Taming 7 (Boys of Tommen, #5)

by Chloe Walsh

She pushed the door wide open and there he was, standing in his tux, with a yellow corsage in hand. And not just any flower. “You got me a Midas Touch rose?” His gray eyes locked on mine, and he offered me an uncertain shrug. “Andie Anderson yellow, right?” Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I forced myself to stand. “Right.” “You look beautiful, Claire-Bear.”

“You look so beautiful,” Shannon gushed for the dozenth time, as she admired my hair. “I can’t believe it’s this long when it’s straightened.” “Claire, you look very beautiful,” Johnny acknowledged with a friendly smile before sinking down on the seat next to his girlfriend. “Now, where’s my queen?” he purred, draping his big arm around her slim shoulders. “Every time, Shannon like the river,” he purred, kissing her neck. “Every time, baby.” He pulled back to look at her and released a masculine growl of approval. “You take the breath clean out of me.”

“I didn’t even know we needed tickets.” I looked at my friends. “We need tickets?” “I have tickets,” Gerard confirmed, reaching into his tux and then frowning. “Let me rephrase that to ‘I have tickets on my nightstand’.”

“I’ll get them,” I announced, moving for the door. “I need to pee anyway.” “Make it snappy, please,” the driver called out. “I beg your fucking pardon, good sir,” I heard Gerard tell the driver when I climbed out of the limo, “please refrain from telling my girlfriend to be snappy about anything.”

I didn’t know how she managed to do it, but she healed the broken pieces inside of me. She patched me up in such a way that I was a functioning man again. For her. Only for her.

(For all who read this letter, let it be known that I, Caoimhe Young, on the night of April 5th, 2000, witnessed my boyfriend, Mark Allen, raping his eleven-year-old stepbrother, Gerard Gibson, while I was supposed to be babysitting him. Let it also be known that eighteen months before witnessing this rape, Gerard Gibson disclosed to me that he didn’t feel safe around Mark, and that he touched him inappropriately. And finally, to my deepest regret, let it be known that I, Caoimhe Young, believed my boyfriend’s word over that of an innocent child.)

Collapsing in a heap on the ground, I lost all control of my upchuck reflex and vomited profusely. “Looks like someone had too much to drink,” Ronan McGarry snickered when he walked past me heaving my guts up at the side of the building. “Looks like you need to mind your own business,” Shannon hissed, sounding almost feral, as she dropped to her knees beside me and shielded me from everyone’s view.

Because his past was his prison, and our love was his getaway car.

Turning her attention back to Lizzie, she narrowed her eyes in warning. “I don’t care what you do with Pierce, or my brother, or Patrick, or any other boy in this town, but you keep my boy’s name out of your mouth.” She raised a trembling finger in warning. “I mean it, Liz. If you have ever valued me as a friend, you will stop with this tirade of abuse, because I’m not fucking around anymore. I’ve had enough of it!” “Cut the bullshit, Claire,” Lizzie snapped, unwilling to back down or even bend slightly. “You were never my friend.”

“No, Shannon,” my girlfriend bit out, attention still riveted on Lizzie. “I’m not okay. I’m not okay at all, and if she doesn’t stop talking shit about my boyfriend, I am going to lose my fucking mind!”

“Caoimhe wasn’t the one who was raped!” Claire screamed at the top of her lungs, and I swear to God my heart stopped dead in my chest. “It wasn’t her, Lizzie! Mark didn’t rape your sister!” And then, she blew my world when she pointed a finger at me and screamed, “He raped my boyfriend!”

He just stared, frozen as a statue, un-moving, un-blinking, un-breathing. “Shit,” Joey said quietly, sharp as a razor, as he clicked on to the truth before the rest of the group. Blowing out a shaky breath, he held his head with both hands. “Fuck.”

“No!” Johnny barked, eyes wide and full of fear. “It’s not him.” He looked to me, willing me to take it back. “It wasn’t him.”

“Gerard, please.” My heart cracked clean open when I watched the first tear land on his cheek. “I’m here for you. Please talk to me.” “There’s nothing to talk about!” His entire body trembled when he held a hand up to warn me off. “Because I’m fine, Claire! Do you hear me? I’m okay, dammit. I am always okay, Claire!”

“Stop fucking looking at me like I’m broken, Claire,” he snapped, backing up further when I tried to get close. “Stop looking at me, dammit!”

“You hurt me,” he strangled out, chest heaving. “You broke me, Claire.” Pain. It devoured me whole.

“I don’t want to be your friend anymore.”

