Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen, #2)

by Chloe Walsh

"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."

Having him here, hearing his voice and seeing his face, settled something deep inside of me. Something shifted into place, an almost relieved sensation fluttered over my skin, soothing something deep inside of me. I felt like I was home.

"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."

"I'm here," he whispered, stroking my nose with his. "And I'm going nowhere."

"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."

"That's how you make me feel," she whispered, blue eyes burning their way right down to my soul. "Better. Alive. Free. Safe. Important. I feel like I can breathe for the first time in days and that's only because you're here – because I’m with you."

"I can't remember how this started or when I got wrapped up in you to the point where I feel like I'm strangling in your grief," I finally said when words found me again. "But I know that I don’t ever want to go back to how it was before you."

I felt like she had taken a knife to my chest, cut me right open, and every bit of me was bleeding into her.

"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 like you because you're you, Shannon. I've never met another girl like you." I scrunched my nose up. "You mean another girl as screwed up as me." "No, I mean a girl as kind, and caring, and trustworthy, and loyal as you," he countered gruffly. "And beautiful? Jesus Christ, you are so fucking beautiful that it's painful to look at you. I've never seen anything like you in my life."

"I need you, too, because you calm something inside of me. You make me feel good. Like I don't have to…" his voice trailed off for a moment as he clearly pondered what he was trying to say. "You make me feel like I'm enough as I am," he finally admitted. "Like if this is the furthest I go, if I don't make the squad, then it's okay."

"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?"

It was shocking to watch a usually mild-mannered woman morph into full-blown mama-bear mode and attack.

Let’s go

"Aww," Claire gushed, clutching her chest with both hands. "I love them together." She feign-swooned before adding, "It's like a Great Dane and a Chihuahua trying to mate, but they somehow make it work."

"She doesn't want to go with you!" Claire screamed at the top of her lungs. "She said no!" Stunned, I looked back at my friend, wondering why she had suddenly raised her voice. Darren hadn't hurt me – not physically, at least. But when I spotted Johnny, Gibsie, Hughie, and Feely all watching us with thunderous expressions on their faces, I quickly realized why. She was calling for reinforcements.

‘Calling for reinforcements’ HQHAHHA

"I can't catch a break today." Releasing a pained groan, Gibsie tipped his head back, not bothering to try and stop the potential carnage. "Have at it, bulldozer – and don’t forget your crutch." "Don’t give him that," Feely snapped, snatching the metal stick out of Gibsie's hand before Johnny could. "It's a weapon." "Have you seen the size of him?" Hughie offered with a despondent sigh. "He's the fucking weapon."

"You make me happy," he whispered. "I want to stick with that. I want to stick with you." "Johnny…" my voice trailed off as I contemplated the importance of what he'd just said. "You make me happy, too."

"You look very handsome," Mam announced when I walked into the kitchen five minutes later to grab my keys and wallet. "Indeed." Gibsie, who was perched on a stool at the island, snickered loudly. "Very handsome, Jonathan."

"Well, I just wanted to ask if you were okay?" Shifting uncomfortably, I clasped my hands together. "After what happened at lunch today?" "It's all good," he told me, smile still in place. "No worries." "Okay." Shrugging helplessly, I added, "But for the record, I think you're really smart." His brows shot up. "Me?" "You," I confirmed quietly before slipping out of the room.

Ahhww

every part of me was wholeheartedly in with this girl. It felt like she had been in my life forever. Like I'd never known anything other than Shannon. She was my first love, and she was scary as fuck to me. Being with her was an obsession that threatened to consume me daily. I had to work my ass off to keep my head in check, but remembering to keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds was easier said than done when I had a girl that knocked me on my ass with one glance. She wrapped me up in childish, illogical, irrational knots, with a new one attaching itself to my heart with every day that passed. I was completely losing control and that was a problem for me, and my feelings for her were a serious issue because they were too strong to rein in, too much to take, and too reeking of permanence. In other words, I was royally fucking screwed.

"What do you want from me, Shannon?" I croaked out, feeling incredibly vulnerable, as I stared down at the only girl I had ever loved. I needed her to tell me what to do. She needed to set the pace because I was weak around her, and I needed more than I feared she was ready to give. Gibsie had fucked with my head, and now my mind was stuck in fucking beast mode. I wanted her so damn badly, I couldn't think straight. Knowing that we were all alone only made it a million times more intense. "What do you mean?" she asked, looking fearful. "From me," I replied, heart racing. "From this?" I shrugged, feeling helpless. "From our relationship. What do you want from me?" "Honestly?" I nodded. "Always." "Everything," she whispered, looking into my eyes. "Especially the broken parts."

