Holiday Baby Scandal

Which was one of the main reasons he wanted to be the one to uncover the scrolls. Patrick was gone, but Ryker still wanted to do this one final job for the only real father he’d ever known.

And all the more reason Ryker needed to keep his hands to himself where Laney was concerned. Patrick had been extremely protective and cautious when Laney wanted to date certain men. There were guys who wanted to date her simply for her last name or because they thought they could get into the family and wanted to use her as a warped version of a job interview.

Ryker had done neither of those things. He’d just gone straight to taking her against a wall and getting her pregnant like a loser.

One thing was for sure. He may not be father material, but he wasn’t about to ignore his responsibilities. If he had his way, he’d whisk Laney and their baby away and tuck them safely in his home in London...or he’d buy a damn private island. Anything to keep them safe.

He had the funds, that wasn’t the problem. No, the problem came in the form of a beautiful, stubborn, Irish goddess who would rather argue with him than listen to reason.

Ryker pulled into a parking spot right outside the window to his room. Always on the ground floor, always near an exit.

Fear overwhelmed him for the first time in years. Not for himself but for Laney and their unborn child.

When he got back to Boston, they were going to have to talk. He couldn’t outrun her any longer. He may not want a relationship with her, or anyone else for that matter, but he’d make damn sure she was taken care of...regardless of the cost to his own heart.

Most would say he didn’t have a heart. Ryker would have to agree. But Laney made him feel, and he could see the train wreck coming. Someone was going to get hurt.

* * *

When Laney had called her brother because her Christmas decorations were too heavy for her to lift, she hadn’t even realized the time of night. But here he was hauling box after box into her living room.

“Why do you have so much stuff to put up for only one month?” he growled as he sat the last box beside her sofa.

“So you can enjoy it when you come to visit.” Laney smiled and patted his cheek. “Just think, in about four weeks you can come back and take this all back up to my attic.”

“I’ll hire someone. Hell, just leave it up all year long. I won’t judge.”

Laney pulled the lid off one box and stared down at the contents. Christmas decorations were her crack. She loved everything about them. The lights, the glass ornaments that belonged to her mother, the garland she strung over her mantel and down her staircase. Everything was so magical, so perfect, and it made her remember how amazing her childhood had been. A house full of family and laughter, the parties they’d thrown in the O’Shea ballroom.

Tears pricked her eyes. She wanted that for her baby. She wanted her child to know the meaning of family gatherings. There was nothing more valuable to Laney than her family. She needed them now more than ever, but she had no idea how to tell them a little O’Shea was about to join their ranks.

She wasn’t afraid of how they’d react to the baby; her brothers would welcome another O’Shea. But how would they treat Ryker? He was such a staple in their family, and he was so much more to Braden and Mac than just an employee. He was...everything.

Laney sighed and blinked back tears.

“Hey, you okay?” Braden stood beside her, bending to look her in the eye. “Oh, damn. Please don’t cry. I’ll help take them down later, I swear.”

Why was it that the strongest of men couldn’t handle a little water?

“I’m fine,” she assured him, waving a hand. “It’s late and I’m tired. That’s all.”

His dark brows raised in disbelief. “And you opted to start decorating now?”

“I’ve got a lot on my mind.” Wasn’t that an understatement. “I’ll work on this until I think I can fall asleep.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Braden straightened and pinned her with his eyes. “Is there a problem I need to know about?”

Laney picked up an ornament and began to peel away its bubble wrap. “Just worrying about my brothers. Nothing new.”

That wasn’t a total lie. She always worried about them. Their business kept them busy, traveling, sneaking around. Thankfully they had enough law enforcement in their back pocket to keep them out of the hot seat, but still. Laney always worried something would happen. There were worse fates than being arrested.

“We’re all fine.” Braden took the ornament from her and waited until she turned her attention toward him. “I’m asking about you. Are you still receiving threats? I’d hoped after Shane—”

“Stop worrying about me.”

She didn’t want to talk about her emails or Shane. Ryker had taken it upon himself to...handle the problem of Shane when he’d attempted to abduct Laney from in front of her home in Beacon Hill. Shane had been the bane of her family’s existence for years, but he’d crossed the line when he’d harassed Braden’s wife, Zara. When he’d tried to grab Laney, Ryker had had enough.

And Laney knew the way Ryker had managed the situation had been an issue between him and Braden. Since Braden had taken over the family business after their father passed, he’d been adamant about going legitimate, and that included how they took care of their enemies. Ryker insisted that ending their old practices so suddenly would make them look weak and invite retribution.

Laney was still unsure what happened to her ex, but she was fine about being kept in the dark regarding that.

“Why don’t you get back home to your bride?” Laney suggested. “It’s late. I’m just going to sit here and tear up a little over Mom’s things.”

Braden looked as if he wanted to say more. That intense stare could make even the most seasoned criminal break, but Laney wasn’t caving. She’d grown up around strong-willed alphas her entire life. Not much fazed her.

“If you have any issues, you call me or Ryker immediately.”

Laney nodded, though if she had an issue she’d deal with it herself. She wasn’t a helpless female.

Once she hugged her loving, overprotective brother good-night, she reset her alarm and glanced around at the mess. The tree sat completely naked in the corner near the fireplace where she always put it. She wasn’t even sure at this point if she had any working lights. She tried to buy new ones each year, but, well, this year had been a bit exceptional and her mind had been elsewhere.

Laney found the box with her garland and decided to work on the staircase. That would be simple enough and keep her mind occupied for a few minutes.

