I findRiley hovering outside the delivery room, her cheeks flushed as she bounces up and down on her toes. I barely even have a chance to press a quick kiss to her lips before she’s grabbing my hand and tugging me inside.
“They’re here!” she squeals.
“They sure are,” I say at the sight of the tiny, swaddled bundles in Ronan’s arms.
Despite the fact he has just watched his wife go through hell and back, he looks surprisingly composed. But then again, I wouldn’t expect anything else from Ronan.
I look around and frown. “Did you scare Brennan off?”
Ciara laughs. “I went to feed Addison, and he looked seconds away from puking, so he decided to go and check on Cormac.”
“Amateur,” Ronan mutters.
Riley tugs on my arm. “Do you want to hold them?”
Even though I’m perfectly happy admiring my niece and nephew from a distance, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look this excited, so I don’t have the heart to say no.
“Sure.” I force a smile, though my stomach flips as Ronan crosses over to my side and offers me one of the babies.
“That’s Nico.” Riley peers over my arm at the tiny bundle in my arms. “I think he looks just like Ronan.”
“What? All wrinkly and bald?” I joke, and Ciara chokes on a breath.
“Ouch,” she moans, clutching her stomach. “Don’t make me laugh.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
“Never thought I would see the day where Kieran Sullivan is holding a newborn.” Ronan smirks. “It suits you, brother.”
“He better get used to it.” Ciara gives me a knowing look.
“Okay, I think that’s enough baby stuff for me right now.” I hand Nico off to Riley, who seems to be finding great pleasure in how uncomfortable I am.
“I checked in on Cormac,” Ronan says under his breath as he watches Ciara closely.
Riley climbs onto the bed beside her, and the pair of them start fussing over Nico.
“How is he?”
“He’s banged up pretty bad, but the doctors expect him to make a full recovery.”
I exhale slowly as I lean against the door, admiring the sight of Riley cradling Nico. She really is a natural with him, which makes me feel better about the thought of having a child of our own.
At least our kid will have one parent who vaguely knows what they’re doing.
“What actually happened?” My voice tightens as I glance at my brother. “Do we know who was behind this?”
Ronan’s expression hardens.
“Cormac sent me evidence before he was captured,” he says quietly so that the girls can’t hear. “I found an envelope in my office that was full of photos and bank accounts.”
His voice is hard, and his jaw is clenched.
“Are you serious? When was this?”
“I only found it today, right after I got the clue about Cormac. God knows how long it’s been there…” Ronan runs a hand through his hair, and I can see the guilt written all over his face. “Everything in that envelope, it all traced back to one person. You’ll never guess who.”
“Fuck, that sounds bad. I’m even afraid to ask.”
