Saving a Legend: A Kavanagh Legends Novel (16 page)

She made up her mind right then and there: she wanted him, too.

“You’re kind of okay yourself,” she said, a faint smile spreading across her face as she leaned into him and swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Glad to hear it, flower girl.” Kieran’s arms hugged around her and his lips devoured hers. She was ready to give in to it all, to accept his affections with a full heart. At least she thought she was. This kiss, this man, it was everything she’d ever wished for. But one final doubt crept into her mind.

Would he still be here if he knew what I’ve done?

Chapter 11

“Is that all you need up here? Everything else I’ll store in the basement,” Kieran told Fiona, placing a small box on the bed.

“Yeah, that’s everything. Just our clothes and personal stuff—that’s about all we had anyway. The furniture in the apartment belongs to the landlord.” She frowned, looking at the three small boxes on the bed that held almost everything she owned. Luckily, the bedroom upstairs in the Kavanagh house was also fully furnished and decorated. It even had a Jack-and-Jill bathroom that connected her bedroom to Shea’s, letting her still be close to Shea in case her little sister needed her.

“Perfect. I’ll go grab the last one of Shea’s,” Kieran told her as he left.

After a quick check-in by phone with his parole officer, he’d spent the last few hours boxing up Fiona’s place with some of his brothers. He’d refused to let her go in, for fear of the building falling down or something ridiculous like that. The Kavanaghs were all big and muscled and probably each weighed twice as much as she did—and she’d told Kieran as much. If anyone,
she
should’ve been the one inside the unstable structure, but Kieran wasn’t having any of that.

Sighing, she sat on the bed and looked around the room. Just this morning, she’d woken up in her own bed in her own apartment. Sure, it hadn’t been much to look at, and she and Shea had barely fit in the small bed together, but it had been hers. Now she was staying at the house belonging to the parents of the man she was dating. Or was flirting with. Or had just met last week. She frowned as she realized she had no idea what to call her relationship with Kieran.

All she knew was that she liked him a lot. She couldn’t help wondering if that was real, though, or if she was just infatuated because he’d been so kind to her. She couldn’t possibly care so deeply for someone she’d known for only a week.

Could I?
The thought both warmed her heart and terrified her at the same time.

“Hey, are you Fiona?” A smiling redhead stuck her head through the door and gave her a little wave.

“That’s me.” Fiona stood up, reaching her hand out to shake the pretty young woman’s hand.

“I’m Casey, Kieran’s cousin. I have the bedroom across the hall. Aunt Dee said you were moving in, so I just wanted to say hi.”

“Oh, I don’t know if we’re moving in. Just temporarily, until we find another place, you know? I don’t want to be a burden.” Fiona blushed.

“Don’t worry about it. Since Jimmy moved out of this bedroom years ago, Dee made it a guest room, and she’s always inviting people to stay. I’ve gotten used to it; plus, I like meeting new people.” Casey grinned. “Especially women, since there is
way
too much testosterone around here. You’ll see when all the boys come over for dinner on Sunday.”

“I’ve noticed.” Fiona found herself curious about what a big family dinner would be like. It had always just been her, Shea, and her mom. When her stepfather came into the picture, they’d stopped eating dinners together entirely. “It’s good to meet you, Casey.”

“I can’t wait to meet your daughter. Kieran was telling me a few days ago how sweet she is,” Casey said.

“Shea’s actually my little sister, but she’s only eight, so I’m her legal her guardian,” Fiona explained, leading her back out into the hallway and down to Shea’s bedroom. They found Shea sitting in the corner with her knees to her chest, tears streaking her face, rocking gently. Dee was in the same position next to her, talking softly.

“Shea? What’s wrong?” Fiona dropped onto her knees in front of her sister and studied her face with concern.

“Dee?” Casey asked at the same time.

“I think this is just a lot of change in one day, and she still feels a bit sick. Do you feel hot, Shea?” Dee asked her. Shea nodded slowly, not looking at any of them directly. “Do you want to take a nap in that big, comfy bed over there while I read to you?”

Shea nodded again, and they both stood up and walked over to the bed. Shea clambered in and pulled the covers up to her chin as Dee sat on the edge and opened a book. Casey waved Fiona over toward the bedroom door, indicating that it might be best to leave things to Dee. Hesitating, Fiona looked over at her little sister.

