Emerald Enchantment

Chapter Nine: “Forever”

Friday, June 16, 2006 - Justin’s P.O.V.

“Uh…oh God,” I gasp, feeling Brian’s cock hit the sweet spot inside of me.

“You like that, mo grá?” Brian whispers in my ear.

“Yes, fuck me, Brian, fuck me,” I beg him.

“Go deo,” he gasps repeatedly.

“Forever,” I whisper back. Overcome by his words and movements, my body’s pleasures begin to rise into the climax I feel coming.

He joins my hand on my cock and we both start to stroke it as he thrusts into me from behind, grunting, what I know is dirty Irish words into my ear.

***

Brian’s P.O.V.

“I’m hungry.”

I look up at Justin, dropping his cock out of my mouth. “Me too,” I smirk and capture his dick between my lips, sucking the sweet fluid pouring out of the head of his cock.

“Mmmm…okay… after this… I…uh fuck…I’ll… need some real... food.”

I let his cock slide all the way to back of my throat and bob my head faster. He grabs my hands between his fingers, squeezing them as his cock starts to pulse. His taste is making me so hot and I start to hump my hips on the bed, grinding my cock along the silk sheets.

He starts to make desperate quick thrusts up, fucking his cock in and out of my throat, his grip tightening on my hands as he moans and pants. His blond bush and the curve of his belly smash against my nose and face, as I meet his movements, relaxing my throat and opening wide to pleasure his thick, long cock.

“I’m coming, Brian,” my husband yells, just as I feel his cock pulse and start to spurt into my mouth.

My orgasm overtakes me then, my come explodes onto the bed sheets under me. I move my mouth so his jolting cock rests on my tongue, spunk coating the insides of my mouth as I struggle to keep up with his youthful load. When I hear him sigh and relax back onto the bed I let his softening dick slip from my mouth and I crawl up beside him.

“God, you’re so good at that,” he giggles, turning toward me and reaching for my cock.

I stop his hand, taking it in mine. “I came.”

He looks confused. “You did?”

“All over the sheets,” I laugh and take him into my arms. “Like a teenager.”

He rests his head on my shoulder and slides his hand up and down my stomach. “When are you going to let me make love to you, Brian?”

It’s late afternoon and between last night and today I’ve been inside his four times now, not counting the time I took his virginity, so I’m not surprised by his question. I run my fingers through his messy hair. “I’d like that, Justin. But we’ll have to get condoms first.”

He looks up at me with a confused expression. “Why?”

“I’m not on birth control, Justin,” I tell him. I may be ready to be the father of this baby, but I know we won’t be ready for another one so soon.

“Well, then I think you’re going to have to go….” He trails off when we hear the door’s buzzer. “Who is here?”

I cringe. Of course, someone would have to stop by and remind us of reality. I sit up and feel my sore muscles begging me to lay back down. “I’ll go see. Probably someone is stopping by to see how I’m doing.”

Justin’s face pales. “I’m sorry I…”

I stop his words with a kiss. “It’s okay. I almost forgot too.” I shake the sad thoughts out of my head, grab a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, and pull them on. “Stay in here while I get rid of whoever is at the door. Then I’ll make you some breakfast.”

Justin nods at me and snuggles under the messy duvet. I’m really going to have to change the bedclothes; I may have to trash them from all the stains that are surely on them. God was it worth it!

I have to force myself to tear my eyes away from him and walk out the bedroom door. I turn and shut behind me and that’s when I see the lover’s knot hanging above our bedroom door. Now it means what it should, in a way at least. We’ve consummated our marriage under its magic, but that was only the beginning. I know I can’t relax yet. We have a lot to talk about and no matter how our marriage binds us, the baby binds him with Robbie and I can’t do anything about that. I may have legal claim to the child now, but that fucker will always have biological claim to my Emma, my leanbán.

“Hello?” I speak, pressing the button on the apartment’s intercom.

