First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

“A long time.”


Aidan smiled. “Yeah, a long time. And I have never been as worried about you as I have been these last few months. All the times you were in the hospital, all the times you needed a transfusion, I didn’t worry so much, because I always knew that you’d come through it okay. You had so much life in you, Lex. So much inner strength. I never doubted you, not once.”

“But then... I don’t know. You gave up, Lex. And I, like everyone else who cares about you, had to sit back and watch you destroy yourself, a little more each day. So when Ian called me and told me about what he and Michael had cooked up, hell, yes I jumped on board. And I’ll not apologize for it.”

He smiled wryly. “I’ll admit it’s a shot to my ego, though. I kind of liked playing hero all by myself.”

Lexi laughed softly. “You are my hero, Aidan. You think I was the strong one, but you were the one holding me up all these years. I never could have made it this far without you. I am so sorry I made you worry so much.”

“Just promise me you’ll work with us on this, okay?” he said, his eyes shining.

“I promise.”

The meals and the workout kept Lexi focused, and by the end of the four hours, she was amazed at what she had been able to accomplish. Ian arrived to pick her up with Patrick in tow. He was taking her to the nearby town of Birch Falls for a lunch appointment with Johnny to discuss renovations on the house. Lexi was forbidden from doing any of the work herself, but Johnny assured her she would be pleased with the results.

The best part of all was having Ian by her side, smiling at her, talking with her, touching her and sneaking kisses whenever he could.

After meeting with Johnny, Lexi was required to “rest”. Ian told her that could include anything not too physically demanding. Fortunately, he was flexible enough to allow for some “rewards” and “incentives for good behavior” while Patrick took his nap.

Dinner was prepared in the Pub kitchen. By popular demand, Lexi was allowed to oversee and assist in the meal preparation. Jack Callaghan joked that it was the first time so many of his boys ate a meal together in years, and hoped that it would become a regular event.

Lexi was not allowed to clean up the kitchen afterwards. She didn’t protest that one too much.

After dinner, Lexi retired upstairs with Patrick. Together they watched movies, played games, read books, often with Taryn and Riley. When the kids went down for the night, Lexi had time to herself. Sometimes she and Taryn would curl up with a movie and popcorn; sometimes they’d go their separate ways, each comfortable in the knowledge that the other was only a soft knock away.

The support she received was overwhelming, and Lexi felt blessed.





Chapter Thirty-One




Lexi nuzzled Patrick on his belly, making him laugh like crazy. It was a beautiful fall day, the region in the midst of an Indian summer. The unseasonably warm temperature and clear skies were perfect for spending an hour or two by the nearby lake.

“So. You doing okay?” Ian asked, leaning back on his elbows, watching them play together.

Lexi turned to smile at him, and felt her heart skip a beat. Somehow, she knew it always would when he smiled at her like that.

“I have to admit, it’s going pretty well.” And it was. Each day was better than the last as she grew accustomed to the new routine. She felt better than she had in a long time, and this afternoon’s check up with Michael had been encouraging.

“You say that like you’re surprised. Does my woman doubt me?”

His woman. Is that what she was? Her mind answered with a resounding Yes! She always had been, and she was beginning to realize that she always would be. She laughed softly, shaking her head. “It’s too early to tell, but... I think this could actually work.”

Ian rose a little higher. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Patrick crawled up his daddy’s leg and stood on his lap, gripping his shirt with two beefy little hands. Looking at the two of them, Lexi couldn’t have been happier. Right here, right now, was exactly where she wanted to be.

Could it have been only a week ago her life seemed so bleak? She had sat in Michael’s office, knowing the results of her tests before he opened his mouth. And she hadn’t really cared. The only thing keeping her going at all had been her son, and even that was barely enough some days. On those days, she saw how happy Patrick was with Ian and Taryn and all of his doting uncles and grandfather, and wondered if he wouldn’t be better off without her. More than once, she felt guilty for taking him away from all that.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

“Hey,” Ian said softly. “Are those tears?”

She nodded, too afraid to trust her voice.