Kate Hoffmann - Conor

It would be so easy. All he’d have to do was send an officer over to the condo to tell her the good news. She’d pack up and leave and he’d never have to see her again. But he couldn’t bring himself to do that. He knew how much it would hurt Olivia.

No, he’d wait. Another day or two together was all he needed to find out for sure. And then they could leave this place and go on with their lives. And whether it was together or apart, Conor knew that he’d have given it a chance. That was all he could ask for-just a chance.

“WHY CAN’T WE go out?” Olivia asked. “The weather is beautiful. And no one has tried to shoot me for days. Why can’t we go for a drive or just take a walk? We could go out for lunch! We’ll drive way out in the country where no one could possibly recognize us. I’d even settle for drive-thru.”

Conor looked up at her from behind his newspaper. He’d been strangely silent the past few days, distant, as if something weighed heavily on his mind. He’d made a few trips into the city and come back distracted, his face lined with tension, but when Olivia had asked what was wrong, he’d smiled and reassured her that everything was fine. She thought his worry might have to do with the trial and her testimony, that the danger to her wouldn’t end at that. But she didn’t want anything to interfere with the last few days they had together, so Olivia didn’t press with her questions.

Their nights together hadn’t changed. They’d both conveniently forgotten the promise they’d made and fallen into bed the very next night with as much passion as ever. Conor had been particularly uninhibited, making love to her each night until neither one of them could move, almost as if he were making love to her for the last time. After a night like that, she almost expected him to be gone in the morning. But Conor was always there when she woke, his limbs tangled with hers, his face nestled in the curve of her neck.

They hadn’t mentioned the future, but Olivia knew with every day that passed they were coming closer to the time when they’d no longer have to be together. She’d expected that the district attorney would want to see her before she testified, but Conor hadn’t mentioned anything about a meeting before the trial. She’d learned to trust him without question.

“Please,” she begged, “put down your newspaper.”

“All right,” Conor said. He tossed aside the Boston Globe and levered up from the couch. “We’ll take a drive. I’ll show you my favorite spot in all of Boston.”

Olivia clapped her hands, then raced to the bedroom to grab her jacket. She didn’t care whether they were taking a risk. She needed to find out what life was like outside the condo. But, more importantly, she needed to find out what Conor was like when he wasn’t standing guard or making love to her. They’d never really been out together and she needed a chance to gauge his feelings once they went back to the real world. Would he still touch her at every opportunity? Would he take her hand or drape an arm around her shoulders? Would he be at ease or would reality shatter the dream world they’d lived in for the past week?

She hurried out of the bedroom to find Conor waiting at the door. He opened it gallantly, then swept out his arm. “Your carriage awaits,” he teased.

In truth, Olivia was surprised that he’d agreed to take her out at all. He was normally so vigilant, but maybe even he had started to go a little stir-crazy. When she stepped into the sunshine and the fresh air, she stopped and held her hands out. Then she closed her eyes and twirled around. “I feel like I’ve been released from prison,” she cried. “It’s a glorious day.”

She ran to the car and Conor opened the door for her. Then he jogged around to the driver’s side. Though the car wasn’t Dylan’s Mustang, it did move. And it was taking them out on an adventure! Olivia didn’t care whether the muffler rumbled or the car shook when it went fast. She was with Conor and they were spending time in the real world. That was as close to heaven as she could imagine.

Conor drove through Concord, heading toward downtown Boston. Olivia stared out the window, watching the scenery pass by. Although she’d seen the same sights many times, everything looked so much brighter and prettier to her eyes. She hadn’t realized how sheltered she had been, locked away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” Conor replied with a smile.

She slid over the wide front seat to sit beside him, then slipped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. “I know I’m going to have a good time, no matter where we go.”

They rode most of the way in silence, enjoying the drive together. Conor steered the car off the freeway and soon they were winding along Boston’s waterfront near the Fort Point Channel. Conor found a parking spot and they got out of the car and began to walk toward Waterfront Park. Olivia wove her fingers through his and they strolled hand in hand to a grassy spot near the water’s edge.

“I used to come here when I was a kid,” Conor explained. He sat down on the grass and pulled her down next to him, then smiled crookedly. “Come to think of it, I wasn’t ever really a kid.”

“You weren’t?”

Conor shook his head. “Not after my ma left. When my da was out chasing swordfish around the North Atlantic, I’d have to find things to keep my brothers busy during the summer. Dylan and Brendan liked to get into trouble. So we’d take the ‘T’ and come out here and watch the planes all day. And if we had enough money, we’d ride the ferry back and forth to Logan. Sometimes we’d even go inside the airport, although security knew to look out for us.”

“All by yourself?”

“I was sixteen and my brothers were used to listening to me. It was cheap entertainment. And it was a favorite trip. If I ever wanted my brothers to do something, all I had to do was promise them a trip out here to watch the planes. Brendan used to love this spot. He’d memorize plane schedules and he’d know where every plane was going. I think that’s what gave him such wanderlust.”

“You did a good job with them,” Olivia said softly as she squeezed his hand. “They’re all wonderful men. I don’t even know them well, but I know that’s true.”

“Problem is, I didn’t do such a good job on myself,” he said, his smile turning ironic.

“That’s not true,” Olivia said.

Conor shrugged. “I never gave myself much chance to have fun. My brothers say I have to lighten up.”

“We’ve had fun together,” she said, “when we weren’t getting shot at.”

“But I never had fun when I was younger. Never went out on a date until I was nineteen. Girls didn’t exactly enjoy five younger brothers tagging along everywhere I went. And I couldn’t trust Dylan or Brendan to take care of the twins and Liam. So I was a stay-at-home brother. I guess that’s why my social skills leave something to be desired.”

“Well, I think you have other skills that make up for that,” she said as she lay back on the grass.

Olivia stared up at the sky, a perfect shade of blue. She’d been to Waterfront Park before, but today was different. She was seeing it through Conor’s eyes. As the planes roared overhead, heading out in different directions from Logan, Olivia could almost picture those six lost boys. He’d been a good parent to them, and he’d probably be an even better parent to his own children. She had never thought much about a family of her own. But sitting here next to Conor, she could imagine them with children.

“Olivia, there’s something I need to tell you.”