“Brian, its Brogan.”

Fuck what does he want? “Yeah?”

“I know it’s probably not a good time right now, but can you come downstairs and talk to me for a minute? We had a problem at the estate.”

Fuck. “Yeah, just give me a minute to get some shoes on.” Christ. A problem? What the fuck? I don’t need this shit this shit today.

“What’s going on Brian?” Justin asks as I come walk back into the bedroom. He’s in the middle of getting into a pair of my sweats and one of my t-shirts. He looks fucking beautiful.

“Brogan needs to talk to me,” I tell him grabbing a pair of trainers and slipping my feet in them.

“Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to find out. Why don’t you eat some of that fruit salad Kathleen gave us? I promise I’ll make you some breakfast when I come back up.”

He walks behind me into the living room. “Mmmm, that fruit salad sounds good.”

I smirk at him. “Save some for me?”

He laughs and grabs my arm just as I am about to leave the apartment. “Come here.”

My heart actually does this weird bursting and then constricting thing when I see him pucker up his lips and bat his dark eyelashes at me. It’s no wonder why I couldn’t forget him when I first came back to Ireland after meeting him. I take him into my arms and probe his mouth with my tongue; he sucks on it, tasting his come and groans deeply. God, how I want to stay here with him and continue the kiss, but I can’t. I pull back, give him another quick kiss on his cheek, and head out the door.

As I walk down the apartment’s stairs, I can hear Brogan’s deep voice booming around down in the entryway. He sounds pissed. As I reach the bottom step and turn the corner, I have to force my expression to remain neutral as I see exactly whom he is towering over and yelling at. I’ve never seen a picture of the son of a bitch, but from Justin’s description and my instinct to kill him; I know who he is and what he’s doing here.

Too bad, he’s too late.

“Brian,” Brogan says, turning toward me, relaxing a little as I walk up to them.

“What’s going on, Brogan?”

“We caught him snooping around the estate.”

“Who is he?” I ask, just to make sure.

“Some American kid, he says he knows Justin.”

“I’m not a kid,” the little shit whines.

I do not look at him but continue to address Brogan. “Justin isn’t expecting visitors. The runt must be mistaken.”

“I’m not a fucking runt I’m…”

“No? Well, apparently you’re a peeping Tom,” I interrupt him, narrowing my eyes on him. “What the fuck do you want with Justin?”

“He’s my boyfriend, my best friend…I…”

I start laughing. “Listen, kiddy. Justin is my best friend and he certainly is not your boyfriend. How about you try again?”

His face gets red and he puts his hands on his hips, puffing his chest out and stepping up onto his tiptoes. “I’m Robert Lancaster and I’m here to take Justin home.”

I shake my head and lean into his personal space, happy that I have at least a foot on the kid. “Justin isn’t going anywhere with you.”

“Chill out, Brian,” Brogan cuts in as he gets in the middle of us.

“What were you going to do with him before you came here?” I ask, backing off the kid a little bit.

“I was gonna take him down to the station and book him for trespassing,” Brogan says. “He scared the shit out of your gardener, climbing up the terrace on the back of the house but he said he knew Justin so I thought I’d bring him over here to see if that was true first.”

I roll my eyes. “Good. Take him in then.”

“What? No! They’ll make me leave the country if I get arrested,” Robbie cried out.

“Precisely,” I growl at him.

“I need to talk to Justin,” he begs me. I say nothing so he turns his attention to Brogan. “He’s carrying my baby.”

I react in a split second, pinning him to the wall the behind him with my forearm under his neck. “You keep your lying little mouth shut!”

“Brian, whoa, Buddy,” Brogan tries to push me off the kid.

“You get out of here and leave us…”

“Brian? What’s going on?”

Fuck. I back off the little weasel. “This kid was trespassing on my Grandmother’s estate. Brogan brought him by…he says he knows you.”

