Chapter 10
Elizabeth
Still wearing my wet clothes, I shoved open the door to my dad's room and rushed inside.
"Dad, thank God you're awake. I thought…I don't know what I thought. But you're awake. You're okay. I'm so relieved."
"Are you?" There was a slight slur in his words, but the bite was unmissable, and his surly gaze cut so deep I was surprised blood didn't gush from my veins.
"Of course I'm relieved. You're my dad."
A dull ache settled in my chest. Stupid. Dumb. Foolish. Expecting him to haul me into his arms and say how much he loved me was a childish fantasy, but would it be so damn hard for him to at least look happy to see me?
"Aren't you glad you're awake? The doctor said it'll take a few weeks, could even be months, before you're back to normal, but you should make a full recovery. I'll hire a nurse. We'll get you everything you need."
"If he's standing there, am I to believe you've made the right decision?" He nodded toward Caden who stood by the threshold with his arms crossed looking every bit the bad boy with the outline of his muscles visible through his damp t-shirt.
My dad turned his attention back to me. "Where's the paperwork? I want to see what kind of mess you've gotten us into and what I have to do to get us out of it."
Caden stepped forward and reached for my hand, but I jerked away before he touched me. I couldn't afford to depend on him for comfort, but the concern in his eyes touched me deeply.
Caden cleared his throat. "There's nothing to worry about. Lizzie negotiated a good deal."
My dad tensed, and he gripped the covers lying over his waist. "I'll be the judge of that." He gave me a wide smile, something he only did when he wanted something, and said, "Be a good girl and sneak me in some whiskey."
"Are you serious? Drinking is what has you in this mess." The headache knocking at my temples hinted at the migraine to come. "Can you remember what happened? Tom will want to talk to you as soon as he can."
"Have you seen my head? Of course I don't remember what happened. The last thing I remember is I went for a walk, then nothing. The past few days are flashes of doctors poking and prodding at me and you holding my hand talking gibberish. Every time I'd fall into a deep sleep, I'd hear your nagging voice."
I tried to swallow down the football sized lump clogging my throat, but it wouldn't budge. I focused on the beeping monitor beside the bed so I wouldn't have to see the disdain on his face. And before I spoke again, I took several deep antiseptic scented breaths. "When I left, you had a glass of whiskey in your hand. How much more did you have?"
"Didn't you hear me? I can't remember."
I rested a hand on the mattress and turned to face Caden. My dad wouldn't open up in front of him. "Can you give us a minute?"
He glanced from me to my dad and then back to me. "I'll be outside if you need anything."
When Caden had left the room and had closed the door, I pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. "What's going on, Dad? If you're in trouble, let me know. We'll be able to pay off any money you owe. The sale should go through soon, and then we'll be okay. We'll have enough money to keep us comfortable." He ignored me and stared into space. "Talk to me. Tell me what's going on. Did someone do this to you? "
He huffed out an aggravated breath. "I fell. I hit my head. The only thing going on is that I'm in a hospital with no way out. Bring me those contracts. I need to make sure you haven't sold us down the river. I should never have agreed to power of attorney financial or otherwise."
Anger hummed at the back of my brain, and I shook it away. Now wasn't the time to get into an argument with him. He would have to listen whether he liked it or not.
"You're not getting your hands on any paperwork or liquor until you're out of the hospital. And even then, I'm not sure about the liquor. If you want your concussion to heal, you need to listen to the doctors and nurses and rest."
If my dad could've jumped out of bed and stood his ground, I was sure he would have.
"Unacceptable. I'll call my lawyer."
"About the liquor or contracts?"
"Don't get smart with me."
"Do you honestly think I'd do something that wasn't in our best interests? I love the club more than you. I want to see it succeed. You need to rest and recover. Leave the business to me. There's something else you should know." Not wanting to see his reaction when I told him about the wedding date, I gazed at my clasped fingers. Given he was already an old grouch, his time in hospital and confinement to a bed meant his reaction could go either way—boiling anger or face-splitting happiness. "We're getting married next week. We're announcing it today."
"I suppose that bastard O'Halloran will walk you down the aisle." The controlled tone of his voice told me his anger was on a slow simmer and could boil over at any minute.
"I can walk myself down the aisle. I don't want to drag anyone else into this farce."
When I stepped into the hallway, Caden's face lit up as if he was genuinely happy to see me.
