Claddagh and Chaos (7 page)

I’m naked in our bed, baby is asleep, and I’m wet. Want to climb in and help me or should I start without you? ~C

I smiled as I pocketed my phone, grabbed my jacket and tie, and walked to the elevator, hitting the down button. I thought about texting her back and telling her I was on my way, but instead, I decided to just show up and surprise her. Maybe, just maybe, she would start without me; watching my Christi pleasure herself was a sight to see.

Two weeks later ...

Tonight was Angus and Maggie’s engagement party. I had strict instructions from my wife to be home and dressed no later than six o’clock. It was five-twenty and I was showered, shaved, and dressed.

Smiles had been staying with us for the past few days. I felt like Steve Martin in
Father of the Bride II
having two very pregnant women in the house. Honestly, I loved every minute of it.

Ma and Charlotte had taken over the engagement party planning. Christi gave orders and they made her suggestions happen. Everything was in place as my family had already started to arrive.

Muscles was posted at the door to make certain only invited guests were allowed in. At a little after six, the doorbell rang just as I happened to walk by. I looked to Muscles and reached for the door. As I opened it, I had to fight my instincts to slam the door shut again. Standing on my front doorstep, dressed in a slutty, tight, red dress that barely hit mid-thigh, was the last person I wanted at this party: Theresa. She smiled with her glossy red lips and winked at me as she placed her fake fingernail between her teeth.

“Well, well, Patrick, don’t you look yummy this evening.”

My stomach turned at what she was implying. It was funny how having a beautiful woman by your side sours what would have sent me into an empty bathroom, with Theresa on her knees.

“What are you doing here? This is a private party.” My clipped tone showing her how unwelcome she really was. I hated this woman.

“I know, silly. I was invited,” she giggled as she spoke.

“Theresa, you made it,” my wife’s sweet voice came from behind me. She pressed past me and hugged her as if they were the best of friends. Something I hoped would fizzle out when she finally figured out I wasn’t interested in anything but showing her the way out of my house and, by extension, my life.

“I wouldn’t dream of missing this,” Theresa answered her, but her eyes never left mine. I rapidly turned and left the two women together.

I found Smiles sitting in a chair in the editing room talking to Ammo and Amex.

“What’s with the face, Patrick?” Smiles questioned, amusement in her voice.

“Oh, it’s only that the bane of my existence just walked into my fucking house.”

Smiles stood up and looked at the door. Christi was waving her arms around excitedly as she continued to speak with Theresa.

“Isn’t that Theresa?”

“Uh huh.”

“She isn’t so bad, Patrick. She’s been keeping Christi company.”

I looked to Ammo who was still intently watching Christi and Theresa. Smiles had taken her seat again and began drinking her punch.

“Are you getting a bad feeling from her, Patrick?” Ammo turned to me and raised her brow in question.

“The only feeling I have for that woman is hate. She constantly makes it a point to let me know she’d like to take me for a test drive.”

Ammo looked back to Theresa and Christi. “Need me to set her straight?”

Before I could answer her, Christi appeared beside me. “Hey, handsome, can I borrow you for a second?” She purred into my ear.

“For you, my love, anything.”

Christi took me by my hand and led me to the kitchen. She found a corner where we could talk without being disturbed. She turned to face me and placed her hands on either side of my face. “Baby, I need you to do a favor for me.”

I leaned down and placed a kiss to her perfect nose, nodding for her to continue. The girl had me by the balls since the first moment I laid eyes on her. The crazy girl had them displayed in a jar on the mantle.

“I need you to be nice to Theresa.” I started to protest, but Christi quickly placed her index finger over my lips, silencing me. “I don’t know why you don’t like her and I don’t care. She’s been having a hard time lately and she needs a friend.”

I reached up and removed her finger, gently kissing the tip.

“Patrick, she’s trying to get her business off the ground and she’s having trouble in her marriage.”

She took her hand and cupped my face with it. I was lost in her big hazel eyes. Here stood the love of my life asking me to be nice to a woman she wrongly thought was her friend.

“Listen, she values my opinion and I’m trying to help her get her clothing line going.” She took a deep breath and looked to my lips. “Patrick, she told me that her husband hasn’t touched her in a very long time. She’s convinced he’s having an affair.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head as if to shake off a bad memory. “I just can’t imagine you ever doing that to me.” Her voice a shiver of a whisper as she spoke.

I never wanted her to question my love and devotion to her. I leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips that said it all.

“Christi, I love you ... if ...”

“Christi!”

We both turned to the kitchen door to find a panicked Smiles standing over what appeared to be a puddle of water.

“Smiles?” Christi’s panicked voice shrieked.

“Oh, my God! My water just broke! I can’t have this baby yet ... it’s ... it’s too soon. I’m not due for another two weeks and ... and ... Dillion is in California.”

I moved to Smiles’s side. She reached out and grabbed my hand.

“Patrick, you have to get him back here, this baby can’t be born without Dillion here.”

I looked behind Smiles and noticed my parents were making their way over. Da was already talking on his cell phone.

“Smiles, honey, calm down. Remember, we sent Dillion on the family jet. I just spoke to the pilot who can have the plane ready and in the air in thirty minutes.”

Smiles had her attention on Da, so I took the opportunity to get Books on the phone.

It rang three times before Books answered. “Yes, Boss, is there a problem?”

