Chapter 13 - News Across the Harbor
By Sunday morning, the snow had stopped, leaving Boston blanketed in a pristine, blinding layer of white that stretched across the piers and rooftops. The harbor water was a deep, steely blue, dotted with thin sheets of floating ice that drifted lazily toward the open ocean.
Inside the penthouse apartment above the Calder offices, the morning sun poured through the high windows, warming the hardwood floors. Tessa sat at the marble kitchen island, a steaming mug of black coffee between her hands, staring down at the platinum ring on her left ring finger. Every time the light caught the diamond, a tiny flash of brilliance danced across the countertop.
Across the island, Liam Calder—Rafe’s younger brother and the newly appointed head of legitimate enterprise operations—sat reading a digital tablet while casually tossing a piece of toast to an overly enthusiastic golden retriever named Buster.
“I’m just saying,” Liam broke the quiet, glancing up with a grin that was far too mischievous for a Sunday morning, “if you two are finally making it official, I get to plan the bachelor party. And before you veto it, Rafe, no, we are not hosting it at a shipping warehouse in Southie.”
Rafe walked into the kitchen from the hallway, dressed in a thick charcoal sweater, holding his own mug of coffee. He gave Liam a withering, classic Calder glare that had made hardened syndicate captains cower in conference rooms.
“You are not planning anything remotely resembling a party, Liam,” Rafe said flatly, pulling out the stool beside Tessa and sitting down. He casually draped his arm over the back of her chair, his fingers brushing her shoulder. “We’re doing a quiet civil ceremony at the city hall downtown, followed by a private dinner with a few close friends. No press, no underworld syndicates, no spectacle.”
“A quiet civil ceremony?” Liam scoffed playfully, taking a bite of his toast. “Rafe, you’re practically Boston royalty. Half the city council and three federal judges are going to send gifts just out of nervous self-preservation.”
“Let them send gift cards to a hardware store,” Rafe deadpanned. “My only priority is whatever Tessa wants.”
Tessa smiled, leaning her head against Rafe’s shoulder as she took a sip of her coffee. “A quiet dinner sounds perfect, Rafe. Just us, Leo, Maya, and a few people from the clinic. No pomp and circumstance.”
“Done,” Rafe agreed instantly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.
Before Liam could retort, the secure intercom on the kitchen wall chimed with a sharp, double beep. Vincent’s voice came through the speaker, calm and professional.
May you like
“Boss, you have a secure visitor at the ground-floor security desk. Says his name is Dr. Vance from St. Jude’s medical division in Chicago, and he insists he has paperwork requiring your immediate personal signature.”
Rafe and Tessa froze. The name hung in the quiet kitchen air like a sudden drop in temperature.
