3 Seconds (Time for Love Book 6) (17 page)

I left him
there, sitting on my porch, his eyes on me as I swept into my
house, closing and locking the door behind me. Then I slid down the
hard wood, my eyes filling with tears as my butt hit the floor.

Chapter
Twenty-Nine ~ Brendan

A nicer guy
would respect Bronagh’s wishes and leave her alone … Too bad I
wasn’t that guy.

I’d bungled my
delivery when I’d gone to her house, not saying everything I’d
wanted to say, and unintentionally given her
another
excuse
to let me go.

I wasn’t going
to make that mistake again.

I needed a
grand gesture. To lay it all on the line and let her know exactly
how I felt and what I wanted.

It hurt like
hell when she’d tossed my words back in my face without looking
back, but I was convinced that she was doing it because she thought
she was doing it for my benefit.

I was tired of
Bronagh letting me go, and this time I wasn’t going to take no for
an answer. No, I’d never thought children were a part of my future,
but having Bronagh, and then losing her,
repeatedly
, had
taught me that I would do anything she wanted in order to keep her
in my life forever. And if the only thing standing in my way was
giving her a child. A child that would hopefully have my brothers’
strength and Bronagh’s hair and freckles, then I’d be a fucking
idiot not to give that to her.

Brock had laid
it all out for me when I’d gone to see him after that morning at
Bronagh’s house.

“I get it,
brother, I do.” He’d had one hand on my shoulder and the other
cradling a sleeping Declan against his chest. “But you have to
believe me when I say, that if I died tomorrow, I’d die a happy
man.”

My head swung
up at his words, and my eyes watered at the mere thought of my
brother dying.

“No lie, Bren,”
Brock said, his face serious. “I’d hate to miss out on what happens
next for you and Brady, and not being there for Victoria and our
children, but knowing that you all had each other, and that I would
have not only you guys, but my kids to carry on my legacy … That’s
a beautiful thing.”

I watched as my
brother tilted his head down, his beard brushing the top of Dec’s
head before he touched his lips to his sleeping boy’s crown.

“You know I
love you and Brady more than life itself, but I can’t tell you the
feeling that fills you up when you hold your baby for the first
time. The miracle that you made with the woman you love.” Brock
tipped his head back to the sky, a smile on his lips, before
piercing me with eyes identical to my own. “It’s magical, and it’s
humbling, and more than anything, I wish that for you, and for
Brady.”

“The thought
scares the shit out of me,” I admitted softly.

“I know it
does, Bren, it scared the shit out of me too,” he said, surprising
me. “But it’s worth the agony. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

I’d been
searching my soul ever since I’d left his house, which was why my
resolve was unwavering now.

I knew what I
wanted, and I was willing to bare my soul to get it.

Nothing in life
worth getting is easy, right? The harder it was to obtain, the
closer to perfect you knew you were.

I pushed the
door open and looked around, my eyes adjusting to the change in
light as I surveyed the pub. When I saw who I was looking for, I
took a deep breath and headed to the bar.

“Sir,” I
prompted, suddenly nervous.

The smaller man
with a weathered face, bright-red hair, and a jolly smile, turned
his attention from the glass he was cleaning and greeted me
heartily, “Aye, lad, what can I get you?”

Stop being a
pussy
, I chastised myself when I realized I was sweating.
You’re great with people. They love you. You’re charming as shit
… Now man up and speak your mind.

“I was
wondering if you had a minute,” I said, going for a sincere look on
my face and hoping I didn’t look crazed. “I’d like to speak with
you.”

“Sure,” he
responded, curious but still friendly. “How about we sit over
there.”

He pointed
toward an empty table. I nodded my consent, took the seat nearest
me, and waited for him to get settled.

I held out my
hand and introduced myself, “My name is Brendan O’Malley, sir, and
I’m in love with your daughter.”

The only
surprise the older man showed was the widening of his eyes. I was
relieved when he took my offered hand, rather than kicking me out
of the pub.

