Protector (The Brannock Siblings Book 4) (9 page)

What was she supposed to say to that? She felt the same way,
but revealing that would put her in a position she wasn't sure she could
handle.

"Thank you, Liam," she replied breathlessly.

He nodded, a devilish smirk on his face, before shutting the
door. His eyes stayed on her as he made his way around the front of the truck
and she knew without a doubt that the pull between them was felt on both sides.

"Lord, help me," she whispered to herself.

***

Liam

Present day...

Liam woke early, the lingering dreams of that month with
Izzy invading his thoughts.

That day with her was the first time Liam ever felt a
connection with someone other than his own family. The first time he felt
himself being put together instead of scattered around.

His aunts doted over Izzy all evening and, seeing the smile
on her face as more of the heavy weight of life lifted off of her, was a vision
Liam always remembered. After they were married, Izzy told him about the
immediate pull she felt between them. She told him that it was the only thing
she ever grabbed onto knowing full well the risks involved and not giving a
damn about it.

It was a risk she would have taken over and over again.

It was also the first time Liam ever considered leaving
Ireland. Sure, he would have hesitated if she asked him to go with her right
then and there. Eventually, however, it wasn't even a choice. It became a need
deep inside him to never let her go no matter where she was. And he never did.

There were times in their marriage that Izzy asked him if he
resented her for taking him away from his family and home. It was the only
thing that could have ever caused a wedge between them, but it never did.

His parents had been devastated to see him go, but knowing
he was happy with Izzy and that it was his - for lack of a better word -
destiny, they didn't fight him on it.

"If you ever want to move back, Liam, please tell me.
We will go with you. The kids would be just as happy there as they would be
here," Izzy had told him over and over again.

What she didn't realize is that he felt the same way. They
would be happy anywhere in the world, but where they lived wasn't ever
important enough for him to make it an issue.

"We'll go wherever life takes us, love," he always
said to her.

His job eventually didn't
allow
for a move like that
and they both struggled with the danger of him being a cop. Izzy more so than
he. But everything they did, they did together.

Thinking back to those first days with her in Ireland so
long ago, he could still feel that need for her.

Her first week there was spent exploring anything and
everything he could possibly think of. Isabelle saw all there was to see in
Rathnew and they spent every day together, building a friendship neither one of
them expected to last a lifetime.

Liam shelved those memories for later and finally climbed
out of bed, making his way down the stairs of the house he and Izzy had found
shortly before Conall was born. She fell in love with the backyard more than
the actual house.

"I'm going to bring a little bit of Ireland to
you
,"
she'd told him excitedly. That was the start of her mission to plant a garden
just like his aunt's garden behind that little house in Rathnew. With advice
from Maggie herself, Izzy created their own little slice of his old home.

Liam strolled into the kitchen thinking he was the only one
up at this hour. He was surprised to find Emily at the island drinking a glass
of orange juice. For someone who enjoyed coffee as much as she did, he found it
odd that Emily was drinking juice instead. With no sign of Conall anywhere
nearby, he decided to take the opportunity to find out what was on her mind.

She'd been so happy since the wedding and her engagement to
Conall was a dream come true. Liam knew this because Emily couldn't stop
smiling for days, even weeks after. Not to mention Conall's recent hope to
transfer back to Oakland so they could be closer to the family.

She was ecstatic.

The last week, however, her behavior was strange and she
kept her distance from the rest of the family, staying in her room at lunchtime
or leaving the table early after dinner. Conall didn't seem to understand what
his fiancé was going through and worried that she didn't really want to move to
Oakland.

Liam knew better and after finding her leaning over the
toilet after Aislinn's lasagna two nights earlier, he knew that the news was
big.

Emily's normally bright green eyes were dull and red rimmed.
She wasn't getting much sleep and Liam wondered if it was her that he heard in
the middle of the night wandering the house.

"Emily, love. You tell me what is going on in that
beautiful mind of yours or I'll start the inquisition."

Emily smiled and took another sip of her juice before
looking him in the eyes and biting her bottom lip. "I'm tired. Stressed.
Confused."

"Well I can see all of that from across the room, but
it doesn't explain why."

She looked down at her hands and sniffed, her eyes filling
with moisture and a gentle hand dropping to her flat stomach.

"Does Conall know?"

Her eyes immediately shifted back up and met his own in
surprise. "Know?"

"About the baby," he explained quietly, not
wanting to betray her need to keep it a secret for now.

Her eyes filled to the brim and tears spilled over as she
shook her head.

Liam sat beside her and let her drop her head to his
shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. Even if it was a futile attempt, he tried
to soothe her quiet sobs. "Shh, love. It's alright. It's happy. Really."

She pulled away and wiped at her eyes, but it didn't matter,
the tears were coming and nothing would stop them. "I never thought I
would be scared of having my own children. Not like this and especially not
with a man like Conall. I just... what if I'm not a good mother? I couldn't
even help my own brother stay away from bad people. How am I supposed to
protect this child?"

She covered her belly with both of her hands and closed her
eyes, desperate for answers she wouldn't get for several months.

"Emily, you are
not
your parents. You and Conall
love each other enough to lift each other, not drink yourself into the ground
and disregard anyone and everything around you," Liam said and kissed the
top of her head. "You both have huge hearts and a desire to protect the
people you love. You will be an excellent mother and not because of what you
can give this child, but because of the love this child will feel from each of
us. Especially you and Conall."

Emily smiled and nodded her head. After a few deep breaths
she said, "I know this baby will be loved, spoiled even. That's why I was
so happy about the possible transfer for Conall. I want us to raise our
children with family surrounding them. I just want to make sure I do things
right."

