Commitment (60 page)

“Everyone is well,” she assured him.

“Thank you,” he said.

One Month Later

Saturday, August 15
^th

ass?” Alex called up the stairs.

“Yeah? I’m in Kenzie’s room!”

Alex made her way up the stairs and down the hallway. “Man, she is a pooping machine,” Alex laughed. Cassidy just rolled her eyes as she finished changing the baby. “You know, this will be the first time we’ve had everyone here since Mackenzie arrived,” Alex said.

“I do know. Thank God, your mother likes to cook,” Cassidy laughed. “No way could I feed all these people on my own.”

Alex reached over and took Mackenzie. “That is not a Toles thing, M.J. Nope. YaYa can tell you anything she wants. That cooking thing is a Pappas thing. Uncle Nicky got that gene. Skipped right through me,” she said.

“Doesn’t mean it will skip right through her,” Helen said as she entered the room. “I thought I heard you two up here. Now, give me that baby and stop filling her head with your silliness,” Helen scolded Alex.

Alex started to hand over her daughter and pulled back. “Now, just wait a minute there, YaYa. One man’s silliness is another man’s truth. Isn’t that right, M.J.?”

Cassidy extracted their daughter from Alex’s grip and handed her to Helen. “Hey, she’s yours,” Cassidy shrugged and pointed to Alex.

“Yes, I know,” Helen said as she left the room with the baby. “Missing a gene,” she called back.

“Am not!” Alex defended herself. She turned to Cassidy, who was shaking her head. “What?” Alex asked. Cassidy just raised her brow. “And, anyway…I’m yours now…you are stuck with me,” Alex reminded her wife. Cassidy stepped into Alex’s arms and pretended to consider the statement seriously. “Second thoughts?” Alex asked lightly.

Cassidy’s answer was a slowly deepening kiss. “No.”

“How would you like to get away for a weekend; alone?” Alex asked. She could tell she had piqued Cassidy’s curiosity. “Okay, well…maybe not a weekend, just a night. No crying, no pooping, no soccer games, just you and me,” Alex said.

“Tempting,” Cassidy admitted.

“But?” Alex asked. Cassidy shrugged. “You’re not ready to leave them yet,” Alex surmised the problem and received another shrug. “Yeah, I know the feeling. I hate having to be away when I’m at work. So, I am just suggesting a nice dinner on the water, a walk along the beach and a night with uninterrupted sleep.” Cassidy raised her brow a bit higher. “Okay, well…maybe there won’t be all that much sleeping,” Alex confessed.

“And when would you like to take this little excursion?” Cassidy asked.

“Tonight.”

“Tonight? Alex, everyone will be here in an hour for this barbeque you planned,” Cassidy said in disbelief.

“I know, that’s part of the plan. Keep the kids distracted. Mom and Rose will be here.”

“Alex, I have to pump…and…”

“Yep…already thought of that. We don’t leave until six. I promise, I will have you back home before noon tomorrow,” Alex said.

“You are too much sometimes,” Cassidy smiled. “What do I need to bring?”

“Already set. Just you,” Alex said with a kiss.

“Out of curiosity; what prompted this?” Cassidy asked.

“I made myself a promise when we decided to have Mackenzie,” Alex said. Cassidy was intrigued and looked to Alex to explain. “That I would not ever forget you and me. We’ve all lost a lot, Cass; all of us. Too much.”

“Yes, but look at everything we have,” Cassidy reminded Alex. “I wouldn’t change it, not if it meant not having you or Dylan, or Mackenzie.”

“I know. Our parents didn’t always do such a great job of remembering each other; maybe even us. I know that we can’t make things perfect, but I don’t want to make their mistakes, Cassidy. My father put everything before his family and look where it landed him. Look at your mom….”

“Stop,” Cassidy said. “I understand. For the record, Alex; you don’t have to take me away anywhere for me to know that you love me.”

“No, but I want to,” Alex said.

“You’ve gotten good at this sales thing,” Cassidy laughed.

“Nah, you’re a willing buyer.”

“Alex, are you happy? I mean with the way things are right now in our lives?” Cassidy asked.

“More than I have ever been,” Alex answered truthfully.

