Page 37 of Accepted Precedent (Love & Politics #3)

Mickey

C hristopher Blake is dead from CPAP failure—which is actually a blessing.

Timothy McKinnon is dead because of my brother.

The hitman we hired to kill Tim’s opponent is dead because of Ileah.

Tim’s opponent is dead because my angel and her sister are miracle workers.

Delaware is now free for the taking. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.

But Evelyn is pregnant with our child— children . I’m going to be a father.

I’m done fulfilling my family’s legacy. The moment Jaclyn Taylor is sworn in as President, I’m out. No child of mine will follow in my footsteps.

I keep a hand on her belly, shutting my eyes tight. I don’t deserve her or these children, but I’m going to keep them safe all the same. “Evie, I?—”

“No, Mick. You, me, and Andrew need to talk about this. I also want Kristin here… just in case.”

A gun cocks behind me, making all of us turn. “I never returned this to you, Mr. Gallagher, but I won’t hesitate to use it if you hurt my sister.”

“If I ever hurt Evelyn or our children, you have my permission to kill me.” I step toward her and grip the barrel, forcing the gun to my forehead. “I’ll ensure everything is left to them, with a hefty bonus for you.”

Evie gently moves the gun away from my head. “No one needs to die today. Jaclyn and Ileah are both widows, and you want them to run for office. There are bigger things to worry about than my pregnancy. ”

“No,” I roar, and Kristin moves the gun back to my forehead. I take a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. “No, you are more important than any election.”

Kristin pulls it back, pinning me with a glare. “You’re right, she’s more important. I may have killed for you, but my sister is my priority. So, you two”—she points the gun at Andrew, then back at me—“are going to do whatever the fuck she wants.”

Andrew stuffs his hands in his pockets and nods, pain seeping into his expression. We’re both hurting, but for very different reasons.

We all move to the dining table, and Evelyn sits at the head with Andrew and me on either side of her. Kristin takes a seat next to Andrew and sets the gun down, but keeps her hand on it. She doesn’t take her eyes off me as I tell Evie, “All right, angel, we’re listening.”

“I spent the past decade with my life on hold. For once, I’m putting myself first. It will hurt everyone at this table, but I want to be selfish.

I want to be a mother, and I don’t want to be in my fifties when they go off to college.

So… I want to keep it—or I guess maybe them .

I’m going to see a doctor to confirm, but if my math is correct, I’m only about five or six-ish weeks.

” She places her hands on her belly and glances down at what could be our family.

“I’m not sure when an ultrasound can be done to confirm how many are in here, but in thirty-five or so weeks, I’m having this baby—or babies. ”

I cover her hands with one of mine. “I’ll hire the best team of doctors, nutritionists, anything you want.”

“Thank you, but…” Evie lifts her gaze to Andrew. “For this to work, Andy will have to pretend he’s the father.” She mouths I’m sorry, and he rubs a hand down his face, then nods. “In a few years, we’ll divorce and?—”

“You’ll be mine, angel,” I finish for her, unwilling to accept any alternative. “And until you give birth, you and Andrew are staying with me.”

“They can’t stay with you,” Kristin interjects. “It would be terrible optics for everyone involved.”

“She’s right, Mick,” Andrew admits softly, resting his hand on top of mine. Evie’s wide eyes dart between me and Andrew. “We have to be careful.”

“Then I’m staying at your place,” I bark back. “You’re my family. All of you—yes, including Kristin. How am I supposed to protect you if I’m not there?”

“You’ve already hired security and a full staff,” Kristin reminds, but it does little to calm me. “They’ll be okay.”

“We can make it work,” Andrew offers, pulling his hand back. “I don’t mind being a doting father in public, but they aren’t mine. It’s only right to have Mickey involved in raising his own kids—if that’s what Evie wants.”

All eyes fall to her. “There’s a lot at play. You’re setting up my best friends to live their political dreams, but I also want to live mine. Everything will look different in five years. I have some… demands, if you will.”

“Should I grab a notebook?” While Kristin says it in jest, she gets up to retrieve one.

Evie chuckles and guides my hand to her lap, interlacing our fingers.

“First, Mickey can’t put a super-conservative politician in the White House.

If you need Jaclyn to run against one, that’s understandable, but we can’t risk someone destroying this country just to help them in the next election.

It could undo all of the hard work I did before I was married. ”

“Done.”

“Next, we keep this secret between the four of us. If we have to tell Ileah or Jaclyn, we decide as a team when and how to tell them.”

Andrew and I exchange a look and nod in unison.

“Also, I don’t want to be a stay-at-home mom. I want to be involved in my children’s lives, but I want to work.”

“Once Jaclyn has secured the party’s nomination, we free ourselves of this arrangement,” I add. “You can work wherever you want. I can start a non-profit for you to run, if you’d like.”

Kristin cocks an eyebrow, drumming her fingers on the gun. “You’re okay being Uncle Mickey to your own kids?”

“No, he’s not,” Evie replies for me. “But one day he’ll be Stepdaddy Mickey, and that has to be good enough for him.”

I bring her knuckles to my lips, brushing a soft kiss to them. “It’s more than enough.”

“And you’re okay being a father to children who aren’t yours?” Kristin asks Andrew.

“I’ll be involved,” he replies without hesitation. “No child should ever doubt their parents’ love. But I’ll need to insist that all decisions about how they are raised and their education fall to Evie and Mick.”

Evelyn’s voice shakes as she asks, “So… we’re really doing this?”

“Yes, angel, I love you.”

We work out logistics and I insist on Kristin staying with Evie and Andrew.

Then I spend the remainder of the day preparing for Ileah’s arrival while Kristin works on squeezing information out of political strategists my brother hired.

Finn may think he’s gotten away with murder, but he’s sorely mistaken.

Tonight may be the last night I have with Evie and Andrew for a while. While they may not want each other romantically, I need both of them. My world has been turned upside down, and I’ll do whatever it takes to turn it right-side up.