Saving a Legend: A Kavanagh Legends Novel (31 page)

“Well, then, call them. Double-check.” Casey shrugged, handing back to her the letter that stated Shea had been accepted into the elite, private special-needs school and was receiving a full scholarship to cover the tuition as well.

“Good idea.” Fiona glanced at the letterhead, focusing on the phone number as she pulled out her cell and dialed.

A few minutes later, she hung up the phone, grinning wider than she ever thought possible as she began bouncing up and down in the empty kitchen. The administrators had confirmed what the letter said. Shea had been accepted to start school there this summer, in less than two weeks. Tuition was paid for, thanks to a large scholarship she’d never even known was an option, and they’d even put Shea on the bus route to have her picked up and dropped off right in front of the house every day. They would run some assessments on her to determine her placement in the program, then they’d tailor a learning plan specifically for her. She’d be able to go year-round to give her days the structure she needed and to keep her grades up. Fiona sat on a stool at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and read and reread the letter again and again.

“I just heard the good news!” Dee said as she walked into the kitchen, clearly having just been informed by Casey of Shea’s acceptance. “This is so exciting!”

“I can’t even believe it. I’ve been hoping to enroll her for over a year, but I haven’t been able to afford the tuition. They said a board member for the school district vouched for us. I don’t even know who that was.”

Dee blushed and looked around the room. “Don’t be mad: I know we’re way too intrusive into your life already, but that was Seamus. Kieran told him that you’d mentioned trying to get Shea in there before. Seamus’s been on the board there for years, so Kieran asked him to call in a few favors.”

“Are you serious?” Fiona jumped up off her stool and barreled into Dee’s small frame, clasping her in a tight hug.

“All right, dear. I need to breathe,” Dee gasped.

Fiona gave her a tighter squeeze for a quick second, then let go. “You don’t even know how grateful I am. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you.”

“Honey, it’s nothing. It’s not like we’re paying for it or anything; it was just one conversation. The scholarship is funded by the school and already set aside for special cases.” Dee patted her arms affectionately. “You never do anything for yourself. Maybe now you’ll have a little more time to take care of you. You don’t need to worry about Shea—she’ll have all the resources she needs. That’s what matters.”

Fiona’s eyes had been welling with tears, and she didn’t even bother trying to hold them back any longer. They poured down her cheeks unapologetically as Fiona thought about that, about Shea finally having the help she needed.

“Don’t cry, darling. You deserve this, but more important, Shea deserves to go to that school,” Dee assured her. “You’ve done an amazing job with her, taking care of her on your own. That’s more than most people your age would be able to do.”

No matter what mistakes she’d made in her life, Shea was innocent; she always had been. Shea deserved this, and more. “Thank you again, I just don’t even know what to—”

“Don’t even worry about it,” Dee insisted, cutting her off. “No more tears, okay? We can tell Shea all about it tomorrow, but right now we need to get ready for the fight tonight!”

“Definitely.” Fiona smiled. “Kane’s going to do amazing.”

“All my sons are amazing, darling. You should remember that.” Dee gave her a wink, and Fiona knew they weren’t talking about Kane just then. “The babysitter will be here any minute, so let’s get ready.”

Fiona nodded and headed upstairs to get dressed. Dee had arranged for a nice young college student named Kiera to babysit Shea while everyone was out at the state championships tonight watching Kane.

Fiona had avoided any Kavanagh family functions since Kieran had been home, but she couldn’t avoid tonight. Nor did she really want to, not after everything this family had done for her. She wanted to show her support. Tossing open her closet door, she shuffled through the few garments she owned. She spotted the long gown she had never ended up getting to wear, since Kieran had gone to prison instead of taking her to the gala. Fingering the delicate fabric, she sighed, reminiscing on how different things could have been.

She’d absolutely loved dating him—he was caring, protective, and loyal. She’d liked how he’d aggressively pursued her, taught her how to have fun and enjoy her life, and made her feel safe in his arms. She’d fallen for his wit and his charming smile, lusted for his thick arms and tall frame with bulging muscles covering every inch of him.

I fell in love with him…
Fiona sighed. There was that word again.

