While I Breathe: The Veiðimenn Mob, Book One

Twenty-Four

Callum woke to the realization that he was lying on a soft, comfortable bed. Lifting his arms, he was glad to know he was free of restraints, spotting the band-aid on the back of his hand. He groaned as he tried to move, shifting his weight to push himself up as he supported his upper body on his elbows. He looked down, momentarily believing he was caught in another dream of his Angel.

It happened to him a few times before when he would wake up from a dream of her, only to find David comforting him with the idea that she’d be with him soon. Tentatively reaching out to touch the woman, he couldn’t hide the giddy feeling filling him with renewed hope as his fingers combed through the soft auburn curls of her hair. His heart pounded as memories of what happened to him came flooding back.

Feelings he’d buried deep in his subconscious trickled in, teasing him with taunts of what was, what is, and what could be his life. While he had his doubts, he was thankful for David’s never-ending support when it came to not moving on to other women. At least one thing gave him courage above all others: his son knew him.

“My sweet Ambrosia – famed nectar of the Gods. I missed you so much,” he whispered.

The door opened, and Phoenix slipped into the room while easing the door shut behind him. He turned, freezing in place when he noticed the man watching him with an amused smirk. His little face lit up brightly before he crawled into the bed without disturbing his mother.

Callum laughed, “You must do that a lot, huh? You’re like a little ninja.”

With a sheepish grin, Phoenix nodded. “Mom has nights where she cries a lot, so I come in when she’s asleep and cuddle with her. Sometimes she talks in her sleep about you, too.”

"Don’t worry, this’ll be our little secret,” Callum said. He could already see the same fiery intelligence in the child’s eyes that Ambrosia had. Hearing that she still suffered didn’t help him as much as the child thought it would, though.

He smiled sadly, “I made her worry, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but she called Afi. Ross and David are here, too,” Nix grinned.

Callum wasn't sure if his father being here was a good or a bad thing. The man was unpredictable by times, and he didn’t want the little family to suffer unnecessarily. Smiling thoughtfully, he understood that his son was already aware of the family origins and spoke Icelandic with an obvious fluency. "You’ve met your Grandfather?"

Phoenix nodded, “Afi said we can go live with you, but Mom said she had to consider it. I think getting as far away from my Grandma will be good for her, though.”

Callum was suddenly confused. What was going on? Didn’t Amber get along with her family? “I don’t understand. Can you explain a little about that, Phoenix?”

The boy’s eyes filled with a mix of sadness and pain. “Yeah, it’s cause Nana makes mom cry. She says mean things to her and tells Momma to move on. She hasn't been to visit since I was five. That’s when she tried telling me that you left for another woman because that’s what bad men in the crime world do. Uncle Declan lost his mind, kicked her out, and later convinced Mom it was best if they went no-contact. It’s been a lot calmer the last three years. Besides, Afi is really nice, and he’s in the mafia, so her hate just doesn’t make sense to me.”

“I see,” Callum breathed.

Hearing a sob, he frowned at the boy in his arms. “What’s the matter?”

Phoenix grinned through his tears, “My prayer got answered! You woke up, so now I can go to the park with you like I did with Afi Hans. He’s really nice, but he didn’t ask before he got me ice cream. Mommy doesn’t let me have a lot of sweets unless it’s a special occasion, but she said it was okay because a family reunion is technically a special occasion. Do you like ice cream? My favourite is bubble gum.”

Callum pulled his child close, holding him tightly with one hand buried in the boy’s hair while the other rubbed his back. Releasing the breath he was holding, he said, “Yeah, I do. My favourite is mint chocolate chip, like your Amma Emily.”

“Who’s that? Is that your Mommy? Where is she? When do I get to meet her?” Phoenix said, firing off a series of questions in quick concession.

Hearing enough, Ambrosian finally looked up at the two of them. She got up from the floor, stretching out her aching muscles as she spoke in a voice said she’d cried herself to sleep recently. Her gaze swept over them, part of her enjoying seeing their closeness and part of her praying he didn’t end up regretting letting it happen. “I’m so happy you’re awake now, Callum. Nix, honey, you need to calm down. One question at a time so that you don’t overwhelm your father, okay? I'll be back.”

