He signed a paper and was given the money. He’d never had so much in his living life and he thought it would be a lot more climactic than the six bills the woman handed to him.
It was when he showed the money to Mia that he felt the surge of happiness he was hoping for.
“Where did you get this? Oh my goodness, it’s definitely enough for pizza.” She threw her arms around him. He twirled her, giddy with the success of his surprise. Until she dropped her arms and slid to the ground. “But I can’t accept it.”
“Why?” he said, gobsmacked.
“Yeah, why?” Kevin said, squeezing in between them to gawp at the bills in her hand.
“Go to the car,” she said, pointing to the curb where she’d parked.
She handed him the small bag of groceries she’d bought and kept pointing until he sighed heavily and marched to the car.
“Mia, lass. Ye must accept this gift or I’ll be sore unhappy.”
“It’s much too much. How did you even get all this money?”
“I sold my wee knife at the historical museum. They were eager to have such a fine artifact from the distant past. So, it is a good amount, then?”
“It’s a good amount, yes.” She stared up at him in awe. “You shouldn’t have sold your knife.”
“Bah, what will I do with it, or this money? I dinna believe there’s shopping in the afterlife.”
She gripped his hand. “Do you really want me to have it? You don’t know how broke I am. This money will help us so much until I get my first paycheck.”
“I only wanted the lad to be able to have his pizza, so I’m pleased it’s so much more than that.”
“It’s a lot more.”
She put her arms around his middle and squeezed, tipping her head back to look at him with eyes full of gratitude. He thought his heart might explode, it felt so full. She gasped and pushed away, looking around.
“What is it?” he asked.
He was sorry not to have her close anymore but more worried about what had shocked her into jumping back like that.
“What if this is it? You saved Kevin and now you’ve pretty much kept us in groceries until I get paid. How much more could you help us?”
He swore and hurried to the car. “Let’s get away as quick as we can.”
She continued to look around. “Not yet,” she said to the sky, cheeks blazing. She went so far as to shake her fist then got in the driver’s seat. “I suppose she’s not coming,” she said.
Her voice was relieved but her face was screwed up with anxiety. The yet hung in the air between them.
“Let’s no’ think of it,” he said, patting her hand. “I’d like to eat this pizza of yours for the first time without a heavy heart.”
“You’re in for a treat, Conall,” Kevin said from the backseat.
Not yet, he silently entreated Soni. Please, just a wee bit more time.
***
The delicious pepperoni and warm crust smell of the pizza filled the car and soothed her nerves somewhat. By the time they reached home, she thought she might be able to pretend they were just a normal family. Thinking it caused a stab of regret. She’d made some pretty stupid mistakes in her life, but nothing so daft as starting to fall in love with a ghost.
There. She admitted it to herself. It stung, but she didn’t shrivel away. She might though, when he was gone. He was generous, brave, selfless, gorgeous. Everything she ever wanted in a man. And if she didn’t stop thinking about how much she was going to miss him, she wouldn’t be able to eat a bite of pizza.
No sooner had she placed the box on the table and went to get napkins and plates, there was a pounding at the front door. It had to be Evie, keen to hear the latest news. She sighed, not wanting to discuss Kevin’s accident with the ornery pig at the castle.
The pounding grew louder, rattling the door on its hinges and she turned to look at Conall. The pounding grew louder still, sounding like kicks now. That couldn’t be an eager neighbor. It could only be her ex on a rampage.
“Go to your room, Kevin,” she said, surprised she could speak. “Lock the door behind you.”
Pale and trembling like a leaf in late autumn, he ran to his room without a word of dissent.
“Ye get to your own room,” Conall said, already heading toward the door. “I’ll take care of this.”
She shook her head. It was time to face him. She was certainly glad she didn’t have to do it alone, but she was in the right. And she was sick to death of being afraid.
He sighed and motioned for her to stay well behind him as he strode to the door. Before he could reach it, it flew inward, splinters of wood flying everywhere.
She always envisioned him as a monster, complete with jaws and claws and red eyes, and he looked that way now in reality. He roared as he shoved past the broken door, stopping short when he saw Conall, his eyes widening. That made Mia smile.
Unfortunately he saw the smile, which was like pouring gas on a flame.
“You filthy whore,” he shouted. God, what will the neighbors think? she couldn’t help worry. “Where’s my son? I have a right to see him.”
He hurtled forward, getting stopped short by Conall’s big fist knocking him in the chest. Thankfully the entry hall was narrow, so if he wanted to get past Conall he’d have to start hitting and she knew he only felt comfortable hitting people much smaller than himself.
“You don’t have any such right,” she called over Conall’s shoulder. “Did you forget you lost custody? And you can’t be here. You know there’s a restraining order.”
Continuing to hold him back, Conall turned and asked, “What’s this restraining order, lass?”
“He can’t come within a hundred feet of me or Kevin. And he knows it.”
“Then I suppose ye should leave, aye?” Conall asked jovially.
He may as well have waved a red flag at a bull. Her foul ex tried once again to shove past Conall, reaching forward as if he could already feel her neck in his grasp. Conall had him face down on the floor in a second, his hands pinned behind his back.
