Forever Mine: Callaghan Brothers, Book 9(41)

“Kathleen, love, can I speak with you for a minute?”

She smiled up at him, the picture of wifely innocence, but he saw the glint in her eyes. “Of course. Excuse us, please, Mr. Finnegan. Think about it, okay? You’d really be doing us a huge favor.”

Jack grasped her around the elbow and tugged her into the stairwell, nearly blushing under the knowing stares of the women in the kitchen. Clearly they thought he and Kathleen were sneaking off for an entirely different reason.

The thought had crossed his mind. It was impossible to glimpse his new bride smiling and talking with the townsfolk and not want to throw her over his good shoulder and take her upstairs for a bit of loving. But in the interest of public decency, he would rein in his lustier impulses and resist until they managed to shoo everyone out which, at this rate, might be a while.

“What are you doing?” Jack spoke in quiet tones the minute the door closed behind them. “I just had Finnegan ready to buy back the place.”

“I know. That’s why I stopped you.”

“I thought you hated this place.”

“I don’t hate it,” she corrected. “I just didn’t think it was the ideal place to raise a family. What I hated was the fact that you didn’t even consult me first before making such a big decision. A decision that affects both of us, Jack.”

Kathleen’s hand rested upon her belly, and he knew she was thinking of the children they would one day have. One that might be growing inside her even now. The thought made him weak in the knees.

“You’re right. I should have discussed it with you first.” He captured her gaze. “Just like you should have talked to me before offering Danny Finnegan a job. We can’t afford to pay anyone, Kathleen.”

She grinned. “You don’t have to pay him. Just give him free drinks.”

“It would be cheaper to put him on payroll and give him a salary.”

“Good point,” she chuckled. “Best to set a limit.”

Jack looked into her eyes, hardly daring to hope. “Kathleen, does this mean you want to keep the place?”

Kathleen bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Aye, Jack, I do.”

Jack’s heart soared. He would never tire of hearing those words from her lips. And she wanted to keep the Pub. “What changed your mind?”

“You did,” she said, snaking her hands up around his neck. “Watching you today, seeing how you were with all those people who came in to help. For a little while, you looked... happy.”

“You make me happy,” he said huskily, brushing his lips over hers. His hand palmed her breast, stroking his thumb over her now-prominent nipple.

“Yes,” she agreed. “But we can’t do that all the time.”

Jack nipped her lip, then licked away the sting. His hand was already working at unfastening her jeans. “We could try. I say it’s worth a shot.”

Kathleen hissed as his hand slipped down into her panties. He couldn’t stop the low groan when he found her wet and ready.

“We’ve got a full house down there,” she protested weakly.

“Who already believe we’re getting it on right now,” he pointed out. Her jeans were shoved down to her knees and he freed himself.

“Well, we wouldn’t want to disappoint them now, would we?”

“Definitely not.”

Ten minutes later, Kathleen emerged from the private stairway, eyes sparkling, face glowing with radiance. Jack followed right behind her, a possessive, smug look for anyone who had the courage to make direct eye contact. Knowing smiles and a few chuckles met his ears. One of the women near the sink picked up a glass and tapped it with a piece of silverware – the traditional wedding cue for newlyweds to kiss. Soon others had picked up the cue, and the kitchen was a cacophony of ringing glass.

Jack pulled Kathleen into a steamy, soul-searing kiss until the clattering faded away. Only then did he release her and smile wickedly at their audience.

“Atta boy, Jack,” laughed Kathleen’s sister Erin. “Show ‘em how it’s done, Katie.”

Kathleen blushed to the roots of her hair. Jack gave her an affectionate pat on the backside and a kiss on the forehead. “You’re sure about this?”

“No,” she admitted. “But it feels right.”

“Aye,” he agreed. “It does. Now grab another tray, woman. We’ve got guests to tend to.”





Chapter Sixteen


September 2015

Pine Ridge

“You’ve got a guest.”

Jack opened his eyes, finding himself once again in his private hospital room. It was getting easier to make the transition from the past to the present. He’d been going back and forth for a couple of days between an alert, wakeful state and floating in a world of what once was. The realism of the dreams was disorienting at first, but he was learning to adjust.

He focused his gaze past the nurse, onto the tall figure in jeans and a black leather jacket. Jack blinked a few times, thinking maybe he was still caught in the past. But no, this had to be real, because if he was reliving a memory, the man’s black hair wouldn’t be sprinkled with gray and he wouldn’t have crow’s feet around those pitch-black eyes.

“I’ll be damned. Jed Baker. What the hell are you doing here?”