Family Matters (DiCarlo Brides book 4) (The DiCarlo Brides)

by Tullis, Heather

  Deputy Oliver didn’t take his gaze from Mike and showed no reaction to Joel’s arrival. He did talk to her for the first time though. “You should get out of the room, Ms. Keogh. It’s not safe for you here.”

  “Not while he has her.” Rosemary decided she needed to keep Mike’s attention on herself to give them a chance to do something about the situation. “Don’t hurt my little girl, Mike. She’s just a kid. She doesn’t deserve that.”

  “She’s a throwaway, just like her mother.”

  Rosemary went cold. She’d heard those words before, from her mother about her being like her father, and while the term throwaway never came up, it was implied on a regular basis. Now Rosemary wasn’t so upset at the idea of being like her father—not the sleeping around part, but the good-parent part that made him take an interest in her, calling and visiting as often as he could get away with, being there to listen when she was upset.

  Had he berated her when she told him about the pregnancy? No, he was sad, maybe disappointed in her, but he let her make the decision that was right for her, then supported it. He could have been better in many ways, but when she needed him most, he’d been there for her. She wanted to be that kind of parent for her daughter. And she would protect Cleo through anything.

  If she just had the chance.

  There was another rustle behind her and she glanced over without turning her head and recognized Harrison’s silhouette.

  “Is Cleo in there?” he asked.

  Trent was talking to Mike, keeping him distracted, so she answered. “Yeah.” She kept her words barely more than a whisper and didn’t move her lips. “He has a gun on her.”

  There was a slight hesitation, then Harrison stepped into view, moving in front of Rosemary. “Mike. We haven’t met yet, but I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “Harrison, what are you doing?” Rosemary hissed, appalled. Now the two people she cared about most were in the line of fire and she didn’t think she could take it.

  “Don’t move any closer,” Mike warned him. “I know who you are. You’re with her.” He gestured to Rosemary with his chin.

  “How did you know we would be in here tonight?” Harrison asked, his voice calm, though his hands shook a little.

  “Silly waitress. I flirted a little and she said you were going to be down for some party tonight. I figured this would be my chance. They’ve been too well protected until now.”

  “True. We love our girls.” He stepped closer to Mike.

  “Sir, get out of the way and leave the room,” Trent said.

  “Stop it. Stop moving,” Mike said, his voice turning a little hysterical. “Cut it out.”

  “That’s my girl you’ve got there,” Harrison said, though he did stop where he was. “I can’t let you hurt her.”

  Joel had crept closer, almost close enough to touch Mike, who seemed wholly unaware.

  Trent muttered something about idiot civilians. “Mr. Forrest, if you don’t get out of this room, I’m going to arrest you.”

  “Fine, arrest me afterward. But I’m not going anywhere until my girls are safe.” He took another step toward Mike, his movement casual.

  “Harrison,” she protested.

  “Stop it!” Mike screamed. He moved his gun to point it at Harrison, Joel slammed the butt of his pistol into the man’s head and Harrison managed to grab at Cleo as Mike fell forward. They all landed together in a heap.

  Trent jumped toward them and grabbed the gun. Joel already had Mike’s hands behind him and a ziptie ready but Mike was unconscious.

  “Mom!” Cleo cried, looking at Rosemary, reaching for her with tears rolling down her cheeks.

  Rosemary helped extricate her from the jumble, holding her tightly while Cleo clung back. Harrison stood to join them and wrapped his arms around them.

  “Thank you,” Rosemary said, kissing him firmly. She couldn’t believe he had stood for her, stood for Cleo when she needed him most.

  “I heard there was something going down here. I couldn’t leave you to handle it alone.” He ran one hand along her hair. “I can’t believe I could have lost you two.”

  “We’re not that easy to get rid of,” Rosemary said, but her own cheeks were wet and she shook hard from the adrenaline that still pounded through her system.

  “Good.”

  Cleo was sobbing hysterically and Rosemary cradled her closer. “Hey, sweetie. It’s okay. You’re okay. He can’t hurt either of us ever again.” She knew it would be a while before they all believed it.