The idea of anyone else comforting Shea made her antsy; that had always been Fiona’s job. They’d never had anyone else to depend on, and no one else knew Shea the way Fiona did. But the girl was already calming down and listening to Dee read, and Dee seemed totally at ease with her. Surprised and slightly relieved, Fiona reluctantly followed Casey out of the room.

“Dee is really great with children, I promise,” Casey told her as they headed downstairs to the kitchen, where Casey opened a bottle of wine for them. “She’s been teaching Sunday-school classes our whole lives.”

“That’s sweet. Kieran mentioned that religion is important to her, but he didn’t really sound like he was on the same page,” Fiona said.

“He isn’t…well, he just hasn’t given it much of a chance. Actually, none of the brothers have. Clare goes, so Rory’s started going now and then, but the rest of them don’t. A real sore point with Dee, that’s for sure.” Casey handed Fiona a chilled glass of white wine and then poured herself one as well.

“It’s been a while since I went to church,” Fiona said. “But I always loved it when I was a kid. I don’t know why I stopped, honestly. Just got busy with life, I guess.”

“I think it’s the same with most of them as well. I wish the brothers would go more often than Christmas and Easter. I still go most Sundays with Dee, but sometimes I have to work.”

“What do you do?” Fiona asked.

“I work the front desk at Legends. I’m still full time at NYU,” Casey told her.

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to go there. Great school.”

“I think everyone we know has gone there.” Casey chuckled. “All my brothers have since my uncle went there. Any of them could give you tips on how to get in if you’re interested.”

“Seamus is your uncle, right?” Fiona asked, unsure she had all the names straight. This family was huge.

“Yep, he and Dee adopted me when I was four years old. My dad was Seamus’s brother, but both my parents and my two older brothers died in a house fire. Growing up with all my cousins, they pretty much became like brothers to me. Kieran and I have always been very close. He and Rory are classic older-brother types, always trying to shelter me from anything and everything.”

“I’ve met Rory—he comes into the flower shop a lot. I met Kane there once, too. Is Kane not the protective older-brother type as well?”

“Not like Rory and Kieran. Those two protect me from imaginary danger, and from anything fun.” Casey sipped her wine with a distant smile, as if she was remembering something from long ago. “Kane treats me more like an adult, thankfully. He and Kieran may be twins, but they couldn’t possibly be more different.”

“They do seem really different,” Fiona mused, basing her observations on the little time she’d spent around them. “Kieran seems more serious.”

“Oh, he is. At least now he is—a few years ago, not so much.” Casey settled down in a chair at the breakfast bar. Fiona leaned against the counter, facing her and sipping a bit more wine.

“Well, I’m glad he is now. I can’t date anyone who isn’t an on-the-straight-and-narrow adult, not when I’ve got a child to care for,” Fiona said, hoping Kieran fit that description.

“So you are dating?” Casey raised her brows.

“Oh, um…” Fiona felt stinging crimson creeping up her cheeks. “To be honest, I have no idea what we are.”

“Well, Kieran obviously wants to be dating, but what do you want?” Casey asked after a pause.

Fiona smiled and shook her head. “I want to be happy. That’s all.”

—

“K, come spar with me,” Rory called as Kieran walked past the cage he was standing in. Kane was stepping out of the cage at the same moment, his face covered in sweat. As always, Ace sat at the entrance, waiting.

“Thought you were busy training mini-me,” Kieran gave Kane a gentle jab in his upper arm as he walked past.

Kane shot him an irritated glare as he grabbed his water bottle off the ground where he’d left it. “Shut up and get your ass in the cage. I could use the break.”

“And I could use a little change of scenery,” Rory said ironically, since switching between the twins wouldn’t make much of a difference at all. “Let’s go.”

“It’s the weekend, bro,” Kieran said to Rory, a hint of a smile edging the corner of his lips as Rory rolled his eyes. “You’re not my boss right now, better say please.”

“Well, if you’re scared of getting your ass handed to you, then never mind.”

“Oh, yeah?” Kieran started wrapping his hands and wrists. “All right, I’ll go, but only so I can teach you who’s the best.”

“You can try.” Rory chuckled as Kieran entered the practice octagon.

