Dangerous Innocence (Five-Leaf-Clover)

Finn and I picked up Aislinn’s mother at the airport a week after Finn arrived in New York. The woman remained stubborn. She had taken my money to pay for the flight but had insisted it was only a loan that she wanted to pay back with interest. Considering that she already owed the clan money, she knew how high our interest rates were. Maybe she’d change her mind once she met me.

Finn bounced excitedly on his heels as we waited for his grandmother in the airport hall. When she came through the sliding doors, I recognized her at once. Not just because Aislinn had showed me a photo but she had an uncanny resemblance to Aislinn and Imogen, apart from her dyed brown hair. She was only seven years older than me, since she’d had her daughters so early in life. It was a bit strange and would certainly make Father drop the occasional comment if there was ever a Killeen and Devaney family meetup, which was unlikely. Aoife gave me a very cold look as she approached. With her darker hair and the black leather jacket and faded black jeans, she looked like the black sheep of the Killeens, which made me smirk. Aoife’s eyes narrowed but then she dropped her gaze to Finn who’d ripped from my hold and was running toward her.

She dropped her travel bag, got down on her haunches, and hugged him. They talked for a while, and I stayed put. She was probably questioning Finn about me. I doubted he had anything bad to say. Finally, they headed my way.

“Lorcan,” she said coolly. If she weren’t family, I wouldn’t have liked her disrespectful attitude. But I was used to the rough charm—or rudeness as some might call it—of the Killeen women so it only amused me.

“Aoife. Or should I call you Mum?” I couldn’t resist the jab.

“Aoife.” She cleared her throat. “Where’s Aislinn?”

“In hospital with a friend.”

Aoife nodded, briefly glancing at Finn.

“When will I see her?”

“Finn and I have plans to meet a few New York Giants players so I’ll drop you off at the hospital to see her right away.”

“Sorry, Gran,” Finn said with a sheepish smile.

Aoife laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m glad you’re having fun. But be careful. New York is a big city.” She gave me a suspicious look.

“He’s been to New York before. He and I can handle the big city, right, buddy?” I held out my hand, palm up.

“Right!” Finn high-fived me. I could tell that Aoife was trying to hide her surprise, but failed.

We headed toward my car, and Aoife strapped in Finn, as if I couldn’t do it. Who did she think had strapped him into the car seat before? But I didn’t get in her way. She’d lost a lot in the last few months.

She closed the door but didn’t get into the car herself. Instead, she faced me. I smiled knowingly. She was about to say what she couldn’t say with Finn around. “I don’t trust you. I don’t know why Aislinn suddenly changed her mind. I can’t change the fact that she’s your wife, but I don’t see us as family. The money I owe you, I’ll pay it back like any other debtor would. I don’t want a family discount.”

“I’ll hand this off to Aran then. He takes care of our debtors in Ireland. I’m sure they’ll send over one of our money collectors for an introduction to give you the details of our new business arrangement.”

Of course, Aoife would still get special treatment. I wouldn’t allow her to get hurt, even if she was acting like a bitch. But maybe one of Aran’s men could scare her on occasion so she’d feel like a real debtor. I was sure she wouldn’t be able to pay our rates on time, and Aran wouldn’t mind playing this game.

Aislinn

My stomach was in knots as I waited for Mum to arrive. Mum liked to play tough, but seeing Imogen like this would really hurt her.

“Mum will be here soon,” I told Imogen probably for the thousandth time that day. I never received the slightest reaction from her, but at least she’d been stable the last few days. No more scary incidents. Maybe with Mum being here, Imogen would finally improve.

The door opened and Mum poked her head in. Our eyes met and mine filled with tears right away. I’d been overly emotional all day. She gave me a small smile and stepped inside then froze upon seeing Imogen. Her face was completely stiff, and she slowly closed the door but didn’t come closer.

She’d lost weight. Her jeans and leather jacket hung from her body. She swallowed, squared her shoulders, and strode over to me. I stood and half fell into her arms. I started sobbing, unable to restrain myself. Mum patted my back.

“It’ll be all right, Aislinn. I’m here now. We’ll handle this like we’ve handled all the shit thrown at us over the years.”

