I’m sorry, Master Finn, but I thought you should know. In case—”
“In case what, Jeeves? In case Liv tried to kill herself? Look, look at their faces.” He gestured to Griff, Liam, and his dad. “They’re wondering too. And you know what will happen now? Instead of searching for my wife, searching for the person who took her, they’re going to be looking for a body.”
“Son, Jasper was only trying to help.”
“But it doesn’t help. None of you know what Liv suffered when she lost her son.”
Finn took a deep breath, bowed his head, and nodded. “I’m sorry, I know you do, Dad. Our family has suffered, too, but there’s a difference. We had each other. Liv didn’t have anyone. She’d lost her parents a few years before, and because she’d spent every minute of every waking hour caring for her son and searching for a cure, she’d lost her friends too. Her husband wasn’t there when Cooper died. And Liv, who fought so hard to keep her son alive, was shamed and blamed for prolonging his suffering by her husband and his parents. She lost the most important person in her life, and she had no one to turn to, Dad. She was in pain, she was burned out, and she—”
He swore and wiped his arm across his eyes. “Dammit, you know her now. You know the person she is. She wouldn’t take her own life. She wouldn’t leave me. She loves me. And as much as she loves George, she would be happy that George didn’t lose her mother.”
“Finn.” Griff lifted his chin.
He turned to see Stanley, George, and Isabella staring at him. Both mother and daughter were crying. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t know,” Isabella sobbed.
George angrily scrubbed at her face and lifted her chin. “You’re stupid. You’re all stupid. Livy wouldn’t do that. Livy wouldn’t hurt herself ’cause she was sad. She—” George broke off, staring into space, and then she nodded. Her brow furrowed as though she was concentrating.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening to my daughter?” Isabella cried.
“I’m sure she’s just upset. Master Finn, I can see to the little one,” Jasper said, nodding at George’s half-hysterical mother while he guided the little girl off to the side.
Finn frowned. George seemed oblivious to where she was. “Stan.” It took a minute for Finn to get the lawyer’s attention. When he did, Finn gestured at Isabella and then he walked to where Jasper was crouched beside George. Finn was relieved to see George appeared to be fully alert now. She nodded at something Jasper said to her and then took the old man’s hand.
“Master Finn, the little miss believes she knows who would wish Olivia harm.”
George glanced up at Jasper and then looked at Finn. “Ivy did it. She hit Livy and took her. She’s bad juju. Ivy’s bad juju. We have to save Livy.”
“Ivy’s your ghost?” Finn asked George, confused.
“She’s not a ghost, Master Finn,” Jasper said, answering for George. “Ivy’s been working in housekeeping for the past couple of months, but she hasn’t shown up for work since Olivia’s shower. There’s something familiar about her, but I can’t place her.”
“I’ll check the employment records,” Sophie said, and hurried from the ballroom.
Jasper closed his eyes and shook his head. Finn thought he heard him mutter, “I’m trying, Madame. I’m trying.”
Meow. Simon dropped an envelope at Finn’s feet. He picked it up. “Patty O’Hurley.”
“Yes, yes, that’s who it is. Ivy was Mrs. O’Hurley’s paid companion.” Jasper glanced at Simon. “I believe that’s where we’ll find Olivia, Master Finn.” He pointed at the address on the envelope.
Everyone turned to run for the doors. “No, George, you stay with your mom. I’ll bring Liv back, I promise.”
Finn raced through the manor and into the parking lot. A black Jeep screeched to a stop beside him, and the passenger door swung open. Finn jumped inside, followed by Griff and his dad.
Griff gave them an update as he put on his seat belt. “I just talked to Aidan—cops are on their way. They got a phone call just before mine. Some guy saying that both Ivy and Paige Townsend had worked for him, but he’d been unaware to what lengths they would go to secure the estate. He said Ivy has both Paige and Olivia and was going to…” Griff trailed off.
Liam cursed and jerked the wheel, the Jeep’s tires squealing. “Hang on. We’re going off-road. It’ll cut the time in half.”
They reached the Victorian in under five minutes. In the distance, they heard the sound of sirens. Finn jumped out of the Jeep before it had come to a complete stop. “For Chrissakes, Finn.” He shot Griff a look as he ran up the steps.