  Another deputy came through the door and took custody of Mike, who was starting to come around. “Looks like he got himself a goose egg.”

  “I guess we should have that checked out,” Trent said, though he didn’t sound sorry. “He could have a concussion.”

  “Sure hope you don’t expect me to apologize,” Joel said, stony faced.

  “No, sir.”

  Joel came over and checked on Rosemary, Cleo and Harrison. “That was a gutsy thing to do, Harrison. Stupidly gutsy.”

  “And what you did wasn’t?” There was no apology in his voice.

  “I’m a trained professional,” Joel protested.

  “You’re trained for action, I’m trained to talk. Looks like we both put our skills to use.”

  “You’re trained to deal with people like that?” Trent asked, his brows lifting.

  “I work in human resources—I deal with angry employees on a regular basis. Thankfully none of them have ever come at me with a gun before.”

  “Let’s hope none of them ever do,” Rosemary said, starting to feel like her feet were under her again. “And Harrison, as much as I love what you were willing to do for us, if you ever do anything that stupid again, I’ll kill you myself.”

  He simply leaned forward and kissed her again. “I love you too, honey.”

  Not having a suitable response, she kept her mouth shut.

  “Are you going to arrest me?” Harrison asked Trent.

  There was a moment of silence, as if the deputy was trying to decide. “You get a pass this time, but don’t get in my way again.”

  Relief filled his features. “I won’t.”

  Rosemary hoped he’d never have a reason to change his mind.

  It took nearly an hour to handle reports and get the employees back into the kitchen, though everyone was shaken up. The family party switched to a new room—Rosemary didn’t want to stay in that one, even if Detective Carlson had cleared it for use.

  The family started to flood in as soon as they were allowed. Concern filled every voice and way too many hugs were dispensed for Rosemary’s peace of mind—she didn’t think she’d ever hugged so many people in a week, never mind an hour or less.

  The eleven members of their family, if you counted Harrison, plus fourteen extra people from Vince’s family, counting all of the children, made for quite a crowd.

  Children’s voices clamored for attention, Hannah and Cleo huddled in one corner sharing secrets, and Rosemary enjoyed the presence of so many people after the several days of near solitude in their suite and the nerve-racking events earlier.

  Harrison’s arm slipped behind her on the chair and she leaned into him, appreciating his strength and presence. For a moment there, she had been sure she was going to lose him, lose him when it hadn’t been that long since they’d found each other.

  “Now this is what a family is supposed to be like,” he said as everyone talked over everyone else, her sisters bickered good-naturedly over little details and Etta dispensed wisdom of the ages, couched carefully in clichés—not her normal MO, but it fit the evening.

  Rosemary watched Cleo interacting with everyone else, the stars in her eyes made of happiness, and possibly even tears. Rosemary had asked her if she wanted to skip dinner, go home instead, but Cleo had insisted she wanted to join the party. Maybe she needed the feel of friends and family surrounding her—it seemed to make Rosemary feel better too, even though Mike was in jail now, and unlikely to get out
anytime soon.

  She remembered that good long look at herself in the mirror and focused on healthy portions and good nutrition, worrying less about calories. It hadn’t been easy, but she was determined to make better decisions.

  The past couple of months had been hard—for all of them, but Rosemary was starting to feel closer to her sisters—even to Delphi and her standoffish ways.

  She rubbed her cheek against Harrison’s shoulder and he kissed the top of her head. She’d never known such gentleness or steadiness. Was Cleo right about them? About Rosemary’s feelings for him? And if she was, what would she do? What could she do? The thought of risking everything, of casting her luck to the wind and hoping it came back to her was terrifying.

  They had finished presents and were savoring the cake when Cami elbowed Sage. “Go ahead.”

  “It’s your day. I don’t want to take the attention off you. It’s already been split in so many directions.”

  Cami glanced at Rosemary, an apology in her expression—for allowing the subject to come up, even if it hadn’t been mentioned directly. “You won’t. It’s just a birthday, and not even a major milestone.”

