Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen, #2)

by Chloe Walsh

Do you hear me? I’m here, I’m in, I care, and I’m not going the fuck away.”

“Well, you asked me earlier if there was a chance I’d ever forgive you?” Swallowing, I clutched the edge of the mattress, looked my mother dead in the eyes and whispered, “Drive him away and the answer will be never again.”

“Hi, Johnny,” she whispered, tumbling off the door step as she clung to me. “You came back.” “Hi, Shannon.” My crutches fell to the ground as I wrapped my arms around her body, holding her in place. “I promised I would,” I replied, keeping my eyes narrowed and locked on her brother.

“I’m going to buy you dinner, Shannon.” Closing the space between us, he lowered himself down on the couch and turned to face me. “Sometimes we’ll eat here and sometimes we’ll go out, but it’s going to be a regular occurrence, so don’t overthink it, okay?”

“I don’t just like you. I fucking—” Shaking his head, Johnny rubbed his jaw before looking back at me. “Shannon, I love you.” I stopped breathing. “You love me?” He nodded slowly, blue eyes locked on mine. “Like, a crazy fucking amount.” “Really?” “Really,” he confirmed. “And I’d ask your permission, but I didn’t even ask mine.”

“Shannon Lynch?” I called out, ignoring the rest of her fucked-up family. “I love you back.” Sniffling, she lifted her chin from Joey’s chest and looked at me all red-eyed and blotchy. “S-still?” “Still.” I nodded in confirmation. “Like, a crazy fucking amount.”

“But you didn’t have to do this for me—” “I’m going to do a lot of things for you, Shannon.”

“That from the very first day you walked into my life, you changed me. That very first time I saw you? You sparked to life something inside of me.” Releasing a heavy sigh, he shrugged again, eyes locked on mine. “And I haven’t been the same since.”

“My binding 13.”

“Now, I’m keeping 13,” she told me. “So come home to me when you’re done, okay?” “I will.”