Redeeming 6 (Boys of Tommen, #4)

by Chloe Walsh

Her death, as horrible and unspeakable as it had been, didn’t absolve her of the sins she had committed against her children when she was alive.

That was the thing about Joey Lynch; he couldn’t handle weakness. It wrecked him. He spent so much of his life caring for his family, fending for those weaker than him, that he didn’t have any room left for vulnerability. He needed a strong partner. Someone who could look after themselves. Someone who didn’t need to be treated with kid gloves. Enter Aoife.

Several headstones separated us now, as death surrounded us in the most poignant way. It was almost symbolic really. We were in the place a person went to when their life ended as our relationship potentially ended.

Aoife: I felt the baby kick for the first time today.

Trusting wasn’t something that came easily to me, not even when it came to writing in a fucking journal. Hating, on the other hand, did. I excelled at hating the world. Not just the world, but everyone in it. Except for her. Yeah, she was my only exception.

“Maybe before they moved on, someone wanted to make sure his first love had a fighting chance with her first love.”

“It’s a good thing I’m reformed, because that snide comment deserves a smack in the mouth.”

“You know I’d be dead without her, right?” I declared hoarsely. “This entire conversation wouldn’t be happening because I wouldn’t be here to argue about if it wasn’t for Aoife Molloy.”

“I was trying to help you,” Darren tried to explain. “You’re too young to be a father.” “I’ve always been a father!”

“I want my baby, Darren!”

“Yes,” Dr. B exclaimed, almost punching the air with excitement. “Fantastic, Joey.” Darren and I both turned to gape at her. “Excuse me?” “Verbalization,” she quickly explained. “Fantastic verbalization of your feelings. We have been working on this for months.” She smiled up at me like I was her favorite student and offered me a supportive thumbs-up, while every other member of my medical team looked on in horror.

“I love your family, Joey,” she cut me off by saying, voice thick with emotion. “Each and every one of you.” She winked. “Especially you.” Especially me.

“I already told you that I’m not interested in any of this,” I reminded her, squirming in discomfort when she squeezed my cheek. “I’m not your boy.” “And I already told you that we’re keeping you.” She chuckled. “Finders keepers, Joey love. You’re mine now.” Jesus.

“Prove me wrong, Joey.” His voice was thick with emotion as he roughly pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. “Prove me wrong, son.”

“Believe it or not, Lynchy, I was half-lonesome for your big druggie head over the summer.” “Believe it or not, Gussie, I will take your rugby-ball-shaped head clean off your shoulders if you don’t let go.”

“I’m sorry, Nanny, but I have to steal your grandson for a moment. Joey, I have a little present for you.” “We,” John called over from where he was helping Gibsie untangle himself from the net of a goalpost. “We have a present for him.” “Don’t mind him,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It was my idea.” “Actually, it was both of our—” “Stop stealing my thunder, John,”

The cannon turned out to be Tadhg, perched on a stool on top of an impressive-looking treehouse, with a hurley in hand, and an unlimited supply of sliotars at his disposal. “I told ya before, fatty,” he called out, lacing a sliotar full force in my direction. “Try and take over my fort again, and I’ll take the head clean off ya!”

“What the fuck is this?” I laughed, bucking him off my lap. “Who taught you to pull hair? Shannon?” “Actually, it was your girlfriend,” he countered. “When she was screaming my name.” I narrowed my eyes in warning. “Tadhg.” “Yes, Tadhg, yes!” he mocked. “I’m warning ya.” “Oh, Tadhg, you’re so much better than Joey.” “You little shit.”

“But he bought balloons to play with you,” Ollie offered innocently. “And Joe says you only use those special balloons with girls when you want to marry them.” “I did say that,” I laughed, remembering back to a time when that awkward fucking conversation came up. In my defense, Ollie was eight at the time, and he’d caught me off guard. “A lot he’d know about using balloons,” Johnny muttered, looking rattled as he pulled at the collar of his shirt. “Bareback bollocky-Bill.”

“Oh no,” Ollie said with a sad sigh. “Was it the needles? Does she not want to play with you anymore now?” “Huh?” “Did you burst her balloon with your needles?” His brown eyes were full of compassion. “Did you make her sad?” Everyone fell quiet, the laughing stopped, and I felt another piece of me die inside. “Yeah, Ols,” I forced the words out. “I made her sad with my needles.”

“Yeah, I’m going to need you to let me out of this car,” Gibsie announced, dry-heaving from the front seat as he drove like a maniac toward the city. “Like right fucking now!” “You’re driving the bleeding car, ya bollox,” Johnny barked, looking equally as distressed in the passenger seat. Putting his head in his hands, he rocked his oversized body back and forth. “It’s grand, Gibs. It’s perfectly normal. We can get through this together.” “All I wanted was a burger.” “I know, Gibs.” “And maybe a curry chips. Is that too much to ask for? And now, after what we’ve just witnessed, I’ll never eat again, Johnny.”