Wrapping my arms around his neck and begging him to take me home and take me to bed seemed more and more appealing. So what if I asked him to take me to bed? It wasn't like I had any dignity left. Stress and worry pushed my shoulders to the floor, and I'd give anything to have them lifted if only for a few hours.
"All okay?" he asked.
"Nothing I can't handle. Come on let's get out of here."
On the way to the car, I checked my phone, which I'd put on silent while in the hospital. Tons of missed calls and texts from my mom and sisters. The texts were variations of the same question: What the hell is going on?
"My sisters and mom are going to kill me. Fuck Susan and her big mouth."
"I take it the word is out?" There was a smile in his words. "Good luck. I have a conference in a few. I'll take you home and call you later."
"Nuh Uh. No way. You're not going anywhere. I'm not facing the firing squad alone. We've been summoned to my stepdad's bar for a cross-examination."
"You make it sound like we're about to be tortured. I'm sure they're just curious to meet the man who swept you off your feet."
"Bulldozed you mean."
He laughed. The deep, rich sound hardened my nipples—they liked the sound of his laughter very much. I was sure they'd also like the feel of his mouth and tongue.
"We still need to get our story straight," I said shoving my debauched thoughts to the back of my mind. "They'll interrogate us. Each one has their own specialty when it comes to getting the information they want. By the time the O'Halloran sisters are finished with you, they'll know more about you than your mother."
He opened the passenger door of his car for me, and I stepped inside. "So what's our story?"
He slid into the driver's seat, and said, "We'll say I was interested in buying the club. We met, fell in love at first sight and decided we didn't want to wait. We knew what we wanted and decided to go for it."
"Just like that, huh? In forty-eight hours or less, we decided to get married. No one's going to buy that. They all know my history and how I swore off men."
He reversed out of the spot and drove out of the hospital grounds. "It's plausible."
"Only if you're an idiot. Or an incurable romantic. Darcy will come at me with daggers. Sage will call bullshit. Erin will roll her eyes and tell me I'm pathetic to marry someone I've just met, Keeva and Beth will laugh hysterically. My mother might faint, and Sean will keep his opinion to himself until I ask for it."
"Sounds as if they have your back."
"They do. It's just...they were the ones who picked up the pieces when things didn't work out with my ex. I went to a bad place for a long time." Heat crept up my face and the memories of the person I became. Solitude was my go-to solution, and that was a hole I wouldn't fall down again—not for any man.
"I'm sorry," he said.
I smiled and glanced at him, taking in his profile. He hadn't shaved for a few days, and his dark, shadowed jaw was as sexy as anything I'd ever seen. "Why are you sorry? You're not the one who walked out because I had no money."
"I'm sorry because you went through that." He pulled into O'Halloran's parking lot and cut the engine. "No one deserves to be used."
"I should've known someone that hot wasn't for me. I mean, look at me. Men like him don't fall in love with women like me."
Caden reached over and grabbed my hands. "I am looking at you. I can't help but look at you. Your ex was a fuckwit. You're gorgeous and funny and sexy, and later on, we're going to finish what we started at the house. That you can be sure of."
"Oh."
Caden closed the gap between us. He touched his lips to mine. This kiss differed from before. It was tentative at first but got hungrier and hotter. I let go of his hands and slid my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. In a few more seconds, I'd be on his lap. Screwing my fiancé in O'Halloran's parking lot would send the gossips into a frenzy.
I needed to hug my legs around him, to kiss him everywhere, to feel his skin on mine. I didn't want this to end.
The last few days came rushing back. The way he looked when we first met. The way he'd kissed me in my apartment, and the way he'd kissed me at our house. Everything was building up to this. My hands tunneled beneath his still damp t-shirt, and I walked my fingertips up his flat stomach, and when I reached his chest, I stroked and circled his pebbled nipples.
A hammering on the car window shook the car. I slid my hands from beneath his t-shirt and jumped away as if touching him had burned me.
"Get a room." My younger sister Erin grinned and waved like a maniac. "Aren't you too old to be making out in a car in a parking lot." She nodded toward the bar. "Are you coming?"
A few minutes more and I would have been.
"Are you ready to meet the firing squad?" I asked Caden.
"Are you?"
"No."
"What's our story?" he asked.
