Dead to the World (Cold Case Psychic Book 10) Page 5

  What he needed to do now, was put that thought aside and focus on having fun at this baby shower with his husband and Emilyn.

  “Guys, this is something from me, Truman, and the kids. Inez Salazar gave us one of these at our shower and it’s the best present we’ve ever gotten.” Carson handed the box to Tennyson.

  Ten took the brightly wrapped box from Carson and gave it a slight shake, nothing moved inside. “What do you think it is, Ronan?”

  “Knowing Carson, it’s a swear jar of our own.” Ronan laughed.

  Ripping the paper off the box, Ten gasped to see it was brand new Canon camera. “Holy shit, guys!” Ten held the box up for Ronan to see.

  “We were able to take the best pictures of the babies with that camera. I know you and Ronan will be able to do the same thing with Everly.” Truman sniffled. “We’re all just so excited to meet her.”

  Carson slung an arm around his husband.

  “Shit, Tru, you’re not thinking about another baby, are you?” Ronan looked frightened for the father of three.

  “God, no!” I’ll get my baby fix at your house and then go home to my flock of velociraptors.” Truman started to laugh.

  Ten pointed a finger at Ronan. “I swear to go God, if you start calling our daughter a Tyrannosaurus Rex…”

  “No worries, Ten. I would never call our little princess a T-rex.”

  “Next present!” Jude Byrne called out. He walked up to Ronan carrying a large bag with a stork on it, overflowing with pink tissue paper. “As Everly’s Godfather, I took my duty very seriously.” He gave Ronan a sharp nod before turning and taking his seat.

  Tennyson prayed that for once Jude was being serious and that there wasn’t a gag gift inside that beautifully wrapped bag. He watched cautiously as Ronan pulled out the pieces of tissue paper and brought out a small box.

  “What is a baby wrap?” Ronan looked completely lost.

  “Ohhh,” Cassie cooed. “I have one of those. “It’s a swaddle that wraps the baby to your body and leaves your hands free. Babies like being able to hear your heartbeat and being close to you.”

  Ronan passed it down to Tennyson before digging back into the bag. “Holy shit, this thing is better than the one we picked out!” He held up a tricked-out baby monitor.

  “It’s got an extra layer of security that’s supposed to make it harder for hackers to break into. It’s why I picked that one. Make sure you pick a password for the WIFI that isn’t easily guessable.”

  “Shit, guess that means we can’t use ‘password123’ as the password anymore.” Ronan rolled his eyes. He reached back into the box and pulled out what looked like a picture frame. “Daddy’s Little Girl,” Ronan read. He turned it around to show Tennyson.

  “There are two of them in there. One for each of you,” Jude called out.

  Ten felt his eyes start to water. He knew this day was going to be emotional, but he didn’t think a picture frame would do him in. “Thank you, Jude,” he managed.

  “How about a few treats for Emilyn!” Cassie called out. She was holding three gift bags in her hands.

  Ronan got up from his seat to pull Tennyson to the side. “Are you okay?”

  Ten nodded. He’d gone down a bit of a dark rabbit hole wondering if his time with the baby would have to be court ordered after Ronan left his lying ass. Not that he could explain that to Ronan. “The idea that we’re almost Daddies. Sometimes it takes my breath away. We’ll be holding her in our arms soon and now we have a camera and there will be a million pictures to choose from.”

  Ronan pulled Tennyson close. “It is overwhelming. The good news is that we have each other. There isn’t anything we can’t get through side by side.

  Tennyson couldn’t agree more. The problem was, once his secret was out in the open, would he and Ronan still be side by side? Or would they be on opposite sides? It was the latter option that scared the hell out of him.

  9

  Ronan

  Today had been the best day of Ronan’s recent memory. He’d never been to a baby shower before, but he had to admit, his was the best one ever. There had been so many amazing gifts not only for Everly and Emilyn but also for him and Tennyson as well.