“I said I’d get ye the chance to kick him if I could,” he said proudly. “That restraining order is only against him I’m supposing. Ye can get as close as ye like, is that right?”
If she hadn’t already admitted to herself that she loved Conall, she knew it with all her heart now. She stared down at the wriggling worm at his feet, searching her soul for the ability to forgive. She so wanted to be the better person.
She looked down at her summer sandals. “Hang on,” she called, marching toward her room.
Searching through her mess of half-unpacked clothes, she found a pair of hiking boots. She was the better person. She always had been, no matter what he tried to make her believe. All of the name-calling, all of the accusations that she deserved what she got. She was about to firmly— very firmly— put it all behind her.
She finished lacing up the heavy boots and pounded back into the entry hall.
“You’d bloody well better not, you—”
The rest of his sentence came out in a yowl when she slammed her reinforced toes into his ribs. She felt hot tears streaming down her face and shook them away.
Once more. She could still take the high road after that. She kicked him again, this time in the belly, remembering all the times she had to wear long muumuus to the pool with Kevin so no one could see her bruises.
He grunted in pain and she wished it would have felt better to hear it. But she wasn’t a monster like him, who enjoyed hurting the helpless. She stumbled away from him and nodded at Conal.
“I’m done. I’m going to call the constable.”
“I’ll leave,” he croaked, coughing and moaning. “I’m over it, you stu—”
This time he was silenced by Conall’s fist to the side of his head. “If I let ye up, ye better not give me any trouble. Nor should ye trouble Mia or the lad again. I didna hurt my hand at all on your soft head, and wouldna have any problem hitting ye some mo
re if I felt it was needed.”
“It’s not needed,” he said, going limp and lying on the floor until Conall freed his hands.
Conall blocked the hallway while he pulled himself up. Holding his ribs, he limped out the door without looking back. When she heard a car engine start up at the end of the drive, she finally breathed. Within seconds she was enveloped in Conall’s strong embrace.
“This has to be it, lass,” he said.
She clung to him with all her might. Already worked up from releasing some of her pent-up rage, she meant to continue fighting.
“I won’t let her take you,” she said.
He was silent and she realized with a heavy heart that she had no say. As much as she’d struggled to take the high road, she had needed to deliver those kicks. Needed it badly. How could she possibly ask him to give up his chance to face the man who had not only been responsible for his death, but the deaths of so many others?
They held onto each other in silence until she heard feet padding from the hall. Kevin stuck his face around the corner. She hated seeing such fear etched there and pulled away from Conall to reassure him it was all over now. He burst into tears.
“What is it?” she asked, trying to wipe away the deluge.
“I don’t want Conall to go,” he wailed.
Struggling not to cry herself, she put her arms around him. Conall joined the hug and it was almost more than she could bear. What if her life had always been like this? It wasn’t worth thinking about. It hadn’t been and it wouldn’t continue to be. Conall would leave soon. In fact, she was surprised he wasn’t already gone.
“Maybe you don’t have to go, after all,” she said tentatively. As if she might be tempting fate, or Soni, with her little bit of hope.
Conall looked around and shrugged. “Perhaps,” he said slowly.
She imagined he was disappointed. At least somewhat. As much as he might have grown fond of them in their short time together, she knew he needed to face Prince Charlie. None of it even seemed fanciful to her anymore.
“You can’t go,” Kevin said, grabbing their hands and leading them to the living room. He pushed them both onto the couch and settled himself on the floor, arms crossed stubbornly. “Nobody leaves this room.” With a nervous glance around, he added, “Or comes into it.”
Conall chuckled. “Ye dinna need to fear anymore, lad. Ye willna be bothered again, even after I go.”
Mia nodded and leaned over to smooth his hair. “Yes, you don’t have to worry, okay?”
Kevin huffed in outrage. “I’m not worried. I don’t want to keep him around because I’m worried. I like him! He’s fun and kind and teaches me things. Like a real dad. Da, I mean.” He scowled and she could see he was fighting new tears. “Do you only want to keep him because he’s a good bodyguard?”
That stumped her good. She risked a glance at Conall who looked back at her with great interest. Did she only want to keep him around because he guaranteed she’d never have to fear her wretched ex again? Did she want to keep him because he would make a great father for Kevin? Sure. Of course. But she knew it was so much more than that. So much more than the tingles she got when he touched her hand or held her tight. So much more than the kisses, though she didn’t think she’d ever get enough of those.
Yes, it was a done deal. Hook, line, and sinker, her heart was his.
“I don’t only want to keep him because he’s a good bodyguard,” she admitted, getting lost in Conall’s tender gaze.
He cut a look to Kevin and hopped to his feet, clapping his hands together briskly. “Come along to bed, lad. Nothing more will happen this night. It seems I was mistaken when I heard I’d get only one or two days.”
“But the pizza!” he argued.
Mia knew it was still too early for his bedtime and she certainly couldn’t send him off without supper. But she didn’t believe Conall had misheard his instructions. He was far too thorough and it was far too important. She knew as well as he did that he might get called back any time now. She greedily wanted that time to be hers alone. She’d deal with whatever guilt came after.