I watch my husband’s face. My heart hammers in my chest and aches as though with every step he takes toward us he’s stomping all over it. His eyes tear up the closer he gets and his hands rest over his stomach protectively. Then, I see the worse thing in the world, his smile. Normally I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life, the problem is, this time his expression isn’t for me.

“Robbie? You…you found me?”

I watch as Robbie straightens up and plasters on what looks to me like a fake smile as he holds open his arms. “I did.”

I hold onto the wall as I feel like I’m about to crumble watching them embrace. I can’t believe this is happening. I knew that we’d have to deal with that fucker one day, but why did that have to be today?

Justin backs off him and his expression changes rapidly. “Why…how did you find me?”

“I…”

“He probably saw your name in the newspapers,” Brogan interrupts.

“No, uh… Why would your name be in the newspaper, Justin?” Robbie asks in surprise.

I bring Justin against me and put my arms around him, twining our hands on top of his stomach. “Our wedding announcement was in the papers,” I clarify proudly.

Robbie backs away from us and his face pales. “What? What is he talking about, Justin? You’re getting married?”

Justin shifts in my arms but I will not release him from my embrace. “Robbie uh… we…”

I move our left hands up so the kid can see our wedding bands. “I’ve made Justin a Duke actually. We were married last month.”

“Brian!” Justin struggles out of my embrace and turns toward me. His blue eyes darken into slits. “You didn’t have to tell him like that!”

Fuck this. “How else was I supposed to say it?”

“Justin, what is he saying? You’re a Duke?”

Justin turns toward Robbie and takes the boys hands in his own. “I am… now I…”

“Brian, if you’re not going to press trespassing charges on him then I’m going to go and leave you guys to…work out whatever it is that’s going on,” Brogan interrupts.

“Brian,” Justin turns toward me, putting his hands in mine now. I almost want to rip them away from him. “You won’t press charges on Robbie, will you?”

Fuck. I don’t want to hurt him but if I did, that would mean the little shit would be forced to go back to America. But then, Justin might go with him. I look into Justin’s eyes and know that I can’t let that happen. Whatever reason Robbie is here, I’ll figure it out and I’ll show Justin that his place is by my side. Shit. I don’t even know if I want Justin by my side if he doesn’t want to be here. I’m completely fucked! “I won’t press charges, Brogan,” I say. “Go ahead and go back to work.”

“You’re sure, Brian? I can come back later if there’s a problem,” he says.

“I’ll call you if we need anything, Brogan.”

Brogan nods and heads out the front door of the apartment building. When he has gone, I look at Justin who looks as though he is about to cry. “Let’s go upstairs. You need to eat something.”

“Okay,” he whispers. “Robbie, do you want to come up so we can talk?”

He looks back and forth between us and I can tell that whatever game he’s playing he’s thrown off it as he manages to squeak out, “Yeah.”

I take Justin’s hand and lead him back up the stairs. I don’t have to look back to know Robbie is following. I wish he weren’t.

“Go and sit down in the living room and I’ll make you something to eat,” I tell Justin once we’re back in the apartment.

He looks at me cautiously before nodding and leading Robbie over to the sofa. It pisses me off when I see them sit next to each other so close but I don’t say anything. Honestly if Justin wants that little fucker, than he’s going to have to decide that for himself. As much as I want to stop it, I won’t be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me.

“What do you feel like eating?” I ask him, interrupting their silent staring.

“Can you just give me a bowl of that fruit and a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich?”

I smile. “Back to liking mayonnaise are we?”

He giggles and I’m happy to hear that sound. “Yeah I guess that’s what Emma wants.”

“Who is Emma?” Robbie asks.

I go back to making our lunch, I’m not going to be polite and ask Robbie if he wants anything to eat. Instead, I’ll just be patient and listen in on their conversation, hoping that Justin says the right things.

“Emma is my baby,” Justin answers.

“I’d…I’d hoped that we’d decide on the name for our baby together,” Robbie tells him.