  Niall and Tobin had given them a free night at The Black Cat Inn for when they wanted to have their first baby-free night. Ronan could never imagine wanting a night away from their little miss, but Carson assured him that day would indeed come. Their present had also come with gift cards for dinner and a couple’s massage. Ronan had never had a massage before, but it sounded like a nice way to relax.

  He’d really been impressed with the way their friends had come through for Emilyn. She’d gotten all kinds of lotions and chocolates and a basket full of her favorite things. There had been a warm throw and assorted teas in another basket. Niall and Tobin had also given her a free stay at the B&B.

  What had really surprised Ronan was the way all of their friends had been so generous. All of the items on their registry had been purchased including the nursery furniture that matched Everly’s crib, two car seats and strollers. Everything looked so complicated, but Carson and Truman promised to help with everything.

  The biggest surprise of the day had come from Jace Lincoln, Kevin Fitzgibbon’s billionaire philanthropist, fiancé. His gift had come in the form of a bank book. Ronan had nearly fallen off his chair when he’d read the opening balance of the account. He’d had to hand the book to Tennyson for confirmation. There was enough money in the account for Everly to attend any college of her choice all the way through her PhD. Three times over.

  Jace said the extra money was for books and pizza. Maybe a Ferrari if she was a good student. Ronan had been too stunned to do more than hug Jace to within an inch of his life. The one thing that had kept him up at night was worrying about how he and Ten were going to pay for Everly’s education. Now they weren’t going to have to worry about that at all.

  After the last present was open came the meal. It was the most amazing surf and turf buffet he’d ever seen. He found out later that Jace had insisted on paying for that as well. Lobster and prime rib had been the main entrées but there had also been shrimp scampi, grilled salmon, and roasted chicken.

  For dessert, they’d cut the beautiful pink cake, which had been Cassie’s gift. It was served with cherry ice cream. Ronan was overwhelmed by the generosity of their friends.

  After the shower ended, Truman and Carson helped them load everything up and bring it home.

  “Where on earth do we start?” Ten asked. He was staring at the mess of baby stuff crowding their living room.

  “Like we said last night, we start with the crib. Then we assemble the dresser.” Ronan spun around and pointed to the box which was near the stairs. “And then the changing table. Once we have the big pieces of furniture figured out, then we go from there.”

  Ten nodded. “Sounds good.” He wrapped his arms around Ronan’s middle. “I still can’t believe all of this stuff is for Everly.”

  “What was your favorite part of the day?” Ronan was curious to hear Ten’s take on the day.

  “Knowing that all of our friends love our little girl as much as we do. She’s not even here yet and already she has this amazing support system of aunts and uncles and a godfather who’d walk through fire for her and her cousins too.” Ten shook his head. “She is so well-loved.”

  “So are you,” Ronan said. He cupped Ten’s face in his hands. He could tell his husband was still on edge. He’d slept better last night than he had in months, but there was still a nervousness to him that Ronan hadn’t seen since they’d first met.

  It had been understandable then. Ronan was a skeptical son-of-a-bitch and Tennyson didn’t know him from Adam. Now, though, was a different matter. They’d known each other for two years, what the hell did Tennyson have to worry about? This must be one hell of a secret.

  Most likely Tennyson had just built up whatever it was to be eighty feet high and unconquerable. Ronan was sure it would
all work out just fine. One of those one-chat problems. Sure, he might be mad for a few hours at the most. He’d probably be more upset at the fact that Tennyson worried so hard and long over the problem instead of just coming to him with it in in the beginning.

  Ronan had directed Ten to stay with Dixie in their bedroom while he brought the boxes containing Everly’s dresser and changing table upstairs. He left both boxes in the hallway so he’d have as much building room as possible in the bedroom.

  “Okay, you’re going to be in charge of reading the instructions. I’ll be the builder.” Ronan handed the crib booklet to Tennyson who was wearing a dubious look on his face.

  “Are you sure you can do this on your own without having to call Carson and Truman to help? Their kids are spending the night with Truman’s parents. It’s the perfect time to get them to help us.”