His breath hitched and he dropped his phone, but instead of taking his eyes off the page, he slowly sank to the ground and felt around for it with a trembling hand. “Fuck … ” His voice cracked and I watched as this huge boy, with limitless popularity and pull, broke down in front of us. “Fuck!” Head bowed, he clutched at his hair and continued to stare at the letter. “Fuck, Gibs.” A pained cry escaped him. “Not you, lad.” His big shoulders racked with shudders. “Not fucking you, Gibs!”

“And you are such a bully,” I roared back. “You know, Gerard took your bullshit for years.” Furious, I shook my head. “He knew the truth, and let you treat him like that. Let you try to meddle and twist and turn his friends against him.” I narrowed my eyes in disgust. “That was you, Lizzie. You did that to him, but it stops now. Do you hear me? Go and get help. Sort your head out because I’m done walking this road with you. I’m stepping off!”

“Don’t ever speak to me again, Lizzie Young,” I warned,

“Daddy,” I tried to scream, but he couldn’t hear me all the way from heaven. “Come back and take me with you.”

“Good boy. You’re always okay, aren’t ya?” He stroked my cheek and then stood back up. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

pulling my Power Rangers pajama bottoms into place, shuddering when my hand emerged with the familiar sight of blood …

“You’re really going to marry me?” “Uh-huh.” Her brown eyes were big and happy, and she smelled like sunshine.

“Kavanagh, be careful, he doesn’t seem to know who we are.” “He knows who I am, don’t ya, Gibs? It’s alright, my old buddy. Cap’s here.”

“He likes to dance with the girls.” I felt my face grow hot from embarrassment and quickly dropped my gaze to the copybook open in front of me, fully expecting the boy sitting next to me to be a perfect candidate for the dickhead club. The book was littered with my own scrawling handwriting that I could barely read. “So?” Johnny surprised me by saying. “You think there’s something wrong with dancing?” “You don’t?” “No.”

“But I wouldn’t say I have a best friend in here.” Smiling, I added, “I have a girl friend. She’s at a different school, though.” “Is she your friend or your girlfriend?” “Both?” “Hm.” Johnny seemed to mull that over before asking, “Do you want to be my best friend?” He shrugged. “Looks like I’m not getting out of this town anytime soon, so I might as well put down some roots.” “Me?” “Yeah, you.” “You want me to be your best friend?” He nodded again, and I could tell from just one interaction with him that he was sharp. This lad was nobody’s fool. He had clearly taken everyone’s measure, and for some strange reason, had decided that I was the best of a bad bunch. “So, what’s it going to be, Gibs?” “Yeah.” I smiled. “I’m in.”

Feeling panicked, like I had just been chewed up by one of my night terrors and then spat back out into the real world. “Johnny?” “It’s me, Gibs.” He took a step closer, hands still raised. “I’m right here, lad.”

“That’s it,” Johnny continued to coax but when his voice cracked, I noticed the tears trickling down his cheeks. “Just stay with me, Gibs.” Why was he saying that? Why was he crying?

Pausing, he licked his lips and glanced at my hand before he quickly retrained his attention on my face. “Can you hear me?” “Of course I can hear you!” I snapped. “Why the fuck wouldn’t I hear you?” His attention shifted to my hand again and that’s when I looked down. “Oh Jesus Christ.” Blood.

“I didn’t … I wasn’t … ” Shaking my head, I staggered backward, feeling weak from the sight of my hand. “I would never hurt any of you.”

“I don’t know how I’m still standing,” I mumbled, somehow managing to not pass out from the sight of it. “I think I might be in a bit of shock or something, Johnny.” I reached up with a trembling hand and tapped my head. “I think I might be gone a bit wrong in here.” “Don’t worry about it … ” His voice cracked when he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me roughly against his chest. “It happens to the best of us.”

“I’m okay, Cap,” I mumbled against his shoulder, as he held me in his arms. “I’m always okay.”

“Oh God, Gerard, is it true?” My mam was crying in the distance. “What do you mean is it true?” That was my old friend Hugh. “Of course it’s fucking true, Sadhbh! Look at him.” “Gibs!”...

“Gibs and I are having a bit of a moment here, and we don’t need ye bunch of bleeding babies crying around the place, now do we, Gibs?” “No.” Numb, I leaned my cheek on his shoulder and let him hold me. “No crying babies.”

Johnny replied in a coaxing tone, as he lowered us both to the floor. “Just give him a minute.” “They know, don’t they?” I whispered, slumped against him. “Everyone knows.” His arms tightened around me, and he pulled me closer. “You’re going to be okay.”

