Taming 7 (Boys of Tommen, #5)

by Chloe Walsh

“You little hooligan,” the old lady shouted back at him, shaking her fist. “Oh my god,” I laughed, twisting sideways in my seat just as the lights went green and Gerard floored it. “She’s still waddling after us.” “Maybe she wants me,” he shot back, winking at me. I waggled my brows. “Maybe she needs to get in line.” “Gibs, slow the bleeding car down!” Johnny barked as he placed a protective hand over Shan’s middle. “If you kill me, I swear to Christ, I’ll come back and kill you!” “How can you come back to kill me if you’re already dead?” “Where there’s a will there’s a relative,” Johnny shot back, draping a protective arm over his girlfriend. “Trust me, Gibs, I’d find a way.”

My attention flicked to the tiny brunette leaning against the passenger door when we reached his Audi, and my heart softened. “Hi, Gibs.” “Little Shannon.” I smiled. “How’s my second favorite girl in the world?” She was looking a hell of a lot more put together than last weekend. Hungover at the beach and puking her guts up. “All set for fifth year?”

I knew it from the very beginning that what Johnny had with Shannon was permanent. I’d never seen a fella more plagued by his feelings than Johnny. He loved the bones of that girl and, yeah, it took him his usual amount of time to predict, ponder, panic, and, finally, process his feelings, but he had; and once his mind was set, it was a done deal. Shannon Lynch was his endgame, and Johnny Kavanagh was hers.

“Claire-Bear.” The minute my eyes landed on her, I felt instant relief.

“Gerard.” Her smile was wide, genuine, and needed so much more than she would ever know. Leaning across the seats, she smacked a sticky, lip-gloss tainted kiss to my cheek before turning her attention to Shannon.

“because Keith’s always been sound to me, but there’s just something … ” “Sleazy about him?” Claire chimed in, adjusting her seatbelt. “Sleazy,” I chuckled, draping my arm around her shoulder. “Good one, Claire-Bear.” “I know, right?” she replied, beaming back at me. “Yes,” Johnny said in an enthusiastic tone from the front seat. “Sleazy. That’s the word. I was going to go with off, but sleazy hits the nail on the head.”

“Aww.” Claire continued to croon and coo at the screen of the phone. “I want one.” “You want one of those things?” I gaped at her. “Are you feeling okay?” “Me, too,” Shannon admitted with a wistful sigh. “I want two.” “Two’s a good number,” Johnny agreed. “But three’s better.” “Jesus Christ, it’s contagious!” Snatching the phone out of Claire’s hand, I tossed it back to Shannon. “Here, put that phone away before that baby’s picture causes an epidemic.”

Meanwhile, Shannon was so distraught over her brothers’ suspension – plural – that Johnny had spent the last ten minutes whispering words of what I assumed were comfort in her ear, in between peppering kisses to her face. When he tucked her hair behind her ear to kiss her temple and then trailed his thumb over the little dimple in her chin before pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose, I audibly crooned. “Aww!” I loved temple kisses. Forehead kisses, too. And nuzzling noses were the cream of the crop. Those intimate forms of affection were my favorite, and my bestie received an abundance of both on the daily from her lover.

“The fuck did you say about my girl?” He was on his feet and lunging across the lunch table before I had a chance to register that I was no longer sitting on his lap, but on the seat he had vacated. “If you ever speak about her like that again, I’ll rip your fucking guts out your asshole and smear them all over your face!”

“You know what you did,” Gerard shot back, shoulders bristling with tension. “You know what you said about her.” “It was banter, Gibs.” “Well, your banter is shit, Danny.” “Jesus Christ, I was trying to rise Biggs. She’s his sister.” “Yeah, well, a little word of warning, you fuck with her, you fuck with me—”

“You took the first swing.” “Because you overstepped.” “I was having the craic.” “You were insulting my girl.” “She’s not your girl, you spanner, she’s my sister.” “Stay out of this, Hugh. I’m defending my intended’s honor.”

Big deal. I can lose the weight, but you can’t lose that face, lad.” “Did you just call me ugly?” “Did you just call me fat?”

“Don’t put your melon in my face to twist.” “Focus!” “Hold up – what the fuck is a melon?” “He’s referring to his brain, Gibs.” “Melons are brain?” “Yours certainly is.”