Concern lit Callum’s dark eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” she answered. “I'm going to let your father know you’re awake.”

“I see,” he answered. Turning back to his son, he smoothed the boy’s hair down, realizing it seem to changed colour depending on the lighting. “I’m sorry, but you won’t get to meet her, buddy. Yes, she was my mother, but she passed away when I was a lot younger than you are now. I know she would have loved to meet you, and I’ll show you her picture as soon as I find my wallet.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. Yeah, I’d love to see her photo,” the boy agreed, dropping the subject as quickly as he brought it up.

They heard footsteps in the hall and fell quiet. Then, they could hear Ross growl out: “David, how the hell did you lose an eight-year-old kid?”

“I didn’t lose him,” they heard David reply hotly. “He was there, then he wasn’t.”

Ross scoffed, and it was obvious that he didn’t believe the younger man. "Then you should have been watching him instead of playing on your phone."

“The little guy is sneaky, man. I'm absolutely certain that he's Cal's kid,” David replied.

The sound of someone being hit made Callum wince in sympathy. Declan’s voice filled the air as he said, “Hans told you to keep an eye on Nix so he could make some calls, and you idiots lost my nephew?”

"What the hell, man?!" David cried out. "Did you need to hit me in the head?"

Declan scoffed, “It’s not like there’s anything useful up there.”

Ross groaned, "s**t, I'd hate to be the one that pisses you off, Declan. I've only known you a few days, and I'm already worried about my position."

"f**k your position, Ross. It’s my sister you should be worried about. I won’t fight for good reason, and it’s because the b***h likes to fight dirty. Go ahead, tell her what I said. She knows what she is,” Declan declared.

Nix climbed off the bed to creep over to the door, his hand closing over the knob. Waiting until he felt a bit of weight against it, he pulled it open. It happened so fast, that two out of three men fell to the floor. “Mom, quick! Get your camera!”

Callum couldn't help chuckling, even though it hurt. The sight before him was too funny not to laugh.

“What’s going on in here?” The sound of his father’s voice had the blood in his veins turning to ice once more. He glared at the blond by the door.

"Afi," Nix squealed, running over to Hans.

Callum watched them as Nix told him what happened. He also noticed Ambrosia didn’t seem too concerned while he raised a slight glare to his father.

“Cut that glare elsewhere,” Hans said darkly.

Ambrosia turned her head to the older man, bristling at the tone of his voice. “He just woke up, so some leeway would be appreciated. If you want to try my patience, go ahead. I know how to make a murder look like an accident.”

Hans paled as he caught the underlying threat to the woman's words. He had come to know that she had a temper that rivalled his while they waited for Callum to wake up. Even more fearsome was how content her brother was to assist his sister. It was truly an unshakable bond that the twins shared.

“I want you all out. Now. My patient needs his rest,” Ambrosia snapped.

“Let's go finish packing up your room, shall we?" Hans said as he turned to leave with Phoenix.

She turned back to Callum and sighed. Catching the pointed stare on his face, she glared at the remaining man. Snarling in frustration, she said, “Ross, what part of my order was too complex to understand?”

Amusement lit Callum's eyes as Ross made a hasty exit. “How long was I out?”

“Five days,” she replied.

Their eyes met, her breathing hitching slightly. She wanted to be angry, to give him a good piece of her mind. Yet, the minute she looked into his brown eyes, she was lost all over again. She licked her lips, coming back to her senses as fast as she could. Putting a hand on his chest, she pushed him back down to the bed with a sigh. “Callum, I can’t do this. Not right now.”

“What do you mean,” he asked, throwing the blankets off. He didn't care that his erection was noticeable through his boxers. Giving her a hard look, he urged her for an answer.

“Can't you get it through your thick skull, Callum? I need time to come to terms with my life being thrown into chaos. I’m grappling with my emotional and mental state in order to get my bearings while accepting the mob into my life,” she snapped as she turned to leave the room.