I pulled away, nodded, and wiped away my tears. Mum bent over Imogen and stroked her cheek with her knuckles. “You have a bright future ahead of you, Imogen. I can feel it. You just have to find the strength within yourself.”

She leaned down and kissed Imogen’s temple, and I had to wipe my eyes again. Mum sank down onto the chair I’d set up beside mine and took my sister’s hand. For a while we sat in silence. Mum needed to get a grip. I could see it in the tight set of her jaw. She didn’t want to cry. “This wasn’t an accident, was it?”

I shook my head. With Mum looking directly into my eyes, I couldn’t lie anymore. She deserved the truth no matter how painful.

“Do they know who did this to her?”

I assumed she was referring to Lorcan but I wasn’t sure. The answer was the same either way. I shook my head. “Probably someone with connections to the Russian mafia, but Imogen got on the person’s yacht in the Caribbean on a whim. It’s difficult to get information. Lorcan is trying his best.”

“I assume he has more effective ways to gather information than the police.”

“He’s doing what he can. I know you don’t like me being back with him, but you should see him with Finn. I’ve never seen Finn so happy and carefree.”

Mum narrowed her eyes in consideration. “So this is about Finn. You feel responsible to give him a father figure? That isn’t your job, Aislinn.”

“I know, and it’s not the only reason why I changed my mind about Lorcan. But him being good with Finn shows me that he isn’t just a bad guy, at least not with family.”

“What is it about him then?”

I liked being around Lorcan. He made me feel like not all responsibility rested on my shoulders. I knew he had my back. He had a dark sense of humor that I appreciated. I liked his thoughts about family and marriage. And the sex …it was absolutely mind-blowing.

“If this is just about scratching an itch after Patrick cheated on you, then there are easier ways to get laid, Aislinn.”

My eyes grew wide. Mum had never talked this openly to me. I knew she could be like that because customers in Merchant’s Arch had told me, but around Imogen and me, she’d always been a strict Mum.

“That’s not why I changed my mind about Lorcan.” I had no plans of discussing my sex life with Mum now. Just the idea made me feel like throwing up.

Mum sighed. “You’re an adult. You have to make your own decisions, even if I want to protect you. We all have to learn from our mistakes.”

“Did you?” I asked, then bit my lip in guilt.

Mum was still bitter about the past and that bitterness stopped her from enjoying the present. She looked at Imogen, avoiding my gaze.

“I didn’t want you and Imogen to meet a new father-figure every other year. That’s why I never dated. I wanted to give you consistency.”

“But Imogen and I have been old enough to handle a man at your side for a while now.”

Mum shrugged. “I guess I’m too jaded.”

“That’s what I thought about myself.”

Mum snorted. “You’re just a babe.”

“And you’re not an old hawk so stop acting like one.”

Mum stroked Imogen’s hand. “Now isn’t the time.”

Mum stayed in New York for ten days but Imogen’s state hadn’t changed in the slightest, and the doctors gave us little hope that it would be any different in the foreseeable future. Mum had bills to pay and wanted to resume working, so she couldn’t stay any longer. Not to mention she wanted to avoid being around Lorcan as much as possible, and with Finn being Lorcan’s biggest fan that proved really difficult.

The night before Mum’s return flight, I visited her at Gulliver’s to talk to her about Lorcan’s and my plans to have Finn stay with us indefinitely. Due to her lack of money, she decided to stay with her brother despite their problems. In her mind, Gulliver seemed to be the lesser evil compared to Lorcan.

Mum was silent for a long time when I told her our plans, fingers wrapped tightly around her glass of Guinness. “You have always been Finn’s maternal figure. If anyone should take care of him, then it’s you, but I don’t know how I feel about Lorcan being so close to him.”

“Finn loves him and Lorcan is so good with him. Finn needs structure. Imogen probably won’t wake.” It was the first time I admitted it to myself. I didn’t want to believe it, but for Finn’s sake I had to be honest. “And I know she would be thrilled.”

Mum nodded slowly. “This world is a cruel one, especially for a kid like Finn, so I suppose becoming a Devaney will give him a real fighting chance to succeed.”