She’d barely started when her thoughts drifted to Ryker. There was always a level of fear anytime she knew he was working. But the not knowing was frustrating. She knew the lead he was working on, she’d supplied him with the intel, but she didn’t like how he insisted on going out alone. He always stayed just detached enough to be in the know but keep to himself. Damn frustrating man.

Laney carefully wrapped the banister, fluffing the greenery as she went. This time next year she’d be playing Santa and buying the baby’s first Christmas things—tacky bibs and ridiculous ornaments would be welcome here.

What would her world be like with a child? Laney smiled. As scared as she was to tell her brothers, as worried as she was about what this meant for her and Ryker, there was no way Laney would change one single thing about Miami. This baby would never question how much he or she was loved, and the first person to call this pregnancy a mistake would be throat punched.

The thought of Ryker holding a baby was nearly laughable. She’d never seen his softer side, though she knew he had one. He cared for her, even if he opted to show it in Neanderthal-type ways.

Those whispered words before he left kept playing through her mind. She wished he’d stayed so they could talk, but he was prone to run rather than discuss his feelings. Well, he couldn’t hide from her forever. Eventually they had to talk about the future and their baby.

Laney’s cell chimed from the living room. She hurried down the stairs and carefully maneuvered the minefield of boxes. She found her phone on the coffee table next to a wreath that was in desperate need of fluffing. Because of the time of night, she figured the text would be important.

And she was right.

Ryker’s name lit up her screen, and she swiped her phone to read the message.

Nothing new tonight. Anything come through on your end?

Work. It was always work with him. A sliver of disappointment speared through her as she replied.

Nothing. I’ll keep you posted.

Her thumb hovered over the Send button. She wanted to make this more personal. She wanted to say...something. But Ryker was all work. What would he say if she asked personal questions or called him out on what he’d confessed to her earlier? Could he talk about his feelings when he wasn’t looking her in the face? She understood that. She totally got how people were more apt to open up when they could hide behind an electronic device.

She hit Send but immediately started typing another message.

Earlier when you said you think about me, why were you angry about it?

Laney sent the message before she could change her mind. She wanted to know. She deserved to know, but the screen seemed to mock her as no reply came. She waited several minutes, but still nothing.

Fine. She wasn’t going to beg. Yes, she would give anything to get inside that head of his, but she didn’t want to have to beat the information out of him.

The second she laid her phone down, it chimed once again. Laney stared at the screen. She almost didn’t want to read the message, but she hadn’t been raised to give into any fear.

Because it isn’t right.

Laney resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she contemplated her reply. There was so much to be said, it was too much to text and should be said face-to-face.

But he wasn’t completely closing her out, so she went for it.

Whatever you feel can’t be helped. Why fight it?

Laney jumped when her phone rang. The cell bounced from her hand and onto the sofa, hit a box and landed on the floor. She snatched it up, thankful the screen wasn’t cracked, and she was a bit surprised to see Ryker’s name.

“I didn’t think you’d actually talk to me,” she answered.

“You wouldn’t leave me alone until I did.”

Laney smiled. Just that gruff tone had her nerves calming. Ryker could always make her feel safe, at ease. Even though they argued and got on each other’s nerves, he was her comfort zone. Banter was their normal. Normal was so vanilla. What she and Ryker had, well...that was more Rocky Road.

“Where are you now?” she asked, scooting a box over and taking a seat on her couch.

“Hotel.”

“Plenty of time to talk, then.”

Ryker’s heavy sigh resounded through the line. “I’m not in a chatty mood.”

“Have you ever been?”

“What do you think?”

Laney toed the disorderly wreath aside and propped her socked feet on the coffee table. “Maybe it’s time you stop fighting whatever you’re feeling and just go with it.”

The laugh that escaped him was void of any humor. “Life isn’t that easy.”

“It’s your life, isn’t it? Make it that easy.”

“You think I enjoy pushing my level of self-control?” he asked, his voice gravelly, as if fighting back anger. “I have a responsibility to your brothers. I have a responsibility to you.” He let out a deep sigh. “To our baby.”

Laney’s heart clenched. Closing her eyes, she dropped her head back on the cushion and focused on not botching this. Ryker was so much more to her than she could even put into words, but he may never comprehend that.

“You have a responsibility to yourself,” she said softly. “You owe my family nothing. I know you think you—”

“I owe your family everything. And I’ve betrayed them.”

His last words came out on a strangled breath. Laney stilled. Did he honestly believe that? Was he that torn up over the baby that he truly felt he’d gone against her brothers? Why did everything have to come back to his sense of loyalty to her family? They trusted him, they knew him better than anyone else and they might be angry, but they would still love him.

Tears pricked her eyes, and she cursed her stupid pregnancy hormones. Tears had no place here. She was fighting for what she wanted, what Ryker wanted. Hell, what they deserved.

“If that’s how you feel, then there’s nothing I can say. If you don’t want anyone to know this baby is yours, we don’t have to say anything. I can just say I’m not involved with the father and not tell my brothers any name at all.” Though it would kill her. Pain like nothing before speared through her at the thought of Ryker not being involved. “I can’t make you want—”

“That’s the whole problem,” he yelled. “I want, damn it. Too much. But I’ll never turn my back on you or this baby.”

Laney picked at the hem of her T-shirt and swallowed a lump of remorse. “Right. Responsibilities.”

“Laney—”

“It’s late. I’ll let you go.”

She ended the call, dropping the phone into her lap as she battled back tears. Why did he have to be so noble, yet so ignorant at the same time? Why did he feel that he had to sacrifice his own happiness in order to fulfill some past debt? Ryker had more than proved himself to this family.

At least he hadn’t agreed to being left out of the baby’s life. That would’ve gutted her. But he still only saw her as a responsibility, and Laney feared she’d never be more in his life.

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