Page 32 of Nick: His to Claim

Noah kissed the top of Colleen’s head and gave her ponytail a playful tug. He loved her from the top of her golden head to the tips of her little pink toes, but sometimes she was impossibly stubborn. At thirty-four, she was the third of the O’Malley offspring and didn’t look any older than the youngest, despite being the mother of two teenage boys.

Noah was an only child, so the O’Malley family had been a culture shock. It had taken a while to figure out the familydynamics and find his place in the large brood, but he’d been able to do it. Now they were as much his family as if he’d been born into it, and he loved them all dearly. But he had no problem putting his foot down if need be.

Bridget always needed watching, as she was in trouble more often than not, but the other two were… let’s just say they had their moments as well. Noah had genuinely liked Jim Cassidy and was saddened greatly by the loss of him, but, truth be told, he’d always wondered why Jim never stood up to Maggie. Now, looking at Nick as he leaned comfortably against the doorway, he had to wonder if Maggie had finally met her match. Nick didn’t seem at all out of place, just quiet and watchful. There was something about him that felt, well… familiar. Noah couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he knew it would come to him.

Maeve remained at the sink, washing up while Noah had been compelling the girls to leave Maggie and Rory in peace, but Noah knew she hadn’t missed a word. Watching out of the corner of his eye, he smiled as she peeked over her shoulder and made eye contact with both Colleen and Bridget.

“Come on, Nick, let’s go out back and grab a beer,” he told him, slapping him on the back as they headed out the back door onto the porch.

As soon as they entered the screened back porch, Sean O’Malley got up out of his cushioned chair and grabbed Nick’s hand.

“Nick, ’tis good to see you. About time you made it over. I hear you’ve decided to set up a practice here,” he continued as he pumped Nick’s hand with a firm grip. The gray in his hair and the wrinkles around his eyes were about the only difference Nick could see in the older man. Sean O’Malley still stood tall, and although he had added a few pounds on his already large frame, he looked damn good for his age.

“Good to see you too, sir. Sorry it’s taken me so long to stop over. Things have been pretty hectic but seem to be settling down now,” Nick replied. If he hadn’t been watching he never would have seen Noah raise his eyebrow, and jerk his head in the direction of the kitchen.

Apparently, Sean knew exactly what he meant because he quickly excused himself and strode to the doorway and walked inside. Catching his wife slowly pushing the kitchen door open, he grinned.

“Maeve. For the love of God, woman, leave those two in peace. They have business to discuss.”

Maeve jumped, and a hand flew to her heart, as guilt spread across her face.

“Sean O’Malley, don’t you bellow at me like that again. You ‘bout scared the life out o’ me. I’ll have you know I was just wipin’ some fingerprints off the door with this dishtowel,” she huffed, hands on hips.

“Take a step out that door, young lady, and I’ll be givin’ you some fingerprints you can’t wipe off,” he assured her with a grin.

Maeve snorted and then laughed.

“Out of my kitchen you over-grown so and so, before I’m takin’ a skillet to ya.”

“Oh, threats is it now?” he cried advancing on her as she squealed and backed up against the sink.

Picking her up and twirling her around, Sean set her back on her feet and held her close.

“I love you with a heart and a half,” he told her as she blushed and swatted at his arms. “But you better mind me, woman,” he growled as he smacked her butt crisply.

“Why, I never?—”

“Oh, yes you have!” he crowed as he walked to the back door.

“Get on out of here and stop makin’ a damn fool of yourself in front of the children,” she scolded, trying not to laugh. “Go tend to the men and leave us to our work, or you’re never goin’ to eat.”

Colleen tried not to snicker, and Bridget was red to the roots of her hair. Maeve smoothed her hair and straightened her apron.

“Come on girls and get a move on. ‘Tis behind we are as it is, and I promised strawberry shortcake for dessert. Where is that Patrick with the heavy cream?”

* * *

Rory lead Maggie down the hall and into the study, closing the heavy pocket doors behind him. Seating her on the leather sofa, he sat beside her instead of behind the large antique desk. Maggie took that as a good sign. At least he didn’t intend to make her feel like a naughty school girl brought before the principal.

“What did you want to talk about, Rory?” she asked settling herself sideways against the arm of the sofa.

“I wanted to bring you up to date about this Jack Harley character. Maggie, you put yourself in real danger not coming forward about what was going on. Not only that, you put the kids in danger,” he told her, his blue eyes not cutting her any slack. She could see how tight his jaw was clenched and knew he was trying not to raise his voice. As if he would need to yell to make his point.

“This low life has a rap sheet a mile long. Assaults, battery, even a couple of weapons charges that he somehow managed to get reduced. Don’t you guys ever do a background check when you hire a new employee?”

Maggie gulped. That was her fault. She’d needed a good brick layer so badly that she had bypassed the normal screening process and hired him on the spot. It had been her intention toget to it later, but she’d never gotten around to it. Confessing this to Rory did not earn her any brownie points, and she could only imagine how Mason and Nick would feel about it.

“Rory, please don’t mention this to Mason or Nick. I could lose my job,” she begged him.Not to mention other painful things too embarrassing to even think about.