Wild Chance (Wild Irish Universe)(21)

“Nah. This is the kind of news you tell someone face to face.” Aedan sighed. “I guess I could start with Kiera.”

“I’ll give you the address.”

He left Killian and rode to Kiera’s. The home was beautiful, something he always saw for her. Still, he couldn’t help thinking how much growing up Kiera had done in the time he’d been away.

The rumble of the motorcycle must have caught their attention because before he could turn the engine off, the front door opened, and a man stuck his head out. Aedan didn’t recognize him but assumed that was the Mr. Wallace, Kiera was so proud of.

“Can I help you?”

“Hey there.” Aedan killed the engine and remove his helmet. “My name is Aedan Callahan. I’m here to see Kiera.” He tossed his leg over the bike and made his way up the front steps.

“Aedan—right.” The man extended a hand. “Will. Come on in. Kiera is in the house.”

“Awesome.”

Aedan made his way inside and followed Will along a beautifully decorated hall. When he found Kiera, she was in the kitchen cooking. He smiled. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Cal!” Kiera cheered. She hurried over for a hug. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Me either. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I’ll leave you two to it.” Will said, stopping to kiss Kiera. “I have to pick up Caitlyn anyway. It was nice meeting you, Aedan.”

“See you around,” Aedan replied. “Caitlyn?”

“Yeah. Our daughter.” Keira explained. “I’m glad you’re home. Now, she gets to meet her uncle Aedan.”

“I need to buy a shotgun.”

Kiera laughed. “Aedan Callahan don’t you dare scare off the boys.”

“I promise nothing.” Aedan grumbled.

He waited for Kiera to pour then both something to drink then the two took seats at a family table.

“All right. You wanted to talk—what’s on your mind?”

Aedan stared at her for a while. She was still as beautiful as the day he’d first seen her. Strange, back then he had a crush on Kiera—a silly little thing that lasted all of two seconds. She’d been kind to him. After about a month, he’d fallen in step with her family. When life became too overwhelming, he’d hide out behind Pat’s with a bowl of French fries. Keira would join him with a bottle of juice and they’d share the treat.

In those moments, they didn’t have to speak. They were passed in silence and at the end, Aedan felt right as rain.

He inhaled deeply. “Well, it’s about my limp.”

“Okay.”

“For two years I was deployed. I can’t really tell you where but our Humvee drove over a roadside bomb. I lost a couple of my guys and my left leg had to be amputated just below the knee.”

“Cal…”

“Then there were months of healing, then rehab, then the wait to get a prosthetic—it took some doing.”

“Why didn’t you come home? Why didn’t you call us?”

“The happiness I felt here was everything to me. I didn’t want to tarnish that. I didn’t want to overstay my welcome—and I know that’s not true but that didn’t stop how I felt. I didn’t want anyone to see me like that.”

“Why was it so important for you to get away from here?”

“You knew Bronagh only took me in because of my mother.” Aedan confessed. “After uncle Woody died my life just became a bigger hell hole than it had been with him in it. She tortured me, Keira. Why do you think I spent so much time with you guys?”

“Because you adored us?”

Aedan laughed. “That too. The day I turned eighteen I ran.”

“I wish you’d told me—or Killian.”

“I know. But it was so dark inside my head. How could I have?”

Keira hugged him tightly. “Well, you’re home now. You’re back where people love you and where a certain African American goddess thinks you’re the best thing since sliced bread.”

“Lord, have mercy.”

“What?”

“When you say it like that.”

Aedan stuck around long enough to fall head over heels for Caitlyn then headed to meet with Mona. She’d asked him to come by her place that evening. Though he wasn’t sure why, he pulled up behind her car and parked. Before he could reach the front steps, Mona opened the door and waved at him. Her curves were wrapped in a sea blue, empire waist dress. He couldn’t believe just how beautiful she looked to him. At the top of the steps, he kissed her, wrapping his arms around her hips and pressing his palms to her ass—because he could.

“Thanks for coming,” Mona said.

“Can I come in?”

“Of course, Mr. Callahan. You will be very busy over the next little while.”

Aedan licked his lips, kissed her roughly then allowed her to pull him into the house and closed the door. With his arms wrapped around her from behind, they moved along the hall and into her art room. There, she extricated her body from his arms and walked over to a canvass that faced the wall.

“I wanted to give you a gift.”

“Mona…”