Page 23 of Johny
Adam: I’m happy for you, Johnny. I like her.
Liam: Fuck me. Quick, check and see if we have flying pigs. Adam likes someone.
Adam: Fuck off.
Me: They’re easy to love.
Liam: That they are brother. Let me know when you’re on your way. I’ll head over to the clubs now and get started.
Me: Ok
Switching my computer on and finding the program I used for all our bookkeeping and got to work because I knew Maya wouldn’t sleep long. I was right; maybe an hour after she first laid down, she starts to stir.
Closing down the program I’d been working on, I went to the fridge and got out a bottle of water for her. Walking over to the couch, I sit on the edge, running my hand gently over herhead, as she slowly wakes up, eyelids fluttering until hazy blue eyes peer at me, brow furrowed slightly in confusion.
“Welcome back,” I say, smiling at her, cupping her cheek and running my thumb across the apple of it.
“Hi,” she replies with a smile. Opening the bottle of water I’m holding, I offer it to her. Maya pushes up until she’s sitting before she takes it from me and drinks it down. Once it’s empty, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, giving the empty bottle back to me.
I wait patiently for her to wake completely, knowing it will take her a little time to shake the sleep fog off.
“What’s the time?” she finally asks.
“Nearly lunch time.”
“Okay,” she replies on a sigh, “let me up so I can get to the clubs and get them sorted before picking the kids up.”
“No need to rush,milseán, Liam and I’ll be helping you today. Adam insisted you take the day off, but I said you wouldn’t want that. Hopefully, they’ll have someone to help you clean soon.”
“I can still do it. I just need a bit more sleep,” she frowns at me. I know it’s my fault she hasn’t been getting as much as she usually would, but I find it hard to keep my hands off her when we finally have time alone.
“You can,” I agree. “I’d never stop you working, but for the last year you’ve been working yourself to the bone. I understand why, but you have me now. Not just me but my entire family and let’s not discount the Crows. They’d be there to help you in a heartbeat with anything you needed. You’d just have to ask.
“Butmilseán,we’re building a life–you, me and the children and we can’t do that if you’re worn out looking out for all of us. You think that we’ve not noticed that over the last month we’ve all come home to a home-cooked meal and a clean house? Because I assure you, we have, and that’s with you not living at Da’s full time.
“Although I’m hoping that will change and you’ll move permanently out to Da’s place now that you and Da have finished redecorating and renovating the main house. You are mostly moved in anyway, except for a few things that you’ve left at the cottage. You just haven’t come to terms with it yet and I understand why you are hesitant but,a ghrá,I’m not him. I’d never doto you what he did.”
Tears well in Maya’s eyes, “I know,” she whispers, “I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you by not making a firm decision. I know you’ve been waiting for me. I’m being silly. We haven’t stayed at the cottage for weeks. The children don’t even have anything left in their room there. I’m finding it really hard to make that last move and I don’t know why, because I do love you and want to be with you.”
“I know you do, Maya. I’m going to tell you where I see this going so you can take your time in coming to terms with everything and when you’re ready, you just tell me and I’ll have you down at the registrar’s office quicker than you can blink. Okay?”
“Okay,” Maya nods in agreement. Taking hold of my hand and squeezing it, ready to listen, so I continue.
“I see us moving in together properly before the end of October. That means the cottage will be completely empty, ready for its next occupant. Once you are comfortable with being moved in and living with all of us O’Sheas, you and I are going to look at rings, then we’re going to get married and I’m going to adopt Jackson and Emy. Make them O’Sheas so that the last reminder of the dickhead and what he did isgone. We’ll do all that over the next two years and by then Emy will be four and ready for school and maybe by then you’ll feel up to adding to our brood. How does that sound to you?”
Maya laughed a little, leaning forward to wrap her arms around me. “It’s sounds perfect but with just a small adjustment.”
Tensing, I wondered if she was going to balk at moving in with us. Shifting us, I sit back on the couch, tugging her until she’s sitting curled on my lap. “Okay, I’m ready. Hit me with it,” I inform her.
Chuckling, Maya buries her head in my shoulder, “It’s nothing bad, I promise. We’ll move in properly by the end of October. I agree I’m being silly about that. However, I’d like a ring by November, and I don’t want to wait until Emy is four before having another baby.”
‘Holy fuck,’the relief that fills me at her words.
“I agree to all that,” I tell her quickly before she can change her mind.
Maya chuckles softly, tilting her head back to look at me, “You’re right, you’re not him, and I’m sorry if I made you feel like I thought you were. Because I promise you are nothing like him. Allyou’ve ever shown me is love and care.”
Knowing this was my opening, I ask because I have to know as I don’t ever want to do anything to make her afraid of me.