  “It’s the perfect night for them to have some wine and play naked Twister.” Ronan waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  “What does that even mean? Are you saying you’d want to play naked Twister if you didn’t need to play Bob the Builder tonight?” Tennyson snorted.

  “Are you kidding me? There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing tonight than putting together this crib. It’s only been sitting in pieces in this room for six months now.” Ronan shook his head.

  “Okay, step one, attach brackets to the side of the headboard.” Tennyson smiled up at Ronan.

  Ronan knelt down on the floor and stared at all of the pieces laid out before him. There were two long pieces and two end pieces, plus a bag of hardware. “What’s a bracket?”

  Ten offered him the booklet. “This thing according to the instructions.” He pointed to the diagram.

  “Call Truman and Carson. Pray neither of them have had too much to drink.” Ronan grimaced. If the party had already gotten started, they weren’t going to be too happy to be getting a call from Tennyson.

  Fifteen minutes later, Carson and Truman were ringing their doorbell. “Haven’t the two of you had enough of us for one day?” Carson laughed.

  “Do I smell pizza?” Truman asked.

  “No.” Tennyson shook his head.

  “Can I smell pizza? Pepperoni, please.” Truman slapped a hand on Tennyson’s shoulder. “Get those cheese things too, with extra sauce,” Truman called as he followed Ronan up the stairs.

  “This is as far as we got.” Ronan ushered Truman into the room.

  “Uh, Ronan,” Truman snorted. “I hate to break this to you, but this is as far as you’ve gotten for the last six months.”

  “Construction is always so much more fun with friends.” He plastered a goofy grin on his face.

  “Sure, it is.” Truman pointed to the plastic bag filled with hardware. “Open that up and find the Allen wrench.”

  Ronan knew what an Allen wrench was. He’d been a grease monkey since he’d taken an auto shop class back in middle school. Knowing how to work on engines in no way qualified him to assemble baby furniture. “Here it is.”

  “You and Tennyson both looked better today.”

  Ronan sighed. “We had an unexpected visit from an FBI agent last night.”

  Truman stopped what he was doing to turn around to stare open-mouthed at Ronan. “The FBI was here last night? Why are you just telling me this now?”

  “My unborn daughter’s baby shower wasn’t exactly the right place to spill the details, Tru.” Ronan wasn’t quite sure her petal pink bedroom was either, but here they were. “This agent said Dragonni’s federal trial starts next week and they need me to testify about Tony’s confession the night he was shot.”

  “Damn, I’m sorry, Ronan.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It actually got me thinking it was time for me to get my head out of my ass.” That realization was a long time coming.

  “You’re going to need to explain that to me.” Truman looked puzzled.

  “I’ve spent the last five months lost in my own grief and depression. I haven’t paid any attention to what’s going on in the world around me. Tennyson’s been going through something of his own and I never really noticed it until last night. He’s dropped all kinds of weight and he looks like death warmed over.”

  Truman frowned. “You didn’t notice there was something really wrong with him?”

  Ronan shook his head no. “I mean I knew he was grieving for Tony just like I was, but I noticed last night that there was something more to it. I asked him about it and got a little more than I bargained for.”

  “What did he tell you?” Truman sounded truly curious.

  “There’s a secret that he’s keeping from me. Whatever this thing is, Tru, is what’s wearing him to the bone. He said that he can’t tell me what it is now, but he’s keeping quiet for me and Everly.”

  “That sounds pretty serious.”

  “I hate to ask, but do you have any idea what this is?” The last thing Ronan wanted to do was pump his friend for information, but if anyone knew what was going on with Tennyson it was Carson. He and Truman didn’t keep secrets from each other. Up until last night, Ronan would have said the same thing was true of him and Ten.

  Truman shook his head without hesitation. “No, I have no clue. Carson and I were talking about you two the other night and how you both looked like shit. We were hoping this baby shower would help to pull you both out of your funks and it looked like it worked today. You each looked like you were having a great time.”