“Yay!” Claire squealed, clapping her hands. “Not only did you defend my honor, but you survived Coach’s bootcamp of punishment to boot.” Springing to her feet, she made a beeline for me, not stopping until she had her arms wrapped tightly around my neck. Reaching up on her tippy toes, she pressed a loud, smacking kiss to my cheek. “My hero.”

“Shannon like the river,” a familiar voice called out and all three of us turned to see Johnny, Hughie, and Feely walking towards us. “Oh, he’s not limping, thank god,” Shannon whispered to herself before bolting down the steps in the direction of my best friend.

When her hand slipped into mine, I felt that familiar swell of relief. Claire had some magical powers in her touch because I swear to God she made me feel better. Safer. Steady. Anchored. “It’s all good, Gerard,” she added, smiling up at me. “You’re good.” No, I wasn’t. But I could pretend to be. For her.

Chuckling softly to himself, he walked over to where I was sitting on the counter and picked me up in one effortless move before setting me back down on my feet. “No asses on the counter, babe.”

“You look adorable.” “You know I love it when you stroke my ego, Claire-Bear, but somehow I don’t think calling a seventeen-year-old lad adorable is a compliment.”

“Oh yeah?” I replied, tone flirting. “You want to give me your weekend, Gerard Gibson?” Moments later, we were bathed in complete darkness. “Gerard!” I yelped, startled by the sudden blindness even though I knew it was coming. “I’ll give you all my weekends, Claire Biggs.” His hand reached for mine, fingers entwining in that familiar way I treasured. “I’ll give you my weekdays, too.”

“Your back is so long,” I mused, paying careful attention to every freckle and scar on his body, as I slowly washed him. “You’re so tanned, Gerard. Your skin is beautiful.” “So is yours,” he answered, but his tone didn’t hold its usual hint of flirty banter. It had been replaced with terror.

Desperate to soothe the anxiety in him, I leaned in close and pressed a kiss to his back. “Claire,” he bit out, shivering. “Don’t tease me when I’m in dire straits here, babe.”

“Look at you,” I praised, reaching up to rub his big shoulders, as I shifted my legs so that I had one on either side of him. “The things you do for boobs, Gerard Gibson.” “The things I do for you, more like,” he corrected.

“You won’t put water on my face?” “I won’t put water on your face,” I vowed, feeling him slowly lower himself into a sitting position in the bath. “I can keep holding on to the sides?” “For as long as you need to,” I agreed, thrilled when I watched him slowly lower himself until his back was touching my chest. “I’m right here.” “Believe me, I know,” he bit out, full body shuddering. “It’s the only reason I’m doing this.”

“I’m so proud of you,” I whispered in his ear, using one of my hands to cover his. “You’re amazing, do you know that?” The feel of his hand in mine felt so epically right that I had to remind myself that this wasn’t a romantic thing.

“Why do you do it?” “Hm?” I mused, still nuzzling his cheek with mine. “Do what?” Gerard turned his hand over, palm up, and entwined his fingers with mine. “Waste your time on me?” “For two reasons,” I explained, feeling my heart beat harder. “First, because I happen to believe that no time is ever wasted when I’m with you.” My cheek grazed his temple as I spoke. “And second, you’re my favorite person in the whole world. There’s no one I would rather spend my time with.” “Really?” “Really, but don’t tell the girls.” “Never.” “Now, close your eyes, Gerard. Take in the feel of the water on your body, and how safe you feel right now.” Resisting the urge to press a kiss to his temple, I stroked his cheek with my nose and clamped my thighs around him instead. “I want you to replace the memory of that day with this one.”

All smiles and laughter. Hiding his heartbreak. Hiding his pain. I wanted to save him from his past. I wanted to love him through it all. I just wanted him.

“And you get to eat cake in bed with the same person forever and ever and ever.” Her eyes grew really big. “But I don’t want to marry anyone.” Leaning closer, she licked my cone and smiled. “Except you … ”

Beautiful. She was so fucking beautiful that it made my chest ache. Honest to God, looking at this girl for too long caused a physical ache to develop in my ribcage. Even the back of her head. That was all I could see from my current viewpoint, and still, my heart bucked wildly in response. Even when she was sleeping, she dominated my thought process to the point where I couldn’t resist the urge to shake her arm and wake her up, just so I could hear her voice.

