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“That would be wonderful, my child. It would be nice to see you again. I knew your mother and father very well. They would be so proud.”
“I don’t know about that, but I will live my life hoping you are right.”
“Of course, Father O’Malley is right,” I say, dropping a kiss on the side of Tony’s neck. “Take it from a person who speaks to the angels a lot more frequently than you and me.”
“He he he he. Goodbye, children. God bless,” and with that, Father O’Malley is gone.
We spend a few more minutes mulling over what Father O’Malley just dropped on us in silence. Something doesn’t sit right with me. I can’t claim to know Mr. Rothwell well as a man, but I would not have allowed him on my team if I didn’t have some level of trust in his integrity. Sarah and the cops might have a bit more information, so they may have a bit more to go by, but on my end, this direction the investigation is headed gives me pause.
"Maybe I should go back to America and work with Father O'Malley to figure this out," Tony breaks my reverie, and I almost jump right out of my skin.
"Absolutely not. It's too dangerous," I say firmly, my heart clenching at the thought of putting her in harm's way.
"Baby, unless you want to be in hiding for the rest of your life, we need to get to the bottom of this and flush out all those who want to do you harm," she pleads. “You will never know peace until this is resolved. Doing this for you helps me, too, my darling. For years, I hated you for a crime you did not commit. Yes, I cannot claim responsibility for punishing you unfairly, for I was working on the false information I was fed, but that doesn’t wipe out the guilt I feel. Me doing this will help me. It will serve as my penance. Say yes, my baby, and help me heal.”
“It is so unfair that I love you so much that I can never say no to you. How does that serve me now? Saying no to you, in this instance, hurts you, and saying yes hurts me, for I know how selfish and self-serving it is—putting you in the line of fire while I cower away here like some scared shitless chicken.”
“I want this to be over soonest. The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the sooner we are reunited, and the sooner I get to enjoy my drumstick. Please, Liam."
I watch Tony's eyes blaze with determination as she stands her ground, and I know not to mess with that look in her eye—today, she is Xena warrior princess, ready to charge into battle for her man . . . the most dangerous kind of warrior you could ever meet.
My heart swells with love and admiration for this fearless, resolute woman I prayed for so long . . . hoped for but feared to envision, for I couldn’t see it happening.
I had wanted, with the desperate knowledge, that what I desired I could never get, yet here she is. The gods have shown mercy on me and given me the only thing that I yearned for, and now this. The thought of losing her grips me like a vice.
"Tony, I don't want you getting hurt because of me, but I can see how much this means to you." I sigh, defeated by my love for her. "Fine, but if you're going back, you're staying at my house in Coral Gables.
The security system there is top-notch, and I can monitor it from anywhere in the world. I will be able to keep you safe from here. It has a panic room that not even a nuclear bomb can destroy. You should be safe there."
"Deal," she says, her eyes shining with purpose.
Chapter forty-three
I LOVE YOU, TONY.
LIAM
Tony decided to go back to America immediately. This is our last night here for now . . . our last night in this house this year. We had planned for Tony to stay until after the new year, but things have changed.
Tony is adamant; she wants to go back to Miami quickly so she can do as much as she can before heading off to Texas to finish her schooling.
I am going to live the rest of this day like it is my last—YOLO. Every bit of happiness I can cram into this day, I will, for who knows what tomorrow may bring. This union hasn’t been in existence for long, and yet I have already formed a deep, almost dependent, emotional attachment to Tony’s presence.
I sometimes find myself hyperventilating just thinking of the day I won’t have her near me. It will be challenging without her—I won’t lie. I want this folded quickly so I can be close to herall the time, even if that means putting my social experiment on hold and moving to Texas until she finishes school.
Spotting my weapon of mass destruction in one hand and a hand-written love letter in the other, I scamper up the stairs and find Tony on our unmade bed, reading something on her phone.
“Hey, babe,” she says, scooting to the edge of the bed, ready to be kissed. “What have we got here? Missed me already?”
I give her a kiss, and then I watch as she carefully unfolds the handwritten note, her eyes widening with surprise and delight. The bouquet of yellow roses, her favorite, rests in her hands as she reads my invitation to a special day together.
Her excitement becomes palpable as she reads my naughty note, and I can't help but smile at her facial reactions. She can be so pure sometimes . . . and a potty-mouth when pushed between a rock and a hard place . . . a living, breathing oxymoron.
"An ice-skating show?" she exclaims, looking up at me with eyes sparkling bright like stars in a winter sky. "You know how much I love ice skating shows, Liam! I can't believe you arranged all of this for me."
"Only the best will doodle doo, my darling," I reply, taking her hand as if to help her up, but she pulls me in with an unexpected yank. I fall flat on her, and I am petrified I might have cracked her ribs.
“Oh honey, did I hurt you?”