  “You’re right on both counts. We’ve both been on a downward spiral since Tony died. Today was a bright start for both of us. But…” Ronan trailed off. He wasn’t quite sure how to tell Truman about the promise.

  “Damn, I had a feeling there was a but coming. What is it?” Truman’s green eyes narrowed on Ronan.

  “Ten made me promise him that when this secret came out that I’d hear him out the whole way.”

  Truman narrowed his eyes and seemed to be processing what Ronan said. “You said earlier that whatever he’s keeping a lid on he’s doing for you and the baby, right?”

  Ronan nodded.

  “So, that sounds to me like he’s trying to protect you both from something, right?”

  That was something Ronan hadn’t considered. All he’d been thinking about was that there was something Ten didn’t trust him enough to tell him. “Okay, that makes sense. I was just thinking he was hiding something from me out of shame or embarrassment.”

  “That could very well be, but he could also be protecting you in his mind. The one thing you’re going to need to remember when the time comes is that in Tennyson’s mind, he had a very good reason for keeping this from you. Whether this secret is tiny or earth-shattering, Ronan, he had a good reason. Your first instinct is going to be to lash out and be angry, but you need to remember he did this out of love.”

  Ronan nodded. Truman was making very good points. How the hell was he going to remember them all when Tennyson’s words were cutting him to the bone or he was trying to hold back a laugh at how silly this secret was.

  Truman stepped back from the built crib. “Just remember when you promised Tennyson for better and for worse. This could be one of those ‘for worse’ moments. The two of you have been through a lot of ‘for worse’ moments, Ronan, and you always come out stronger on the other side. Now, you have an even bigger reason to come out stronger. This little princess is going to need both of you pulling on the oars together. These next six weeks are going to go by in the blink of an eye. When Everly’s here and you’re looking into her eyes, nothing else is going to matter, Ronan. Trust me.” Truman slapped a hand on Ronan’s shoulder and stood back from the crib.

  “You’re right, Truman.” Ronan knew every word that Truman was saying was right on the money. He just hoped when the time came, he had the patience to stay calm and hear Tennyson out. They had been through a lot of times that qualified as “for worse.” He just hoped this time wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back.

  10

  Tennyson

 
Standing in the doorway of Everly’s bedroom, Tennyson couldn’t believe his eyes. Instead of seeing the unassembled crib lying in pieces on the carpet, he was looking at completed nursery ready for a baby. His baby.

  Truman had finished the crib and the changing table before dinner had been delivered. He and Ronan had built the dresser after they’d eaten. There had been a bit of furniture arranging until Ten was happy with the flow of the room.

  The crib was against the right-hand wall with the changing table across the room. The matching dresser was between the two windows facing the street. Ronan had angled the rocking chair in the corner between the crib and the dresser. A small white bookshelf sat near the chair.

  Now it was Ten’s time to shine. Decorating the room was his forte. There was the crib to set up and Everly’s name to hang over it. Once he and Ronan had decided on butterflies as the theme for the room, he’d ordered the letters of her name in pink and white polka dots. There were books and stuffed animals to be placed on the small bookshelf and a butterfly mobile that needed to be hung.

  “Look at this room,” Ronan said from behind him. “I can’t believe how much we got done.”

  “Can you feel the peace here?” Ten turned around to look at Ronan.

  Ronan stepped away from Ten. He ran his hand along the railing of the empty crib before moving to sit in the rocking chair. “I do.” Ronan’s eyes moved to the dresser and the changing table. “Those butterfly decals will look good over the table so she can see them in the morning when we clean her up and get her dressed.

  “I was thinking the same thing.” Ten stepped into the room and took a seat in the middle of the floor. “You’re going to be the one to rock her, aren’t you?”

  “I think so. My heart pinches now thinking about her crying in the middle of the night.” Ronan sat forward in the chair. “What are we going to do when she cries out for us, Ten? Are we going to be the kind of parents who rush in here to comfort her immediately? Or do we let her learn how to comfort herself? Or is that something we’re going to battle each other over? I’ll want to run to her side and you’ll think we should let her self-soothe?”