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Chapter 23
Ronan
I felt so helpless when she broke right in front of me. There was nothing that I could have said that would have helped or made her feel any better, so I just let her cry it out.
I held her for hours while she cried then fell asleep in my arms. I didn’t want to move her; I didn’t want to risk it in case it disturbed her––she looks like she hasn’t slept in weeks.
I check my watch, it’s after nine a.m. and I need to grab my phone. I need to make some calls to our lawyers. I knew she was having custody battles, but I’m not even sure the girls knew she’d lost all access, or that the fuckers were taking the kid away to another state.
Its Christmas in a little over a week, I’m not sure the lawyers will be able to do anything before then, but at the very least, I’ll be able to give her some hope.
We’ll get Maddie back where she belongs, even if I have to kill them to do it.
Twenty minutes later and Liv starts to stir. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
“Morning, I’m sorry––”
“No, don’t apologise, you needed to let it out and you needed some sleep. Let me grab you a coffee and make some eggs and bacon for us.” I kiss the top of her head and slide out from under her.
She gets up from the sofa and stretches her arms above her head. She’s wearing a loose cut-off tee that rises to just under her breasts. I smile at the memory of having her nipples in my mouth… damn that was so long ago––too long. I watch her walk barefoot across the room to the bathroom, her shorts barely covering her arse cheeks and making her legs look longer than they are.
My dick notices how incredible she looks too, my hard-on pushing painfully on my zipper. I need to focus, it’s not about that right now.
I grab a bottle of ice-cold water from the fridge, downing half of it, then pick up my phone and call the lawyer.
By the time Liv comes back out, she’s dressed in ripped blue jeans, a fitted grey tank, and a white shirt she’s left open. She’s still barefoot, and I guess there’s no reason for her to wear shoes in the house.
She sits down at the counter and I place the plate of eggs and bacon in front of her, along with a black coffee and the creamer. Before she has a chance to say anything, I grab her hair at the back of her neck and tip her head back so she’s looking up at me. I can’t wait any longer… I slam my lips on hers, and it’s like a bolt of electricity shooting through me. I force my tongue past her lips and it swirls around her mouth, caressing hers. It takes a few seconds for her to catch up, but when she does, she kisses me with just as much passion, letting me know she wants this as much as I do. Thank fuck. I didn’t realise how worried I was until she kissed me back.
I pull away then give her a gentle kiss on her nose. She looks up at me and her mouth opens in shock. I smile, grabbing my plate and sitting next to her.
My hand reaches down between her legs, and she stops breathing for a millisecond, but I grip the seat of her stool and pull it closer to mine. Once I’m happy with how close she is, I rest my hand on her thigh, catching her smile before we find ourselves finishing our breakfast in a comfortable silence.
* * *
“Where are we going?”
I bundled her into the car ten minutes ago but wouldn’t tell her where we were going. She really doesn’t like not knowing and she’s asked me the same question about twenty times since we got in the car.
“Ronan, please,” she whines as she turns in her seat to look at me.
I chuckle, reaching over for her hand. She lets me take it and I feel her tense slightly when I bring it up to my lips, placing a kiss on her knuckles before resting our joined hands on my thigh.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes, sweetheart, you just gotta hold on a little longer.”
Five minutes later, I’ve parked the car and we’re standing outside a glass front building. She looks confused.
I pull her into my arms. “My family has a lawyer on retainer, and this is his building. We’re here to talk to him about helping you get Maddie back.”
She tries to pull away, but I hold her tighter. “No, Ronan, I can’t afford a lawyer, my last one was pro bono. I can’t go in there.”
I can feel her starting to freak out, so I keep one arm tightly tucked around her, holding her to me while I use my other hand to cup her face. “Listen to me, sweetheart, that guy up there is on retainer, he gets paid by us whether he works or not. You don’t have to pay a single cent; I’ve got you covered.”
“I… Ronan, no––”
“Hey, breathe, we’re doing this. You need to let me help you. Now come on, let’s just go talk to him and see what he says.”
Her body is tense, but she lets me lead her into the building, and by the time we get to the top floor, she’s a wreck. She’s fidgeting, her body is a solid rock, and there are unshed tears in her eyes.
