“Welcome into the world,” I whisper.
“Reckon being born tuckered her out,” Cormac says, his voice thick with emotion. “Tuckered you both out. If you need me to hold her while you get some rest, I will.”
I give the little bundle a kiss and hand her to her daddy. “Aye,” I tell him. “I’m exhausted.” I am, but I could hold her all night long and not get weary of it. I just want to let him hold her.
Watching him hold our baby to his chest, the wee thing dwarfed by his massive frame, my heart squeezes.
“Can’t wait to dress her up and plait her hair and sing to her,” I say, resting my head back on the pillow. “But tonight, I need rest.”
“You did so well, lass,” Cormac says, rocking the baby in his arms. “Never met a stronger woman than you, you know that?”
I smile at him. “A man like you needs a strong woman, Mr. McCarthy.”
He grins at me, and even though I’m still aching with the pain of delivering his child, that grin would make me lose my knickers all over again.
The baby and I recover quickly, under the doting attention of the staff. After the second week, Cormac allows my mother to pay a visit. The visit’s brief and uneventful. She shows little interest in the baby, and more interest in the house and my clothes.
“Very posh it is here,” she says with a sniff.
I give her a tight smile. “Aye,” I say. I’m grateful when she leaves, having paid her respects. “Didn’t even come with a single guard.”
He shakes his head. “Typical. Shows where their loyalties and concerns lie. But anyway, now that she’s gone and done what she had to, hopefully we won’t need to see her again for a while.”
Maeve shakes her head. “’Tis a shame,” she says. “I’d have done my best to get along with her.”
“Of course you would’ve,” I say. “But she’s of a sort that won’t try.”
Maeve looks at me and smiles. “I’m glad you’re one of us now, lass. The daughters my sons have brought home to me are my pride and joy.”
I love this woman. She makes the pain of my past fade with every day that passes.
Maeve takes her leave. Cormac shuts the door behind her and sits in the chair by the window. A muscle ticks in his jaw.
“I’ve got something to tell you,” he says.
“What is it?”
“Trouble at the school,” he says. “Nolan and I’ll have to pay a visit at the weekend.”
I nod. Trouble comes and goes for them, and I’ve come to expect it.
“Seems the redheaded woman’s causing more trouble.”
“No,” I say. “Sheena? Are you kidding me? Hasn’t she learned her lesson?”
He grins. “She’s the sort that seems to enjoy a lesson.”
“Oh, lord,” I mutter.
He snorts. “You wouldn’t know anything of that, now, would you?”
“Nothing at all,” I say with a smile. I busy myself with buttoning the baby’s little romper.
“But Sheena’s brought us news that hasn’t hit the press yet, and I thought it best I tell you myself.”
“Has she?”
“Aye.” He clears his throat. “Mack Martin put a hit on Blaine and Dermot. Both found dead in prison not an hour ago.”
Even though we expected this, the news still hits me in the gut. I swallow hard. At the very same time, it brings me unfathomable relief.
“I’m glad,” I whisper. The baby sleeps in my arms, and I brush a tiny strand of hair off her forehead. “I hate that these things happen, but I’ll rest better at night knowing we’re raising our daughter in a world without those two.”
Cormac swallows hard and nods. “Absolutely.” He stands and walks to my bed, bends and kisses my forehead. “You alright, sweetheart?”
I rock the baby, take his hand, and hold it to my cheek.
He bends and kisses me, wrapping his arm around the baby, a little huddle of peace and togetherness in this crazy world we live in.
“I always wanted to be part of a family that cared for me,” I tell him. “And now look at this. Look at us. We are that family.”
His eyes crinkle around the edges as he smiles at me. “We are.”