Kieran put his hands up, fisting them slowly as he moved around Rory. Rory echoed his movements, looking eager despite his sweaty appearance.

“Regular bout, but no hits to the face. One round. Good?” Rory asked.

Kieran nodded, squaring his shoulders and making a quick move in, delivering a jab to Rory’s abdomen moments later.

“You’re as fast as always, K.” Rory grunted before rushing him. They locked in a clinch, and Kieran pummeled Rory’s stomach in an attempt to break free.

Rory pushed backward, landing an uppercut right below Kieran’s chin, and Kieran exhaled in one loud
oomph
. He rubbed his jaw as he sidestepped around the ring, circling Rory. A wicked smile on Rory’s face followed as the duo continued to grapple, delivering blows, hooks, and sweeps until Kieran found himself sprawled on his back with Rory’s knee almost crushing his throat.

“Tap out, K,” Rory advised. Smacking the mat underneath him, Kieran admitted defeat and Rory stood up, leaving his brother coughing on the ground. Rubbing his chest and throat with his hand, Kieran sat up.

“Fuck, Rory. Haven’t lost your touch, I see.” Kieran administered a rare compliment.

“I could say the same thing to you.” Rory sipped from a bottle of water. “Have you thought about getting back into the game?”

“That window’s closed, don’t you think?” Kieran rubbed his throat again, knowing he would probably have some bruising tomorrow.

“Because of prison? There are tons of fighters who’ve been picked up a few times, some who’ve even done long stretches. You were on your way to being one of the best before. Well, that’s not entirely true. I was always better than you.” Rory was being lighthearted for once.

“Only because I’m younger. If I’d had time—” Kieran started.

“I’d still be older than you, and better.” Rory smacked him on the back with a laugh as he walked past him out of the octagon. Ace wagged his tail excitedly. Kieran stretched his arms across his chest one at a time and shook his head at his brother.

“Seriously, K, think about getting back in the ring.” Rory gave him a nod before walking off with Ace. Kane staggered over to him, apparently still exhausted from earlier.

“Good bout. Saw you out there,” Kane told him.

“Until his knee was on my throat.” Kieran sighed. He’d hoped to have fared better on his first round with Rory after his time away, but his brother always seemed to have the upper hand.

“Goddamn Rory and his fat-ass knees. I swear to fuck, I’ve been sure on more than one occasion that he’d kill me with them. Which is ironic since he almost broke one in half back in the day.”

“He’s bounced back, that’s for sure,” Kieran agreed.

“You could, too. I heard Rory ask you about it—why not start training again?” Kane asked.

“Oh, yeah? How would I do that when someone else stole my name,
Killer
?” Kieran asked pointedly, one brow lifted.

Kane grinned mischievously. “You could be Killer 2.0?”

“The new-and-improved version,” Kieran teased.

“No,” Kane said with a punch to his arm. “The older and staler version.”

“You’re an asshole.” Kieran shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re my twin.”

“I can’t believe it, either. I’m so much hotter.”

Kieran smacked Kane hard on the back of his head, causing him to grimace.

“Ouch, fucker. Find a new name, then, because Killer is mine now,” Kane told him before they walked back toward the locker rooms to shower and change. Kieran wasn’t all that mad about the name anymore; everything between the twins had a sort of fluid ownership. Just because he didn’t entirely mind, though, didn’t mean he wasn’t going to bust Kane’s balls for it anyway.

Fifteen minutes later, both men were freshly showered and in clean clothes. Meeting back up front, they prepared to head to Kane’s house. Kieran still couldn’t wait to have his own place to live, and within the next week he planned to find something.

“How was the workout, guys?” Casey smiled from behind the front counter in the lobby.

“I kicked Rory’s ass, as usual,” Kane lied.

“Is that what that was? Those whiny pleas coming from underneath him? I thought that was called tapping out.”

Kieran belted out a deep belly laugh at his cousin’s sass.

“Bunch of jerks in this family,” Kane grumbled, clearly wanting to cuss but holding back in front of Casey.

“Kieran, I met your girlfriend yesterday,” Casey said, piling a mess of disheveled papers into a single stack. “She’s so pretty. I like her.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.” A fact he was doing everything he could to change.

Casey rolled her eyes, tapping the bottom of the papers against the counter. “Yeah, she gave me the same song and dance, too.”