Taming 7 (Boys of Tommen, #5)

by Chloe Walsh

“Yes, he does,” my brother clapped back. “You don’t see him sleepwalking into my bed, do you?” “If you’re feeling left out, I can make it my mission to stop by your bed tonight, brother,” Gerard said. “Try it and I’ll chop your nuts off.” “No need to get testy.”

“And don’t even think about cooking up anything fishy in here with my sister.” “I don’t cook fish, Hugh, I bake buns,” Gerard shot back with a wink. “In ovens.”

“Come on, Gerard,” I groaned, shaking my head. “Don’t rise him.” “That’s what I tried to tell your sister last night.”

“And take your share of those kittens back to your side of the street with you.” “And separate them from their mother?” Gerard gaped. “What kind of a monster are you?” “Cherub will be grand,” Hugh grumbled. “I was referring to your sister.” “You’re a head case, Gibs. Seriously fucking deranged.” “Ignore your cranky uncle, babies,” Gerard called over his shoulder as he sauntered out of my room. “Daddy will be back tonight.” “Go the fuck home, Gibs!” “Fine. I need to go check on your nephew anyway.” “He’s not my nephew, you freak. He’s a hedgehog in hibernation in your mam’s hot press because you and my sister have issues with taking in strays.”

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 rib cage. Even the back of her head. That was all I could see from my current viewpoint, and still, my heart bucked wildly in response.

“You promise he’s still better today?” Ollie pushed, brown eyes wide and full of innocence. “He’s not sick again?” “I promise,” Aoife replied, though she had to clear her throat several times before adding, “Today is another good day, Ols.”

As for Joey? He’s a force to be reckoned with. I’ve never seen a more resilient human in my life. Yeah, he’ll always be an addict, but he’s got a family in there worth staying sober for. A girl and a baby that not only would he fight to the death for, but that he also wants to live for. So, fuck guarantees and don’t bet against him. He’ll forge an epic future for Aoife and AJ, just like he forged a future for his siblings.”

“Molloy,” Joey warned, returning from his shower just in time to spoil the fun. “Whatever it is you’re thinking about telling them don’t. They’re only in fifth year.” “What were you up to when we were in fifth year, Joe?” “I’m not the comparison here, Molloy,”

he replied, breezing through his apartment in a low-hanging pair of gray sweatpants. Both of his arms were inked in an array of black loops and swivels that stopped at his wrists and disappeared beneath the sleeves of his black T-shirt.

“No,” Aoife laughed, eyes tracking him. “Because you know damn well what kind of trouble you were getting into, Joe.” “I think it’s pretty clear what I was getting into, Molloy,” he shot back without a hint of emb...

“How many kids?” “I don’t know, maybe two or three,”

“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. “I know,” Johnny agreed, reaching for one of the fresh pints the barmaid had set. “Fuck it, we’ll see how it goes, won’t we? Time will tell.”

“You’re afraid of me?” “Yes!” “Why?” “Because I fucking love you, Claire!” “I love you, too.”

Gibsie, It is to my deepest shame that I write this letter. Words can’t express how sorry I am for the pain that my lack of belief has caused you. I let you down. I understand that now, and if I could go back in time to that night, I promise I would take you at your word. I would protect you from him. I have no way of making this better for you, or redeeming myself in essence because the bottom line comes down to the fact that I was supposed to protect you and didn’t. My biggest fear of all is that you won’t believe me when I say I didn’t know. I guess that’s a hypocritical statement to make when I did the very same to you. You told me and I didn’t listen. You were a young child who trusted his favorite babysitter enough to disclose the horrendous abuse you had been enduring at the hands of your stepbrother, and that babysitter chose to let her teenage hormones blind her. To say that I had rose-tinted glasses on when it comes to Mark is an excuse that I won’t give you. Not you, sweet boy. The fact of the matter is that I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to see what was happening. I had this incredible blind spot that I couldn’t see out of when it came to him. But I saw tonight. When I walked into your bedroom to check on you and found him pinning you to your mattress raping you, I think I died inside. Your eyes. You looked so broken. So defeated. You weren’t making a sound. Your tears were as silent as my voice, and I am so sorry for that. I don’t know how I’m suppose...

I believe you, Gerard Gibson. I believe you. I believe you. I believe you.

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

“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.”

“It’s always been you, Claire-Bear.”

But the lines had been drawn. And I would forever stand with this boy. After all, taming 7 had been the adventure of my lifetime.