She had to remind herself why she’d ended things. He needed a fresh start, a chance to take charge of his life. Her presence in his life had only hurt him, and finding out about her past would hurt him even more. He’d never look at her the way he had done, his heart in his eyes, after he found out she’d stabbed a man. Pushing him away was as much protection for her heart as it was for his.

“Fiona!” called someone from downstairs.

“Coming!” she replied as she quickly pulled off her shorts and pulled on a pair of skinny black jeans that hugged her legs like a second skin. She slid off her top and snapped on a lacy black bra, topping it with a light pink top that was just thick enough to give the illusion of coverage.

She felt like being sexy tonight, despite her better judgment.

The house had filled with people; most of the family members were meeting there to carpool into New Jersey for the event. Many New York fighters made the trek, as New York had stricter regulations against the sport, banning it in most places. Seamus, Kieran, and Rory had gone ahead with Kane, needing the time to help him warm up. Nora, Casey, Clare, Quinn, and Dee were all in the kitchen when she went downstairs. The last brother, whom she was excited to finally meet tonight—Jimmy—was going to meet them there.

“Fiona, this is Kiera Finley.” Dee introduced a thin, young woman with bold red hair and big eyes. “Not to be confused with our Kieran, of course.”

“Yes, please.” Kiera laughed. “People in the neighborhood often tease us about the similar names.”

“I think I’ll be able to tell the difference between you two,” Fiona chuckled. “Thank you so much for watching Shea. I’ve written down her routine on this paper, as well as contact numbers in case you need me. She’s up in her room reading right now. She’s going to want dinner in about an hour, probably.”

“Sounds good to me. Don’t worry about a thing, I’ve been babysitting for years, and I’m in college to become a teacher. I just finished an internship working in a special-education class, so I’ve had some really great experiences and training with children like Shea.” Kiera smiled brightly, and Fiona noticed that Quinn was standing to the side looking over at her…with longing?

When Kiera followed her glance, she saw Quinn, and they both quickly turned away from each other. Fiona tried to suppress a smile, but seeing the heavily tatted and pierced Quinn blushing at this young schoolteacher was something she’d never expected of him.

“Perfect. We’ll be back pretty late, then, but her bedtime is eight,” Fiona said, and Kiera nodded.

“Everyone ready? Let’s get in the car!” Dee announced, pushing them toward the door.

The crowd dispersed, and Nora hooked her arm around Fiona’s elbow, giving her a reassuring smile as they climbed into the car. Fiona smiled back, but her nerves were crawling across her skin. There was an entire evening ahead of her that held promises.

She just wasn’t sure if she was doing the right thing.

—

The moment they got to the arena over the bridge in New Jersey, all the men abandoned them. Quinn went to join his brothers and father in the locker room, and the women were left to find their own seats and wait for the match to begin. Luckily, an area had been cordoned off near the front for family, and so they had a great view of the cage. Fiona was instantly intimidated by the entire thing, and Nora was right there with her.

“This is freaking giant,” Nora whispered to her as both women scanned the domed arena lined with bleachers, all facing in toward the middle stage.

It was at least five feet off the ground with stairs to get up to it. The octagon-shaped stage was fenced with thick crisscrossing material that had lowered down from the ceiling, essentially turning it into a cage with no way out. As the PA system alerted everyone to find their seats, the cage walls rose.

Fiona squeezed her friend’s hand as an announcer climbed into the cage and greeted the crowd.

“Ladies and gentleman! Welcome to the State Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight Championships! Tonight we’ve got up-and-coming Kane ‘Killer’ Kavanagh—”

The entire Kavanagh family jumped to their feet and hollered in excitement. Fiona joined them, smiling at the spirited support this family was known for.

“…versus last year’s champion, Nick ‘Nut Cracker’ Allen!” the announcer finished, his voice booming through the arena. Neither opponent had yet made an appearance. Fiona looked around, wondering where they were.

“Why are the guys not out yet?” Clare, who was sitting next to her, leaned over to ask.

“Beats me, this is my first time at one of these,” Fiona replied, looking over at Casey, who was next to Clare.

Casey shrugged. “They usually come out with the first announcement.”