“Okay, okay, I’d do the same but the point is not to get yourself killed so you can save your wife,” Griff said as Finn tried the door. It was locked. Griff kicked it in.
They heard Ivy before they saw her. “You’re too late! They’re dead!” And then she came running at them with her knife raised. A bullet whizzed between Finn and Griff and hit Ivy between the eyes. She dropped two feet in front of them.
Aidan lowered his gun. “Go. She came out of the room to the right. Ambulance is on the way.”
Heart pounding, Finn sprinted down the hall. He saw Olivia the moment he stepped into the room. She was lying in a pool of blood. He didn’t remember crossing the room or kneeling beside her or taking her cold hand in his. Her finger was bloody. She’d written his name. She’d written to him and to George. She loved them. She wanted them to go on. To live, love, laugh, and be happy.
“Finn! Snap out of it. She’s alive. She’s got a pulse,” Griff said.
Liam ran in with a first aid kit. Their father was kneeling beside Paige. He looked at them and shook his head.
“You’ve got this, bro. You’ve got this,” Liam said. “Tell us what you need us to do.”
He kissed Liv and whispered in her ear, “I love you, Princess. Keep fighting. Keep fighting for me, for us.” He opened the kit and quickly pulled on gloves. “Make her comfortable, get something for under her head. Griff, talk to her.” And then Finn did what he did best—he worked on saving a life.
The smells and sounds were familiar. Without opening her eyes, Olivia knew where she was. She’d spent too much time in hospitals not to. And while she admired the men and women who worked there, she’d grown to hate hospitals. But today, waking up in one felt like the most wondrous of gifts. As was the ridiculously gorgeous man holding her hand. He’d fallen asleep with his head on her thigh. She slipped her hand out from his to stroke his beard-stubbled face.
His eyes slowly opened, and he lifted his head. “You’re awake,” he said, as if he thought he was dreaming.
“Yes, thanks to you. I heard you, you know. I heard you telling me to fight.” She stroked his hair. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Thank you for fighting.” He took her hand and kissed her palm. “I read what you wrote.” He rubbed his face, his eyes shiny. “I don’t even want to think about losing you, but if we’d been five minutes later…Your words, your last thoughts, they would have meant something, Liv. I would have tried to honor them.” He smiled. “They made me think about a lot of things. How I’ve dealt with losing Mom and Riley. They helped, Liv. Thank you.”
“I’m glad.” She lifted his hand to her face, rubbing it against her cheek. “I’m sorry I ran out on you, Finn. I should have talked to you about how I was feeling. But when I heard Isabella asking you to come to Kenya, it felt like—”
“Liv, I’m not going to Kenya. I’m staying right here with you. I’ve let DWB know I won’t be coming back.”
“No, please don’t do that because of me. You’ll end up resenting me. We’ll work it out.”
“I loved the work I did with DWB. I’m proud of what we accomplished, but I was running, Liv. I was using my work to avoid coming home and dealing with the pain of losing Mom and Riley. I think it’s about time I gave back to my own community. And if that board of director’s job is still open at Helping Hands, I’d like to throw my name in the ring.”
“There’s always a place for you on the board.”
The door to her room opened. “Okay, there’s something seriously wrong with you two. Olivia barely escapes death, and the moment she wakes up, you two are talking about work?” Liam said, coming into the room with his brothers and father.
Finn narrowed his eyes. “Were you listening outside the door?”
“Uh, yeah, we didn’t want to interrupt anything.”
Olivia thought maybe she should remind them she was recovering from a knife wound to the side and it was highly unlikely she and Finn would be doing much more than kissing and cuddling for a few weeks. But before she had a chance to say anything, George and her mother poked their heads into the room.
“Is it okay if we come in?” Isabella asked.
“Yes, of—” She laughed when George strode into the room like no one had better try and stop her. Olivia worked to hide her wince. It looked like laughing was out for a while too. Finn got up and kissed her. “I’ll get you something for the pain.” He motioned for his brothers and father to follow him.
George came around the bed with a flowerpot decorated with rainbow-colored handprints. Inside the pot was a yellow primrose. One that had no doubt come from their garden. “I made it for you,” George said, putting the flowerpot on the side table.