“Well, the last time I saw you, you wanted nothing to do with my child, Robbie,” Justin spits in the fucker’s face.

I can’t help but let out a silent cheer to myself. But I’m still not relieved.

“I’m sorry, Justin. I was in shock and…”

“You hurt me,” Justin whispers.

“I was drunk, Justin. I didn’t know what I was saying and then…”

“Then you got back together with Mica!”

“She told me that you hated me. I was in love with you and she twisted my head around and made me think you were cheating on me.”

“We were broke up when…”

“Calm, down,” I say gently, bringing our plates over. “Dealramh no gréine, you need to eat.” I kiss Justin’s forehead and feel mild relief as he nuzzles his face against my shoulder for a moment.

“Thanks, Brian.”

“So…. What… what is this about you being a Duke, Justin?” Robbie asks, clearly irritated at the closeness between Justin and I. Fuck him!

“Well Brian is…”

“Eat Justin, I’ll explain that,” I interrupt.

I wait until I see him take a bite before I address Robbie’s question. “I am Duke Brian Kinney of Ireland. When Justin married me he also earned that title.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“It’s twue,” Justin says smiling, his mouth full.

“You don’t look like a Duke,” Robbie sneers at me.

I let the comment slide.

“But why would a Duke marry you, Justin?”

Justin chews slowly. “What is that s’possed to mean?”

“I…I didn’t mean it like that, Justin,” Robbie pats his hand on Justin’s leg.

I want to chop his whole arm off!

“What did you mean then? You don’t think that someone as smart, beautiful and charming as Justin could snag some Royalty?” I don’t usually consider myself Royalty or even use my title unless there is something official I need to do because of it. But it feels good to throw it in the kid’s face. “Justin is as good man and any smart man would see how fucking wonderful he is.”

“I do,” Robbie says quickly. “I know how great Justin is. That’s why I’m here. Justin, I’ve looked everywhere for you and finally I found you.”

“You still haven’t said how exactly you found him…after all this time.”

Robbie’s eyebrows knit together and he growls at me, “That doesn’t concern you.”

Justin stiffens and sets his half-eaten sandwich down. “Actually Robbie, I wonder the same thing. And… this is Brian’s home and I’m Brian’s husband so…”

“I’m sorry, Jus,” Robbie interrupts him. “You’re right. It’s just I don’t understand how you could get married to him. I thought you were in love with me!”

“Before Justin answers any more of your questions kid, I think you should answer his,” I step in. I don’t like his avoidance of that question; it’s irking me to the core. Of course, I didn’t like him before I even met him, but this idiot has something dark inside him. I can feel it.

Robbie huffs, “It took so long because I couldn’t get anyone to tell me where you were. I’ve been looking this whole time and finally I got a friend of my dad’s at JFK to look and see if you’d taken a flight somewhere. He risked his job so that I could find you. I’m so glad I did. Only, I wasn’t expecting you to be married.”

“What did you expect? Justin to just forgive you for the shitty way you treated him and go back to the states with you?” I demand.

“Yes,” Robbie says in a hopeful voice. “I was hoping you’d come back to the states and marry me. I want to have a family with you, Justin.”

“I…” Justin looks back and forth between us and I can tell by his expression that he’s completely conflicted. “I don’t know what to say, Robbie,” he whispers.

I stand up from the sofa, irritated at that comment, I’ve completely lost my appetite. “If you want to go home then go home,” I tell Justin, walking into the kitchen and tossing my lunch in the garbage. I feel sick and I want him to stay, more than anything. But if even after last night he’s entertaining the thought of leaving with that fucker than I’m not going to make his decision for him.

“Brian that isn’t what… I just… I need some time to think. Please, I don’t know…”

I walk back into the living room and look down at him. “Come talk to me in private for a minute, Justin.”

“Oh…Okay…”

I look at Robbie as Justin starts to follow me down the hall into our bedroom. “Don’t steal anything,” I tell him.