“Ladies, shush! Pay attention,” Dee instructed, her finger to her lips and a mysterious glint in her eyes. They all quieted, exchanging silly grins and focusing once more on the announcer.

“Before we bring out the bloodthirsty opponents, we’ve got a surprise for you.” The announcer smiled at the crowd. “Everyone here has heard of the legend who claimed the championship belt in this same fight years ago, only to go on and rank Top Ten MMA Fighter Worldwide.”

The crowd began cheering, and Clare gripped the armrest between them so hard her knuckles were turning white. Fiona scrunched her brows together, confused as to what everyone else seemed to understand.

“Please welcome to the stage retired champion, one of the best fighters in the world, Rory ‘Knockout’ Kavanagh!” The announcer pointed to the hulking behemoth wearing black jeans and a tight black T-shirt who was climbing the stairs. Fiona giggled when she saw the large black-and-white dog trailing a foot behind Rory. Those two were inseparable, and no one dared tell the ex-fighter otherwise. After all, Ace had been just as much of a fighter as Rory ever was, and he had the jagged scars to prove it.

Rory took the microphone and turned to face the crowd. “Good evening, Jersey!”

Getting to their feet, the crowd screamed their love for him. Fiona and Nora stood, clapping; Casey and Clare did the same. Dee stood, too, but she was staring at Clare. Fiona had no clue what was going on.

“Thank you, thank you. I’m not going to take up too much of your time, I promise. As he just announced, I guess I have sort of an impressive résumé.” Rory grinned at the crowd, and they ate it up like candy. “What you don’t know is that after my career-ending injury, things went downhill fast.”

Clare swayed slightly, and Fiona wrapped an arm around her waist, glancing at her. She looked so nervous seeing him up there again, and Fiona wondered if Rory was going to fight. She knew Clare didn’t want him doing it professionally anymore, as his injury had cost him a lot, and his subsequent struggle with pain medications had almost destroyed his life and their relationship.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, or what the point was in going on. Fighting was all I’d ever known. Until I met Clare Ivers.” Rory’s eyes found Clare’s through the crowd, and he smiled at her.

Fiona felt her heart warm at the sight, and it only reminded her again how much she missed Kieran.
Can’t think about him right now,
she reminded herself.

“
Mhuirnín,
will you come up here with me?” He spoke directly to Clare, and she nodded.

Fiona pushed her forward, and Dee looked as if she was going to bounce right up along with her. Clare gingerly climbed the stairs, and Rory grabbed her hand as soon as she reached the top, steadying her. She looked around the giant, filled arena, clearly nervous about being in front of so many eyes, including the national television broadcast of the event.

“What’s going on?” Nora whispered to her. Fiona just shrugged because she had no idea.

Rory handed the microphone off to the announcer and continued talking to Clare, but it was inaudible to the crowd. Whispers and questions floated through the crowd as everyone watched the exchange. The moment Rory dropped down to one knee, the crowd’s shouts became deafening. Everyone was on their feet clapping and screaming out encouragements.

Clare’s mouth fell open, and her hand went to her chest as he held the other and spoke to her from where he was kneeling. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it, the glint of diamonds apparent from where Fiona was sitting.

“Oh my God!” Nora gasped, and Fiona grinned, more than a little excited for her friend.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Casey asked Dee as the women held each other’s hand.

“A mother never tells.” Dee winked at them, and Fiona laughed.

Clare nodded her head and started crying as Rory pushed the ring onto her finger, all smiles as he stood and wrapped his arms around the petite blonde. They turned to the crowd, and he lifted her now-heavier hand in the air with his, letting the crowd celebrate with them. Blushing like mad, Clare smiled, and then the newly engaged couple kissed before exiting the stage with Ace.

Fiona watched to see if they were going to come back to where the women were sitting, eager to congratulate them. The duo disappeared into the crowd, and Fiona guessed they were probably off to do some celebrating of their own first.

“What a show, ladies and gentlemen! And it hasn’t even started yet!” the announcer called, returning to the stage. “Now it’s time to officially introduce our opponents for the night. From the left, we have Nick ‘Nut Cracker’ Allen!”