“Take the box with you and do as Conall says. It’s been a harrowing day, to say the least. An early night will do us all good.”
He looked like he might argue, but after looking back and forth between them, he nodded once, then went to the kitchen for the pizza box. He paused in the hallway on his way to his room.
“I left you some slices,” he said with a conspiratorial smile. “Have a lovely evening.”
The young fiend was playing matchmaker. She returned his smile and rushed to the doorway to give him a goodnight kiss.
“You’re my number one, always and forever,” she said, grateful to have such a clever child.
He shrugged but didn’t wipe away her kiss like he often did these days. He peered around her shoulder at Conall, who nodded fondly and saluted at him. Kevin crisply returned the salute.
“I suppose I’d be willing to share the title,” he said.
Chapter 8
Conall couldn’t say he was unhappy about not being collected by Soni, though if removing Mia’s wicked ex-husband from her life wasn’t his quest, he had no idea what else he was supposed to do.
“Do ye think the man will truly stay away?” he asked.
They had settled themselves on the couch after retrieving their pizza slices. Mia had her plate on her lap, the greasy triangles congealing, uneaten on her plate. If he hadn’t been in such turmoil he would have enjoyed the new food very much, but his worry left his own slice untouched after only a bite.
“After I’m gone,” he added, almost choking on the words.
She turned to him. “I’ll get an alarm system set up as soon as I can. And I mean to report him for breaking the restraining order. It won’t be more than a fine, I’m sure, which he won’t have any trouble paying. But if he keeps violating it, the courts will eventually have to do something.”
“I wish—”
She cut him off, beaming at him. “I can see why you’re so excited to meet Prince Charlie. Those kicks felt good. I think they awakened a beast inside me.”
“Ah, good then. Keep that beast in close range if ye truly think the blackguard will return.”
He sighed, trying to conjure up some excitement about getting his chance to apprise Prince Charlie of the damage he’d done. There might have been a small spark but it was quickly doused with worry for Mia and the lad. As he looked at her, he knew it was no longer an unselfish desire to do something good and noble. It was wholly selfish.
When Mia admitted she wanted to keep him around for reasons other than protection, his heart had soared for a moment. One brief moment before he remembered he was long since dead and would return to that state at any time.
It had been pure, unadulterated joy. No, he had to call it what it really was. Love. He loved Mia and he loved the wee lad. He’d never given more than a fleeting thought to having children when he was alive. How could he, galloping around the country, fighting for a cause? But he would have enjoyed spending the rest of his life watching over and teaching the lad. Like a real Da. He had to blink away the moisture that gathered in his eyes and roughly cleared his throat.
“I think it’s time to fire up your tablet and find us something to pass the time. That is if ye’re not sleepy?”
She stared at him, long and hard, tears glistening in her own eyes. “I’m not sleepy,” she said. “I want to stay awake with you. For as long as we have.”
He held out his arms and she scooted closer, nestling against his chest. A few minutes later another insipid film played out, the volume barely audible. He kissed the top of her head and she twisted around to face him. He wanted to tell her so many things, how beautiful he found her at the top of the list.
Instead he stayed silent, leaning down to kiss her lips. She eagerly returned the kiss and placed her hand against his heart, making it race. How wonderful it felt to have a racing heart. He pulled away gently,
torn between wanting to kiss her and wanting to drink her in.
“I could stay this way forever,” he said, stroking her hair. Everything, he had to remember everything, down to the texture and color of her hair.
She closed her eyes. “But you can’t.”
“Aye.”
She slid her arms around him and pressed herself close, resting her cheek once again on his chest. Within a few minutes, her breathing slowed and a twitch of her leg let him know she had fallen asleep.
He slid down as best he could so she would be comfortable, not concerned about his own bones. He’d be without his body again soon enough, without feeling or cares. Being a ghost wasn’t such a bad existence. Certainly easier than what the poor living had to put up with. And he’d had his own life, no matter how short it was.
This second chance was more than he could have dreamed possible. He knew he should be grateful. But his greed welled up and he had to force himself to concentrate on Mia’s lovely, sleeping form. He couldn’t waste his final minutes or hours with her on wanting more.
He was just about asleep himself when a loud bang and the almost musical sound of shattering glass made him jump. Mia tumbled off his lap and he hurried to catch her before she hit the floor.
She blinked at him and her eyes widened with confusion. A familiar, acrid smell filled his nose and a thick cloud of smoke billowed into the hallway. He pushed her toward the lad’s bedroom.
“Fire,” he said grimly. “Get wee Kevin out.”
She scurried away as he headed toward the kitchen and the source of the smoke.
The curtains and tablecloth were already ablaze. Bits of broken glass from the window lay on the floor, more broken glass winked in the flames on the table. He tried to make it to the sink for water, the fire climbing the old, wooden walls.
Mia screamed behind him and as much as he wanted to pick her up and toss her away from the danger, he didn’t have time. The flames were multiplying faster than he could possibly put out. They all needed to flee.
Alexander: A Highlander Romance (The Ghosts of Culloden Moor Book 36) Page 8
