Corrupted Union: A Forced Marriage Mafia Romance (The Byrne Brothers Book 2)
Corrupted Union: Chapter 36

Rowan had been crying. I knew that the second I walked back into her mother’s room, but the brilliant smile she flashed assured me that her tears were the best kind. I waited until we were alone in the car on the way home before satisfying my curiosity to know more.

“Feeling better?”

“I’m still in shock,” she said dazedly.

“Shock?” I’d thought she’d started to process the whole Stetson incident even though it had only been twenty-four hours.

She looked at me with such raw vulnerability that she could have been six years old again. “For sixteen years, I believed I was responsible for my sister’s death. Sixteen years. And I learned today that it wasn’t my fault.”

I’d told her that, but if it took talking to her mom to truly believe it, then I was glad. So long as she got the message. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“No, you don’t get it. It wasn’t my fault,” she said pointedly. “Ivy had an aneurysm, and that’s why she fell from her bike—not because I dared her to jump. Mom and Dad tried to tell me when I was younger. I remember them telling me about blood in her head, but all I could see was the blood in her hair from hitting the ground. I never understood that she’d had a blood clot, and I felt so bad about what I thought I’d done that I never told them about daring her to go off the curb.”

Fuck me.

I was so glad she knew the truth, but what a fucking tragedy for her to live with that misunderstanding for so long. No wonder she was shocked.

“That’s one hell of a silver lining.”

Rowan grinned. “It really is. And what about you? What did you and Dad talk about?”

“He wanted a rundown of what had happened.”

“What did you tell him?”

“The same thing I told the authorities. No reason for him to know any more than that.”

She nodded, gaze returning to the road ahead as my phone rang over the car speaker. I automatically selected privacy mode on the dash display and answered my phone directly. Tor was calling, and Rowan didn’t need to hear every detail of our conversation.

“Yeah?”

“I need to know how long I’m dog-sitting. Do I need to give him food and water?” He was talking about Stetson. He wanted to know how long I planned to keep him alive.

“I’ll head over there in a bit to check on things myself, but you can give him some water in the meantime.”

“You sure? He already smells like piss,” he groused.

“Suppose you could hose him off. Two birds, one stone.”

“Fuck, yeah.”

The line went dead. I set the phone back in the console and let a small smile grace my lips. Today was turning into a pretty fucking phenomenal day.

“That was about Stetson, wasn’t it?” Rowan asked.

I peered at her from the corner of my eye. “I’m gonna take you home, but I have to go out for a bit. You think you’ll be okay alone?”

She arched a blond brow. “I’ve lived alone since I was eighteen, you know.”

“You went through a lot yesterday. That can change a person, and rightfully so. The Russian is still a question mark, and Wellington could have a vendetta. Besides, there’s always a certain degree of danger present for people close to me.”

“I’ve spent some time thinking about all that even before yesterday, and I decided life with you isn’t all that different from having a politician in the family.” She said it so matter-of-factly that I almost laughed.

“You really think so?” I asked skeptically.

“Well, you might involve a bit more danger, but you should see some of the whack jobs Dad deals with. You never know when one might go off the deep end. One time, this giant tattooed mobster broke into their house and held me at knifepoint. Can you believe that?” Her eyes gleamed with mirth.

“You don’t say.” My tone was drier than an AA birthday party.

“I do,” she continued, unfazed. “So you don’t have to worry about me staying at your place alone.”

“Our place,” I corrected automatically.

Silence.

“Our place,” she finally said in a much more reserved tone. “You sure you want to do this? The danger’s over now. No one would blame you if you wanted to walk away.” My little lamb’s voice shrank to no more than a mouse’s squeak.

The car behind me blared its horn after I slammed on my brakes and pulled to the curb. I cupped the back of her neck and locked eyes with her, reinforcing our connection in every way possible.

“I know you have a lot of old scars to heal, and we didn’t start down this road in the most conventional way, but the one thing in this world I never want you to doubt is me and my commitment to you. I don’t care what you did or didn’t do in the past. I don’t give a fuck about what your father does or how you ended up in my club. All that matters is that I chose you, and I will continue to choose you so long as you’ll let me.”

She blinked back tears, her lip quivering. “Okay.”

The hope in her voice was too much. I brought our lips together in a passionate kiss that filled both my dick and my heart with warmth.

“Jesus, you’re so fucking wholesome,” I mused, my lips still brushing against hers.

She bit back a grin, gaze lowering coyly. “I’m not so sure about that. You did see what you packed in my suitcase, right?” Then she gasped, her eyes popping wide. “Oh God. That was you who packed my bags, wasn’t it?”

A booming laugh bubbled up from my chest and filled the air around us. It took a minute for me to compose myself, and when I did, Rowan stared back at me with an arched brow.

