“Good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She closed the door behind him.
The click of the lock would keep her safe from the lingering threat of Roman’s retribution, but keep Ryan out, too. For now.
She released a wistful sigh. She missed him already. Missed his strength, missed his smile, missed him.
A piece of her heart walked away with him. And she wanted it back. Wanted him back.
Just as she wanted Georgina back in her arms.
Maybe one day soon, she’d have both Ryan and Georgina permanently in her life.
TWELVE
Ryan slept late on Saturday morning and then headed to his office around noon. He’d kept his phone beside him all night in case Meghan had needed him. She hadn’t called. The patrol reported all was quiet at her house. There was a mountain of paperwork he had to take care of before he could enjoy the evening with Meghan. And his family. A much different event than the last time he’d brought her into their midst.
A nervous quiver shot through him.
He’d never felt this way about another woman.
It scared him and thrilled at the same time.
A stack of reports and forms full of questions related to the events of the past few days waited on his desk, claiming the next few hours of his concentration. An official reprimand initiated by Captain Gregson for recklessly endangering Ryan’s own life had been added to his employee work file.
His father was beyond angry with him. The reaming he’d received last night from his dad when he’d checked in had given Ryan a headache. But hadn’t fazed Ryan nearly as deeply as it once would have since he was upset still with his father.
Ryan had a lot of work to do on the whole forgiveness concept. He was trying, really he was. But every time he thought about how his father’s actions had been the catalyst for the past week’s event, he’d get choked with anger.
“The DNA results are back.” Douglas interrupted Ryan’s concentration from the doorway of the office, holding what must be the report in his hands.
Anticipation kick-started Ryan’s pulse. “Finally. Was it Christina Hennessy’s blood on the rock?”
Douglas walked closer and consulted the paper. “Yes.”
Ryan let out a cynical laugh. “Why am I not surprised? She claims Burke did the deed.”
“Then how would her blood get on the stone?” Douglas countered.
“Good question.” One he wanted answered by the potential liar herself.
He ran a hand over his jaw. The bristles of a five-o’clock shadow scraped along his palm. He was tired. Tired of this investigation, tired of the unanswered questions and tired of feeling like he was failing Meghan Henry. Despite motive and her DNA on the murder weapon, they still didn’t have enough evidence to convict Christina for Meghan’s cousin’s murder. That bothered him. She wouldn’t have closure until the murder was solved.
“You up for a little road trip?” Ryan asked.
Douglas arched a black eyebrow. “To visit Christina in Rikers?”
“Actually Framingham. She’s being transferred to MCI Monday or Tuesday.” The Massachusetts Correctional Institute for women was located north of Boston. Christina would be held there pending her arraignment and trial. “Maybe we’ll catch a break, and she’ll confess.”
“You’re on. Just let me know the time and day.” Douglas checked his watch. “I’d better get going. Merry said she had something important to tell me before we head to the party.” His blue eyes twinkled. “I’ll see you and your date tonight.”
Ryan couldn’t stop the lopsided grin on his face. “Yes. You will.”
He had a date with Meghan Henry. He’d never counted on that. Hadn’t ever thought he’d find someone he would willingly bring into the family fold. But he had. Meghan was so much more than he’d first imagined. She was light and dark and every color in between. She painted his world with joy and hope.
He shoved away from the desk. There was no sense in trying to work. Not when all he could think about was Meghan and the upcoming evening. It wouldn’t be a romantic night, not with the whole Fitzgerald clan in attendance. But it would be a beginning.
In the hallway, he ran into his youngest brother, Owen. Hurt weaseled its way to the surface. He tried to ignore it. “Hey.”
“Hey, heard you’ve had a busy few days,” Owen said, his brown eyes twinkling in his normal good-natured way.
Love for his sibling warred with the sense of betrayal Ryan felt. Owen and Charles had kept the secret of Olivia’s parentage from him. This was the first time a secret had come between them. “Yeah. Busy.”
Ryan tried to slip past him.
Owen grabbed his arm. He stopped to stare at his brother.
“We hated keeping the secret from you,” Owen said. “From everyone.”
The contrition on Owen’s face made Ryan say, “Then why did you?”
Owen dropped his hand. “Dad asked us to,” he stated simply.
Ryan wanted to be angry with Owen for choosing his loyalty to their father over his loyalty to him. But when push came to shove, Ryan knew their father had put his brothers in a difficult position. “I don’t like secrets.”
Owen nodded. “I know, bro. I’m sorry we kept one from you. Truly. Can you forgive me?”
Ryan’s heart softened, the hurt soothed. Why was forgiving his baby brother so much easier than his father?
“I can still take you down any day of the week,” Ryan quipped, referring to the wrestling matches they frequently engaged in, especially when they were kids and Owen had wanted to prove he was as strong and big as his older brothers.
“Just you try,” Owen dared back. “This Sunday.”
The family gathered every Sunday at the Aiden Fitzgerald home for dinner. It was a time of connecting and eating and playing. Wrestling, too.
“You’re on.” Ryan clapped him on the back. “You’ll be at the party tonight, right?”
“Yep. I’ll be bringing Victoria and Paige.”
“When are you and Victoria going to set a date?” They’d been engaged for a few months now. Ryan didn’t understand why they were waiting. He narrowed his gaze on his brother. “You getting cold feet?”
“No way,” Owen said. “We’ll get to it.”
“Make it soon, brother. Victoria and Paige have waited long enough to become officially part of the Fitzgerald family.”
Owen’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t realize you were such an advocate for marriage.” A wicked gleam entered his light blue eyes. “You meet someone recently?”
“Not recently, no.” About six months ago. The day Meghan Henry walked into his life.
“Ah. So the rumors are true?”
Ryan frowned. He disliked gossip almost as much as he did secrets. “What rumors?”
“You and Meghan Henry getting chummy. Having dinner dates and running all over the place together like a couple of superheroes, saving children and…who knows what else.”
His brother winked.
Ryan’s mouth worked to deny the accusation but nothing came out. Yes, they had become “chummy” for lack of a better phrase. He felt a connection to her he’d never felt with anyone else. “I’m bringing her tonight.”
Owen’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s big. Huge.”
A little annoyed by his brother’s overreaction, Ryan held up a hand. “I’m telling you now so you don’t make a scene when we arrive.”
“Scene? When who arrives?” Keira Fitzgerald asked as she joined her brothers in the hallway. Her dark straight