I chuckled as I answered him. “Not really, unless you consider you wife’s water breaking in my kitchen a problem?”

“Oh, my God! Is she all right? Is the baby okay? Have you called an ambulance?” His rambling was so fast I nearly laughed ... nearly.

“Books, you need to drop whatever you’re doing and get back on the plane. It’s waiting for you.”

“Okay ... um ... I need ... I need ...”

“You need to get off this phone, grab Abby, and get to the airport. I’ll make certain that someone is there to get you to the hospital.”

I was pretty certain he completely dropped his phone and I could only pray he remembered to get Abby.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the hospital patient drop-off area. Ma, Christi, and Smiles were sitting in the back of Christi’s SUV and Da was in the passenger seat beside me. He got out and smiled at the nurse and doctor who were waiting for us.

“I’ll park the car and meet you guys in labor and delivery,” I told Da.

“All right, Son, see you in a few.”

I watched as Ma and Christi carefully helped Smiles out of the car. She wasn’t in any noticeable pain, but she kept complaining that the water seemed to still be falling out of her. Ma only laughed at her and said just wait until that also happened when she laughed due to bladder problems. This caused Da and me to cringe and the girls to laugh at us.

After I parked the car, I received a text from the pilot that they were about to be in the air. He assured me both Books and Giggles were aboard. I found my parents sitting in the waiting room and joined them. Christi was in the room with Smiles and Matthew was on his way with Charlotte.

“I remember sitting in a room almost like this one when you were born,” Da’s voice broke the silence. “They told me to sit tight until they got her into bed and hooked up to monitors. I thought it was ridiculous as there wasn’t an inch of your mother I wasn’t acquainted with.”

I physically shuddered at the thought of my parents in that way.

“My purpose in telling you this is that in a few short weeks, you’ll be sitting right here ... waiting. I just want you to take the time and practice being patient.”

I had to agree with him; patience was not something I had been blessed with. Hell, I’d been known to yell at the fucking microwave.

“When it’s Christi in there and it’s my turn, I pray only for her to have an easy birthing experience. I don’t like the thought of her in pain. I’ll suffer in silence with my inability to be patient. I’ll be there solely for her comfort.”

Da smiled and patted my leg. “I knew I raised you right.”

For the next few hours, we took turns going back and forth, checking to make certain Christi and Smiles had everything they needed. I finally received a text that the jet had landed safely and Muscles had them in the car.

I had just come from getting a second cup of coffee when the door of the elevator opened and a tired yet excited Books stepped into the hall. Abigail was nestled against his chest, her stuffed animal tucked in her arms.

“Please, tell me I’m not too late?” Books questioned in frantic exhaustion.

“No, she’s been asking about you, though. Suite three, last one on the left,” Christi spoke from behind me.

Ma came forward and gently took Abby from him. “Here, give me my grandbaby.”

A very sleepy Abby grumbled something that sounded like, “I’m a big sister.”

I held my wife as we watched Books run down the hall. I moved her closer to my chest as both of my hands descended to her swollen womb that held my son. With a kiss to her neck, I led her over to the couch that rested against one wall. Three long hours later, Books made his way down the hall. His hair was a disheveled mess and his face was as bright as the sun.

“It’s a boy! I have a son!” He shouted to the ceiling, his hands raised in victory.

Da was the first to jump to his feet and congratulate him. Abby was woken by Books’s voice and removed herself from ma’s lap and went to her da’s side.

“Daddy, can I see my baby?” a very sleepy Abby questioned, her hand rubbing her left eye.

I watched as Christi’s hand swiftly covered her lips, as a tear threatened to fall.

“Yes, my Princess, let’s go see your new baby brother. Michael Patrick Dillion Parker.”

IF THIS MORNING WAS ANY indication, today was going to be a bad day. I woke up late, spilled coffee on myself, twice, and then had a flat tire on my way to the office. As I sat in my meeting, I couldn’t focus. Something bad was about to happen, I could feel it. We were still no closer to finding out who was trying to break into our computer systems and my nerves were pretty much shot.

The only bright spot was the memory of my beautiful Christi as she walked around our bedroom this morning. She had just entered her thirty-sixth week and also, it seemed, her nesting phase. I had come home two days ago to find her on her hands and knees, scrubbing the tile grout in the kitchen with a toothbrush. When I’d asked her what she was doing, she had told me she could not bring a baby into the house until it was clean. Ma reassured me it this was a normal stage of pregnancy and discouraged me from asking her to stop.

Today’s meeting was to go over some information that one of the girls at the strip club had given us on some new punks trying to move into our neighborhood. They had been causing some trouble with the older residents. Da was old school and had no tolerance for that kind of behavior. Muscles was practically vibrating in his seat as he listened to the information.

Suddenly, the door flew open, causing the entire room’s attention to shift. There stood my beautiful wife, angry and disheveled, her hair flying around her from the motion of the door flinging open. Her eyes were full of hate and disbelief, her chest heaving from her labored breathing. Her next words tipped my world onto an axis I feared we would never recover from and triggered events that put my life at risk.

Malloy residence, twenty minutes prior ...

“Oh, my God! I can’t believe how disgustingly dirty this house is!” Christi motioned around the perfectly clean house. Her arms flew up in exasperation and then slapped to the side of her thighs as she continued to look around.