Page 22 of Waiting For A Girl Like You (Haven House #4)

Well aware that the man he shared a name with had been an evil son of a bitch, Rowan wasn’t surprised. His grandfather was always tough on everyone, but none more so than his own son.

“And your dad told him to fuck right the hell off.” Vivian chuckled at the memory. “Phillip was prepared to leave it all behind for your mom, and he gave this big speech in front of the whole family. It was probably the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen.”

Rowan tried to picture his father as romantic but couldn’t. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“I know Margie draws everyone to her, but have you ever stopped and noticed your father whenever they’re together? How he watches her?”

“Uh, no?”

“You should.” Vivian rose to take her coffee mug to the sink. “He’s so in awe of her and the love she stirs in him. McIntyre men aren’t known to show their emotions very much. Take your brother, for example. I don’t know that Killian will ever settle down.”

Killian would never marry. That was a given. A house with a white picket fence and two and a half kids would never be in the cards for him. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that, either. His brother enjoyed life and was happy having a constant parade of women rotating in and out of his bed.

“I once thought the same of you,” Vivian said, returning to her seat. “But here you are. Battling armies of psychotics and serial killers, all in the name of love.”

He rubbed a hand down his face. “How much did Killian tell you?”

“Enough.”

“And how much did you tell my parents?”

“Not a damn bit of it,” she replied. “I might not be a Fairweather anymore, but I remember the rules. McIntyres live by the same ones. The less everyone knows, the better.”

Rowan hesitated to tell her what he’d heard during the phone call, but ended up blurting it out anyway. “Toby talked about Charlie this morning. He talked about how Charlie was screaming when he died and what he said. ”

Vivian stilled. Whatever bravado she’d clung to deflated in a breath. “Tell me.”

He shouldn’t. It was wrong on so many levels, but he wanted her to understand how fucked up this all was.

“Toby said Charlie was screaming for people to help him. CeCe. Ben.” Rowan met his aunt’s steely gaze. “You.”

Her bottom lip trembled. She turned away, staring through the kitchen window. “Charlie deserved so much, but not that. Never that.” She wiped a wayward tear, and a small sob slipped past her lips. “God dammit. That man can still make me cry.”

Rowan checked the hall. Later, he’d erase this conversation from the security recordings. “Killian agreed,” he said.

Vivian’s tears vanished, her expression turning cold. “Then let it begin. Give Samuel what he wants and end this.”

“Ben is completely unaware of the whole thing.”

“Benjamin has enough sins on his scorecard and doesn’t need more, but I can tell you right now he isn’t totally unaware,” she stated plainly.

“He’ll ignore it. The man sitting here just now wasn’t the ruthless bastard I once knew.

Laura Jean changed him, but her death… it brought that old darkness back, twisting it into something even I can’t recognize. ”

Yeah, Rowan could get that. The stories he’d heard about Ben back in the day were almost unbelievable now. “Samuel wrestled with this decision for a long time. But after everything that’s happened, he’s ready to pull the trigger.”

“Then allow your brother to pull it, Rowan.”

Guilt over what to do wasn’t the cause of his hesitation.

He had been taught early in life that there was a distinct difference between doing what was right and what was necessary.

Samuel was the same, and they were both keenly aware his plan wasn’t the plan of a good man. It was the plan of a desperate one.

And while he felt that same desperation, Rowan didn’t want the McIntyres involved. He wanted time to find another way, but time was something they didn’t have.

“I worry about Killian,” he admitted. “This isn’t our fight. If it goes wrong—”

“Is it your fight, Rowan?” Vivian’s head tilted to the side. “Is this Fairweather problem yours? ”

He knew what she was asking and told the truth. “I would marry her tomorrow if she would have me.”

“Then this is our fight,” Vivian said. “But I don’t want you anywhere near it. Samuel, that ex-FBI security person, even your brother, can run, but you can’t.”

Annabeth.

He couldn’t run if things went sideways because of Annabeth.

Samuel and Liam had the means to restart their lives elsewhere if they were caught.

It would break hearts, sure—but their people would understand.

Their women and Samuel’s girls would, of course, go with them.

Ben would continue to run Fairweather, with Damon likely taking it on after him.

It would be the same for Killian. If his brother needed to flee, McIntyre Industries would survive with Caitlin at the wheel once she figured out where and how to steer it.

