Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen, #2)

by Chloe Walsh

"Who's hurting you, baby? I'll fix it." "It's a secret." "I won't tell." "My father."

"Think he'll represent me, too?" Gibsie asked. Shrugging, he added, "When you're embarking on hell, it's always good to have a buddy."

"Hi, Shannon."

"No, no, we're not doing that." Johnny stared hard at me, calling me right out on it. "You don’t get to shut me out, Shannon. You don’t get to do that to me again, because I won't go this time. Do you hear me? I'm here, I'm in, I care, and I'm not going the fuck away."

"Better?" Gibsie asked, waggling his brows. "More suited for the occasion, sweet-pea?" "Much," Claire replied, tone approving. "Good job, snuffle-bunny." "Thanks, babe."

"He's her Johnny," Claire blurted out. "Nice," Gibsie chuckled, tucking her under his arm. "And since we're making introductions, she's my Claire-Bear and I'm his Flanker."

"Oh Jesus, his mother's going to kill me," Gibsie groaned. "It's bad enough that I took him out behind her back, but now he's going to be arrested, and then I'll be arrested because I'm a good friend and it's just bad form to let him go to prison on his own, but she won't see it that way. No, she'll see her baby in a cell and I'll be the dead, ball-less eejit beside him. Ugh!" "Shut up, Gibs!" I barked. "Stop the world," Gibsie groaned. "I want to get off."

"Hi, Johnny," she whispered, tumbling off the door step as she clung to me. "You came back." "Hi, Shannon." My crutches fell to the ground as I wrapped my arms around her body, holding her in place. "I promised I would," I replied, keeping my eyes narrowed and locked on her brother.

"Hi, Gibsie," I sniffled, wiping my eyes with my sleeve. "Little Shannon," he replied with a wink. "You good?" I nodded weakly. "Damn straight you are," he said, tone encouraging. "Little fighter."

"You love his sister, and I love his sister's best friend," Gibsie replied, scrubbing Joey down with a sponge. "It's safe to say that pussy got us into this, Kav."

"You're one hell of a mother, Joey the hurler." "Someone has to be," he muttered as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, you did a good job," I told him. "And you've come too far to throw it all away on a temporary high, lad."

"Shut up, Gerard!" Johnny and Claire both growled in unison. "You know, if you're looking for a stallion, you can always saddle me up," Gibsie tossed back. "Shut up, Gerard!" "Shutting up, Claire-bear."

"I don't just like you, I fucking –" Shaking his head, Johnny rubbed his jaw before looking back at me. "Shannon, I love you." I stopped breathing. "You love me?" He nodded slowly, blue eyes locked on mine. "Like a crazy fucking amount."

"I love you," he went right ahead and rocked my world by saying again. "Present tense – as in I mean it now. And maybe I shouldn't be saying that – maybe I'm fucking everything up by telling you that when you're in the middle of your family stuff, but it's the truth." He shrugged helplessly. "I'm in love with you. I think I've been that way for a while now – a long fucking while, if we're being totally honest."

"I love you back," I blurted out, feeling a flood of heat rush through my body. "Like a crazy fucking amount," I added, giving his words back to him.

"You're such a good person, Johnny Kavanagh, and you don't even know it.

And I was all in.

"Are there any more Lynch children in my house, Jonathan?" "No," I muttered, not meeting her eye. "I only took two." "Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the donkey," Mam wailed as she bounded for the hallway. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Joey likes you," I croaked out. Johnny smirked. "Yeah?" I nodded. "And he doesn't like anyone."

"I'm sorry, guys," I muttered, feeling terrible. "I'm a pain in the ass." "Yeah, but you're our pain in the ass," Lizzie countered. "And we happen to be sort of fond of you." "Thanks," I chuckled. "I think?"

"He asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes." "Shut the front door!" Claire squealed, clapping and bouncing excitedly. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" I gave her a weak smile. "Yeah." "You're his girlfriend?" Lizzie frowned in confusion. "But he doesn't do the whole girlfriend thing." "Well, he does now," Claire hooted, still bouncing like a playful kitten. "I swear, this is the best day!" "You know, I don't even know why I'm surprised," Lizzie grumbled. "This has been brewing for months."

