Protector (The Brannock Siblings Book 4)

by Jessica Wilde

  Isabelle could feel the excitement bubbling up inside of her. She couldn't wait so, instead of enjoying breakfast, she convinced him to leave right then so they could get started. He bagged the bread and followed her out the door, laughing at her enthusiasm as he helped her into his truck.

  Liam stopped in town and bought a few supplies while Isabelle looked around. It wasn't a large city, but it was bustling with people. She received a few funny looks, but for the most part, Liam was the one everyone was curious about.

  It shouldn't have been a surprise that he was stopped a few times by people who knew his parents or siblings. Everyone seemed to be genuinely interested in how he or his family was doing. Liam answered all their questions or greeted them with a warm handshake.

  Izzy noticed a few young girls gravitate toward him and after only a short greeting, Liam excused himself to get his errands finished.

  When they returned to the truck, he blew out his cheeks and rolled his shoulders.

  "Your family is well known here, is it because your father is an officer?"

  "My father knows everyone and my mother cares about everyone," he shrugged. "And ye can never forget about Maggie."

  He was right about that.

  They spent the drive into Rathdrum talking about anything and everything. Izzy found out more about the Brannock family and she told him about her life back in Ohio. It wasn't exciting, but Liam hung on her every word and asked her question after question.

  "Did ye not plan to attend more schooling?" he suddenly asked when she casually glanced over the conversation about her plans for the future.

  "I wanted to and still want to, but I don't think it's in the cards for me. My mother wouldn't support the idea. She doesn't believe a woman should be out in the world like that."

  Liam's lips pressed tightly into a thin line. He didn't seem to agree with Marjorie Moore's way of life. Not at all.

  "She's lived her whole life privileged and isn't the kind of person to think outside the box," Isabelle added with a shrug.

  "Does that give her rights to force it onto her only daughter then?" he asked quietly.

  She didn't answer and he didn't seem to require an answer. She knew it wasn't right, but the way she grew up felt so final. Only recently did Isabelle feel the need to fight it.

  Liam kept the conversation lighter after that, only asking her about her interests and anything else she could muster up that was happy. His interest in her seemed genuine and it hurt to think that it was the first time that had ever happened to her. The first time someone cared about her that didn't anticipate what her family could offer them.

  When they reached the botanical gardens, Isabelle was speechless. In all her life, she never thought she would see such a beautiful place.

  "I don't think I ever want to leave," she gasped.

  Liam chuckled and guided her to the front gates with his hand at the small of her back. "We have all day, but I don't think they'll let you sleep here."

  The afternoon continued on very much the same way as the night before. Isabelle discovered that Liam did so much for his family and took very little time for himself, but he seemed to appreciate it. He was selfless and compassionate, but she could sense his need for more. Something they both seemed to have in common.

  The deep looks he gave her sent her heart beat into overdrive and she couldn't miss how much those small touches affected her. Even if they were only happening because he was a gentleman, she wanted to think it was because he wanted to touch her.

  They explored the gardens and talked until Liam said it was time to leave. Maggie and Aivy wanted both of them over for supper and he informed her that being late wouldn't get them any food.

  "I promised Maggie we would arrive no later than six, I hope ye don't mind. I wasn't sure if ye had plans for supper already," he said.

  "Even if I did, I would have changed them. I would love to see Maggie and Aivy again."

  Liam offered his hand once more as she climbed back into the truck, but instead of closing the door, he stood there silently.

  "Everything alright?" she asked.

  He cleared his throat and raked a hand through his hair. "Aye, it's just that the day passed so quickly. I was thinking that I suddenly don't want to share ye very much with anyone else."

  What was she supposed to say to that? She felt the same way, but revealing that would put her in a position she wasn't sure she could handle.

  "Thank you, Liam," she replied breathlessly.

  He nodded, a devilish smirk on his face, before shutting the door. His eyes stayed on her as he made his way around the front of the truck and she knew without a doubt that the pull between them was felt on both sides.

  "Lord, help me," she whispered to herself.

  ***

  Liam

  Present day...

  Liam woke early, the lingering dreams of that month with Izzy invading his thoughts.

  That day with her was the first time Liam ever felt a connection with someone other than his own family. The first time he felt himself being put together instead of scattered around.

  His aunts doted over Izzy all evening and, seeing the smile on her face as more of the heavy weight of life lifted off of her, was a vision Liam always remembered. After they were married, Izzy told him about the immediate pull she felt between them. She told him that it was the only thing she ever grabbed onto knowing full well the risks involved and not giving a damn about it.

  It was a risk she would have taken over and over again.

  It was also the first time Liam ever considered leaving Ireland. Sure, he would have hesitated if she asked him to go with her right then and there. Eventually, however, it wasn't even a choice. It became a need deep inside him to never let her go no matter where she was. And he never did.

  There were times in their marriage that Izzy asked him if he resented her for taking him away from his family and home. It was the only thing that could have ever caused a wedge between them, but it never did.