“Brian!” Justin chastises me as I close the bedroom door behind us.

“What? You expect me to like him, to trust him, Justin? You do what you think is right for you and Emma but don’t for one second think that I’m going to like him or that I want you to leave.”

His eyes get teary and lips quiver as he asks, “When did you decide that you wanted me here… forever?”

I don’t think he really wants the answer but I’ll give it to him. “New York.”

“What?”

“I wanted to take you back here with me that night. If I had you… you wouldn’t have Emma though… so…”

“Why didn’t you tell me that then?”

“Because you were a seventeen year old boy with your whole life ahead of you. Christ, Justin, you were still in high school.”

He puts his hands on his hips and his expression twists with anger. “What if I didn’t show up here then? You never would have come back?”

“I left you with my address, Justin. Fuck! Do you think that I just go around and fuck random school boys?”

“Yes!”

I blanch. “What?”

“That’s what I thought,” he hisses. “I thought that you just wanted to be my friend, Brian. That’s why I came here. I didn’t come here to fuck up your life. I didn’t come here to fall in love.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t come here to fall in love since you so obviously didn’t!”

“Brian stop twisting my words around, stop…”

“You stop!” I roar. “Stop living in your little fantasy world where that bastard out there gives a shit about you. He doesn’t care about you and he doesn’t care about Emma!”

“Yes he does,” Justin cries, tears slipping down his face. “He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.”

“Then go with him,” I order. “Go pack a bag and I’ll send you the rest, along with annulment papers.”

“But what about last night?” Justin whimpers, wiping the tears from his face.

I sigh and point to the messy bed. “That was all a big mistake for you, so I’ll pretend it never happened. You go home with Robbie if he’s the life you want, Justin. I don’t want to be with someone that is giving up their life to be with me. If you think that Robbie is your future, your life, than go with him.”

“Brian…” he takes a step toward me and reaches out to me.

I back away from him. “Just go.”

“That’s not what I….”

“I don’t want you here!” I cruelly lie.

He gasps and turns away from me, opens the bedroom door and slams it behind him.

Fuck! What the fuck am I doing? What is he going to do?

I walk over to the bed, smelling him in the sheets as I sit down. I won’t go back out there. I won’t watch him leave.

I recline on the bed and curl up with my doom, forcing myself not to think of anything at all. I don’t know how long I lay there in my numbness when the phone beside the bed rings. I debate answering it, but finally figure I might as well and pick it up. “Hello?”

“Is this, Brian Kinney?”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, but I don’t want to buy anything, thank you.”

“Wait!”

“What?” I ask, bringing the phone back to my ear.

“I’m looking for Justin Taylor. Is he there?”

“Who is this?”

“This is his mother and it’s very important that I speak to him.”

“He’s on his way out, on his way home,” I say softly.

“No! You can’t let him leave. His sister and I just got off the plane, we’re here in Ireland. We found your number in a phonebook and I just had to call. Robbie isn’t there because he wants to take Justin home. He’s there because he and his wife Mica want to take the baby from him.”

“What?” I knew that little fucker was a sniveling piece of shit. I’ll be damned if I’ll let Justin go anywhere with him!

I quickly give her the address to the apartment and hang up. I tear through my bedroom door and call out to him. “Justin! Justin, you can’t go!”

I run into the living room and don’t see them, I check his room and he’s not there either. Fuck! No! “Justin!” I yell opening the bathroom door, only to find it empty.

“Brian?”

Fuck. He’s here. He’s here. I open the other door from the bathroom that leads to Emma’s room and I sigh in relief when I see Justin sitting in the pink rocker, his head bent forward and shoulders are shaking.

“Justin… you’re still here?”

“Yeah,” he whispers.

He looks up and reaches his hand out to me. I clasp it and sit down on the floor beside him. “What are you still doing here?”

