Redeeming 6 (Boys of Tommen, #4)

by Chloe Walsh

Blond hair. Green eyes. Smiling. Loving. Warmth. Light. That face. Her face. Queen.

If I had a packet of Rolos right now, I’d give you my last one.

crying, what the heck

Don’t worry, Peter Pan. I’ll be your Wendy.

It’s okay. Just concentrate on us.

I love you, Joey Lynch.

“Have you ever considered that she might be the one pouring life into him?”

Ride or di...

Whoever was sitting to my left reached over and wrapped their arm around my shoulder, and that’s when I knew I was broken. Because I didn’t flinch. Because it didn’t hurt. Because I didn’t care.

“Promise me you’ll keep her safe from me.” “Who, Joey love?” “Molloy.”

oh goodness, crying again

Four long days had passed since the fire. Four days in which I had zero contact with Joey. Four days since my world had fallen apart when I read the words on what could only be described as my boyfriend’s suicide note. My mind was still reeling. My heart was in tattered shreds. All of this I could have handled, if they would just let me see him. But no, apparently, I wasn’t what Joey needed right now.

According to Darren, I needed to keep my distance and give his brother time to grieve. Like hell. Joe wasn’t just grieving.

“You’re only eighteen,” he bit back, tears filling his eyes. “I don’t want this life for you.” “He’s only eighteen,” I shot back, trembling. “And he is my life, Dad. He’s my life and I’m his. We’re a family.” My voice broke, and I sucked in a shuddering breath before squeezing out, “He’s the father of my baby, and Darren’s taking him away from me.”

My mouth fell open and I tried to answer, but I couldn’t get the words out. Not when my entire attention was riveted to the small child whose hand she was holding. “Oh my god,” I cried, practically falling off my chair in my bid to get to him. “Seany!” “E-fa,” he mumbled around the fingers he was sucking, before releasing himself from Edel and toddling toward me, his little hand covered in its usual slobber. “E-fa.” “Oh, Seany-boo.” Scooping him up in my arms, I broke down there and then, as a wave of relief washed through me at the sight of his little curly head. “You have no idea how good it is to see you, baby boy.” “O-ee sad,” he told me, touching my cheek with his hand. “O-ee miss E-fa.”

“Aoife misses Joey, too.”

“I’m going, Dad,” I repeated, setting Sean down on his feet. “And there’s nothing you, Darren, or anyone else can say to stop me.”

“Shannon has Johnny, and you have Alex,” Edel explained calmly, reaching out a hand to stroke my back reassuringly. “Joey has Aoife.”

“You should take her to him and watch her work her magic,” Nanny said then, turning to Edel. “Return my grandson’s heart to him, and he’ll start living again.”

Oh baby. He looked so young. So utterly broken.

“My Joey.” His body twitched. “My baby.” His body shook harder. That’s it. Follow my voice. “Come back to me.” With trembling hands, I stroked his cheek and brushed his hair out of his eyes, before leaning in close to nuzzle him. “Because I’m not giving you up.” Jerking in what looked like genuine agony, a pained groan tore from his throat. “I know,” I coaxed as I continued to trail my fingers through his hair. To touch him. To bring him back to me. “You’re in there, aren’t you?” He twitched again, hands balling into fists. That’s it. “I see you, Joey Lynch,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to his cracked and peeling lips. “You can’t hide from me.” His hand moved then, settling on the swell of my stomach, and I swear I could have cried in relief. “That’s it,” I coaxed, gently lifting his head onto my lap. “Come back to me, baby.” Instinctively, he rested his cheek against my belly button, against the part of my body that separated him from his baby. “It’s okay,”

“Queen.” My heart soared to new heights. There he is. He’s still here. “Hey, stud,”

“Okay, Molloy.” Another tear trickled down his cheek. “Whatever you say.”

“That’s my job, remember?” I joked through my tears. “I’m the one saving 6.”

“Then you’ll still be stuck with me,” I told him. “Because I love you, stud. In all your shapes and forms.”

“Nobody who knows the real you could ever hate you,” I whispered, wiping a tear from his cheek. “If you could only understand how much you mean to those children, how much they adore you, appreciate you. If you could only see yourself through their eyes…” I exhaled shakily. “You are so important to so many people.”

“It was a battle of wits there for a while, but he knows I always win.”

“Yeah, don’t give up on him,” I told her, forcing my lip to stop wobbling as I spun around to face her. “I know he’s difficult and can be a right pain in the hole at times, but you need to not quit on him, Edel. No matter what. If you quit one time, one single time, then that’s it.” Leaning against the sink at my back, I snapped my fingers for emphasis. “He’ll be done. That flicker of hope? That tiny semblance of a bridge he’s offering you and John into his world? He’ll burn it to the ground the minute you let him down, and you’ll never get back in.”

He’s a glorified mama bear.

“I am all in with these children,” she vowed, voice thick with emotion. “I am all in with him.” “I hope so,” I replied, tone mirroring hers. “Because he’s going to get better, I can promise you that, and then your family is going to meet the real Joey. And I promise, you guys are going to fall head over heels in love with him.” She smiled softly. “We already are, love, we already are.”