  His parents had been devastated to see him go, but knowing he was happy with Izzy and that it was his - for lack of a better word - destiny, they didn't fight him on it.

  "If you ever want to move back, Liam, please tell me. We will go with you. The kids would be just as happy there as they would be here," Izzy had told him over and over again.

  What she didn't realize is that he felt the same way. They would be happy anywhere in the world, but where they lived wasn't ever important enough for him to make it an issue.

  "We'll go wherever life takes us, love," he always said to her.

  His job eventually didn't allow for a move like that and they both struggled with the danger of him being a cop. Izzy more so than he. But everything they did, they did together.

  Thinking back to those first days with her in Ireland so long ago, he could still feel that need for her.

  Her first week there was spent exploring anything and everything he could possibly think of. Isabelle saw all there was to see in Rathnew and they spent every day together, building a friendship neither one of them expected to last a lifetime.

  Liam shelved those memories for later and finally climbed out of bed, making his way down the stairs of the house he and Izzy had found shortly before Conall was born. She fell in love with the backyard more than the actual house.

  "I'm going to bring a little bit of Ireland to you," she'd told him excitedly. That was the start of her mission to plant a garden just like his aunt's garden behind that little house in Rathnew. With advice from Maggie herself, Izzy created their own little slice of his old home.

  Liam strolled into the kitchen thinking he was the only one up at this hour. He was surprised to find Emily at the island drinking a glass of orange juice. For someone who enjoyed coffee as much as she did, he found it odd that Emily was drinking juice instead. With no sign of Conall anywhere nearby, he decided to take the opportunity to find out what was on her mind.

  She'd been so happy since the
wedding and her engagement to Conall was a dream come true. Liam knew this because Emily couldn't stop smiling for days, even weeks after. Not to mention Conall's recent hope to transfer back to Oakland so they could be closer to the family.

  She was ecstatic.

  The last week, however, her behavior was strange and she kept her distance from the rest of the family, staying in her room at lunchtime or leaving the table early after dinner. Conall didn't seem to understand what his fiancé was going through and worried that she didn't really want to move to Oakland.

  Liam knew better and after finding her leaning over the toilet after Aislinn's lasagna two nights earlier, he knew that the news was big.

  Emily's normally bright green eyes were dull and red rimmed. She wasn't getting much sleep and Liam wondered if it was her that he heard in the middle of the night wandering the house.

  "Emily, love. You tell me what is going on in that beautiful mind of yours or I'll start the inquisition."

  Emily smiled and took another sip of her juice before looking him in the eyes and biting her bottom lip. "I'm tired. Stressed. Confused."

  "Well I can see all of that from across the room, but it doesn't explain why."

  She looked down at her hands and sniffed, her eyes filling with moisture and a gentle hand dropping to her flat stomach.

  "Does Conall know?"

  Her eyes immediately shifted back up and met his own in surprise. "Know?"

  "About the baby," he explained quietly, not wanting to betray her need to keep it a secret for now.

  Her eyes filled to the brim and tears spilled over as she shook her head.

  Liam sat beside her and let her drop her head to his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. Even if it was a futile attempt, he tried to soothe her quiet sobs. "Shh, love. It's alright. It's happy. Really."

  She pulled away and wiped at her eyes, but it didn't matter, the tears were coming and nothing would stop them. "I never thought I would be scared of having my own children. Not like this and especially not with a man like Conall. I just... what if I'm not a good mother? I couldn't even help my own brother stay away from bad people. How am I supposed to protect this child?"

  She covered her belly with both of her hands and closed her eyes, desperate for answers she wouldn't get for several months.

  "Emily, you are not your parents. You and Conall love each other enough to lift each other, not drink yourself into the ground and disregard anyone and everything around you," Liam said and kissed the top of her head. "You both have huge hearts and a desire to protect the people you love. You will be an excellent mother and not because of what you can give this child, but because of the love this child will feel from each of us. Especially you and Conall."

  Emily smiled and nodded her head. After a few deep breaths she said, "I know this baby will be loved, spoiled even. That's why I was so happy about the possible transfer for Conall. I want us to raise our children with family surrounding them. I just want to make sure I do things right."

  "Well, first things first." He lifted an eyebrow and smiled down at Emily's worried expression. "Tell Conall. Once he knows, you'll see that everything will be alright. You need him with you on this, Emily."

  She sighed, nodding her head in agreement. "How did Isabelle deal with it? Knowing the way she grew up now, I wonder how she got over the fear of becoming her parents."

  Liam always wondered that himself, but his Izzy was a force to be reckoned with. A part of him was always sure she would come to him with tears in her eyes, asking herself what she was going to do.

  But she never did.

  In fact, it was Liam that was terrified every step along the way. He didn't know how to raise a child even with the experience from helping raise his siblings. It's just not something a man can be prepared for so soon. Isabelle knew what she was doing. She knew it down to her very bones how to love a child despite her own childhood.

  "I think that growing up the way she did actually helped her. Remembering the trials she faced and the promises she made to herself, it was easy to make decisions when it came to the kids. She had an example of what not to do and so do you."