If he lived with us, he’d be well protected, it was true, but that wasn’t even the main reason why I knew Finn would thrive living with us. Maybe one day we could even adopt him. My stomach tightened just thinking about it. It felt like I was taking something away from Imogen. “We’ll visit you and you can visit too, so you’ll see us often. I know it’s a huge change for you, living alone all of a sudden.”

Mum gave me a firm smile. “I’m a grown-up. I can handle it. It’s not your job to make me happy, Aislinn. That’s only my responsibility. I’ll use my newfound freedom to work more so I can pay Lorcan his money back.”

I rolled my eyes. “Mum, you can’t just work. You need to live a little. Please consider taking Lorcan’s offer. It’s madness to be indebted to the Devaneys without good reasons.”

“I have a good reason.”

At that moment, Gulliver came into the kitchen. After returning to New York, I’d only seen him during service, but I could tell he approved of my willingness to work on my marriage with Lorcan. “She’s stubborn, child. Don’t bother arguing with her.”

“Have a drink with us,” Mum said.

Gulliver took one of his most expensive bottles of scotch from the cabinet accompanied by three glasses, then settled at the table. He and Mum talked about their childhood, and I felt better about life and the future now that things seemed to be slowly going in the right direction. After saying goodbye to Mum, Gulliver escorted me to the taxi waiting in front of his house.

I turned to him before I got in. “Was it you that called me in Dublin?”

He cleared his throat. “It’s cold out here. You should get into the car.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

He gave a terse nod then half pushed me into the taxi and closed the door.

I couldn’t help Imogen. Not anymore. I could only make sure that Finn had everything he needed.

When I returned home that night, Lorcan had already put Finn to bed. It was the first time he’d done it. “How did it go?”

I was a bit tipsy from the scotch and Guinness we’d consumed.

Lorcan cocked an eyebrow. “We read The Gruffalo around five times. Then he fell asleep. And you’ve obviously had a few drinks.”

I sank down on the sofa beside him. “Mum agreed to letting Finn stay with us.”

Lorcan scanned my face. “You don’t sound happy about it.”

“I am happy. But I’m also anxious. This means a whole new amount of responsibility.”

“You have been responsible for Finn all his life. And you won’t have to carry the weight of responsibility alone. I’ll carry it with you.”

I leaned back with a smile. “I know. I’m glad for your broad shoulders.”

Lorcan shook his head, chuckling. “Maybe one day we can consider adoption.”

I froze.

Lorcan’s expression tightened. “No?”

“I was thinking the same today, but I’m not sure I can do this to Imogen.”

“The only person who matters in this instance is Finn. But we don’t have to decide this now.” He kissed my palm. “My father called a few days ago. He wants us to come over to the manor for his birthday on the twenty-sixth of February.”

That was in a few weeks. Could I leave Imogen alone for days? And did I even want to meet Devaney senior? Lorcan’s brothers had seemed okay, albeit intimidating, but Devaney senior would be on another level.

“Is it a good or bad sign that he wants to see me?”

“A good one. You’re my wife. It’s only logical that you have to meet my father.”

I swallowed, suddenly not tipsy at all. In mere weeks I’d be under everyone’s scrutiny, the long-awaited daughter-in-law. Lorcan and I were still at the very beginning of our relationship, still trying to get over the past and build a future together. We were on a good way, true. I could see in Lorcan’s eyes that this meant a lot to him. His father was important to him. It was bad enough that my mother disapproved of our union. It would be good to have Devaney senior’s approval at least.

“What about Finn?”

“My father wants to meet him too. I told him that Finn is going to be part of our life. Father is excited to welcome his first grandchild to the family. And I’m sure Finn will love the manor. It can be kind of spooky, and there are endless corridors and rooms to discover.”

My eyes prickled with tears. Would the Devaneys really welcome Finn with open arms?

“It’ll also give you a chance to discover your roots. The Killeens always lived in Kenmare too. An aunt and uncle plus several cousins still do.”

“Okay. But I’m really terrified of meeting your father. It feels like a test.”

“My father will probably like you right away, and you’re in luck. He blames me for our breakup. I’ll get my head washed again for sending you away.”

I smiled sheepishly. I had to admit I was really glad almost nobody knew the truth. I wished I could turn back time and undo it, but maybe Lorcan and I had needed a wakeup call. Who knew?