“O’Malley, huh?
That’s a fine name you have there. I’m Patrick Callaghan, but my
friends call my Paddy.” He eyed me carefully, but didn’t seem put
off by the fact that I was obviously young. I was dressed in dark
slacks and a black button-up shirt, my hair pulled back into a
ponytail and my face cleanly shaven, but there was no denying that
I was who I was. “Now, then, young Brendan, how do you know my
Bronagh?”

“Well, sir…” I
began.

“Paddy,” he
said, cutting me off.

“Sorry, Paddy,”
I amended, clasping my hands together in my lap as I prayed he’d
think I was good enough for his daughter. “I’m in a band with my
brothers, and Bronagh came to one of our shows. That’s how we met
initially, but it turned out that she was also my instructor at the
culinary school.” When he simply raised an eyebrow, I sputtered on,
hoping he wouldn’t linger on that fact. “I’ve graduated now … I’m a
chef, and a lead singer. My band has just been signed with a record
label, and I’m looking for a job in a kitchen now. I’m a reliable
and responsible man…”

“I hate to be
the bearer of bad news, lad, but Bronagh’s not mentioned you to me,
and although I only arrived back home in the last few days, I’ve
spent most of my waking hours with my girl.” He looked sorry to be
relaying this news to me, but I wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t
mentioned me. She’d said quite clearly that she was done, and it
looked like she meant it.

“Unfortunately,
your daughter broke it off with me,” I admitted, embarrassed and
hoping I didn’t come off like a desperate ass, even though I kind
of was… “I told her that I wasn’t interested in kids, which was the
beginning of the end of our relationship. But, sir … Paddy, being a
young, less mature, and I hate to say it, but sometimes stupid,
man, I spoke off the cuff, without thinking about the consequences
of those words. After a few weeks of soul-searching, and too many
heart-to-heart talks with family and friends, I’ve realized that my
perceived lack of desire for children was just ignorance.”

“Have you
spoken of this to Bronagh?” he asked kindly.

“I’m afraid
your daughter is stubborn…”

Paddy laughed
at that, a deep hearty sound that caused those around us to
smile.

“That she is,
boy … Takes after her mother that way.”

I chuckled
along with him.

“So she hasn’t
been receptive when I’ve tried to rekindle things. She thinks
because I’m young and my career is just taking off, that I
shouldn’t be tied down and that I should experience these new
things without her, but that’s not what I want … Yes, exciting
things are happening in my life right now, but without her to share
them with, they don’t mean as much. I love your daughter. I want to
marry her, and spend the rest of my life proving that I’m worthy of
her love.”

“What do you
need from me, Brendan O’Malley?” Paddy asked, causing the
trepidation to fade.

I leaned in and
told him exactly how he could help.

Chapter Thirty
~ Bronagh

It felt great
to be working a shift with my Da again. He’d had a wonderful time
back in Ireland, but seemed to be happy to be back home and behind
his bar again. I’d been teasing him because his brogue was always
really strong after a visit to his homeland, but I actually loved
listening to the lilt of his accent.

“Hey, Da,” I
called as I walked through the kitchen toward the office we shared.
“I saw Heather setting up the stage out there, did you schedule
someone for tonight?”

We often
offered live music on weekends, usually a pianist or Irish folk
singer, but most acts were booked through me, and I knew I hadn’t
booked a show for that night.

“Aye, dear, did
I forget to tell you?” he responded, his face the picture of
innocence when I entered the room.

This made me
instantly suspicious. My da’s face was often full of expression …
Joy, excitement, tenderness, but innocent? Not likely.

“What’s going
on?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

“Now don’t go
getting yourself into a tither, dear, it’s nothing but a bit of
entertainment on a Saturday night. The guests will love it and
we’ll be pouring pints until the doors close.”

He stood and
rounded the desk, then said something about checking the kegs as he
hurried out the door.

His words were
true enough, we always had a full house when there was live music
in the pub, but his reaction did nothing to ease the suspicion in
my belly.

