First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

Yes, he knew about Aidan. And it burned his ass that another man was taking care of her when it should have been him. Yes, he was grateful for everything that Aidan had done, but goddammit, he never should have had to.

“You didn’t return my calls. My emails. I staked out every restaurant Aidan owns, hoping to catch a glimpse of you. I sat outside your apartment for days, just for the chance to talk to you, Lex. I couldn’t find you. I never felt so helpless in my entire life. Explain to me why, please, because God knows, I just can’t understand why you would keep something like this from me.”

“At first,” she said, her voice shaky, “I didn’t know. Looking back, all the signs were there, but I just assumed it was ... stress.” Not to mention a shattered, destroyed, pulverized heart. “And one of the side effects of the meds I was on was an inability to conceive, not that that was ever really a concern for me before.”

“But you weren’t taking your meds properly, were you?”

“No,” she agreed. “It never occurred to me that by lessening the dosage and stringing them out I was doing anything other than trying to spend as much time with you as possible.”

“It’s a miracle the meds didn’t hurt the baby when you started taking them again.”

“I was terrified that they did,” she said quietly, and Ian heard the residual terror in her voice. “And that’s part of the reason I didn’t want to tell you. Once I realized I was pregnant, I stopped taking everything. But by that point, there was a very high probability that one or both of us wouldn’t survive the pregnancy, or the delivery. I couldn’t do that to you.”

She paused, and he held his breath, suddenly afraid of what she would say next. “They wanted me to terminate the pregnancy, Ian,” she said, and the last resolve in him shattered. “I couldn’t do that, not ever. This was our baby. Ours. I knew it would be strong, I knew he wouldn’t be anything less than perfect, because it was a miracle he was even conceived in the first place. He was meant to be, Ian. And I was going to tell you, once I knew everything was going to be okay.”

“He is perfect,” Ian agreed, nothing less than absolute reverence in his voice. From the moment he’d first held his son in his arms he had known that. But he had still counted toes and fingers, gazed in awe at the intelligence in his infant eyes, swelled with pride at the strong grip on his finger. His son hadn’t cried once, seeming to know Ian was his father. He knew he was probably crazy, but he and the boy bonded.

“Aidan stuck by me, told them all to go to hell. Said we’d find different doctors, and we did. They put me on different meds – not as effective but safer for the baby.”

“And what about you, Lex? How are you?”

“Better now,” she said evasively.

“You look tired.” She was a hell of a lot more than tired. Again, Aidan had pulled no punches, giving Ian a brutally honest review of her health on the flight down. Lexi was wearing herself down, struggling stubbornly to do everything, and her fragile body was weakening at an alarming rate. Aidan told Ian point-blank that he had to do something, because he seemed to be the only one Lexi ever listened to.

She laughed lightly. “Show me a new mother who isn’t.”

“True, but most women don’t have the same challenges you do.”

Her eyes glowed, and Ian saw the familiar defiance. “He is my son.”

Ian’s shoulders shifted back just slightly, his back straightened a little more. Subtle changes, but the overall effect was an unquestionable air of command, of authority. “He is my son, too. And I’m going to take care of both of you.”

Without another word, he stood up and scooped Lexi into his arms, carrying her back toward the master bathroom.





Chapter Twenty-Four


“Would you prefer a shower or bath?” he asked, lifting the milk-soaked gown over her head. His eyes lingered over her full breasts, her ample hips.

Lexi placed her hand over her belly self-consciously, all too aware that the pregnancy had added curves to the ones she’d already had.

Ian clasped both hands around her wrists and pulled them away. “Never hide yourself from me,” he said huskily. “Jesus, Lex. You just had my child. How can you think I would see you as anything less than the goddess you are?”

“But I’m so... soft,” she mumbled as she looked down at the pooch where she had once been flat. She’d never been a hard-body, but the swimming and careful diet had kept her trim and relatively firm. Months of bed rest and the pregnancy had really taken a toll. Her eyes trailed up Ian’s tight, hard physique, so lean and drool-worthy, and she felt the now-familiar welling of tears behind her eyes. God, she hated these hormones. They were turning her into a paranoid cry baby.