"I'm in love with you, Shannon. I'm completely fucking hooked on you, so when you're hurt, it affects me. It hurts me. I can't pretend that it doesn't." She shuddered and stepped closer to me. "But that doesn't mean that I'm with you because I feel sorry for you –" I hooked an arm around her bare back and tugged her all the way until she was flush against me, "It just means that I'm going to get upset when you're upset, and that when someone hurts you, I'm going to want to cause some serious harm to them in return. I'm all in, Shannon. Scars and all. Fucked up father and all. One hundred and fifty percent." Brushing her ponytail over her shoulder, I gently tugged at the end, forcing her to look at me. "I feel everything for you," I admitted, feeling my own body shake from the pressure building in my chest, caused every time this girl put her eyes on me. "And I'm saying all of this while you're standing here, looking like the sexiest thing I've ever seen in real life, praying that you don't run out on me, because I have a raging hard-on for you and it's going to take me a few minutes to calm myself down before I can chase after you."

"And they say chivalry is dead," Johnny said in an amused tone of voice, eyes locked on Gibsie who had won the scuffle with Claire and was currently sitting on top of her, banging his fists against his chest in victory. They were both caked in mud and Claire's lovely white coat was brown to match her now muddy-brown hair. "Gibs, get off her, ya eejit."

"I love you, Johnny Kavanagh," I choked out, clenching my eyes shut as I grabbed his arm and held it to my chest. "Most in the world." "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."

"He talks funny," Ollie said then. "Why do you talk funny?" "That's because he's a Dub," Tadhg sneered, giving me a scathing look. "Everyone knows Cork is the real capital of Ireland." Was he picking a fight with me over my birthplace?

Savage kid

"This is Sean," I said, eyeballing my mother. Keeping my voice soft and gentle, I crouched down beside him and spoke directly to him. "Sean, this is my mammy. Her name's Edel." Sean stared up at my mother, shoving his entire fist into his mouth this time. "He likes to eat his hand," Gibsie offered, like that was important information. "But Johnny reckons it's okay." Shrugging, he added, "Don't know much about kids, myself. All I have at home is a cat."

"Hi, Dellie," Ollie said shyly. "God, Ollie, he said her name is Edel," Tadhg grumbled. "Not Dellie."

I'm melting

"Hi, John," Ollie said, eyeing my father warily, and offering him a small wave. "I'm Ollie."

I'm just going to cry in a corner for a little while... Xxx

"We're allowed to have some, Dellie?" "Edel," Tadhg muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Not Dellie."

hahahah THIS KID IS TOO CUTE HELP

"Hey," Gibsie interjected then, winking at Tadhg. "Don't you be eating all that cake, fatty. I want some." Tadhg snorted. "You look like you've had enough cake for a month."

HAHAHAH

"You're my everything."

"It's true," Gibsie offered from the back seat. "Mammy K has been tormenting him to bring you home again. I heard them talking on the phone this morning. She has some big news for the two of you." My eyes widened. "Big news?" "Gibs!" Johnny barked. "Stop fucking earwigging." I frowned. "What news?" "No clue," Johnny muttered, rubbing his jaw. "I'm in the same car as you, asshole," Gibsie growled. "I can clearly hear your conversation. What do want me to do? Stick my head out the window and bark at the traffic like a dog?"

"Tell them I'm sorry,"

Im going to cry

Trembling from head to toe, I climbed out of the car, feeling cold to the bone, and looked up at my boyfriend. "Thank you," I croaked out, teeth chattering, as my heart thudded a rhythm of adoration for the boy standing in front of me. "For everything." "I'd do anything for you, Shannon like the river," Johnny replied gruffly, pulling me into his side. "Anything."

I wanted to stand in front of this girl and shield her from all the horror she was exposed to. It wasn't right, dammit, and I felt like I was drowning in the unfairness of her life. If I could lay her cuts and bruises over my skin, I would.

Shifting around so that my other arm was under her head, she nuzzled her cheek against my arm and inhaled a deep breath. "You smell like home." Shivering, I curled my body around hers and pressed a kiss to the curve of her jaw. "You are home."

I knew in my heart that the only reason I was managing to hold it together was the boy who was sitting in the pew directly behind mine.

