Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen, #2)

by Chloe Walsh

“I love it.” He grinned, thoroughly enjoying my discomfort. “The wait was worth it. This is the best day.”

“Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining.”

“Think he’ll represent me, too?” Gibsie asked. Shrugging, he added, “When you’re embarking on hell, it’s always good to have a buddy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I sneered, sinking down in the back seat of the car. “I wasn’t aware that he had a beating schedule! Is it only Wednesdays he likes to knock her around? Should I pick her up on Tuesdays and drop her back on Thursdays? Would that suit him?”

demure

“Oh Jesus, his mother’s going to kill me,” Gibsie groaned. “It’s bad enough that

I took him out behind her back, but now he’s going to be arrested, and then I’ll be arrested because I’m a good friend and it’s just bad form to let him go to prison on his own, but she won’t see it that way. No, she’ll see her baby in a cell and I’ll be the dead, ball-less eejit beside him. Ugh!” “Shut up, Gibs!” I barked.

“Stop the world,” Gibsie groaned. “I wan...

He’s going nowhere, and I’m going to heaven.”

“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.”

“I’m going over there.” “Good,” he agreed. “About time.”

“Your son”—Gibsie paused to point an accusing finger at me before continuing—“ejaculated on me.”

Yeah, I’m here, fucker.

“Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining.”

“It’s like ‘Hey, wrap up your dick, buy some lube, hell, even throw in a cock ring for a bit of craic, and have a great fucking time, but just in case it fails, you know where to come back to confirm the end of your life.’”

“Because I’m not comfortable with the roundabouts yet.”

What do you want me to do? Stick my head out the window and bark at the traffic like a dog?”

“Listen, I’m not going to sit here and apologize for something that happened a million years ago,” Gibsie huffed. “I puked on your dog, Feely. It was a genuine mistake. I’ve done it to Sookie a million times, and you don’t see her giving me the cold shoulder. And I haven’t done it since, so can we please move past it?” “I don’t have a dog. That was my mother you puked on!” Feely snapped, sounding outraged. “And it was last Christmas, not a million years ago, asshole.” “What?” Gibsie frowned. “That was your mam?” “Yes, asshole!” “Ah, lad, I’m so fucking sorry,” Gibsie choked out, slapping a hand across his mouth. “I thought she was a dog.”

“Je veux lécher la chatte de ma copine.” I frowned. “What?” Johnny grinned devilishly. “I said, je veux être à l’intérieur de toi.”

“Oh, I’m your worst nightmare, bitch.” Taking her to the ground in one fell swoop. Aoife straddled Bella. “You like terrorizing little girls?” she demanded. “Try someone your own size.”

“I didn’t hit anyone today,” Gibsie offered brightly. “I was a good boy.” “‘Today’ being the appropriate word,”

“Because you broke me!”

“You fucked my head up worse than he ever did,” Joey roared into her face. “He hurt me, but you wrecked me. He used his fists, but you?” Joey tapped his finger against his temple. “You got in my head. You broke my mind. I don’t work right anymore and it’s because your voice is stuck in my head. The sound of you crying and begging me to help you is all I can hear. Every time I close my eyes, you’re there.

Screaming ‘Save me, Joey. Save me.’ But I couldn’t ever save you, Mam. I couldn’t save you because you didn’t want me to! You wanted him to be here! You wanted all of this to happen—”

“What about the—”

Baby?

Except it wasn’t Joey’s blond hair, and it wasn’t his smile. No…

I will kill him 🤺🤺🤺

Why wasn’t he shouting?

“Just close your eyes and it’ll all be better in the morning.”

“It’s better if they sleep through it.”

“Whoa,” Ollie whispered. “His mammy and daddy really love him, huh?”

“Gussie,” Joey said shakily, pointing to Gibsie, who was sitting in the third row with our friends. “I need a favor, lad.” “Say no more, buddy.” Gibsie rose from his pew and walked straight up to Joey. “Gussie’s here,”

“He got a Jacob’s Ladder, and it’s not tacky. It’s very nice.” “And how the hell would you know?”

“Yes!” Claire squealed, nodding eagerly. “Please god, focus on that.” “And not what I did to your sister,” Gibsie agreed.

It’s like it’s your birthday but I’m the one reaping the benefits.”

“See ya on the telly,” Tadhg said, fist-bumping me. “I don’t like rugby, but I figure since it’s you I’ll watch your games.”

“Meh, we’ll see how it goes. I might switch it off if I get bored.”

“My binding 13.”

“You heard about that?”

“Yeah.”

“I ...

“You don’t call girls fat, Ol,” Tadhg groaned. “Remember what Joey told us? They’re always skinny—even when they’re whales.”

I delivered babies with Gerard this summer. Nothing scares me anymore.”

“I guess he’s taking that promise he made to Johnny about watching out for Shan seriously.” Lizzie shrugged. “He’s out there goading the life out of the pair of them.”

“Oh my god, you’re fucking obsessed with him!” Cormac said. Shaking his head, he grabbed his jacket off the bar and stood up. “I’m right here and you just…you don’t even see me! All you’re thinking about is him. I don’t know what else I can do—”

“You’ve been looking at her?” I demanded, furious. “While I’ve been gone?” “Ah, just the normal amount,” he coaxed, as if the normal amount would placate me.

I told them this city boy is so intense, he’s either going to hit the drugs or hit the big time.” Shrugging, he added, “We voted unanimously that we were down for the ride, either way.”

“For being the kind of boy who doesn’t storm out of dinner and leave me behind.”

“Promise?” “I promise.”

“They adore you,”

ADORING 13