"Our story," I said, "is that after you'd enquired about the club months ago, we emailed back and forth. When we finally met in real life, we knew it was love and decided to get married fast, because when you know—"
"—you know," he finished for me.
Sucking in a lung-filling breath, I opened the car door and Erin, her apron stained with chocolate and smelling, as always, like vanilla and cocoa beans, laughed and shook her head. "Did I hear right? Are you getting married? Again? Who is he?"
"She is getting married again, and she's getting married to me," Caden said as he strode around the car toward us.
"Where did you get him? And are there any more?" Erin took Caden in from head to toe, not bothering to hide her appreciation. I didn't blame her. There was a lot to appreciate.
The sun lit him up from behind, and even though he walked at a normal pace, my mind would forever play the moment back in slow motion. As corny as it was, he took my breath away.
Being his wife would have some perks—like sex—and I might as well take advantage, I would be a fool not to. It wasn't like hot Irish men asked me to marry them every day and then promised to take me to bed. When he stood beside me, I grabbed his hand and nodded toward Erin.
"This is my sister Erin. Erin meet my fiancé Caden."
The words sounded alien to my ears, but I'd better get used to saying them because after next week I'd have to introduce him as my husband. But, I wouldn't take his name. Why would I change everything just to change it all back? Although, I liked the sound of Elizabeth Gallagher.
"Nice to meet you," Erin said with a flirty smile.
"Claws in, kitty cat," Darcy said walking up behind Erin.
I was afraid to meet her eyes. Explaining why I hadn't confided in her would take some doing. Secrets weren't something we ever kept from each other, and this one was a doozy. If Darcy ever found out I was marrying to save the club and to secure Caden a green card, she would have me committed and would never speak to me again.
"This is a surprise." A forced smile stretched Darcy's fire-engine red lips, and she didn't acknowledge Caden.
"I know. I'm sorry. I—we—didn't think anything would come of it so I didn't tell anyone. It all happened so fast. We didn't meet until a few days ago, but we've been talking for what seems like a lifetime. I promise I'm not rushing into anything. This isn't like before. Cross my heart." I lifted up my left hand and made a sign across my heart.
"Whoa." Erin grabbed my hand and lifted it up to her face. "Look at that rock." She thrust my hand toward Darcy.
Darcy quirked an unimpressed eyebrow that said save the bullshit. "I hear your dad's fully conscious. Thanks for calling and letting everyone know. It's not like we care or anything."
"I figured Sage would let you know." I took my hand back from Erin and shoved it into my pocket. "I should have told you myself. There are no excuses. I'm sorry about everything."
"There a lot of things you should have told us yourself." Darcy clucked her tongue and turned on her heel. "Let's go inside before your mom sends out a search party." Not waiting for anyone else, Darcy strode across the parking lot toward the bar.
She was pissed and hurt, and she had every right to be.
When Caden and I walked into the bar hand in hand, the chatter that always surrounded my family died. I squeezed Caden's hand because if there was ever a time I needed him by my side, it was now.
Since it was early afternoon, no one was in the bar besides the O'Halloran clan. My family sat around two tables pushed together and were filled with enough deep-fried appetizers to feed a small nation.
Sean already had the stage set up for his second game show night of the week, and the red and white banner above the stage declared it was Mr. and Mrs. night. A game similar to The Newlyweds Game but open to everyone.
"Ready?" I whispered to Caden.
"It'll be okay."
My mom's chair scraped along the floor, and she stood. Her expression was somewhere between anger and sorrow. At fifty, she was stunning. Blonde, highlighted hair hung to her shoulders in a bob, her face had a few lines, and her green eyes were the mirror of mine. Beth, my only blood sister, had green eyes, too. All of my other sisters had a variation of Sean's hazel eyes.
"When and how did this—" my mom gestured between the Caden and me, "—happen?"
I released Caden's hand, stepped forward and kissed my mom's cheek. "This is Caden, My fiancé."
"So I've heard. The whole town has heard. We know about the house too. It would've been nice to hear it from my daughter."
"It was all very sudden, Mrs. O'Halloran," Caden said. "I haven't told my family yet. We kept everything a secret. Even from ourselves, it seems."
My mom's eyes narrowed. She wasn't buying any of it. "Sit," she said and gestured. "Everyone wants to hear all about this whirlwind romance of yours."
Sean stood and ambled over to us. He held out his meaty hand, which Caden accepted.
