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“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, eyes laced with pain. “I love you—” “Shannon, get in here!” “Bye, Johnny.” And then the door slammed shut in my face again.
“Shannon has a boyfriend. Big deal. She’s not a baby anymore, and it’s about time you two stop treating her like one.”
“I needed to know you were safe.”
“I want you, too,” he said with a wink. “In every way.”
“If that’s what you call hand-holding, then I’d really like to know what you call the other shit,” I heard Darren say from somewhere nearby. “Maybe they’re gone beyond hand-holding,” I heard Joey muse. “I can’t always be right.”
“Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining.”
“Oh, we’re not pregnant,” Gibsie laughed, awareness finally dawning on him. With a carefree shrug, he tossed the test into a basket of makeup samples beside him. “Oh shit, I’m sorry—” Digging it back out, he held it out to our teacher. “Did you want it?”
“You’re so pretty,” I whispered,
“But you are pretty,” I teased. “You have pretty eyes, and pretty hair, and a pretty smile.”
“When the lights go out, I’ll make you feel better.” “Do you promise?” I muttered under my breath. “I promise,” she whispered,
“Did he see me?” Sagging weakly in his arms, I clenched my eyes shut as tears dripped down my cheeks. “What if he saw me, Johnny?”
If she knew he was evil…
“I love you so much,” I breathed, feeling so much in this moment that I feared my heart might burst.
He saw you, and you saw that look in his eyes. Be afraid. He’s coming back for you.
“I need you close.” “You sure?” I nodded. “Positive.”
“I love you, Johnny Kavanagh,” I choked out, clenching my eyes shut as I grabbed his arm and held it to my chest. “Most in the world.”
“I love you back, Shannon Lynch,” he said quietly in my ear and I felt the connection I had to him in the deepest part of my soul. “Most in the world.”
“For keeps?” I breathed. He kissed my shoulde...
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“Je veux lécher la chatte de ma copine.”
“I said, je veux être à l’intérieur de toi.”
“And Bella will not be returning to Tommen to finish out the school year,”
“I’m done, Aoife.” Shaking his head, he held his hands up. “I’m done dragging you down with me.”
“What about the—”
Omg is this abt the baby?????
Dad stepped into the garden and walked toward me.
NONoNONONONOmononononononon
“Okay,” I croaked out, trembling from head to toe as I pushed open my bedroom window and climbed onto the ledge.
You can’t protect her if you’re in a prison cell, Johnny. Keep your goddamn head. They’ve been through enough. Get them out of here!
whispered his name. “Sean.” He paused on the turn of the staircase and looked up at me, wide-eyed and fearful, and I swear to god my heart cracked clean open in my chest.
Horrified didn’t begin to cover the feeling that engulfed me when I watched a wet stain spread across the crotch of his Bob the Builder pajama pants as he obediently toddled back up the stairs toward me.
“Daddy bad,” he whispered, stroking my jaw with his chubby fingers. “I know, buddy,” I bit out. “But I won’t do that to you.” “Daddy ow,” he whispered. “Ow, ow, Daddy.” Keep the head, Kav.
“You like Bob the Builder?” I asked, distracting us both from the very real fact that I was about to commit kidnapping. Again.
My heart was racing so hard, I was afraid the toddler in my arms could feel it. In fact, I was sure he could because Sean pressed his small hand to my chest and whispered, “Bang, bang.”
I knew this kid was prideful. He was badass for twelve. To see him fall apart like this was sobering.
Stunned and confused, I hovered at the front door with her baby in my arms. “Come with me,” I mouthed, urging her to just run. “Come on.” She shook her head. “Why?” “Just go.” “I can’t.” “Go now!” “I’ll come back for you.” Feeling at a complete loss, I exhaled a ragged breath. “I promise.” “Don’t come back.” She shook her head. “Just save my children.”
Silently reeling and still clutching her youngest child in my arms, I slipped out of the house, quietly closed the door behind me, and ran for my car.
Holy fuckin shit its gonna be the fire
“Shite,” Sean blurted out from the back seat, pronouncing the word crystal clear. Ollie and Tadhg howled laughing.
“Shite,” Sean repeated, clapping his hands together. “Shite.”
Johnny nodded and I didn’t miss the tremor in his hand—the one he discreetly tried to shake out. He was lying. “It’s all good, lads,” he added, driving through the open gates of his property. “Consider it an adventure.”
“Whoa,” Ollie whispered. “His mammy and daddy really love him, huh?”
“Mam loves us, too,” I croaked out, feeling the need to reassure my baby brother. “Don’t ever doubt that.”
“And he smells like Daddy,” Ollie added, scrunching his nose up. “It’s not a good smell, Shan.”
“Hang on,” Tadhg grumbled when Sean tried to get up with his seat belt still on. “I have to free you first, silly goose.”
“Shite,” Sean whispered, waiting for Tadhg to free him. “That’s right,” Tadhg snickered, unbuckling his belt.
“O-ee,” Sean croaked out, shivering violently, as he wrapped his small arms around my neck. “O-ee gone.” “No,” I whispered, gently rocking him in my arms. “He’ll be back.”
“I’d do anything for you, Shannon like the river,” Johnny replied gruffly, pulling me in to his side. “Anything.”
Jesus, they were the ultimate survivors.
I walked over to the door only to hesitate and turn back. “Shan?” She looked up at me with a lost expression. “Yeah, Johnny?” “I love you.”
“That’s because she was too busy.” Tadhg chuckled. “She was all ‘Oh, Johnny, yes! Please!’” “I was not,” Shannon spluttered. “You little liar.” “‘Kiss me, touch me, hold me, love me,’” Tadhg mocked in a girlish voice. “‘Mwah, mwah, mwah. Yes, I love your rugby balls—’” “Tadhg!”
“Shannon does it with Johnny, Joey does it with Aoife, Darren does it with Alex,” Tadhg continued, not missing a beat. “And you’ll do it when you’re older with someone you fancy, Ol.”
