First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

“Are they good tears?”


She nodded again, and Ian pulled her against him. Patrick relinquished his hold on Ian with one hand, grabbing for Lexi so that he held both of them. In a move so tender, so sweet, Patrick studied Lexi’s face and touched his hand to her tears and then looked straight into his father’s eyes questioningly.

“It’s okay, bud,” Ian told him. “Mommy’s happy ‘cause she loves us so much.”

Patrick grinned, showing all four of his teeth.

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Three Months Later - January

“So?”

Ian sat hand in hand with Lexi, neither of them touching the back of their seats. Lexi’s leg bobbed in anxious anticipation, but Ian was unnaturally still. Michael’s face gave absolutely nothing away. He looked down once again at the papers in his hand.

“Jesus Christ, Mick. You must have read that thing ten times already. What does it say?”

Michael looked at his brother, his blue eyes as intense as Lexi had ever seen them. He put down Lexi’s latest test results and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, sighing. Lexi felt her heart drop clear out of her chest, landing somewhere around her feet. Her bottom lip began to tremble.

She had done everything right. She had kept to her diet, exercised every day, took her treatments diligently and without complaint. She forced herself to rest, to pace herself – something that was increasingly difficult once the new restaurant got closer to opening its doors.

Of course, everything was much easier once she opened her heart and accepted the love and support of her new family. Whenever it started getting too hard, they would keep her going. Whenever she was tempted to overextend herself, someone was always there to rein her in.

By far the biggest motivation was the wedding, slated for the end of February. Lexi wanted everything to be perfect when she and Ian started their life together “officially”, not the least of which was the desire to fulfill Ian’s wish for more children.

Worst of all was the feeling that she had let everyone down, especially Ian. He would be devastated, and no doubt find some way to blame himself. If he pulled away again, she simply wouldn’t survive it.

Slowly she turned to face him. She would be strong for him; she would show him that she wasn’t ready to give up. This was a minor setback, that’s all.

But when her eyes met his, she did not see the disappointment she’d expected. Nor was there any trace of anger, frustration, or sadness. His clear blue eyes were dancing, one side of his mouth curving into that sexy half-smile that made her catch her breath. What the hell?

Apparently Ian had seen something that Lexi had not in Michael’s dramatic pause, and she had the distinct impression she was missing something. She cast a glance toward Michael, who, despite his best efforts, found his mouth curling into a smile as well.

Before she realized what was happening, Ian leaned over and captured her mouth with his. There was no gentleness in the gesture, just a flood of emotion as he cupped the back of her neck and deepened the kiss. Michael cleared his throat a few times before Ian released her.

Light-headed from Ian’s sudden and unexpected possession, she looked dazedly at Michael. “Why do I feel like I am missing something? The results were bad, weren’t they?”

“No,” Michael said, smiling. “They are good. Very, very good. So good in fact that it’s going to be a nightmare.”

She blinked, more confused than ever. “And this is bad why?”

“Because,” he said, with a long-suffering sigh. “You’ve just made medical history, Lex. You have just proven that this treatment can work. They’ll be coming out of the woodwork trying to get to you.” Lexi paled visibly at the thought.

“Did I tell you my brother was a biochemical genius or what?” Ian said proudly. “We have to keep them at bay, though, Mick. I don’t want Lexi showcased as a lab rat or anything.”

Michael nodded. “Agreed. I’ll call Dr. McKenzie this afternoon and take care of things on this end. We’ll work something out. The best thing would be to keep Lexi’s name out of it entirely, but it might take a little effort on your part. There will be lots of records to be adjusted.”

“Not a problem,” Ian assured him.

Trying to follow a conversation between these two was like being carried downriver on a swift current, only catching glimpses of what was speeding by, but she was starting to get the gist. “You mean,” she said slowly, looking at Michael, “you aren’t going to take any credit for this? Why?”