  “What’s going on?” Rosemary asked.

  “She’s pregnant,” Harrison whispered in her ear.

  “What?” Rosemary stared at Sage, who nodded.

  “We just confirmed that I’m pregnant. I’ve suspected it for a while. We’re going to have a baby around the first of September,” Sage glowed with excitement and Joel wasn’t much different.

  Hugs and kisses ensued as everyone—including Vince’s family—congratulated her.

  “How long have you known?” Rosemary asked Harrison. She felt a little shocked by the announcement, though she shouldn’t have been. She’d just been so wrapped up in her own issues since the bombing that she hadn’t thought much about what the others were going through.

  “She didn’t tell me,” Harrison said. “I just guessed. She’s been all glowy and happy for the past few weeks, and you’ve noticed that Joel barely lets her out of his sight.”

  “And that was different from before how? He’s going to be the most overprotective dad on the planet. Can you imagine if they have a little girl?” Her eyes drifted to her own not-so-little one and she wondered how different things would have been if she hadn’t met Harrison on the cruise. She had been recovering from the rejection of Cleo’s father, the loss of her baby and the severe jealousy that stemmed from seeing Harrison watching out for Sage when Rosemary had spent the previous ten minutes trying to work up the nerve to go talk to him.

  If they had connected then, would she have finished her degree, gone abroad to study? No, she knew she wouldn’t have, and she didn’t regret any of that, but more and more she did regret not having Harrison as part of her life for the past few months—why had she driven that wedge between them from the first? And how did she make up for it now?

  Vince’s sister offered to have Cleo over to sleep the next night, but Rosemary demurred, not wanting her little girl out of her sight after the day’s events.

  “Call me tomorrow?” Cleo asked Hannah when they were preparing to leave.

  “Promise. Work on your mom. See if she’ll let you come after all.”

  Rosemary stared at Hannah. She knew Cleo had other parents. Had Cleo told her about the adoption?

  “Honey, Cleo’s parents...” Etta’s voice trailed off as if she didn’t want to say it aloud.

  “Yeah, but Rosemary is my birth mom,” Cleo said, standing a little taller. “That’s why my parents asked her to raise me when they died.” She looked straight at Rosemary. “Because they knew she loved me already.”

  Rosemary smiled but couldn’t say anything as a lump rose in her throat and tears formed in her eyes. “Yeah. I do,” she finally managed to croak out.

  “That makes Cleo extra lucky, I guess.” Etta took Rosemary’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

  “Yep.” Harrison picked up Cleo and swung her onto his back. She squealed a little and clung, laughing. “And I think it’s nearly time for this little one to get to bed.”

  “But I want to stay up!” Cleo said.

  “Not this time, bug. Let’s go get our things from the room upstairs. I think it’s time we went home,” Rosemary said.

  “Back to the DiCarlo mansion?” Harrison asked when they finished packing.

  “DiCarlo mansion? When did you start calling it that?” Rosemary was exhausted and slumped back against the sofa.

  “Just now. I was thinking that it seems awfully big, with all of those empty bedrooms.”

  “Are you angling to stay the night?” she asked.

  “Maybe.”

  She really didn’t know what to say about that. She wanted him close and in the next room was almost as perfect as in hers. “I guess we’ll have to discuss terms, then, won’t we?”

  Cleo made it out to the car on her own steam, but just barely. Harrison carried most of their belongings, with Joel bringing up the rear, also well laden.

  “Seriously, you were only there for a few days. What is all of this stuff?” Joel asked.

  “We weren’t there on vacation,” Rosemary said. “We have her homework and my piles of work stuff—most of which is already down in the kitchen, just so you know, and then there are the clothes and other necessities.” Perhaps they had brought more things to the hotel than absolutely necessary, but Rosemary had wanted to be prepared—especially since she was sharing a single suite with a wiggly nine-year-old.

  They loaded everything into the back of Joel’s Range Rover and he trundled them back up to the house.

  “Let me know if you need anything,” Joel said after he dropped his armload on the seldom-used dining room table.

