FINN
I let out a sigh of frustration as I realized the depth and gravity of my fuck-up. And, of course, I was thirty-thousand feet in the air as it dawned on me. Patrick was sound asleep in the first-class seat across from me, his head propped up on a pillow.
Kenna. I’d totally screwed up, gotten so wrapped in what had happened to Da that I’d forgotten to contact her.
Then I realized the plane had Wi-Fi. I took out my MacBook and opened it on the small desk in front of me, clicking around until I was able to find it, but it didn’t connect – no option to pay the exorbitant mid-flight Wi-Fi fees appeared. I pressed the call button for the stewardess, and within seconds one arrived.
“How can I help you?” she asked. The stewardess was a trim, pretty woman in her mid-twenties, a blonde ponytail draped down her back.
“The Wi-Fi,” I said, gesturing to my computer. “It’s not connecting.”
She made a pout, as if she was upset with me. “We’re having some connectivity issues,” she said, leaning forward into my personal bubble. “We should have Wi-Fi later in the flight. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s back up.”
“Great. Thanks.” I was frustrated as hell at this news but kept that to myself.
A sly smile formed on her lips. “And if there’s anything else I can get for you, Dr. O’Conner – please let me know.”
I’d been around the block enough times to know what that offer meant but flirting with flight attendants was the last thing on my mind.
“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.”
Her eyes lingered on mine for a beat or two longer, that smile still on her face. Then she straightened and sauntered off, tossing me another come-hither glance over her shoulder.
The moment she was out of my sight, my mental attention returned to Kenna. I clenched my hand and slammed it down on the arm rest, my temper getting the best of me. The noise got Patrick’s attention, and he opened his eyes sleepily.
“What’s the racket, brother?”
“I was supposed to go to Kenna’s for dinner tonight, remember? I was so wrapped up in getting out the door, I completely forgot to contact her before we left.”
His eyebrows flicked up in surprise. “So she’s got no idea what’s going on with Da, where you are?”
“Not as far as I know; not unless she talked to Duncan and found out that’d gone to Ireland.” I winced again, remembering another detail. “And I didn’t even tell him that I was going out of the country on account of Da – she might think I just flew the fuckin’ coop.”
“That’s not good. But what’s done is done, brother – get some rest and let her know the first chance you get when we land.”
I was fucking furious – more at myself than anything else. But even through that I was able to see the wisdom in Patrick’s words.
“Get some rest,” he said again, tucking the pillow under his head and closing his eyes. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
He was damn right about that. Sleeping was the last thing on my mind, but at the very least it’d make the flight go faster. The sooner it was over, the sooner I’d be able to explain things to Kenna. I took my pillow from the empty seat over, shoved it under my head, and found a comfortable position to rest in.
To my surprise, I found myself drifting off the moment I closed my eyes. Dreaming about Kenna, of course.
She and I were alone together not in my apartment, but in a big, sunny bedroom with a gorgeous view of a long stretch of green lawn. The woman looked beautiful as ever, nothing on her perfect body but a pair of white, lacy, thong panties and a matching camisole that showed off her lovely middle and round breasts.
“Good morning,” she said, a warm, inviting smile on her lips.
“Good morning, love.”
I wrapped my arm around her, Kenna snuggling against my chest. And though it was only a dream, the emotions the scene instilled in me felt so damn real. They weren’t simply about being horny, wanting to get my rocks off.
There was something more, something deeper.
Something like love.
The rest of the dream happened in flashes of fantasy. I imagined her lips wrapped around my cock, her smiling eyes on mine as she bobbed her head up and down, her tongue flicking out to tease my head. She let my cock fall out of her mouth before placing her hands on my chest, moving her body up over mine, positioning her pussy right above me. I grabbed my throbbing, brick-solid prick and watched as she lowered herself on to it. Kenna leaned forward, her round breasts in my face as she rode me hard.
Then she was on all fours in front of me, her hair wrapped around my wrist as I handled her firmly but lovingly. I plowed into her like a madman, like it was the last sex I’d ever have again in my life. Her breasts swayed underneath her to the rhythm of my thrusts, and together we drew closer and closer to orgasm.
But we finished in slow, tender missionary, gazing into one another’s eyes with emotion I’d never known with a woman before. Our orgasms were synced together, her body and mine rising and cresting at the same time, both of us reaching our peak and descending together.
And when the passion faded, love remained.
“Hey, up and at ‘em, brother!”
I awoke to an across-aisle shove from Patrick.
“Huh?”
I shook back to the waking world, a glimpse out the window of the endless verdant green of Ireland letting me know we’d arrived.
“On the descent now – let’s get ready to move.”
I nodded and watched as the familiar sights of my homeland grew closer and closer. The moment the wheels touched down, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked for reception. But there wasn’t any.
“Shit,” I hissed. I’d have to call the phone company, set up some international plan for my American cell provider.
It’d have to wait. When the plane came to a stop, Patrick and I grabbed our bags from the storage compartment and hurried off the plane as fast as we could. Thirty minutes later I was behind the wheel of a rental car, Patrick next to me. The time difference meant it was well into the morning. Back in Colorado it was the middle of the night. Even if I were to get service, Kenna would be asleep.