“She’s scaring me!” Gibsie accused, reaching across the console to grab Johnny’s hand. “I know, lad,” Johnny choked out, clutching his hand. “Me too.” “Stop panicking!” I screamed, lunging between the seats to clatter the pair of them. “You’re making it worse.” “Calm down, boys,” my mother commanded from the other side of me. “This is all very natural.” “There’s nothing natural about the noises coming out of your daughter,” Gibsie wailed, dodging a fist to the back of the head from Joey. “I want my mam.”

“I’m here.” Joey’s voice was full of confidence. “Right here with ya.” His eyes shone with clearness—with sobriety. “I’m going nowhere, okay? Never again. I won’t leave your side.” And then his steady hands were on my cheeks, forcing me to focus on his crystal-clear green eyes. “And I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Struck fucking dumb, I stared down at the baby in my arms. He was roaring like a bull, with his tiny hands balled into fists as he squirmed and stretched in my arms. “Jesus,” I breathed, cradling him in my arms as my emotions got the better of me. “You’re here.” And then he opened his eyes and looked at me. And I was done. My heart no longer beat for me. For the rest of my days, it would beat entirely for the child in my arms. Fuck.

I just kept staring at our son, wondering how he could do it to us, when every instinct inside of me was demanding I protect the infant in my arms and the girl who bore him.

You’ll make a wonderful father and a devoted husband in time. I sleep well at night knowing that I have a grandson like you in the world.

“We have a son, and he has a set of pipes on him just like his mam,” he confirmed gruffly, carefully placing the small baby on my chest. “Say hi to Mammy.”

“Six years ago today, I locked eyes on you for the first time, sitting on the wall outside of school, and now we’re sitting here with our son.”

“I’ll never leave you on your own again,” he vowed, wrapping both of his arms around me. “I will never fail you again.” I could hear the sincerity in his voice, and I needed so badly for him to be right about this. For him to stay. “It’s my turn, Molloy.” He kissed my hair. “To look after you.”

“Oh, Jesus, Tony.” “What’s wrong, Trish?” “No wonder that daughter of ours didn’t want me helping her shower. She has that young fella’s name tattooed on her arse!”

“Fuck you, Gibsie.” “Fuck you?” He threw his head back. “I wouldn’t ride you into battle.”

“Howdy, friend,” Gibsie said with a grin when I dropped into the chair next to his. Jesus. “Gibs.” “Wah-hey! You got my name right.”

It turned out that Gibsie had a lot of wild ideas, and I would know, since I was the misfortunate bastard with a class timetable identical to his, meaning we’d spent the first six classes of the day together. And oh yes, he saved a seat for me in every single one of those classes.

Messy as fuck or not, this girl had my unconditional support. I had a girlfriend and a son to go home to that I wouldn’t have if she hadn’t taken a second to talk me down from the edge that night.

My son had a father because of her, and whenever the shit hit the fan for her, because it would hit the fan, then she would have my backing. Yeah, for the rest of the school year, she would come under the same umbrella that Tadhg and Shannon did.

“I think you have the loneliest blue eyes I’ve ever seen, and looking at you hurts, but not nearly as much as being near you hurts. Your fractured pieces are sharp and jagged and cut anyone who gets too close.”

“Put your hand down, asshole,” Hughie snapped, rising from his chair. “You’re embarrassing yourself.” Without saying another word, Hughie walked off in the same direction Lizzie went. Arching a brow, I took a moment to watch their friends’ reactions and waited for the proverbial penny to drop for them. It didn’t. Fucking clueless, the lot of them. Something was happening there.

“Look at the ugly head on him,” I continued, focusing on my brother. “Poor bastard’s clearly never had the taste of pussy in his life. Walk away, kid.” Laughter erupted around us, all at the asshole’s expense. “I’ve seen plenty of pussy,” the lad snarled, face turning a bright shade of red. “Coming out of your mother’s hole doesn’t count, lad,” Tadhg shot back as I pulled him away. “Sorry to disappoint ya.”

“Yeah, Joe threw the first slap, but he goaded it out of him by bringing up Aoife and my nephew. And listen, before you say it, I’m not apologizing for kicking him in the nuts when he was on the ground either. The prick had it coming.”

When we stepped into the kitchen, I was too overwhelmed to speak. “Look at you,” Edel whispered, clasping the front of her apron with floury hands as her tear-filled gaze flicked from me to AJ, before settling on Joey. “Look at the man standing in my kitchen.”

“I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he replied, voice thick and gruff. “But I will earn it. Because whatever comes our way, from here on out, I’ll be right beside you.” He nuzzled my nose with his before pressing a kiss to my lips. “Because in this version of forever, we get the happy ending, Molloy.”

“How’s my favorite nephew?” “He’s your only nephew.” Aoife laughed, thundering back up the staircase like a woman on a mission. “For now,” Joey taunted, blocking the bedroom doorway with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Having AJ living next door was a huge treat for the rest of us, but it paled in comparison to how wonderful it was to see our big brother finally happy.

I wasn’t sure about soul mates, but if they existed, then my nephew’s parents were a prime example. Joey Lynch and Aoife Molloy: both full of flaws and humanly imperfect and yet so undeniably perfect for each other.