“It’s beautiful, George. I love it, and I love you,” she said, holding out her arms to the little girl.
“I love you too, Livy,” she said, stretching up to kiss Olivia’s cheek. She dropped back down on her light-up shoes. “I saved you.”
“You did?” Olivia held back a smile. George really was a lot like her father. “I thought Finn saved me.”
“Yeah, but he wouldn’t have gotten there in time if I hadn’t told him about Ivy.” Olivia didn’t get a chance to find out how George had known it was Ivy, because the little girl filled her in on the rest of the news. She heard about Paige. Ivy had severed an artery, and Paige had died before Finn, his brothers, and father had arrived. She also learned that Aidan had shot and killed Ivy.
Isabella grimaced. “I’m sorry. George, Livy is just awake. Maybe we should wait—”
“There’s more?” Olivia asked, trying to keep the alarm from her voice.
“Yep, good news,” George said, hopping up onto the side of the bed.
“Georgina, be careful!”
“It’s okay. I’m fine, Isabella.” Olivia smiled and then looked at George. “So, what’s the good news?”
“Me.”
She laughed, and then winced. “I agree, you are a very special little girl, but—”
“No, silly, you get me. I’m going to live with you during school and live with Mama on the holidays.”
Olivia looked at Isabella. “I don’t know what to say. Are you sure?”
“It’s what she wants. She’s made a home here. She has friends, she loves her school, and her dog, and bunny, and she loves you and Finn. It would be selfish of me to take all that away from her. Unless you don’t want her.”
George scowled at her mother. “She loves me. Of course she wants me.”
“She’s right, I absolutely do. But are you very sure, Isabella? I don’t want anything other than George to be influencing your decision.”
Nathan’s other wife held her gaze. “I promise, it’s not.” She held out her hand to George. “Livy needs her rest. We’ll come back tomorrow.” She waited at the door while George said goodbye and told Olivia how to care for the plant. Then George scooted under Isabella’s arm and out the door. “Nathan made a lot of mistakes, Livy, but she isn’t one of them. And entrusting her to your care wasn’t either. He knew you’d fight for her, just like you fought for your son. Thank you. Thank you for not holding what Nathan, and what I unknowingly, did to you, against George.”
“Hey, Princess, what’s with the tears?” Finn said as he walked into her room five minutes later. He came around the bed and carefully sat on the side. “Are you in pain?”
She nodded.
“Okay, just give me a minute, and we’ll take care of that.”
She sniffed. “It’s not the kind of pain a pill can take care of.” She told him about her visit with George and Isabella.
“Your ex might have been an asshole, but he had great taste in women. And he raised a pretty awesome kid.”
“She is, and now she’s partially ours.”
“Yeah, so I’m thinking maybe we should plant plastic flowers.” He laughed, lifting his chin at the flowerpot. “Just so you know, it took her five tries before she found the one she liked.”
“Do you know the meaning of primrose?”
“No, do you?”
“Of course I do. I’m a wedding planner.” She smiled at his what-does-that-have-to-do-with-anything look. “Primrose means I can’t live without you.”
He smoothed her hair from her face and gently kissed her forehead. “You and I know better though. Because while I can live without you, and you can live without me, I don’t want to, and I thank God I don’t have to, Liv.”
Her wholehearted agreement was lost in his kiss.
“Okay, you two lovebirds. I just have to check on the patient, and then I’ll let you get back to it.”
They both looked over to see Dr. Bishop smiling at them from the door.
“She’s married to a doctor. I think you know him. Your partner at the clinic, ring a bell?”
He waved a dismissive hand at Finn. “Yes, which is why she’s my patient and not yours. Though I will commend you on an excellent piece of emergency fieldwork, my boy. Well done, and you’ll both be pleased to know everything’s a-okay with the little one.”
“What happened to George?” Olivia asked.
The older man laughed. “Not that little one. That one.” He pointed at her stomach.
“I’m…pregnant? She’s pregnant?” Olivia and Finn asked at almost the same time, looking at each other.
As though Dr. Bishop had staged the whole thing, Finn’s entire family walked in the room, including George, Isabella, and Stanley, at the precise moment he said, “Yes, we’ll be welcoming another baby Gallagher next spring.”