“But you’re worried when the other shoe will drop,” Cassidy observed a bit sadly.

“It always does, Cass. We both know that. There will be another storm. It’s not a question of if, but when.” Alex saw the tinge of fear in Cassidy’s eyes. “I just want to be certain we have our anchor. I have my anchor. That’s you,” Alex confessed.

“Always,” Cassidy promised.

Alex led Cassidy down the stairs and smiled as Cassidy took hold of their daughter. She watched Dylan barrel through the kitchen and slide to a stop and wave to his baby sister. She wasn’t certain when the storm would surface, but she was certain she could feel it brewing. Cassidy looked over and smiled at her
wife. Alex felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder. Helen read the thoughts in her daughter’s mind. “It will be all right, Alex. No matter what; as long as you have them; it will be all right.”

“I know,” Alex said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

A tall, gray-haired man with piercing blue eyes opened the door and peered inside. “Well; how is the patient today?” he asked the therapist at the foot of the hospital bed.

“The same; disagreeable,” the therapist answered.

“I see,” the older man replied. He made his way next to the young therapist who was finishing his work. “Leave us,” he said. He waited for the door to close and looked at the occupant of the bed. The patient kept his head turned away in a blatant show of disregard for his visitor. “You are a miserable son of a bitch, Congressman. I should think you’d be more appreciative of the efforts here. After all you were a mess,” he said.

“What do you want?” Congressman Christopher O’Brien asked.

“That’s an interesting question. The only reason you are here is that I happen to think you could be of some use to me. Meaning that you have information that might be helpful. Believe me, Mr. O’Brien, I have killed far better men for far less than you,” the man said with a chilling smile.

“So, what? So kill me, then. I’m dead anyway.”

“No, and there are fates far worse than death; trust me on this,” the man said. He began to pace the room slowly as he addressed the congressman. “You know, when John sent Alexis to Cassidy….well, I never expected what would come next. Of course, I never understood how someone like you could manage to land someone like Cassidy either. Still, it was a surprise… but then my daughter has never ceased to amaze me,” he said proudly. “You have caused her family a great deal of pain, Mr.
O’Brien. I don’t appreciate that. So, don’t mistake your life as any show of kindness. You have information that can help me. I expect you to be forthcoming as payment for your current accommodations.”

“You think I care?” O’Brien seethed. “Fuck you. Who the hell do you think you are?”

The older man laughed. He made his way to a small panel on the far wall and pressed a button. “I’ve been called by many names, Congressman. Some you may have heard. Who am I to you? I am the man who can decide how comfortable or how…..challenging your time here is, Mr. O’Brien,” he said as he pointed out a window. O’Brien looked out at the cement walls beyond his room. It was dark, but he could make out the steel doors that lined them. He shivered at his new reality.

“Where did you think you were, Mr. O’Brien?” The older man’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “It was bad enough that you were a horrible husband,” he observed. “A piss poor father, as well.”

“What do you know about it?” O’Brien shot back.

“Everything. Everything about you, Christopher. I failed my daughter on many levels. I know that. I will never be able to forgive myself for that. I will not fail to protect her now, nor my grandchildren. You will help me achieve that. So, I suggest you reconsider your position. My penance is watching the people I love from a distance. You can share that fate and comply with my request, or I promise you; your penance will be more painful and enduring than you can possibly imagine,” he said bluntly.

The door opened slightly, and the older man looked up from O’Brien’s gaze. “Yes?”

“You have a call, Mr. McCollum.”

“Thank you, Agent Brady,” McCollum answered and looked back at O’Brien. Christopher O’Brien looked at the figure above him in stunned silence. James McCollum laughed. “I’ll give you some time to consider my request,” he said as he
headed for the door. “Make no mistake, O’Brien; I died once to protect my daughter. I won’t hesitate to kill for her either.”

James McCollum left the room and leaned his back against the door. “Sir?” Agent Brady called to him.

“Storm’s brewing, Agent Brady. I can feel it.”

“You could always go in,” Brady said.

“No, that time passed long ago, my friend,” James McCollum answered.

“At least, they’re all safe,” Agent Stephen Brady assured him.

“No, but they will be, Agent Brady. They will be. I promise you that.”