There was a Marie-Lynch-sized hole in my boyfriend’s heart that no amount of loving could heal. God knows I’d tried.

All he’d ever wanted was her love. And she never gave that to him.

That was the thing about Joey Lynch; he couldn’t handle weakness. It wrecked him.

“You live your life, okay, Molloy?” As if that was even an option. I was pregnant with his baby, for Christ’s sake.

“Just shut up, Joey Lynch.” My voice cracked, and I clung to him, not daring to give in to any notions of doubt I had that this wouldn’t work. I couldn’t afford to think like that. He was going to get better. And then he was going to come home to me. “I love you,” I squeezed out, clenching my eyes shut tightly. “You shut up, Molloy,” came his broken reply as he pressed a hard kiss to my forehead. I wanted to tattoo the feel of his lips on my skin, terrified that I would never feel it again. His hands moved from my shoulders to my neck before settling on my cheeks. “I love you, too.”

“Now, you get your sexy ass better and come home to me. Because I’m going to need you healthy, okay?”

“I love you, queen. Always have and always will.” He continued to break me down by whispering, “There was only ever you for me. Stone-cold sober or off my trolly, my head knows that.” Taking my hand in his, he pressed it to his chest before adding, “My heart knows that, too.” “Joe.” “I’ve done you wrong in so many ways, I couldn’t even begin to list them, but I would never do ya wrong like that. I have never done you wrong like that, okay? If I’ve given you nothing else these past few years, trust that I’ve given you fidelity. I never broke that promise, Molloy. Fucking never.”

“You look after yourself, ya hear?” he said, tone gravelly and thick with emotion. “Don’t be climbing any walls while I’m gone, Houdini.” Roughly clearing his throat, he pressed a hard kiss to my brow and then stepped back. “I’ll be seeing ya, Molloy.” And then he was walking away from me. Walking out of my life.

“Come back for me, Joe,” I cried out hoarsely, clutching my stomach. “Get better and come back for me… For your family.” Looking shattered, he stared at me for the longest moment before nodding. “I’ll come back for you. For both of you.” And then he was gone.

Everything I was doing was for the baby.

“Lynchy’s got this, Sexy Legs,” Al agreed, giving me a supportive smile. “You’ll see.” “Yeah,” I replied, offering them a bright smile. I hope so.

“Tell me about the first time you had sex.” “Why?” I glared at her. “Are you looking for tips?”

BAHAHAHAHA

“So, speaking about batshit girls.” The baby jabbed me in the ribs, and I shifted around in discomfort. “How’s Danielle?” “Danielle?” He laughed humorlessly. “Danielle was a distraction from you. We parted ways shortly after the leaving cert exams in June. Last I heard, she was seeing Bella’s ex from Tommen.”

Johnnyyyy noooo

Paul shrugged. “Someone tipped the drug squad off about a shipment of coke with a street value of six hundred grand.” “What?” My mouth fell open as awareness dawned on me. As I took in everything he wasn’t saying. “How would someone know to tip them off?” “Maybe someone has friends in the right places,” he offered, reaching across the table to cover my hand with his. “Maybe before they moved on, someone wanted to make sure his first love had a fighting chance with her first love.”

“My immediate inclination was to put my fist through my brother’s head,” I repeated in a flat tone. “And the wall. But his head more.” The doctor smiled. “Then you passed.” “What?” Her smile widened. “You were thrust into confrontation with a person who triggers you like few can, and your immediate urge wasn’t to use.” “I wanted to physically harm him,” I said, brow furrowed in confusion. “How does that mean I passed anything?” “Did you harm him?” “In my head.” “In your head is acceptable.” She laughed. “Congratulations, Joey. You’ve earned yourself a phone call.”

“Hey, stud.” “How’s my queen?”

“I’m surprised you remembered my number.” “Are you kidding? I memorized your number when I was twelve.”

“This asshole guy I used to go out with abandoned me, so I’ve been pretty pissed about that.” “What a prick.” “He is,” I agreed with a nod. “Turns out I’m having his baby, too.” “No shit.” “I shit you not.” “And the prick still left you?” “Yep.” I feigned another sigh. “Turns out he’s this huge drug addict.” “I hear drug addicts make the worst boyfriends.” “They really do.” “Does he at least have a big dick?” “He definitely has big dick energy.”

“Well, I love you, Joey Lynch,” I croaked out, wiping my cheeks with my free hand. “And apparently, I can’t stop.” “Thank fuck for that,” he replied. “Because apparently I can’t stop loving you, either, Aoife Molloy.”

I should warn you now that I have the nose of a bloodhound. You need only ask Johnny and Gerard. I will sniff you out and bring you home.”

“My brother’s a dick,” I sneered, glaring across the room at enemy number one. Darren sighed heavily. “Joey.” “What?” I shrugged unapologetically. “You are.”

“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.”