  Emily frowned, "She wasn't scared? Wasn't she nervous at all?"

  "She was, but only because she was so excited to see each of them. She knew Marjorie and Nicholas were just blinded by their fears. They didn't allow themselves to raise her in a loving home because their life was all business. When Isabelle found out she was pregnant with Conall, her life was all about him and nothing else."

  Emily listened intently and Liam wished that Izzy could have met her. They would have a lot to talk about and if anyone could make his future daughter-in-law feel better about the life she had before Conall, it would be Isabelle.

  "Conall is still struggling with knowing what she went through," Emily informed him. "He still can't believe it. I mean, he knows Isabelle and her parents were never really close, but he said they were always so conservative when he saw them. Religious and... dry," she grinned. "I think he's just surprised that it was kept a secret for so long."

  Liam nodded, knowing full well his oldest son was furious about the things that happened to his mother. But it was in the past and the life they had wouldn't have been possible without the past. "Izzy promised herself to never allow anything to get in the way of loving her children and teaching them how to love in return. Teaching them that family is the most important thing in the world and without it, we are all lost and alone. She wanted them to grow up without doubt."

  Emily sighed and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "You are right. I wish with all my heart that I could have met her."

  "You already have, love. Conall is a part of her and the way he loves you comes from Isabelle herself."

  She smiled and lifted off the stool, walking over to the sink and rinsing her cup before turning back to Liam. "I've been dying to tell Conall. I think he would be really happy about the baby."

  "I agree," Liam said with a wink.

  Emily scurried out of the kitchen with a little more of a skip in her step. Liam chuckled when he heard her footsteps on the stairs. She was running now and any moment, his oldest son would realize that he was going to be a father.

  Warmth spread through Liam's chest at the thought of another grandchild on the way.

  "Send me some well behaved ones, Izzy," he whispered, already knowing without a doubt that his grandchildren would be just like his own children. They were all in for a shock.

  Raising the kids wasn't always easy, but Izzy made it beautiful.

  Liam made some coffee and wandered out to the back patio. His eyes landed on the Chrysanthemums in the front corner of the garden. Izzy had not only made their beautiful family, but she tried to make a garden as beautiful as the one in Rathdrum. Liam thought it was more beautiful since she was always the one standing in it.

  At the sound of movement in the house a few minutes later, Liam walked back inside and made his way up the stairs.

  Conall and Emily were currently staying with him until Conall's interview the next week. If he got the job - which he would without a doubt since Luke, and Liam himself, were personal references - the two of them would go back to Colorado for a few days to pack and move. Liam already told them his home was their home until they found a place of their own.

  He was surprised at the excitement he felt thinking they would stay with him for a while. He missed having all of them together.

  Fergus and Aiden were back in Detroit, but they were returning soon enough. No way Aiden was going to miss Ash giving birth and Fergus was feeling more and more like Detroit wasn't where they were supposed to be. He would never ask Aiden to leave Lily and little Aidy behind, though. Liam predicted it wouldn't take long for the topic to come up, especially with their wedding coming up fast.

  He was about to pass Conall and Emily's room when he heard their quiet voices, full of emotion. He peaked in to see Emily sitting on the edge of the bed with Con kneeling on the ground in front o
f her, his hands on her belly and his head in her lap. The smile on his son's face couldn't have been more impressive.

  "A baby?" Conall whispered.

  Emily nodded, tears slowly cascading down her flushed cheeks.

  "We made a baby?" Con asked again with disbelief and awe.

  "We did."

  Con lifted up and cradled his fiancé's face in his hands, wiping her tears away and kissing her passionately. "We'll love our baby, Emily. More than any parent has ever loved a child. We'll give this child the best life possible and there will be no doubt that it's loved."

  A tearful smile lit up Emily's face. That was all she needed to hear.

  Liam didn't want to intrude on their moment, but he couldn't bring himself to walk away. He watched as his son rested his head in his fiancé's lap and pulled her against him. She cradled his head in her arms, her slender fingers combing through his hair. The glint of her engagement ring made Liam smile.

  Conall was a nervous wreck after he bought that ring with the help of his father. Some of the diamonds from Isabelle's ring were placed within the design. It's what Isabelle would have wanted. Ash already knew the diamond on her ring was actually from her mother's. A piece of that symbol he gave her so long ago had gone to each of his children.

  Emily glanced up and saw Liam standing in the doorway. She smiled at him and he gave her a quick nod before stepping out of sight.

  A few minutes later, he heard Con shout out, "I'm going to be a father!!"

  Footsteps pounded down the hall and down the stairs before the front door opened. Then he heard his son shout again. "I'm going to be a father!"

  He assumed the entire neighborhood would hear him and Ash and Lucas would be there any minute, ready to help celebrate.

  Chapter 6

  Izzy

  Izzy couldn't stop smiling.

  Nine days in Ireland had already made the difference she needed. She could practically reach out and grasp her freedom and the worries she'd come here to escape were no longer in her view.