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ove the fireplace, but my brother was rarely one for television. The walls were painted a light blue, very soothing and very comforting, and the furniture was all white. It was hard to imagine having white furniture with three kids, but they must have employed some damn good housekeepers. Either that, or they bought new couches every time one of their kids got it dirty.
Must be nice to have that kind of cash, I thought.
The open floor plan allowed me to see into the dining room, and past that, the kitchen. Large French doors opened to a patio where there was a giant yard, and a pool with a hot tub. The home had everything an upper middle-class family would need. There was a stairwell that led upstairs, to the kid's rooms, and the master bedroom was tucked away on the first floor near the back. Meredith would be sleeping, so I knew we needed to be quiet.
“I only found out about half an hour ago myself,” I muttered.
Jack squirmed in my arms and let out a squeal, the tiniest and most pitiful of sounds and I nearly dropped him in my panic. I had no idea what it meant or what to do about it. I looked up at my brother, feeling my eyes grow wide and my heart thundering in my chest.
“I have no fucking idea what I'm doing,” I admitted.
“I can see that,” Killian said.
He reached out and plucked the child out of my arms, holding him like a pro. Killian smiled down at the tiny bundle, rocking him gently in his arms.
“And what's my nephew's name?”
“Jack,” I said, scratching my head.
“A good, strong name,” he said. “Father would have been happy.”
I groaned inwardly at the mention of my dad. Coming from strong Irish stock, my parents always wanted a big family. They ended up with just us three boys but had no girls. Not that dad thought that was a problem. He just wanted more sons, and later grandsons, to help continue on with the family business.
“He's probably hungry,” Killian said. “Do you have anything to feed him?”
I handed over the diaper bag and let my brother sort through the items. He shook his head and frowned.
“This all she left you with?” he asked.
“Yep. And Crystal took off before I could stop her,” I said, shrugging. “No idea where she's at. She just appeared like a damn ghost, dropped Jack off, and disappeared again. Just like that.”
“Probably for the best, Crystal was always a little – ”
Killian stopped and studied my face. In the past, I knew I'd been pretty defensive whenever somebody brought my former girlfriend up in conversation and wouldn't dare let anyone talk shit about her. Not in front of me.
Things had changed though. In fact, everything had changed.
“Flighty?” I answered for him.
Killian chuckled, a deep, low sound. “Yeah, something like that,” he said, clearly wanting to say something far harsher. “Come on, let's go into the kitchen and make this little man a bottle.”
“Thanks, man,” I said. “You have no idea how much I need you right now.”
“What are brothers for?” he said.
Truthfully, I knew I needed a lot of help. More than just feeding the kid. I had nowhere to go, no bed for him to sleep in. Nothing. Not even a stable job that would let me provide for him. I had nothing to my name, no source of income besides fights every weekend – if Seth could manage to get them booked. Even in the ring though, my pay was decreasing gradually. I wasn't that big of a name anymore, as Tommy had just proven to me.
I needed to do something, and fast, though. Whether I liked it or not, I might have to ask Killian for even more help – help I loathed the idea of taking on. But, I needed to suck it up do what needed to be done for the good of my kid.
At least, until I figured shit out on my own.
CHAPTER TWO
KARA
“Jesus Christ, Dad,” I muttered to myself as I stepped over the pile of beer cans sitting by the couch.
My father was sitting up, but his eyes were closed, and his mouth was hanging open. A rivulet of drool slipped from his mouth and spilled down to his chin. He let out a sudden snore that caused me to jump, startling me, and sent my heart racing. I shook my head and walked over to my father, gently nudging him down to his side. He grumbled and muttered in his sleep as I pulled the ratty blanket he kept at the foot of the couch over him and left him alone.
