“Always,” she whispered.
Conlan brought them coffee, soup, and sandwiches. “It’s good to have you home, Jack.”
“It’s good to be home, Mr. O’Leary.”
“Now maybe my daughter will start smiling again, eh?”
“I’ll do my best, sir. Speaking of, might I have a word?”
The old man’s eyes lightened. “Aye.”
“Kathleen, would you excuse us for a moment?” She didn’t want to release his hand, but he brought hers up to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. “Just a moment, I promise.”
She nodded. “I should go freshen up a little anyway.”
Jack didn’t think so. She looked beautiful. Had this not been so important, he wouldn’t have given her the chance. He couldn’t help but watch as she walked away, the slight sway of her hips, the swing of her ponytail, resurrecting long-dormant sensations. Only when she disappeared behind the double doors did he turn to her father.
“Sir, I’d like to marry your daughter.”
“Ye don’t beat around the bush, do you, lad?”
“No, sir. I love Kathleen, and I don’t want to waste another minute.”
Conlan studied him, then nodded. “Aye. Ye are a good man. If she’ll have ye, I’ve no objections.”
Relief washed over him. He liked the old man, and wanted his blessing, but in truth, nothing would have stopped him. “Thank you, sir.”
“Will ye be proposing then?”
“Aye.” Jack pulled out the small box he’d purchased years earlier on his last visit home. The one he’d hidden in his closet. Thankfully, it didn’t appear that Kathleen had discovered his secret hiding place.
“Good lad.”
Kathleen returned, no longer in her uniform, but in a pair of figure-hugging bell-bottomed jeans and a loose, flowery top. Her hair was down, brushed to a soft shine and curling around her shoulders. Both Jack and Conlan stood at her approach.
Wobbling a bit, Jack steadied himself with a hand on the table as he went down on one knee. “Kathleen Siobhan O’Leary, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
The diner went silent as Kathleen lifted a trembling left hand out to him. Her voice was clear as she gave him her answer. “Aye, Jack Padraig Callaghan. I will.”
Jack slipped the ring on her finger. Cheers erupted as Jack stood and took his fiancée in his arms.
“Ready to get out of here?” he asked breathlessly.
“So ready,” she grinned.
“I guess I’ll just wrap this up for ye, then,” Conlan said, his green eyes bright with amusement and warning. “I’ll expect my daughter home by midnight, and in the same pristine condition in which she’s leaving.”
“Da! I’m twenty-five years old!”
“Doona ‘Da’ me,” Conlan said, his accent thicker than it had been only moments earlier. “It doesn’t matter how old ye are, ye are my daughter. My unmarried, innocent daughter.”
Kathleen opened her mouth to say something, but Jack squeezed her hand. “She’s in good hands with me, Mr. O’Leary.”
Conlan nodded approvingly, picked up their plates, and headed into the kitchen.
––––––––
“I don’t know why you agreed to that,” Kathleen pouted later, snuggled across his lap.
Jack chuckled. There was a large, stiff part of him thinking exactly the same thing, but thankfully, his self-discipline prevailed. “Your father is right, Kathleen,” Jack said, tucking a strand of black silk behind her ear. “We should wait.”
“Why? We’re both adults. Haven’t we waited long enough?”
“I would wait forever for you, Kathleen, if it meant doing it right. Tell me you don’t want a proper wedding.”
“Well of course I do. But I want you more.”
“And you have me, for as long as you want me. Tonight, I just want to hold you, okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed with an exhale. “But I’m calling Father Murphy first thing in the morning and we are doing this sooner rather than later.”
“Sounds right to me,” he agreed, kissing her into silence once again.
Chapter Nine
September 2015
Pine Ridge
Michael opened the door to his office, exhausted, to find Jake snoring on his couch. He pushed his brother’s legs off the end to make room, then sat down heavily and rubbed his eyes. “Everyone else went home to grab a shower. You should, too, man. You reek.”
“Says the man who hasn’t slept in two days,” Jake mumbled. “What’s the word?”
“They’re moving Dad out of the CICU to the step-down unit.”
“That’s good news, right?”
“Yeah, it’s good news.”
“So why do you look like someone pissed in your coffee?”
“Like you said, I haven’t slept in two days.”
“Bullshit. I’ve seen you go a lot longer than that. Level with me, Mick.”
“What, did Shane give you some of his psychic mojo or something?”
“No. But I know you, little brother, and something’s got you spooked. Talk to me.”