Redeem Me (Beckett Brothers #2)

48. Caelon

Chapter Forty-Eight

CAELON

I feel as if I’ve done twelve rounds with Conor McGregor in a boxing ring. Everything hurts. I have more tubes and wires than an electric switchboard. But the second I see Ivy’s face, all that evaporates.

‘Caelon.’ She flies into the room and launches herself onto my bed. The familiar scent of pomegranate surrounds me like a blanket.

‘Easy tiger,’ I warn her with a wince.

She scans me intently, taking in the tubes and the white sterile dressing over my stitches.

‘Thank God you’re okay.’ Her chest heaves out a sigh of relief. ‘I’ve been worried sick.’

‘You can’t get rid of me that easily, Tranquil.’ Her nickname is uncannily suitable because the second she’s by my side, that’s exactly how I feel. Her presence alone is enough to heal half my wounds, the ones on my heart, at least.

‘Are you in pain? The doctors said it was touch and go for a while. You frightened the shite out of me.’

‘I’m fine. I will be, anyway.’ It’s a battle to breathe and every minute movement is agony, but thank God I’m alive to feel it. ‘You came.’

‘Of course I came. You frightened the fucking life out of me. I thought you wouldn’t make it.’ She brushes her thumb over the side of my face. Her eyes dart over every inch of me, like she’s still not convinced. ‘And do you want to hear the funny thing? All I wanted was to murder someone.’

A deep burst of laughter bolts from my chest, followed by a sharp pain slicing through my abdomen. Fucking stitches.

‘Finally, I get it.’ Her hand falls to my chest, hovering over my heart. ‘I get why you felt the need to punish the man who caused you so much pain.’

Killian beat her to it, according to Rian, but Ivy doesn’t need to know that.

‘And I get that obsessing over the past isn’t going to help the future. When the blood was spilling out of me earlier, all I could think of was you. I thought I’d find comfort in retribution, but the only place I ever truly found comfort was in you.’ I take her hand in mine, interlacing our fingers. ‘You are my future, Ivy. I choose you and the kids, and hopefully two more kids. I will always choose you.’

‘You want to have more babies?’ she squeaks.

‘I want you to have my babies. I want to watch your stomach swell with my children. You were born to be a mother. You brought me back to life, gave me hope when I had none. You give and give and give and give time and again, to me and to my kids. I’m going to give you everything you ever wanted and so much more.’

‘I’ll never force you to choose anything again. I’m yours.’

‘There are things we’ll encounter that you won’t like, but we’ll deal with them together. The threat is far from over, unfortunately. Danny was paid to take out Isabella, but when he couldn’t get to her.’

‘Paid by the O’Connors? ’

‘No, by someone else. There are people who want to hurt my family. There will always be people who want to hurt my family. With a profile like ours, there’s always someone who’s going to want what we’ve got and if they can’t have it, they don’t want us to have it either. We’re going to need to double security again. You don’t go anywhere without Samuel, do you hear me?’

She nods. ‘Who’s Cole?’ she asks

‘What?’

‘I heard Damon and your dad talking.’

‘He’s no one. A loose end I assumed James had taken care of. Killian is on the case.’ God help him when he catches him.

‘I’m not going to ask, but I trust you’ll tell me if I need to know.’

‘Of course.’ My fingers brush over hers. She hasn’t noticed yet.

I stare at our joined hands pointedly until she follows my line of sight. Confusion mists her eyes for a split second before they snap to mine.

‘Where’s your ring?’ she asks, scanning the small table beside the bed.

The doctors cut it off when I had surgery, but I was going to take it off, anyway. ‘I’ve decided not to wear it anymore.’

I watch as Ivy’s throat bobs. ‘Because you got answers?’

‘Because I’m making room for the one you’re going to put there.’ My lips lift in a small smirk.

‘Confident, aren’t you?’ she teases.

‘Don’t act cool now. I’ve been tortured enough,’ I sigh.

‘Let’s just get you better first, so we can practise making those babies.’ She kisses the back of my hand. ‘Dermot’s downstairs in the waiting room.’

‘Oh fuck, don’t let him up. He’ll probably slice open my stitches and string me up by my intestines.’

‘Actually, he was worried about you.’ She quirks a brow. ‘ He said he thought of you like a brother, but didn’t expect you to actually become his brother.’

‘So, we’re forgiven?’

‘Not entirely, but after everything, we will be. Maybe if he has you to boss around, he’ll finally stop babying me.’

‘He’d better put on one hell of a stag do when the time comes,’ I tease. ‘Speaking of which, I need to organise James’s.’

‘Huh, one day at a time, Tortured. Let’s just get you better first.’

‘Lie with me.’ I pat the bed and Ivy gently curls herself around my body, careful not to touch my torso.

The soft purr of her slow soft breath is the perfect sleep soundtrack. ‘This is the best medicine of all.’

‘I love you, Caelon Beckett.’

‘I love you Ivy Beckett-To-Be,’ I murmur. The desire to sleep slithers over me.

‘If that’s your idea of a proposal, you may need to rethink it,’ she tuts, nestling her face against my arm.

‘I’ll be the prince and you be the princess; it’s a love story, baby, just say yes,’ I croak.

‘I knew you were a secret Swiftie, but you got the words wrong!’ she exclaims, tears welling in her eyes.

‘No, baby, I got them just right.’

My eyelids flutter closed and I drift off to the soundtrack of her soft laughter.