  “Thanks, I think we’re going to take a nice, calm night and sleep like the dead.” She definitely felt like she could sleep for a week.

  “Good plan.” He waved goodbye and Harrison locked the door behind him.

  “Up to bed, sleepyhead,” Rosemary told Cleo.

  “Do I have to sleep in my own bed?” she asked. “Alone?”

  “Mike has been arrested. It’s safe now, sweetie,” Rosemary said, hoping Cleo would settle for some reassurance.

  She considered that for a moment. “Can you come up with me for a while?”

  “Sure. I’ll be right there.”

  “Both of you?” She looked over at Harrison.

  Harrison stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You bet. I’ll be up too. In just a minute.”

  “Okay.” Cleo padded up to her room, yawning wide enough to drive a freight train through.

  “Are you okay?” Harrison asked, sliding an arm around Rosemary’s shoulder.

  “I could have lost my baby.” She buried her face in his shirt. “I can’t believe he was that close to her.”

  “It’s okay now.” He tipped her head up and brushed his lips over hers in a light caress, but she wanted more, needed more this time and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, losing herself in him and his arms, his love and strength after an experience that had left her feeling adrift.

  “Thank you. You didn’t have to risk your life for us,” she muttered against his mouth.

  “I really did.”

  He pulled her against him and for a moment she forgot that there was anyone or anything else in the world, but reality intruded and she pulled back, slowly, not wanting to, but needing to. “Can we put a bookmark in this and come back to it later?” she asked. “Cleo’s waiting.”

  “Right. We should go to her.” He swallowed hard, as if stopping wasn’t what he wanted.

  “Yeah.” But all Rosemary could think of was how much she wanted to dive back in again—how much simpler life seemed when she was kissing him.

  Cleo lay in the middle of Lana’s queen-sized mattress and Harrison and Rosemary took opposite sides, squeezing on top beside her. “Sorry it took a minute longer than we planned on,” Rosemary said.

  “Yeah, because you were kissing. I know yo
u were—he has a smear of your lipstick on his mouth.” She closed her eyes and Harrison reached up to wipe at his mouth, embarrassment radiating from him.

  “Fine. I was kissing him. I like kissing him, a lot.” Rosemary decided brazening it out was the safest bet.

  “Good. When people get married, they should like kissing each other. My mom and dad liked to kiss a lot too. I used to think it was yucky, but now I think maybe it’s good.”

  Mildly embarrassed, Rosemary shifted the topic, asking about the plans Cleo and Hannah had started cooking up at dinner, and then Harrison spun out a story his mother used to tell him as a boy. Before he finished, Cleo was fast asleep.

  They tiptoed out of the room and mostly closed the door behind them.

  “She seems to be dealing pretty well,” Harrison observed.

  “For now. Tomorrow morning might be another issue. And she’ll probably have nightmares tonight.” She shivered a little and rubbed her arms. “Sage used to wake up screaming. Even before the stalker followed her here.”

  Harrison’s brows furrowed. “She did? She never said that.”

  “She wouldn’t. Though she can put on a nice face, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t plenty going on below the surface.” She sent him a side-long glance. “You of all people ought to know that.”

  “I do.” He leaned against the railing and urged her closer to him. “Are you going to have nightmares tonight? Would a little company make you sleep better?”

  “Probably, but you can’t spend the night in my bed, Harrison.” She kept her voice to a whisper. “I have a daughter in the house.”

  “Are you going to let her go to Hannah’s tomorrow night if she still feels up to it?” he asked, nuzzling against her ear. “Because I was thinking if she’s not going to be here, maybe we could have a sleepover too. At my house.”

  She smiled and brushed her lips over his jaw line. “That sounds fabulous.”

  Sending Cleo back to school on Monday wasn’t as easy as Rosemary expected. She’d given Cleo an out, said she could stay home one more day if she wanted, give her time to think before she had to face curious kids and the rumors that had to be floating around already. Despite the two fiery nightmares that had woken Cleo screaming—along with everyone else in the house, she had insisted.