you?”
“The fear of God in the form of a heart attack,” Dennis confessed. “Listen, Col…”
Colin sat on the edge of the bed and took his father’s work-roughened hand in his. “What is it?”
“I’m not coming back,” Dennis said.
“What do you mean?”
“Mum wants me to retire, and I’m going to do it. She’s been waiting for me to slow down for a long time, and there’re things she wants to do. I owe her some of my time before I’m too old and sick to be any good to her.”
Astounded, Colin had no idea what to say. “I figured you’d put up a fight when she was ranting in the hospital about you retiring.”
“I’m tired. I think I’m ready.”
“I can’t imagine you not being at work with us.”
“Oh, you don’t need me. You all have been running the show for years now. I was just there to keep you guys from bickering.”
“You do a lot more than that, and you know it.”
“I want you to take over for me, Col.”
Shocked, Colin stared at him.
“Someone has to be in charge, and I’ve decided it should be you.”
“But what about Brandon? He’ll blow a gasket over this when he gets back.”
“He won’t be in any shape to take on this kind of responsibility for some time, and even if he was, he’s not the one I want. I want you, son.”
Colin released a ragged deep breath. He hadn’t seen this coming. “I don’t know, Da.”
“It was Aidan’s idea, actually.”
“You asked him first, didn’t you?” Colin made no attempt to hide his disappointment.
“I only asked him first for one reason—all you boys respect him so much. I knew no one would fight him as the authority figure. You’ll have a tougher time with that than he would’ve had as the oldest.”
“Why did he say no?”
“He’s getting his life together in Vermont. His restoration business is going well, and he’s finally got a new woman in his life. Coming back here wouldn’t be good for him after everything he’s been through. It was wrong of me to even ask him—for all those reasons and because the most obvious choice was the one who’s been here all along.”
“Good old Colin.”
“Just because you flew under the radar doesn’t mean I didn’t notice you, son. You’ve never given me an ounce of grief. And when a man has five high-spirited children, you’d better believe he notices the one who never gives him any trouble.”
Colin smiled. “I should’ve raised some more hell.”
“Your brothers and sister did plenty of hell-raising, believe me. So will you do it, Col? Will you take over my business and make it your own with the help of your brothers and Tommy?”
“You really think I can do it?”
“I have no doubt and neither did your brother. ‘Take another look at Colin,’ Aidan said. ‘He’s the best of all of us. Sarah always said so.’”
Colin’s eyes burned at the unexpected reminder of the beloved sister-in-law he’d lost to cancer ten years earlier. Aidan’s wife had died two days after giving birth to the stillborn son they named Colin, after him. “That was nice of him to say.”
“He’s right and Sarah was, too. You’re everything that’s good about the O’Malleys, and you’ve earned the respect of the men. It might take a while to bring your brothers around, but you can do it.”
“I’m honored that you have such faith in me. If it’ll give you some peace of mind, I’ll give it a shot.”
The relief showed on his father’s face. “Thank you, Col. We’ll do this right. I’ll talk to Dec and Tommy myself, and then we’ll have a meeting with all the guys so they know there’s been a changing of the guard. I think it’ll be important for them to hear it from the horse’s mouth.”
“What about Brandon?” Colin asked.
“When he gets home, we need to ease him back in slowly. In fact, I have an idea I wanted to run by you.”
“What’s that?”
“You know that apartment building I bought on Old
“The fear of God in the form of a heart attack,” Dennis confessed. “Listen, Col…”
Colin sat on the edge of the bed and took his father’s work-roughened hand in his. “What is it?”
“I’m not coming back,” Dennis said.
“What do you mean?”
“Mum wants me to retire, and I’m going to do it. She’s been waiting for me to slow down for a long time, and there’re things she wants to do. I owe her some of my time before I’m too old and sick to be any good to her.”
Astounded, Colin had no idea what to say. “I figured you’d put up a fight when she was ranting in the hospital about you retiring.”
“I’m tired. I think I’m ready.”
“I can’t imagine you not being at work with us.”
“Oh, you don’t need me. You all have been running the show for years now. I was just there to keep you guys from bickering.”
“You do a lot more than that, and you know it.”
“I want you to take over for me, Col.”
Shocked, Colin stared at him.
“Someone has to be in charge, and I’ve decided it should be you.”
“But what about Brandon? He’ll blow a gasket over this when he gets back.”
“He won’t be in any shape to take on this kind of responsibility for some time, and even if he was, he’s not the one I want. I want you, son.”
Colin released a ragged deep breath. He hadn’t seen this coming. “I don’t know, Da.”
“It was Aidan’s idea, actually.”
“You asked him first, didn’t you?” Colin made no attempt to hide his disappointment.
“I only asked him first for one reason—all you boys respect him so much. I knew no one would fight him as the authority figure. You’ll have a tougher time with that than he would’ve had as the oldest.”
“Why did he say no?”
“He’s getting his life together in Vermont. His restoration business is going well, and he’s finally got a new woman in his life. Coming back here wouldn’t be good for him after everything he’s been through. It was wrong of me to even ask him—for all those reasons and because the most obvious choice was the one who’s been here all along.”
“Good old Colin.”
“Just because you flew under the radar doesn’t mean I didn’t notice you, son. You’ve never given me an ounce of grief. And when a man has five high-spirited children, you’d better believe he notices the one who never gives him any trouble.”
Colin smiled. “I should’ve raised some more hell.”
“Your brothers and sister did plenty of hell-raising, believe me. So will you do it, Col? Will you take over my business and make it your own with the help of your brothers and Tommy?”
“You really think I can do it?”
“I have no doubt and neither did your brother. ‘Take another look at Colin,’ Aidan said. ‘He’s the best of all of us. Sarah always said so.’”
Colin’s eyes burned at the unexpected reminder of the beloved sister-in-law he’d lost to cancer ten years earlier. Aidan’s wife had died two days after giving birth to the stillborn son they named Colin, after him. “That was nice of him to say.”
“He’s right and Sarah was, too. You’re everything that’s good about the O’Malleys, and you’ve earned the respect of the men. It might take a while to bring your brothers around, but you can do it.”
“I’m honored that you have such faith in me. If it’ll give you some peace of mind, I’ll give it a shot.”
The relief showed on his father’s face. “Thank you, Col. We’ll do this right. I’ll talk to Dec and Tommy myself, and then we’ll have a meeting with all the guys so they know there’s been a changing of the guard. I think it’ll be important for them to hear it from the horse’s mouth.”
“What about Brandon?” Colin asked.
“When he gets home, we need to ease him back in slowly. In fact, I have an idea I wanted to run by you.”
“What’s that?”
“You know that apartment building I bought on Old
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