"Well, first things first." He lifted an eyebrow
and smiled down at Emily's worried expression. "Tell Conall. Once he
knows, you'll see that everything will be alright. You need him with you on
this, Emily."

She sighed, nodding her head in agreement. "How did
Isabelle deal with it? Knowing the way she grew up now, I wonder how she got
over the fear of becoming her parents."

Liam always wondered that himself, but his Izzy was a force
to be reckoned with. A part of him was always sure she would come to him with
tears in her eyes, asking herself what she was going to do.

But she never did.

In fact, it was Liam that was terrified every step along the
way. He didn't know how to raise a child even with the experience from helping
raise his siblings. It's just not something a man can be prepared for so soon.
Isabelle knew what she was doing. She knew it down to her very bones how to
love a child despite her own childhood.

"I think that growing up the way she did actually
helped her. Remembering the trials she faced and the promises she made to
herself, it was easy to make decisions when it came to the kids. She had an
example of what
not
to do and so do you."

Emily frowned, "She wasn't scared? Wasn't she nervous
at all?"

"She was, but only because she was so excited to see
each of them. She knew Marjorie and Nicholas were just blinded by their fears.
They didn't allow themselves to raise her in a loving home because their life
was all business. When Isabelle found out she was pregnant with Conall, her
life was all about
him
and nothing else."

Emily listened intently and Liam wished that Izzy could have
met her. They would have a lot to talk about and if anyone could make his
future daughter-in-law feel better about the life she had
before
Conall,
it would be Isabelle.

"Conall is still struggling with knowing what she went
through," Emily informed him. "He still can't believe it. I mean, he
knows Isabelle and her parents were never really close, but he said they were
always so conservative when he saw them. Religious and... dry," she
grinned. "I think he's just surprised that it was kept a secret for so
long."

Liam nodded, knowing full well his oldest son was furious
about the things that happened to his mother. But it was in the past and the
life they had wouldn't have been possible without the past. "Izzy promised
herself to never allow anything to get in the way of loving her children and
teaching them how to love in return. Teaching them that family is the most
important thing in the world and
without
it, we are all lost and alone.
She wanted them to grow up without doubt."

Emily sighed and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "You are
right. I wish with all my heart that I could have met her."

"You already have, love. Conall is a part of her and
the way he loves you comes from Isabelle herself."

She smiled and lifted off the stool, walking over to the
sink and rinsing her cup before turning back to Liam. "I've been dying to
tell Conall. I think he would be really happy about the baby."

"I agree," Liam said with a wink.

Emily scurried out of the kitchen with a little more of a skip
in her step. Liam chuckled when he heard her footsteps on the stairs. She was
running now and any moment, his oldest son would realize that he was going to
be a father.

Warmth spread through Liam's chest at the thought of another
grandchild on the way.

"Send me some well behaved ones, Izzy," he
whispered, already knowing without a doubt that his grandchildren would be just
like his own children. They were all in for a shock.

Raising the kids wasn't always easy, but Izzy made it
beautiful.

Liam made some coffee and wandered out to the back patio.
His eyes landed on the Chrysanthemums in the front corner of the garden. Izzy
had not only made their beautiful family, but she tried to make a garden as
beautiful as the one in Rathdrum. Liam thought it was
more
beautiful
since she was always the one standing in it.

At the sound of movement in the house a few minutes later,
Liam walked back inside and made his way up the stairs.

Conall and Emily were currently staying with him until
Conall's interview the next week. If he got the job - which he would without a
doubt since Luke, and Liam himself, were personal references - the two of them
would go back to Colorado for a few days to pack and move. Liam already told
them his home was their home until they found a place of their own.

He was surprised at the excitement he felt thinking they
would stay with him for a while. He missed having all of them together.

Fergus and Aiden were back in Detroit, but they were returning
soon enough. No way Aiden was going to miss Ash giving birth and Fergus was
feeling more and more like Detroit wasn't where they were supposed to be. He
would never ask Aiden to leave Lily and little Aidy behind, though. Liam
predicted it wouldn't take long for the topic to come up, especially with their
wedding coming up fast.

He was about to pass Conall and Emily's room when he heard
their quiet voices, full of emotion. He peaked in to see Emily sitting on the
edge of the bed with Con kneeling on the ground in front of her, his hands on
her belly and his head in her lap. The smile on his son's face couldn't have
been more impressive.

"A baby?" Conall whispered.

Emily nodded, tears slowly cascading down her flushed
cheeks.

"We made a baby?" Con asked again with disbelief
and awe.

"We did."

Con lifted up and cradled his fiancé's face in his hands,
wiping her tears away and kissing her passionately. "We'll love our baby,
Emily. More than any parent has ever loved a child. We'll give this child the
best life possible and there will be no doubt that it's loved."

A tearful smile lit up Emily's face. That was all she needed
to hear.

Liam didn't want to intrude on their moment, but he couldn't
bring himself to walk away. He watched as his son rested his head in his
fiancé's lap and pulled her against him. She cradled his head in her arms, her
slender fingers combing through his hair. The glint of her engagement ring made
Liam smile.

Conall was a nervous wreck after he bought that ring with
the help of his father. Some of the diamonds from Isabelle's ring were placed
within the design. It's what Isabelle would have wanted. Ash already knew the
diamond on
her
ring was actually from her mother's. A piece of that symbol
he gave her so long ago had gone to each of his children.

Emily glanced up and saw Liam standing in the doorway. She
smiled at him and he gave her a quick nod before stepping out of sight.

A few minutes later, he heard Con shout out, "I'm going
to be a father!!"