Her Baby Plays Cupid

Chapter 6 Reunion

Liam Murphy's POV

When my cell phone rang I was in the middle of a meeting with my two younger brothers, Connor and Colin. Just like Leah and I, these two were twins. They were eighteen months younger than Leah and I, making the four of us extremely close growing up.

Our sibling relationship began to change on our sixteenth birthday. That was the day that Leah learned that our family, specifically our father, was willing to use her as a pawn to strengthen an alliance with another 'family'. Our parents had thrown a lavish birthday party for the two of us, inviting a number of prominent families, two of which were the Coles and the Morettis.

Somehow she overheard our father and I talking to Elio Moretti and his cousin's son, Luca Garabaldi about a deal. That deal centered around an arranged marriage between Leah and Luca. She had burst into the room through the partially opened door and very loudly and angrily stated that she wouldn't marry Luca Garabaldi if he were the last man on earth. Dad had responded by slapping her face and telling her to shut her mouth in his presence, and that she would do what she was told or she would be cut off.

Elio had looked shocked at what Dad had done, while Luca had sneered at Leah and told her she would be lucky to marry him. I made the mistake of not standing up for my sister. Leah, her hand pressed to her cheek that bore the red imprint of our father's hand, straightened her shoulders and left the room with all the dignity and determination she could muster.

From that day onward she refused to talk to our father. Not one word did she utter to him, or in his presence. She wouldn't even acknowledge him. That angered our father to no end, but in truth, what did he expect? He knew Leah was strong-willed, a brilliant planner, and would never back down from a challenge. Mom tried to smooth things over, but she too was presssuring Leah to accept the arranged marriage. Feeling like her thoughts and feelings no longer mattered to her mother, Leah gave her the same treatment.

Six months later Leah graduated high school, a full year ahead of me I might add, took advantage of the full-ride scholarship she had earned to McGill University in Montreal, and moved out. She never spoke to our parents again. She did keep in touch with me, Connor and Colin, but the ease with which she spoke to her two younger brothers did not extend to me. I knew it was because I didn't defend her to our father. But I couldn't change what I did and didn't do, no matter how much I wanted to.

Leah stayed away, living her best life in Montreal. She completed her pre-law and law degree in five years graduating Summa c*m Laude. Claiming she had only two invitations she gave them to Connor and Colin, who went to her graduation. Three months later our parents were killed in a car accident. Leah came home for the funeral, but left immediately after the service, citing work committments.

To a certain extent, I could understand her decision. She was articling in the legal department of Graystone Security. They had head hunted her, offering her an insane salary and benefits package which she had accepted. What surprised me was that she was living with Jake Turner, a young man she had met in high school. They had both attended McGill, and he joined the Toronto Police Force after graduation. Yes, I looked into his background. I wasn't going to let her hook up with just anyone. I needed to make sure they weren't going ot use her to get close to our family.

They kept their distance from us. I'm sure Jake knew exactly who and what we were as Leah would not be the type of person to be in a relationship based on a lie, or hidden truths. I respected that, but I had a hard time accepting her choosing a life outside the family.

Things came to a head just over three years ago when Leah celebrated passing the Bar Exam. It was at the time the Moretti family was once again trying to encroach on our territority, causing tensions between the two families. Elio Moretti requested a meeting where he presented what he thought would be a reasonable solution.

His suggestion? We merge the two families through marriage. More specifically, Leah's marriage to his young cousin, Luca Garabaldi. The same young man that she had rejected on our sixteenth birthday. Foolishly, I had seriously considered accepting the arrangement, if only to ensure the two families didn't go to war with each other.

So, at Leah's party, which was being held at a high end hotel in the city, I pulled her aside, telling her what I had arranged and why, stating that the wedding would take place within the month. Initally she had given me an ice-cold glare, a very flat NO, and walked away from me. She had disappeared for about thirty minutes. I had assumed she was simply giving herself time to cool down and consider her options.

I gave her what I thought was enough time then went looking for her. I found her in the corridor outside the ladies room, hands on her hips, her face flushed with fury as she was ripping a strip off of Luca Garabaldi. A young woman I recoginized as Jeremy Cole's daughter was standing not far away, a smirk on her face as she took in the confrontation.

I caught Luca's voice stating that whether Leah liked it or not, she would be his wife. Leah had responded with a hiss. "I would rather die than be associated with scum such as you." Then she turned and stompped away after shooting a disgust filled glare at Andrea Cole.

I went after Leah, angry that she was letting her pride and stubbornness get in the way of this alliance. I grabbed her arm and spun her around to face me. "You, come with me!" I commanded and pulled her into a private alcove needing to talk sense into her.

"You have no f*****g idea what that asshole is up to," she started to say. But being the arrogant ass that I was, I slapped her across her face, just as my father had done years ago.

"You will marry Luca Garabaldi, or you are no longer my sister! Stop being so f*****g selfish." I spat at her through gritted teeth. "You will f*****g do as you are told!"

Leah stilled for a moment. Then just like all those years ago, she straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath, and spoke. Her words, while initially angering me, ended up breaking my heart.

"I will never marry Luca Garabaldi. As of this moment, you and I? We are no longer family. Expect the family severance papers tomorrow. Don't ever contact me again." Then she turned and walked away. Out of the room, and out of my life, and the lives of Connor and Colin.

She wasn't bluffing. The next day a process server delivered the document that legally severed her ties to me and my brothers. I tried calling her, but she had blocked my number, just as she had Connor and Colin's numbers. She made sure that any attempt to contact her was blocked. For the past three years she refused all contact, not even inviting us to her wedding. Out of hurt and rage, I wrote her a very nasty letter. Something I am deeply ashamed of doing.

That broke me. Broke all three of us. I confessed to my brothers, telling them what I had done. They had been disappointed with me but eventually forgave me. Over time, we had come to understand that we didn't care about making alliances. We cared about our sister, our little princess. Why we hadn't figured that out earlier was beyond me. But better late than never, right?

All these memories went rushing through my mind when I looked at the caller ID on my phone and saw the name, 'Leah". Without hesitation I answered the call on speaker, allowing Connor and Colin to hear everything.

"Leah, honey, is that you?" I asked feeling both hesitant and hopeful at the same time.

"Yes, it's me," her voice sounded hoarse, as though she had been crying.

"God, Leah. We, your brothers and I have missed you so much. We're sorry for cutting you off. Please say you forgive us." I pleaded, begging for her forgiveness.

"Liam, can you, Connor, and Colin come see me? Jake's dead, killed in the line of duty." Her voice broke. Her sobbing echoed down the phone line, breaking my heart.

"Where are you, little sister? We will be right there!" My immediate response was something I knew she had hoped for. She gave us her address then ended the call.

As soon as the call ended, I put my phone in my pocket, stood up, grabbed my suit coat and headed to the office door, my two brothers close on my heels. The door locked behind us automatically.

The three of us were at our vehicles in the parking garage within minutes. "We're taking my SUV," I informed them, "Let's go." Our driver got behind the wheel. Once seated, we sped away.

Fifty minutes later we were pulling into the parking lot of the building address Leah had provided. Collectively, we took several deep breaths before exiting the vehicle.

Finally, after three long years, we were going to see our sister. Silently, I sent up a prayer of thanks for olive branches.