Page 21 of Johny

Colm hummed his keen gaze on me, “What do you think of the kitchen?”

Frowning, I wondered if it was a trick question. My eyes darted to Johnny, then to Liam and Adam, but they were all looking as puzzled as I felt.

“It’s a nice size,” I replied uncertainly.

“But?” Colm queried.

“It could do with updating,” I informed him, deciding if I was going to be joining this family, then I wasn’t going to be timid about letting my opinions known. I’d had enough of that in my previous life.

Colm nodded, “I agree. What are you doing on Monday?”

“Nothing, it’s my day off,” I said, still puzzled as to what was going on here.

“Good, you and I are going to go kitchen shopping. Johnny can have the children.”

My gaze flashed to Johnny, only to find him smiling. “That’s good with me,” he assured me.

“Okay,” I agreed, still a little confused, but if Colm wanted to update the kitchen, then I’d help him.

After that, the chat around the table continued, but I’d noticed the looks the O’Shea men shared with each other. Never mind, I’d get it out of Johnny later.

It was later that night while we were laying quietly in bed in Johnny’s room at the O’Shea house, the windows and curtains open to let in a breeze to help ease the summer heatwave that was upon us. Staring out into the night, I marvelled at how bright the stars were here, away from the village and nearby towns. I was brought out of my musings when Johnny said softly, “My Da likes you.”

Tilting my head back on his shoulder to look at him I ask, “He does? How do you know?”

“He’s taking you shopping on Monday for a kitchen because he knows that the one we have is not good enough for you and he wants you to be comfortable in this house.”

‘Oh, jeez, my heart. These O’Shea men sure did know how to break down all my walls.’

“But I don’t live here,” I protested.

Johnny looked down at me and tilted my chin up with his forefinger, “Not yet,milseán,but you will be soon. When you’re ready. I promised we’d take it at your pace, and we are even if wehaven’t spent a night apart since we started this. My Da knows how I feel about you. After the kitchen, he’ll want you to decorate, and then it will be the bathrooms and a bedroom for each of the children. You’ll see. I knew he was going to love you from the start. I mean, how couldn’t he, you and the children are the best things to happen to me.”

My eyes filled as I leant up on my elbow so I could kiss him, whispering softly, “Oh, Johnny. I love you too.”

It was a long time until we spoke again.

CHAPTER 10

JOHNNY

The night that Maya and the children had joined us for supper was when the turning point in our relationship came. I’d slowly been making headway with Jackson, and he was more comfortable around me now than when I’d first come into their lives.

Unsurprisingly, he loved my Da, and if he was anywhere near us, he'd gravitate towards him. Never saying much, content to lean up against Da or sit quietly next to him.

Like me, my Da had picked up on certain things and it made me wonder what their life had been like with Maya’s ex. I hadn’t asked and Maya hadn’t volunteered, but it was something that we would be discussing.

As for Emy, God, I loved that little girl like shewas mine. A miniature of her mother in looks and so sweet, she had me wrapped around her little finger, always content to spend time with me. She’d never stopped calling me Daddy and I have to say my heart melted every time she did. Not even Adam and Liam were immune to her charms, especially when she started calling them ‘Unca’.

Adam, always so stoic, hardly ever showing emotion. While some of this was due to the type of work he’d done for Da when we were running guns, it was also just who he was.

However, he was a complete pushover for that little girl. The first time she’d lifted her arms up to him demanding, ‘Unca up,’ the surprise and softness on his face was not something we saw often. But like all of us, he did as she demanded, and I’d smiled when his eyes had closed, his face relaxed in peace when she wrapped her little arms around his neck and hugged him, kissed his cheek, then demanded to be put down again, which he’d reluctantly done. It was then that I knew my brothers would raise hell if anything happened to Maya and the children.

It hadn’t taken long for Da to work his charm on Maya, starting with taking her shopping for a new kitchen, then it was on to renovating thehouse and decorating. I’d known as soon as Da offered to take Maya kitchen shopping that I had his approval, and he liked her for me.

When the renovations started, both Adam and Liam broke ground on the plots Da had given them not far from the main house and started building their homes. Until then, they were living in a mobile home. We’d thrown down the concrete pad one weekend and Abby’s company had come out to do the electrics, plumbing was done by a company she recommended. It didn’t take long, and they moved out of the main house.

By October, the main house was fully decorated, including bedrooms for the children. It was time. I wanted Maya and the children under our roof.