“All the things he did to my body.” Feeling lifeless, I stared blankly ahead, the tears trickling down my cheek. “I didn’t want any of it, Johnny.” “I know you didn’t, Gibs … ” He choked out a pained cry and continued to rock me back and forth. “I believe you.”

he pulled me closer and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and I love the fucking bones of you, ya mad eejit.” He choked out a pained laugh. “And if you think this is going to chase me off then you’ve another thing coming, fucker, because I’m never leaving you. Do ya hear me? Because you’re my Gibs.” “And you’re my Kav.” “That’s right.” He was crying hard now, and I think I was, too, but I felt so safe with him that I didn’t fight the noises and words and sounds that poured out of me. Instead, for the first time since my father died, I let it all out.

“Patience,” Shannon said softly. “You need to give him time. It takes a long time to get to that point, Claire. It’s not so easy for everyone. There’s trauma in his past, and right now he’s living in it. But he’ll find his way to you.” “Like you found your way to Johnny?” “Yes,” she replied with a nod. “But it didn’t happen overnight, and I am so grateful that he had the ability to be patient with me. To show me that love can be kind and patient and everything I had never experienced before.”

“Huh? How can we ever be sure of anything ever again when for four years our best friend was being raped right across the street. Every fucking night by that monster!”

While John Sr. had driven the Gibsons to Dublin, it was his son who had remained by their side at the property. Johnny hadn’t left Gerard’s side for more than a couple of hours since the revelation. He’d even missed Christmas at home to be there for his friend, and it warmed my heart to know that wherever Gerard was right now, he had Johnny.

“Because he’s such a good person,” I squeezed out, feeling my emotions go haywire again. “He’s always called me sunshine, Hugh, but knowing what we do now, knowing how badly he suffered in silence and continued to smile?” I shook my head and exhaled a shaky breath. “I don’t think there’s another person on this earth more deserving of the title.”

“Well, that’s fabulous news,” I declared, setting my phone down. “The first bit of good news I’ve heard since this whole fucking mess kicked off.” “Mess?” Mam gaped at me. “Gerard, pet, this is your life we’re talking about.” “I know it’s my life we’re talking about,” I shot back. “I’m the one who’s been living it.” She flinched and then a sob tore from her throat. “I didn’t know.” I didn’t know.

“We’ll have plenty more Christmases together,” he replied quietly. “You can go over to her, you know,” I said, giving him the permission he clearly thought he needed. “You don’t have to sit around babysitting my ass for the night because I’m okay, lad.” He looked at me with that sad look and then quickly blinked it away. “You think this is a pity date?” I arched a brow. “Well, isn’t it?” “I’ll make a deal with you,” he said then, tossing the controller down. “I’ll go across the road, and ring in the new year with my girlfriend if you do the same with yours.”

“Fine,” I huffed, pulling my unicorn hood up. “But I’m not even going to be cheery.” Sulking, I allowed her to push me out of the house. “And I also reserve the right to … ” My words trailed off when I stepped out of my house and locked eyes on the boy standing on the other side of the road in a kangaroo onesie. “Gerard?” “Claire-Bear.” “Happy New Year, bestie,” Shannon chuckled in my ear. “Love you.” She pressed a kiss to my cheek before sprinting across the road to the other boy. “Hi, Johnny.” “Hi, Shannon,” he replied, caught her effortlessly when she threw herself into his arms. “Happy New Year, baby.”

“I won’t apologize for what I did because I love you. Do you hear me? I love you, Gerard Gibson. I love the boy you were, and I love the man you’ve become.” Releasing a frustrated growl, I stalked towards him and planted my hands on his chest. “And I will stand up for all of your forms, baby, boy, or man! I will fight for you even when you can’t do it for yourself because that’s what best friends do.” Knotting my fingers in his onesie, I glared up at him before adding, “And I will never apologize for it.” Stormy gray eyes locked on mine. “You can’t love me the same way.” “You’re right,” I agreed. “Because I love you more.” “Don’t lie.” His voice was heartbreakingly vulnerable in this moment. “Please don’t say it if you don’t mean it.” “I love you more,” I repeated, tone unwavering. “I want you more. I am disgustingly attracted to you, Gerard Gibson, and nothing about your past can change that.”

I might not know who I was or where I fit in the world, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I didn’t want any of it without Claire Biggs. Or Cap.

“You’re staring,” she informed me in a teasing tone. “Am I not allowed to?” I tossed back and the question seemed to stump her. Worse than stump her, it caused her to suck in a sharp breath. Because this was the first time either of us had crossed that particular threshold since that kiss in her kitchen.

Whatever came our way, we would face it together. We would be alright.

“He, on the other hand, has picked,” she offered, pointing up ahead to where Johnny and Gerard were still grappling with each other in the courtyard. “He’s team Gibsie until the end of time.” “Yeah,” I replied, readjusting both bags on my back. “Me, too.”