"Having to be ready and being ready are two very different things," he offered softly.

"I'm so sad." "Why?" Gibsie stiffened. "What happened?" His eyes narrowed. "Was someone at you?"

"Sherbet?" She arched a brow. "You hate sherbet." "Got it for you," he shot back with a wink. "I know it's your favorite."

"I'll come anywhere you want if you just show me that thong," Gibsie pleaded, dropping his hands to her waist. "I'll clean all the pots. I'll do anything. Just one peek. That's all I'm asking." "You'll come anyway," she huffed, catching ahold of his school tie and dragging him out of her room. "You've got that right," he agreed, trailing after her like a puppy dog on a lead. "Is your bra red, too?" "I'm not wearing one." "Oh, Jesus."

their banter omh😭

Babies taking care of babies.

Somebody is going to die in this house. Sooner or later…

why does this feel like a foreshadowing?

"And next time, be tidier about it. Over the toilet bowl works for your father – less mess." Fuck. My. Life.

"Fuck me, suck me, self-destruct with me," I mused, reading the playlist name on the screen. "Sounds very…"

"Gibsie?" Johnny offered with a shake of his head. "Yeah, that'll be him alright." "At least he's original," I offered. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like him before."

"I'll stay for both, but I'm only in love with one."

"Well, Gerard makes them for me and I love them," Claire replied.

Gibsie reddened and I smirked. Ha fucking ha.

"You like that, Shan?" he whispered in my ear, pumping his fingers in and out, prolonging the seizure induced pleasure wrecking me. "Coming on my fingers?" He kissed me again, harder this time. "Because I fucking love it."

"All right," Johnny roared back. "Jesus Christ, I'm coming, Ma!" "That's what I'm afraid of," his mother shot back. "Now open up."

"I love you, Shannon like the river,"

"Only you."

"Like a crazy fucking...

"Shannon Maud Lynch, open the fucking door or I'm going to kick it down!" Darren bellowed. Johnny arched a brow. "Your middle name is Maud?" Cringing, I nodded. "My parents hate me." He grimaced in sympathy. "Ouch."

"I love you back, Shannon Lynch," he said quietly in my ear and I felt the connection I had to him in the deepest part of my soul. "Most in the world." "For keeps?" I breathed. He kissed my shoulder. "For keeps."

The moment he stepped into the room, the atmosphere changed and the boys seemed to go on high-alert. Ollie and Tadhg both took a step towards me, with Tadhg shifting Ollie behind him. Sean turned into my chest and wrapped his little arms around my neck, clinging to me.

omg my heart :(

"I'm never listening to Claire Biggs again," I added.

"je veux lécher la chatte de ma copine." I frowned. "What?" Johnny grinned devilishly. "I said, je veux être à l'intérieur de toi."

"Who the hell are you?" Bella hissed, glaring at Aoife. "Oh, I'm your worst nightmare, bitch." Taking her to the ground in one fell swoop. Aoife straddled Bella. "You like terrorizing little girls?" she demanded, straddling Bella. "Try someone your own size."

yes Aoife YES

"Think you can call my boyfriend a scumbag?" Aoife continued as she full on punched at Bella. Whoa, there was no palm slapping with this girl. "Think you can bully his sister, huh? Think you're safe because you're a girl and he can't hit you back?" She reared her fist back and cracked Bella in the mouth. "Well, I can!"

Johnny shrugged. "That's what I saw."

"Look at me!" she screamed. "Goddammit, Joey Lynch, you better look at me!" "Aoife, please," he whispered, shaking his head. "Just let me go." "I can't," she cried, sniffling. "I won't!" "I have nothing to give you!" he roared brokenly. "I'm not good for you. Why can't you get that into your head?" "I don’t care about stuff, Joey," she strangled out as she wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him. "I only want you."

"Thank you,"

"Yeah."

"I've got you, Johnny," Gibsie said, wrapping his arms around me just before I collapsed in a heap. "I'm right here, lad," he whispered, lowering us both to the gravel. "Let it out." So, I did.