Search and Rescue by April Wilson

Chapter 32

Killian

The next morning, on a Saturday, we drop Scout off at Maggie’s house, along with his toys and dog food, and head to the Denver International Airport to catch a midmorning flight to Chicago.

Hannah’s brother Liam meets us at the airport and gives us a ride into the city—to the apartment building where I live. Liam lives in the same building, as do half of the McIntyre employees. I show Hannah to my apartment, and we drop our stuff off before heading up to the penthouse floor to say hi to Shane and his wife.

“I can’t wait to see the kids again,” Hannah says as we take the private elevator up to the top floor. “I’ll bet Ava has changed a lot in two months.”

“You like kids?” I ask her, trying to keep it casual. Kids are something we’ve never talked about before.

“Sure.”

“Do you want kids?”

Grinning, she links her arm with mine and leans into me. “With the right man, yes.”

Before I can reply, the elevator doors open to their private foyer. Cooper is waiting for us in the foyer, a tiny baby cradled in his arms and a burp rag tossed over his shoulder. “Perfect timing,” he says by way of greeting. “Dinner’s almost ready. I hope you’re hungry.”

“You better believe it. We’re starving,” Hannah says as she steps out of the elevator and takes Ava from Cooper. “Oh, my god, look how adorable you are,” she coos to the baby. She sifts her fingers gently through the baby’s soft patch of light-brown hair. “You look just like your daddy.” She turns so I can see the baby’s face. “She’s got his eyes, too.”

A pair of big blue eyes stare up at me.

Watching Hannah holding Ava does something to me. My pulse starts racing, and of course I can’t resist picturing her holding our baby.

Cooper offers me his hand, and we shake. “Good to see you again,” he says, a curious smile on his face. He tips his head toward Hannah, who has already disappeared into the apartment. “It’s about time you two quit dancing around each other.”

Cooper is a force of nature. He’s a silver-haired, blue-eyed, former Marine shooting instructor, and Shane’s business partner, right-hand man, and best friend. He and his partner, Sam, who’s a helluva lot younger than Cooper, live here in the penthouse with Shane and Beth. One big happy family.

I hear a chorus of welcoming cheers coming from the penthouse. “Looks like we’re expected,” I say.

Cooper nods as he pats my back. “You can count on the McIntyres to throw a welcoming party for their daughter and her new beau. You didn’t think they’d let that slip by, did you?”

Laughing, I shake my head. “Hey, you won’t get any complaints out of me. I’ve wanted this for a long time and never thought it would happen.”

Cooper’s red-haired partner pops his head through the open door. “The kitchen timer’s going off, babe—the wings are done. You want me to take them out?” Then Sam grins my way. “Hey, Killian, welcome to the family.”

“I’m coming,” Cooper says to Sam. He pushes me toward the penthouse door. “Come join the party, Killian.”

It is indeed a party—that much is obvious when I walk into the penthouse. There are streamers and balloons everywhere. Blues music is playing softly over the sound system, and the dining room table is laid out with an incredible array of food. It looks like the whole McIntyre clan is here, plus Beth’s family.

Bridget makes a beeline for me and throws her arms around my waist. She’s a petite little thing, like her daughter Lia. As she holds me tight, I can feel her arms shaking. “Thank you, Killian.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Mrs. McIntyre.”

She steps back and gazes up at me with tear-filled eyes. “Call me Bridget, please.” “And there’s no way I can ever thank you enough.”

Calum McIntyre comes up to shake my hand. He clasps my shoulder with a firm grip, and we stand eye to eye, man to man. “Welcome, son. We’re glad to have you join us.”

“Thank you, sir.” This isn’t just a welcome party. They’re inducting me into their family.

I glance across the expansive space and spot Hannah with Beth and Shane. Shane’s holding Luke, and Hannah’s still mooning over the new baby.

When Hannah looks up from the baby and catches my eye, my chest tightens, and my breath catches in my throat. God, this could be us one day—we could be standing here with a baby of our own. And if we had a baby, that’d mean she was truly mine forever—my wife.

My wife.

Damn.

A stream of people come up to shake my hand—Jake, Jamie, Liam, Dominic, Sam, the big celebrity rockstar Jonah Locke, and Beth’s brother, Tyler, and his partner, Ian. I get lots of hugs from the females of the family—Sophie, Molly, Annie, Beth and her mom, Ingrid.

Lia—Hannah’s youngest sister—walks up to me and gives me a fist bump. “So, you made the cut. Well done. I’m impressed.”

Jake and Annie’s son, Aiden—a brown-haired little boy with big brown eyes—walks up to me with a well-loved stuffed dinosaur tucked under his arm, and says, “Are you in love with my Aunt Hannah? Because that’s what everyone’s saying.”

The entire room goes hush as all those pairs of eyes are directed at me. I catch Hannah’s interested gaze from across the room—she’s biting her lip as she tries not to smile. I answer Aiden with, “Yeah, I am. Is that okay with you?”

He shrugs. “Sure. I guess that means you’ll be my uncle then, too, won’t you?”

The kid might be jumping the gun a bit, but I nod anyway. I’ll take what I can get. “I certainly hope so.”

Jake comes up to me and throws a heavily muscled arm across my shoulders. “Let me buy you a drink,” he says as he nods across the room to the bar.

I join the guys who are congregating around the bar. Liam hops up to offer me his barstool.

“So, what can I get you?” Cooper asks. He’s standing behind the bar, acting in his usual capacity as bartender.

“Whatever you’ve got on tap is fine.”

He pours me an ice-cold beer and sets it on the counter in front of me.

Lia walks behind the bar and levels her gaze on me. “Watch yourself, buster.” She points to her eyes and then to me. “I’ll be watching you. We’ll all be watching you.”