“Shh.” Twisting around to face me, she draped her thigh over my legs and snuggled into my side, using her cheek to nuzzle my bare chest. “I’m super tired.” I smiled in the darkness. “Say it again.”

“Just say it.” “Why?” “Because it’s fucking adorable.” “Fine,” she huffed, reaching a hand up to pinch my nipple. “Super.” “Fuck.” I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped my lips. “You’re super cute, do you know that?”

“You’re so beautiful,” I admitted, because, one, I had a problem keeping my mouth shut, and second, it was the truth. I’d never seen anything like her. “I swear you shine even in the darkness.”

“You were dreaming?” “I dream every night.” Wow. Lucky her. “What were you dreaming about?” “The usual,” she replied, cheek resting on my chest again. “Which is?” “You.” My heart jackknifed in my chest. “Tell me about it.”

“Talk about what?” “Us,” she whispered. “Tell me all the nice things.” “I don’t have good dreams when I sleep,” I offered cautiously, trying to choose the right words, something that didn’t come easily to me. “But whenever I daydream, you’re the star of the show.” “I am?” “Of course.” “Keep going.” “I have a hard time concentrating,” I offered, unsure if this was worth telling her, but she’d told me to talk, so I did. “But when I’m with you, I feel like I have my thinking cap on.” Pondering, I folded one arm behind my head as I tried to form sentences out of my wandering thoughts. “You’re the only person who can hold my attention. It shifts and wanders off on just about everyone else. But not you. Never you.” “Really?” “You already know this.” “Maybe, but it’s nice to hear you say it.” I thought about her words for a long moment before saying, “I love you, Claire.” “I love you, too, Gerard.” A shiver racked through her. “A lot.”

“Sad,” a little voice chimed in. It was only then I noticed the small boy clinging to Johnny’s legs. “Claire sad.” “Hi Sean,” I sniffled, offering a bright smile to my bestie’s youngest brother. “And I’m not sad. I’m super happy.” “Claire’s silly, isn’t she?” Johnny coaxed, scooping him up in his arms. “Because we’re not supposed to cry when we’re happy, are we? Hm? Tell her that she’s supposed to laugh.” “Laugh,” Sean replied solemnly, and then he did the most adorable thing ever. He reached up and pulled at Johnny’s cheeks to make him smile. “See?” Now, I did laugh. “Oh my God, you are just the cutest!”

“I just figured I’d come and check on you.” “Why bother wasting your time?” I replied, spinning the ball out once more. “I’m always okay.” “True,” Hugh said in an even tone. “Except for when you’re not.” I didn’t have an answer to that, so I remained silent.

“Relax, they’re both being safe,” she replied and then gave us both a look. “You are being safe, right, girls?” “Right,” Shannon confirmed while I blurted, “I’m a virgin.” “Good,” Joey approved, pointing the knife he was using to butter a slice of bread with at me. “Keep that shit up, Baby Biggs.” I beamed back at him. “Thanks, Joe.” “I knew I always liked that girl,” he told Shan, while pointing to me. “Keep her.” He turned back to me. “Lock and key, ya hear?” “I hear you, Joe.”

“Hey, Johnny, if you got on the show, you’d call me, wouldn’t you?” I turned to my best friend. “I’d be your phone-a-friend if you were on the show, wouldn’t I?” Johnny stared at me like I’d grown three heads. “What the fuck are ya talking about, Gibs?” “Those assholes would call each other if you didn’t answer,” I explained, pointing a thumb in the direction of Feely and Hugh. “But you’d call me, wouldn’t you?” “Of course I would, Gibs,” he appeased, patting my arm. “You’re my number one, lad.”

“Hey, lads, do any of you want kids?” I gaped at my best friend. “Kids?” “Yeah.” Johnny nodded solemnly. “Are ye planning on having some?” “You want kids, Cap?” Hugh asked. “Of course.”

“How many kids?” “I don’t know, maybe two or three,” Johnny mused, draining the last of his pint. “Definitely not one on his own.” His brows furrowed. “Wouldn’t want them to be lonely.” “Girls or boys?” “What are you doing?” I demanded, glaring at Hugh. “Stop encouraging this behavior!” “Whatever Shan can give me,” Johnny replied, ignoring the appalled look on my face. “I’ll take whatever she’s willing to give me.” He frowned again, thinking hard about something before saying, “You know, I think I’d love a daughter.” He scratched his jaw as he spoke. “I’d be delighted with sons, too, of course, but I’d love to raise a little girl with Shan.” Shrugging, he added, “You know, show her how different it should’ve been for her.” “You’d make a good girl-dad,” Hugh agreed with a solemn nod.

