He hadn’t meant to make her feel unwanted. In fact, he’d tried to do the exact opposite. She kept trying to tell him she had no room for him in her life, and yet the heated flare in her eyes every time she looked at him told him something different.
He wanted that something different. As he continued picking up paper from the floor, he allowed the realization of earlier to settle over him like a warm blanket. After two gray and solitary years, he’d had a taste of what it would be like to have his own family.
Shea and Fiona were bonded tightly, and they’d opened themselves up for him to join. It wasn’t glamorous or easy, but it was real and inviting. Their love for each other was potent, and he wanted in. Love, trust, and a commitment that he’d never known he’d wanted before. Now they were all he could think about.
Ten minutes later, Kieran locked the door behind him, then left to head home. Tonight had been nothing like he’d ever considered. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but realizing how badly he wanted not only to be with Fiona, but be a part of her family as well, was the most unexpected of all.
Chapter 9
Fiona’s eyes fluttered open early the next morning to a rhythmic banging sound against the bedroom wall. Shea was still sound asleep next to her, sporting her pink headgear, which must be keeping out all the noise from outside. Fiona pushed up on her elbows and yawned, glancing toward the window to see a man standing outside, although not looking directly in her window.
Narrowing her gaze, she suddenly remembered she was on the top floor of the building, and yet somehow there was a man standing outside her window.
Jumping up, she rushed over to the window and pulled the curtains closed. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she pulled open a one-inch section of the drapes, peeking out carefully. The man was still there, paying no attention to her as he leaned against the building with the help of a cherry-picker lift. She saw he was doing some sort of construction on the outside of the building and immediately calmed down. Probably a new sign for the Irish restaurant downstairs; she’d remembered getting a flyer about that recently. Closing the curtains again, she walked back to the bed.
Shea was snoring, although it was more like soft breathing as she starfished across the bed, legs and arms going all directions. Despite it being a double bed, it still felt too small for the two of them together. This whole place felt too small. Shea always complained that Fiona hogged the blankets at night, pulling them off Shea. Fiona felt guilty and had purchased extra blankets to try to compensate.
Leaning over the edge of the bed, she touched the back of her palm to Shea’s forehead. She was still quite warm, but seemed better than when Fiona had checked before bed last night.
Sighing, Fiona went to the bathroom and found some daytime medication that said it helped with fevers. Grabbing a fresh washcloth, she ran it under the faucet and then squeezed the water out. She returned to the bedside and gently pulled the earmuffs off her sister’s head before rubbing her arm, soothing her awake.
“Shay-Shay,” she called her by her infant nickname, “drink this, honey.”
Shea blinked awake and took the medicine in a few small gulps. Fiona gave her some cold water next and then helped her lie back down with a fresh cold washcloth on her forehead.
“I’m going to go make breakfast, okay?” She kissed her gently. “You just relax today; I’m going to call the school and tell them you’re not coming.”
Shea nodded, curling around a pillow and falling back to sleep. Fiona gave her a small smile, then left the bedroom. As she walked through the only other room in their apartment, which combined the dining room, living room, and kitchen, she felt something was off. Doing a slow spin, she realized that the house had been tidied up. The strewn papers and books—everything had been picked up and arranged on the table in neat piles.
Fiona groaned, her hand on her forehead, as embarrassment washed over her. The memories of last night came sliding back like she was looking in a circus mirror. She’d let the poor man into her trashed apartment, then cried in front of him, finally topping the stellar evening off by throwing herself at him, only to get rejected just as fast. On top of everything else he’d done for her, he must have stayed and cleaned up, too.
The memory of his short dark brown hair and bright blue eyes flashed through her mind, along with the memory of how firm his chest and abs had been under her hands. When he’d held her, she felt like she never wanted to move again. The way he kissed, the way he caressed her cheek, all of it was so warm, so loving, so everything she’d ever dreamed of.