“I’m guessing you’re referring to the toys, and yes, I’m the one who packed them. I wanted to make sure you had all the essentials with you.” My deviant grin rivaled that of a Disney villain.

“I’m glad you think that’s funny because I nearly had a heart attack.”

I gently pinched her chin between my thumb and finger, then pulled the car back onto the road. “I’m surprised you care what anyone else would think.”

“It’s not that,” she corrected almost too assuredly. “I just didn’t want anyone else’s grimy hands on my dildos. That’s just gross.” She brushed at the invisible lint on her lap. “Speaking of your family. How do they feel about all this—you and me? I’m not AKC registered Irish stock or anything.”

“Are you kidding? You know my father is thrilled, and I think everyone else is just happy to focus on something other than Caitlin’s betrayal.”

AKC registered. I swear, the things that come out of my wife’s mouth.

“That’s good to know. I mean, that they’ll be accepting, not the part about Caitlin. That really sucks. What will happen to her?”

I sighed deeply. “It was Oran’s call to make. He’s decided to punish her in a way that would deeply wound her. She’s been arrested for her brother’s death. And while she wasn’t the one who technically ended his life, she helped make it happen, and now she’ll have to live the rest of her life with that fact.” I snuck a glance at Rowan. “As you know, something like that eats at a person’s soul.”

“That had to have been a tough call for Oran. I feel bad for him,” she said softly.

“He’s not in a great place, that’s for sure. But our family has united again and is stronger than ever. He’ll get past it eventually.”

“It’s great that you have each other. I used to wonder how things might have been different if I’d had cousins to fill that void.” Her tone was wistful, but when I peered over, a guilty grin flashed on her face, her eyes unfocused out the window. It was the same every time she had one of those silent conversations with her sister.

I had no clue if a shrink would say they were unhealthy, but I didn’t care. That had been Rowan’s way of coping with the loss, and the connection, even if imaginary, brought her peace. Sometimes a little crazy was a good thing.

“Tell Ivy hi for me.”

Rowan’s answering grin lit my entire fucking soul on fire.

Two days later, the governor’s office summoned me. I was curious how my presence would be received. The first time I’d gone to his office, I was brushed off with hardly a word. I knew this would be different, but I didn’t expect what unfolded.

Evan Alexander introduced me to his staff as his new son-in-law. I couldn’t have cared less about his opinion of me except for how it would affect Rowan. In that regard, I truly appreciated his willingness to have an open mind.

Once he’d made the introductions and I’d received an update on his wife’s condition, we retreated to his office for a private word. Rather than sit behind his large executive desk, Evan sat in a visitor’s chair next to me.

“I wanted to talk to you because I’ve been very worried these last couple of days with Stetson on the run.” His haunted gaze drifted to the window. “I hate that the police haven’t been able to bring him in.”

“Don’t be worried. He’s not coming back.” My softly spoken words were intentionally ominous.

I watched the rule-abiding governor intently, curious how he’d respond. The moral high ground didn’t always look so appealing when your family was on the line.

Sure enough, Evan Alexander nodded, his relief palpable.

“There’s not much I wouldn’t do for your daughter,” I informed him.

“I’m starting to understand that, and I’m glad. She deserves the best in life.”

I dipped my chin. “Agreed, and I plan to give it to her every damn day I walk this earth.”

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted for her, despite my failures in helping her achieve it.” His lips thinned. “I’ve severed all ties with Lawrence Wellington as best as I could. The newspapers will talk, but something else will catch their interest before long. I just hope he pays for his crimes.”

“Chances aren’t great. The charges against him are minimal, as you know, and there’s no evidence he had anything to do with the girl. He can blame everything on his son and play the grieving father.”

“I know,” he glowered. “It’s so frustrating to think I could have been so wrong about them.”

“Corruption can hide anywhere, especially in positions of power.” My own hands weren’t exactly clean, but at least I had some form of moral compass, albeit a rusty one. Men like the Wellingtons had no such measure to guide them.

“Speaking of …” Alexander leaned forward and retrieved a document off the desk, handing it to me.

It was a press release slated to go out later that day announcing the mayor’s new appointment for police commissioner.

I lifted my gaze to him. “It seems the mayor had a change of heart.”

“He did. You aren’t the only one who can be persuasive when needed. I did a little digging into the candidates and found a man who’d somehow been overlooked despite his exemplary record. I figured a compromise in this situation would benefit us all.”

My lips twitched in the corners. “You’re a wise man, Mr. Governor.”

He stood, extending his hand. “And a grateful one. Just don’t make me regret it.”

“My wife would skin me alive.”

He harrumphed. “Tell my baby girl I said hello.”

I grinned all the way home.