He reaches beside him and grabs two books that he had next to him in the chair. One of the books is my poetry book I kept in here and the other is what looks to be the translator book my grandmother gave him. He opens the book to the page with my bookmark, clears his throat and reads the passage there.

“Oh, had you seen the Coolun

Walking down by the cuckoo's street,

with the dew of the meadow shining

on her milk-white twinkling feet!

My love she is, and my coleen oge,

And she dwells in Bal'nagar;

And she bears the palm of beauty bright

From the fairest that Erin are.

In Bal'nagar is the Coolun,

Like the berry on the bough her cheek;

Bright beauty dwells forever

On her fair neck and ringlets sleek;

Oh, sweet is her mouth's soft music

Than the lark or thrush at dawn,

Or the blackbird in the greenwood singing

Farewell to the setting sun.

Rise up, my boy! make ready

My horse, for I forth would ride,

To follow the modest damsel,

Where she walks on the green hill side;

For, ever since our youth were we plighted,

In faith, truth, and wedlock true -

She is sweeter to me nine times over,

Than organ or cuckoo!

For, ever since my childhood

I loved the fair and darling child;

But our people came between us,

And the lucre our pure love defiled;

Oh, my woe it is, and my bitter pain,

And I weep at night and day,

That the coleen bawn of my early love

Is torn from my heart away.

Sweetheart and faithful treasure,

Be constant still, and true;

Nor for want of herds and houses

Leave one who would ne'er leave you;

I'll pledge you the blessed Bible,

Without and eke within,

That the faithful God will provide for us,

Without thanks to kith or kin.

Oh, love; do you remember

when we lay all night alone

beneath the ash in the winter-storm,

when the oak wood round did groan?

No shelter then from the blast had we,

the bitter blast or sleet,

But your gown to wrap about our heads,

And my coat round our feet.”

I stare at him in open shock. I hadn’t intended for Justin to ever find this, especially because I know what I’ve written beside it, what page marker it leads to in the tiny journal I’ve placed inside the larger poetry book.

“You read this to me in Irish the first night we met,” he says softly. “We spoke the song together and…”

“I know.”

“You’ve read this every day since then,” he tells me, it’s not a question. “I read some of the poetry you wrote about me too, Brian.”

“Justin...”

“You titled them with all those Irish words I didn’t understand, but I know what they mean now Brian. Dealramh no gréine, means ‘Sunshine’, you called me that our first night together. I love the poem you wrote for me, Brian.”

I find myself unable to speak or move as I watch him flip through the pages of my journal until he finds it.

“Be gentle: What you're holding is my heart.

Remember in your honesty my pride.

If you don't want to see me, please don't hide

The truth, yet tell it with some art.

Though you may not have asked me to call,

A single leap of hope must be allowed.

Not easily are shy songs sung out loud.

Yet now I wait alone outside your wall.”

I make a grab for the book. “Stop, Justin I…”

He gives me the book easily. “I don’t need that, Brian. I’ll never forget them. You wrote so many: Mo Páiste-‘My baby’, Ní Fhágfaidh Mise Choíche- ‘Don’t Ever Leave Me’, Leanbán-‘Baby’, and probably my favorite one is, M'iníonacha-‘My daughter’. I read all of them, Brian and I know where I’m sitting right now.”

I feel wetness falling down my face and wipe it away, confused at the tears that didn’t blur him from my vision. “Where?”

“I’m where I belong,” he says surely. “I’m sitting in Emma’s room. It’s a wonderful surprise… I would say that I can’t believe you did this. But I can, because that’s you, Brian. You are my knight on the white horse and whatever the fuck biology says, I don’t care. You’re Emma’s other father…if you want to be her Da’, Brian. If you want to be in my life still… cause I know I want that. I was so confused with Robbie coming here, but I told him to leave. I told him I couldn’t leave my husband.” He leans toward me cups my face between his palms.

“You did?” I ask for assurance.

