he had to do some serious damage control. Patricia insisted on calling the police right away, but Dad managed to talk her out of it. He did, however, forbid me from seeing Kieran ever again. Or any of you, for that matter.” She sniffed. “It was for your protection as much as mine.”