"Welcome to the family, son. They look like a pack of lions ready to pounce but don't let that worry you. They're all a bunch of pussy cats, but they do have sharp claws, so be careful."
"I have two sisters myself, so I'll be fine."
I caught my lower lip between my teeth. He had two sisters? He had mentioned brothers, but I didn't know how many. There'd been no time in the past few days to discuss much, but how did I not know he had sisters? Fear clutched my throat. There was no way anyone would buy the bullshit backstory we were selling.
If I could convince Darcy, the most romantic of my sisters, I would have no problem selling it to the rest of them even someone as skeptical as Sage, but every time I looked in Darcy's direction, I was met with an icy glare.
Caden pulled out a chair for me by my mom, and then he sat down opposite me—between Sage and Keeva. I picked up a French fry from the platter in the middle of the table and twirled it around my fingers.
"We're waiting," Erin said impatiently, drumming her fingers against the table. "I have another batch of chocolates I have to make for a christening. You can eat later."
I popped the fry into my mouth and chewed slowly. It was time to test out our story. Later, we would have to sit down and find out the small details.
We would have to put sex on hold for another time, but how would I stop my body short-circuiting my brain if he kissed me again? Simple, I wouldn't kiss him, or touch him, or look at him.
If we couldn't convince my family, there was no way we'd be able to convince immigration.
"We started emailing about a year ago," I said. "Caden was interested in buying the club, but I said no—"
"Then one day out of nowhere," he continued, "she sends me an email asking me to tell her more, and it took off from there."
"So," Darcy said, leaning forward. "The night of your dad's accident, you two were already involved?"
"Yes," I said and crossed my fingers beneath the table.
"And, you," she said looking at Caden for the first time, "just happened to be close by in her hour of need? Or did you hop on a flight over from Ireland?"
"I live in Manhattan but travel all over for work."
"When he heard about dad he came straight here," I said, warming to the story. "He asked me to marry him—" I held up my ring finger, "—and I said yes."
"He's buying the club?" my mom asked.
"No, Yes. I mean some of it, not all of it. But his company is developing the place, and I think everyone will love it. New jobs. Lots more tourists. It'll be great. You'll see." The disbelieving look on everyone's face told me they could smell the bullshit. I was going to pass out.
Darcy leaned back in her chair and narrowed her eyes. "You live in Manhattan, a four or five-hour drive from here, and this week was the first time you've met?"
"We didn't know how serious it was until we saw each other for the first time," I said, avoiding my sister's face. "But when you know—"
"—you know," Caden finished. "I'm a shareholder in the club, and it's true everything is very sudden. You all know the club is falling down, but you probably didn't know it was in dire straits. I'm going to change that. I didn't think I'd ever meet someone like Lizzie. I had no plans on getting married, but over the past year, we've gotten to know each other through emails and video chats, and when we finally met, I knew I wanted her in my life."
He reached over the table and tucked a tendril of hair behind my ear. "I promise I'll take good care of her and won't hurt her."
If only. He was breaking down too many of my barriers, and I had to remember his velvet covered words weren't true. They were make-believe just like the next three years of my life. The house wasn't real. Playing happy families wasn't real, but to make sure my father was okay and to make sure we kept the family business, I would go ahead with everything. I would marry a man I didn't love, and I would continue to lie to my family.
I cleared the lump in my throat. "I know you're all worried about me after last time, and I know you're only protecting me, but Caden isn't Eric. I know he loves me and I know he'll never hurt me. This is as sudden for us as it is for you. I want you to be happy for me." I looked at Darcy. "Please."
Steel filled her eyes. "This is all too fast. I have a hard time believing any of this."
"I love him, and we're getting married next week."
A round of gasps circled the table. "Next week?" Darcy jumped up. "That's ridiculous. What's the hurry?"
"A week isn't enough time to plan a wedding," my mom said balling her napkin.
Erin spoke up, "Darcy can get you a wedding dress, I can make the cake. Mom can take care of the invitations. Don't listen to any of these naysayers. I think it's romantic."
"Thanks, sis, but I don't want a big thing. Not after last time." It was hard not to get carried away with Erin's excitement.
"I guess I could throw something together for you," Darcy said. "Am I maid of honor?"
I gave her a small smile. "As if I'd ever ask anyone else."
They were softening, and I should be over the moon, but I wasn't. I was going to hell for deceiving the people who loved me most.