I barely had the mental focus to pay attention to my surroundings, the rolling green of Ireland, the place of my birth. But nostalgia didn’t matter then – only Da did. Nothing to do but focus on the reason we’d come home in the first place. Patrick and I drove to the hospital on the outskirts of Dublin, parking and hurrying into the building and finding the ICU. We rushed to the front desk and spoke to the nurse there, who directed us to the room.
There was no doctor around and neither of us were planning on waiting for permission to see our father. So when we found the right room we walked inside. Patrick and I froze as we stared at our father.
He was either asleep or unconscious, his thick, silver hair – normally parted with precision – a shaggy mess on his head. A plastic mask was on his face, and ventilation tubes appeared to be down his throat. The monitors beeped, and more tubes were in Da’s arms.
“Hell of a thing to see the old man like this,” Patrick murmured.
“No fuckin’ kidding. He’d hate it.”
Silence fell again, only interrupted by the door opening behind us. We turned to see a middle-aged doctor enter the room, a stocky man with thinning hair who introduced himself as Dr. Kieran Kelly. He asked us who we were, and once we’d explained, he told us what had happened.
Da had suffered a series of mini strokes but was finally stable. He’d need round-the-clock care once he was released in a few days, and the odds were good that he would never fully recover. I didn’t bother to explain that I was a doctor, instead letting him give me the layman’s version of everything.
When he was gone and Patrick and I were alone once more, we dropped into open chairs.
“Looks like we’re stuck here for the time being,” he commented.
“Looking that way.”
More silence.
“Don’t know about you, brother, but Ireland’s the last place I wanna be.”
“Same here, Pat.”
More silence.
Kenna weighed heavily on my mind.
I hadn’t the slightest fucking idea what on earth I was going to do.
Chapter 28
KENNA
I awoke that morning in a daze. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, what Finn did had hurt. He hadn’t simply not come – no, no, no. Nor had he just been straight with me and said he didn’t think he had it in him to be a father.
No – he’d fled the damn country. He’d ghosted the mother of his children like I was some Tinder date he wanted to forget about. I was absolutely not the type to let the bullshit behavior of men affect me, but this was different.
I checked my phone when I woke up, hoping for a missed text or call from him. Nothing.
I heaved myself out of bed, making my way to the twins’ room. But I was shocked to see they weren’t there. I raced to the living room, fear in every vein, and found Mom curled up on the couch together watching Paw Patrol. There was a bit of mess in the kitchen, the remains of a pancake breakfast.
“Morning,” Mom said, glancing at me from the couch.
“Someone was busy,” I said, looking around.
“Last night was rough. I figured helping out this morning would do some good.” That was Mom – a bit of a hardass at times, but always there when I needed her. “There’re some pancakes under that plate on the counter.”
I lifted the plate she was referring to, revealing a stack of fluffy pancakes, but eating was the last thing on my mind. “I appreciate it, Mom,” I said. “But I’m not a broken woman. I’ll get through this.”
Mom hopped up from the couch and walked closer to me. “I know you will. You’re tough like me and your father. But that doesn’t mean your family can’t help it all go a little smoother. Take a few extra minutes in the shower – I’ve got the kids.”
Tears formed in my eyes, tears more about gratitude for my family than heartbreak over Finn. Mom and I hugged, her patting my back.
“Why did he do it, Mom?” I asked. “Couldn’t even call?” More tears flowed. “Did he have to run to the other side of the world?”
“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is you know where he stands. And you know who’s on your side.”
She was right about that. I pulled myself out of the hug, quickly wiping my eyes. “Well, I’m not going to waste a day feeling sorry for myself because of him.”
“Atta girl,” Mom replied, a proud smile on her face. “Go get ready and get after the day – your father and I will handle the kiddos.”
One more quick hug, and I rushed to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. By the time I stepped into my dress flats, I was ready for the day, not even bothering to check my phone to see if Finn had texted or called in the meantime.
I said goodbye to Mom and the kids, planting a kiss on Sam then Sophie’s foreheads as I hurried out the door. And when I was behind the wheel of my car, the day in front of me, I felt ready.
My phone rang on the way there, and a quick glance revealed it was a call from Gia.
“Hey!” I said, forcing a chipper tone into my voice. “What’s up?”
“Morning! So, a little change of plans.”
“What kind of a change of plans?”
“You had your meeting with Marla today, right?”
“Right – to finish going over some details for the event.”
“Well, she wants to meet with me instead.”
“What?”
“Listen, don’t take this the wrong way, but she’s convinced I’m the only one capable of handling this thing.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. And I’m sure I don’t need to point out that I most definitely disagree with that assessment.”
My heart dropped. If I didn’t have work to throw myself into, my mind would wander into all sorts of unwanted directions. “This is BS,” I said. “I’m sure I can—”
“I agree, so here’s what we’re going to do – you keep handling the event. I’ll meet with her and share whatever ideas you come up with, but I’ll let her think they were mine. And when the day of the event comes, you handle it as my supervisor. After it goes off without a hitch, I tell her you did all the heavy lifting.”