But Annabeth? She could never disappear if their plans were discovered. Haven House remained her prison. A beautiful cage that refused to release her from its clutches.

And because of that, he would stand down. He would allow Liam and his brother to decide how to move forward without him. He would let Samuel shoulder the guilt of giving the order.

“I hate the Fairweathers,” Vivian whispered, as if Haven House might strike her down for saying such a thing. “They’ve used me, poisoned me, and broken me in ways I will never allow anyone else to see.”

“Aunt Viv—”

She laid her hand on top of his, effectively silencing him. “But I love you and will stand by you. I will stand by your brother. We’ll greet this end together because it’s time.” A shudder ran through her, the old ghosts of the past making their presence known. “It’s time for Charlie’s son to die.”

Standing on the front porch, Rowan tucked Annabeth against his chest as his family pulled away down the drive.

“How long are they staying?” she asked.

Rowan rubbed his chin along the top of her head. “Viv said they’re flying back to Texas today.”

As the SUV disappeared around the bend, Annabeth turned in his arms. “She’s nothing like I expected. Everyone always said Vivian was a pushover.”

“A pushover? Well, I guess that depends on who’s telling the story,” Rowan said. “But when she kicked Charlie out, and Aiden swept in? That changed everything. My uncle worships her. And I think having someone love you like that allows a person to start loving themselves.”

“It’s amazing how that works.” She stretched on her toes to kiss him. “Loving the right person makes you feel powerful.”

She hadn’t said it out loud yet. The I love you that would, in essence, seal her to him forever.

But it was coming.

He could feel it.

Their lips connected, the kiss sweet and simple since cameras were on them. “I am so pissed at Jamison for leaving me,” Annabeth muttered against his lips. “That heifer is probably out on the water having the time of her life while we’re stuck researching another dead-end lead.”

“I have an idea.” He waggled his eyebrows. “A naughty, unbelievably good idea.”

She laughed, her eyes dancing. It was good to see that glimmer of happiness in them again.

The bookstore had been closed since the Firewater Halloween party—quietly shuttered for the off-season.

No one questioned it. The tourists were gone, leaving only the locals meandering around Firewater until the quickly approaching holidays.

By now, Annabeth should be lost in the throes of prepping for the upcoming shopping chaos.

But this year, it wasn’t possible. Not with everything happening. The loss of routine had left Annabeth mourning her little store, and Rowan was actively trying to figure out ways to get them over there for a visit.

“I like naughty ideas from you,” she purred. “They usually involve me being naked and sweaty.”

God, he loved this woman.

“I can block the security system for about twenty minutes. It won’t be able to read anything. No visuals, no biometrics. Nothing. We can go for a walk in the forest.”

Her finger traced the shamrock tattoo on his neck. “And what can you do to me in twenty minutes, Mr. McIntyre? ”

The shiver started in his spine and shot straight to his dick. No longer caring that there were eyes on them, he grabbed two handfuls of her perfect ass and pulled her hard against him. “You’re gonna find out exactly what I can fucking do.”

Annabeth’s giggle mixed with the tinkling of wind chimes blowing about in the midday wind. Rowan often wondered if she ever realized how enchanting she could be. Her smile quite literally knocked the breath out of his lungs. And her laugh? Her laugh could linger in his mind for days.

“Fucking being the key word?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He dropped into his full Texan drawl. “It’ll be one of those save a horse, ride a Rowan kind of things.”

They were both grinning when she kissed him again.

“Tell me what your aunt said,” she murmured, nipping his bottom lip. “It looked serious in there.”

The color drained from his face, and he released his hold on her. “You were listening?”

She could do it. Annabeth knew his passwords. They were a team, and she had access to all points of the security system.

“I wasn’t. Not really.” She frowned at the sudden change in him. “But I did peek in once or twice.”

“She knows what happened,” he said quietly. “And is… concerned.”

Annabeth stepped back, arms crossing as if to block out a sudden chill in the eighty plus degree weather. “There’s more.”

“I thought you weren’t listening.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t.”

He believed her. But fear still clawed at his throat. Vivian knew a plan was in place, but she had no idea its full scope. Killian would never have told the whole truth, even under interrogation. That wasn’t how it worked.