He nods his head and smiles at me, a smile that’s only mine. “Nothing between us has ever been a mistake, Brian. I know you didn’t mean what you said and I just hope you’ll forgive me for being so dense. Brian, I choose you. Because you are mo grá. You’re my only love, Brian. Is tú, mo ghrá and I know that you love me too.”

I stand up and pull him up and into my arms. “I do love you, Dealramh no gréine.” I run my hands through his hair and gently force his face toward mine so that I can kiss him. I am so happy he chose me without knowing what that fucker was up to.

I break away form his lips, panting and excited, though I know now I have to tell him about his mother calling, she’ll probably be here any minute. “Justin… what did you tell, Robbie?”

“I told him to leave. I told him that I wouldn’t go home with him because I have a husband. I told you. I don’t want him,” he says, getting upset.

“Was he angry?” I ask.

“Of course, he threatened to go after custody and force me to go back to New York, but I told him that he couldn’t, Brian. I told him that I could be wrong and the baby could be yours.”

“What? I thought you said…”

“The condom didn’t break with u,s Brian, but I had sex with you both in a matter of hours, so what if it did?”

“I asked you that before and you said…”

“What if I’m wrong, Brian? What if in every single way, Emma is yours?”

“It doesn’t matter if she’s not really mine, Justin, I want to be her father and Emma will not be going anywhere with Robbie if you don’t want that.”

“He was so calm when he was telling me what he was going to do. He said that he’d buy off people and make them get me over there for court. He wants his kid born in the U.S. not here and that’s why I told him that, Brian. If she is yours then you have just as many legal rights to keep me and Emma here with you, right?”

What he’s saying sounds reasonable but I don’t think Robbie is going to be reasonable. “I guess, Justin. I mean… of course I want you here but I do know that because I’m your husband I have more legal right to the baby than he does.”

“And… we can just get an amnio done and find out right? We could do it quick and get him out of our lives.”

My head is swimming; I can barely think clearly. “Wait Justin…if you really think the baby is mine we can’t have an amnio done.”

“What? Why Brian, it would get Robbie to leave us alone!”

“As much as I want that Justin, we can’t do that because I have slight hemophilia, if she is mine then she may have it to. If somehow the needle that they take the fluid out with cut the baby, she could bleed to death.”

The buzzer for the apartment rings through the house.

“Fuck,” Justin groans. “Why are we constantly being interrupted?”

I feel myself pale. “Because it’s your mother.”

“What?” Justin backs away from me. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“She called me, Justin. Didn’t you hear the phone ring before I found you in here?” He nods his head. “She was at the airport with your sister and she was trying to tell me about Robbie. Justin, Robbie is married to that Mica bitch and your mom thinks… well now we know that he was here to try and get you to go back to New York so that he could get Emma.”

Justin looks like he’s about to cry as he asks, “My mom is here?”

“Yeah. I gave her my address, Justin and I think somehow she knew you were in Ireland and that’s probably how Robbie got here.”

He grabs my arm. “I don’t want to see her. She sent Robbie here to get me. Tell her to go away!”

“No,” I bring him into a hug as the buzzer sounds again. “It sounds like your mom was trying to help, Justin. She sounded upset and she wanted to make sure you were okay.”

He looks up at me. “Just promise me that you won’t let them… won’t let anyone take me and Emma away from you.”

I kiss him softly and then whisper, “I won’t. I won’t let anyone take you or Emma from me, Justin. Robbie and his wife may think they have the upper hand, but they’re wrong. We’re Dukes Brian and Justin Kinney and there’s no way anyone is going to fuck with us.”

He gives me a small smile and says the words I’ve been waiting to hear, “I love you.”

My heart swells in my chest. “Come, mo grá’. Let’s go find out if your mother is on our side.”

He stops me from leading him out of the room. “Brian. It doesn’t matter who is on my side as long as you are.”

I give him a chaste kiss and lead him out of our daughter’s room, leaving the room’s door wide open for the first time. There are no more secrets between us now.

XXXXX