"Dellie!" Ollie shouted at the top of his lungs. "I caught them again!" "Please, please, stop shouting," I begged. "Don't tell her –" "I want my money," Ollie shot back. "And you know the rules, mister rule-breaker." Narrowing his eyes at me, he said, "You're not allowed to play with my sister on your own." He folded his arms across his chest. "And you've got no clothes on. Dellie says that's a big no-no." "But it's my birthday," I strangled out, not against emotional blackmail given the current circumstances and prospective consequences. "And I'll give you fifty quid if you don't tell Dellie." He tilted his head to one-side, studying me carefully. "One-hundred." "What?" I gaped at him. "But it's my birthday!" "That's why it's one-hundred," Ollie replied. "Otherwise, I'd need a trillion." I narrowed my eyes right back at him. "What do you need a hundred quid for?" "For my Legos," he replied. "And my business." "Oh yeah?" I arched a brow. "And what business is that?" "My spy business," he told me. "And you're my number one target." He squinted his eyes at me. "I'm watching you all the time."

"Don't you mind him, babe. You did a great job." With his free hand, he tugged on her ponytail, forcing her to look up at him. "You keep that head up," he ordered, tipping her chin with his thumb. "Don't you dare hide that angel face from the world."

Rolling onto his side, Johnny gave my body a slow appraisal from head to toe. "Ah, shite," he grumbled, throwing a thigh over mine and dropping his head on my chest. "That's my plan for the day gone out the window." "What?" I whispered, greedily welcoming his warmth by wrapping my arms around him and holding him close. "What's wrong?" He clamped a hand on my hip and exhaled a contented sigh. "I can't be getting notions of dying when you're looking like that."

"I'll call you every day," I vowed, as I stood in the middle of Dublin airport with my flight number being called over the intercom. "And I'll send you a million texts." "But it won't be the same." "I know, but we'll make it work," I promised. "How?" "We'll figure it out, okay? But I need you to stop crying," I begged. "Please." "I can't help it. My heart is breaking here." "I'll be home soon," I coaxed. "It won't be forever." "No – no! Just no. You can't leave me, Johnny!" "I have to go," I groaned. "Come on, don't make this harder than it has to be." "You promise this isn't a forever goodbye?" "I promise," I urged, patting his back. "Now, come on, Gibs. You're cutting off my air supply here." "Fine." Sniffling, he released the death grip he had on my neck and took a step back, tears streaming down his cheeks.

HAHAHAHAHAHA OMG I THOUGHT THAT WAS SHANNON

"I love you," she whispered, fingers digging into my neck as she pulled my face down to hers and kissed my lips. "A crazy fucking amount." "I love you, too –" my voice cracked and I exhaled a strangled breath before adding, "Most in the world." Cupping her face in my hands, I just stared at her, locking away the image of her face in my mind and then coming close to losing it when I thought about how long it would be until I saw her again. "I'm coming home," I told her. "Regardless of what happens." Brushing a tear from her face, I kissed her damp cheek. "I'm coming back to you, Shannon like the river." Heaving out another ragged breath, I stroked her nose with mine. "I promise."

"I'd like to thank my girlfriend for her unconditional love and support. It's been a rollercoaster of a ride getting back from injury, and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be here today without her fierce encouragement." Clutching his medal in his hand, he looked into the camera and gave it a little shake before saying, "Shannon, I love you, and I'll be home soon."

"Fuck that, I'm famous!" Hughie cheered. "He said my name." Turning to Feely, he grinned. "Fucking Cap, huh? What a legend." "I know," Feely laughed. "Gibs is going to lose his shit when he watches it back."

"I'll marry you," he said then. "When we're older and everything settles down." Taking my hands in his, he placed them around his neck and leaned in close. "Just stand by me," he said in a voice thick with emotion. "Stay with me." His hand squeezed mine. "And I'll make you proud. I'll do right by you." My breath came out in a pained rush. "Johnny…" "We'll have a family," he continued to say. "One of our own, and I'll stand by you right back. In whatever you choose to do. No matter what." "This won't break us," I croaked, touching my brow to his. "Nothing can break us," he whispered. "I promise."

"That little shit," Gibsie hissed, stepping around us to hunt after my little brother. "You better keep your pre-pubescent eyes off my baby mama, fucker. Or you won't have balls to drop!" "I have bigger balls than you, fatty," Tadhg called back, laughing his ass off. "Just ask your mother." "I'm not fat!" Gibsie roared. "And you leave my mother out of this!" "I'm coming for your girl, Gibs," Tadhg continued to taunt, thoroughly enjoying driving Gibsie crazy. "Fair warning." "I'm going to kick you all the way back to primary school," Gibsie snarled. "Fair warning."