Oh well
,
I thought,
whatever he’s up to will be found out soon enough, I
might as well go make sure we have plenty of Jameson on
hand.

I was pulling
bottles from storage and making sure the bar was stocked. We had
plenty of hands in the kitchen today, so I was going to spend most
of my time in the front of the house. Sometimes it paid to let the
staff take control. It showed that I trusted them, and didn’t feel
the need to hover over them in the kitchen all the time. Plus,
working front of the house would give me more time to spend with my
da, who I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed until he’d held me in
his arms after his long trip home.

I didn’t tell
him about Brendan. I was worried that he’d be disappointed, which
was silly, but I already had one failed relationship under my belt,
and I didn’t relish him knowing that I’d let another man in, only
to be left heartbroken again. So I hadn’t said anything, yet, but I
knew I would soon. Not only because I didn’t keep secrets from my
da, but because I was hoping that at least
one person
would
tell me I’d made the right decision.

Even though I
thought I made the right choice, that didn’t stop me from thinking
about Brendan every second of the day. I wondered what he was doing
right now … Was Whiskey Heat playing, or had he already left for
New York?

I sighed as I
pushed the door that led back out to the bar. I needed to let him
go…

The strumming
of an acoustic guitar had my head lifting and searching out the
stage. The sight of Brendan sitting on my stage, alone, guitar in
hand, had me stopping in my tracks.

Dark jeans,
black boots, a tank top, and a beanie on his head, he looked like
everything I wanted but couldn’t have. Like a snake in a cage,
while a mouse was running around free.

Maybe that was
a weird analogy … Am I the snake or the mouse?

He looked like
a perfectly poured pint of Guinness, all dark and delicious, and my
heart pounded as I wondered how he’d ended up on my stage.

“Thanks for
coming out,” he was saying to the crowd, his voice rolling over me
like velvet. “I’m honored to be at Callaghan’s tonight. Most of you
don’t know, but the woman I love owns this pub…”

Blood was
suddenly thundering in my ears.

Holy crap! Had
he just told the whole bar that he loved me?

“She doesn’t
think we’re good for each other, but I’m hear to try and convince
her otherwise … I may need your help with that, is that all right?”
he asked, and the crowd started to cheer. Who didn’t love the
prospect of bringing two lovers together? I wanted to kill him for
putting me in this position, but at the same time, I was dying to
hear what he’d say next.

I stood still
as a statue, a bottle of Maker’s Mark hugged tightly to my
chest.

“This is a song
I wrote for her, and hopefully she’ll take the words to heart. For
Bronagh,” he said, and I swear every eye in the house turned to me
as he began to strum the guitar.

I vaguely
noticed that Ming and Cass were in the audience, along with
Brendan’s brothers, sister-in-law, and friends. The cute one I
remembered as TJ had his fingers to his lips, whistling his
encouragement loudly.

Never in my
life have I been so sure

The way you
move me, thrill me

You bring me
to my knees

I’m more of a
man with you around

My love shines
as bright as your smile,

As smooth as
your skin,

As deep as the
valley of your charm

And I never
want to live without you

I have no
future unless you’re in it

No songs to
sing,

No love to
share

I miss the
brush of your lips.

The
feather-soft caress of your hair,

And the feel
of your joy crashing through me

I’m more of a
man with you around

My love shines
as bright as your smile,

As smooth as
your skin

As deep as the
valley of your charm

And I never
want to live without you

You’ve opened
my eyes to possibilities I never considered

And I’ll spend
my days striving to fulfill your every wish,

As I worship
each freckle that decorates you

My Irish
beauty, my only love, come back to me

I barely
registered the tears running down my face, until my father’s
weathered hand brushed them from my cheek.

“Go to him,
Bronagh,” my da said softly. “It’s obvious you love each
other.”

I began to move
slowly, people parting as if choreographed as I walked toward the
stage.

Unable to
contain myself, even though he was still strumming, I shouted out
my fears.

“I don’t want
you to feel trapped.”