“So, basically the same as before but you’ll be handling the meetings. I’m actually starting to like this plan.”
Gia chuckled. “You should. And don’t take it personally. In case you hadn’t noticed, Marla’s a bit of a pill. And people like her think only the head of the company is fit for their event. Really, it’s just made me think more about finally pulling you up to co-owner. But that’s something we can talk about later.”
“Gia, thanks so much for having my back on this.”
“Hey, what kind of boss would I be if I didn’t recognize talent?”
I smiled, once more feeling lucky as hell.
“Oh!” she said. “How did dinner go last night?”
Tension returned to my stomach. But what was I going to do, lie? I filled her in, all the dirty details.
“That doesn’t sound right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just from the way Gavin and Duncan have talked about Finn. Vanishing like that doesn’t sound like something he’d do.”
“Well, it seems pretty simple to me – he did some soul-searching and decided he didn’t want to be a part of our lives after all.”
More silence. “Ken, come to work. I’m going to talk to Duncan, okay?”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“I insist.”
I wanted to protest, but at the same time, some answers sounded nice. “Alright. Be there in ten.”
“Good. I’ll email you the latest from Marla so you can hit the ground running. Then I’ll let you know about the meeting.”
“Sounds good.”
I let out a sigh over the day ahead, knowing my business was about to become everyone’s business. Once I was at the office, saying my hellos to the staff, I felt a hell of a lot better, more normal. I got to my desk and started working, the day whooshing by. Mom sent me a steady supply of cute pics and vids of my babies.
A little after lunch, however, a knock sounded at my office door. “Come in!” I called out, not looking up from my work.
The door opened and in stepped none other than Duncan himself with a look of concern on his face. “Hey,” he said, sidling through the partially opened door. “Got a minute?”
“Sure.” I gestured to the chair across from my desk.
“So, Gia told me about Finn, and I wanted to come discuss it in person.”
I shook my head. “Nothing to discuss. I gave him a chance and he didn’t take it.”
Duncan glanced away, as if not sure where to begin. “There’s a reason I hired him, Kenna. And it’s not just because he can scribble his signature on a prescription pad. He’s a good man, the kind who’d always do the right thing. Maybe it’d take some time, but he’d do it.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. But all he had to do was text and let me know he wasn’t going to make it. I’d be mad, sure but I’d give him another shot. Just ghosting me? Leaving the damn country? That’s something else.”
“You’re right – it is something else. And that’s why I think there’s something more going on. I know you probably want to kill the guy, but let me see if I can get to the bottom of this before you do, okay?”
“Sure. If you want.”
He smiled. “I do want. For myself as much as for you. And I’ll let you know when I know.” With that, he rose and left.
I was alone, confused, wondering if there was a chance there’d be a good reason and I’d forgive him, or if, like always, I was destined to do this all on my own.
Chapter 29
FINN
“If you think I’m eating that…that damn swill, then you’ve sure as hell
got another think coming!”
Patrick and I shared a knowing look. “Sounds like Da’s up from his nap.”
I checked my watch. “Looks about right. Wanna come back a little later? Maybe in a year or two?”
Patrick laughed. “Sounds appealing – not gonna lie. But considering we did come all the way to Ireland, we should probably go see the cranky bastard.”
I nodded, tilting my head toward Da’s room.
It’d been a day since we’d arrived, and Da had come out of it a little sooner than we’d all expected – the man was tough as nails, had to give him that. He’d been moved from the ICU to a private room at his insistence and hadn’t wasted any time getting right back to his usual cantankerous self.
“Can a man get a halfway-decent sandwich in this place?” his grouchy voice carried down the hospital hall as we approached. “Bunch of shite!”
As we reached the door, a frazzled-looking nurse hurried out of the room. “Why don’t ya all take your chances with him, yeah?” she said, stopping for a moment. “He’s…a little cranky.”
“Oh, that’s just his usual charming self,” Patrick replied. “We’ll handle him.”
She smiled, relieved, then hurried down the hall as if putting as much distance between her and the old man as possible.
Patrick and I stepped into the room and found Da sitting up in bed, a peeved expression on his face. His hair was back to his usual neat part, and his trim, bulldog features were in their usual arrangement of annoyed displeasure.
“There you two are,” he said, his Dublin accent thick as they came. “Take a look at this shite.” He gestured to a tray of food next to him, a simple turkey sandwich, some Goldfish crackers, and a small cup of fruit cocktail.
“What?” Patrick asked. “Da, it’s a hospital, not the Four fuckin’ Seasons. You want something fancy, we can get it when you’re out.”
“It’s not that I want something fancy, boy! I want something healthy! I just had a damn stroke and they wanna pump me full of processed carbohydrates and corn syrup. What do I look like, a damn American?” He said the word American as if it were the worst, most distasteful thing imaginable.
The Irish Doctor’s Secret Babies: A Secret Baby Romance Page 20