Finally, he turned to me and said, “And you, you’re the baby of the gang. Your birthday’s in March. You’ve never had a girlfriend because you’re in love with his sister since the beginning of time and have the attention span of a Creme Egg,

“That was dreadful,” I accused, turning to gape at him. “My birthday is in February not March. I most certainly do not have the attention span of a Creme Egg, and I am not fucking the school receptionist.”

“And Katie and I started going out when I was in fourth year,” Hugh offered, holding a hand up. “Not since forever.” “No, no, no,” Johnny argued. “I specifically remember you being obsessed with that girl back in second year.” He tapped his temple. “I know because you were always missing out on training when we were younger to go chasing after her.” “Wrong girl, Cap,” Feely muttered, rubbing his brow. “The fuck?” Johnny gaped at him before turning to me. “And your birthday’s not in March?” “No, it is not in bloody March, you sorry excuse for a best friend,” I huffed. “The fucking cheek of you forgetting my birthday.” “Sorry, Gibs, I could’ve sworn it was in March.” He scratched his jaw. “Why is March in my head?” “Because Shannon’s birthday is in March,” I growled. “You pussy-whipped prick.”

“And he’s not in love with my sister, either,” Hugh interjected. “He just thinks he is.” “Don’t you start,” I warned, turning to glare at Hugh. “I might not be smooth like the rest of ye, or a fucking mathematician like Brains over there—” I paused to point at Johnny “—but I have a heart that pumps and beats and grows fee...

“And I’ll have you know that I would never do anything to hurt your sister. I would rather peel the skin off my bones first.”

“He has a point,” Feely added, taking Hugh’s side. “Claire’s in love with you, lad. Has been since we were kids. You know this. It’s no hidden secret. And if you felt the same way, you’d have done something about it by now.”

“Reginald lives with me full time!” he shouted back at me, throwing his hands up. “And I have never asked you to provide a single caterpillar in child support for him. No, because I dig up all the critters myself. Every day. So don’t act all high and mighty with me, baby!” “And I appreciate you doing that,” I begrudgingly shouted back. “You know I hate getting my nails dirty.” “I do know that.” Planting his hands on his hips, Gerard nodded stiffly. “That’s why I never ask you to do it.” “And for financing our babies,” I said, still half-shouting, even though I could feel the fight leave my body. “I appreciate you being the bread winner in our family, too.” “No problem,” he countered, tone still raised and hard, mirroring mine. “It’s the least I could do for you and the kids. I appreciate what a wonderful mother you are.” Purposefully hardening his tone, he added, “I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.” “And you’re so much more than a weekend father,” I admitted, voice softening. “And I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else, either.” “Okay then.” He nodded stiffly. “Are we still fighting, or can we hug it out?” “Hug it out,” I replied, bolting straight for him. “Definitely hug it out.”

“Picture this,” I told him, waving my hands around animatedly, “you and me, rocking it out in PVC leather.” Confusion swept over his face. “Are we going as Mötley Crüe?” “No, silly, Danny and Sandy,” I laughed. “From Grease.” His eyes lit up. “I fucking love that movie!”

But tonight was different. Tonight, I had to man up. Because this was Claire. “Nearly there,” I coaxed when we reached the top of the landing. “A few more feet—” I paused to kick her door open “—and you can sleep in your nice warm bed.” “With you.” “If that’s what you want,” I replied, sitting her down on the edge of her bed. “That’s what I always want,” she slurred, swaying from side to side. “Then I’ll stay,” I confirmed, quickly ushering Cherub and the babies back to their own basket. “I’ll be right here with you.”

“You’re always my hero,” she half-slurred, half-laughed. “So pretty.” I waggled my brows at the compliment. “Why thank you.” “You are,” she offered then, tone serious, as she reached up to trail a finger down my cheek. “You’re so pretty.”

“And silly,” she slurred. “Super silly.” “I love you.” The words flew out of my mouth of their own accord. Forcing a smile, I gave her cheek a playful squeeze before adding, “my little snuckle-bunny.” “Why thank you very much—” she paused to hiccup “—my little spud monkey.”