Saving 6 (Boys of Tommen #3)

by Chloe Walsh

“I have a pretty decent home economics partner who taught me a thing or two,” I replied, moving to the table with my own plate. “He’s an asshole, but he knows his way around the kitchen.” “So, this home economics partner,” Joey said, following me over to the table. “Is he your friend?” My heart flipped in my chest. “He was.” “Was?” Nodding, I sank down on my chair and took a bite or toast. “He used to be my best friend.” “What changed?” “We had a fight.” “Is that right?” “Uh-huh. He broke my heart.” Pain flicked in Joey’s eyes. “Molloy.” “Joke.” Relief flooded his features when he swallowed my lie. “Well, I hear this partner of yours feels shit about the fight the two of you had.” “Does he now?” “Yeah.” Joey nodded. “He misses his friend.” My heart flipped. “He should miss her. She’s amazing.” He smirked. “He wants her back.” “She never left.” I swallowed deeply. “She just needed a time out.” “Good.” He nodded. “Because if she did leave, he wouldn’t like it.” “He wouldn’t?” “No.” His green eyes locked on mine from across the table. “He wouldn’t.” Exhaling a shaky breath, I reached across the table and laid my hand, palm up. “Nice moves.” He stared at my hand for a long beat before slowly placing his hand on top of mine. “Nice everything.”

I frowned, confused. “Granda, it's me. Joey.” "I named you Joseph," he croaked out, swallowing hard now. “Did you know that?” “No.” I shook my head. “I didn’t know. How’d that come around?” "Your father wanted to name you Theodor after him,” he strangled out, breathing labored. “He said you were going to be just like him…” he paused to cough wheezily. "But you were no Teddy. You were Joseph." He coughed again. "So, I bribed him with a tenner for the pub, and called you what I wanted you to be called." He smiled up at me. "My Joseph. My brave, brave boy. Terrible burdens. A cursed cross to carry. But always rising from the ashes. Always getting back up. Always the… protector.” “Yeah.” Panicked, I looked around the empty room, feeling at a loss. “Granda, I’m just going to go and get the nurse for you, okay?” “Don’t give in to them,” he rasped, holding onto my hand with strength I was surprised he was capable of. “Promise me that you’ll… never… give in to them.” “Give in to who, Granda?” I croaked out. Gasping and wheezing for air, he looked me right in the eyes, green eyes on green and whispered, “the demons your father put in your head.”

“I thought he was…” Shaking his head, Joey let his head fall forward to rest against my stomach. “I just saw you on the ground and he was… and I just…” The move was incredibly intimate, and I sucked in a sharp breath from the contact. “Fuck.” “I’m okay,” I coaxed, unable or just plain unwilling to stand back and not comfort him. With trembling hands, I held his face to my stomach, and whispered, “You’re okay.” He didn’t respond, but he didn’t pull away either, so I remained right there in my bedroom, with his cheek pressed to my belly and my hands stroking his hair. Finally, after what felt like an age, I felt the tension slowly leave his shoulders, and then his arms came around my waist. “He hurt you,” he croaked out. “You don’t hit girls.”