Page 24 of Johny
“Maya, I’m going to ask you something and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but all of us have noticed a few things about you and Jackson that makes us feel slightly murderous towards your ex and I’m not talking about the whole bigamy thing.”
She didn’t hesitate, “I know what you’re going to ask and yes, he hit me. Not with a fist and not often. He always hit with an open hand because it left less of a mark. The hitting and verbal abuse only started after we found out Emy was a girl. It was like chalk and cheese to when I was pregnant with Jackson. When we found out we were having a boy, he treated me like gold. It makes me wonder what he did to his actual wife because she had two girls. I’m not a weak woman and I don’t know why I stayed after the first slap. Especially as Jackson witnessed him hitting me more than once, and it’s why he’s taken so long to warm up to you. It took him a long time with all the Crows too. I will tell you that my ex dying was a relief for me. That he was away from home for months on end helped. I’dlike to think that I’d have been strong enough to leave him, but I’m not sure.”
“You’d have left, especially if he hurt one of the children, I have no doubt in my mind,” I assured her and I didn’t. Maya was stronger than she thought she was.
“I’d like to think so,” she replied. We sat quietly for a little bit, taking comfort in being in each other’s arms. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before she got up from my lap and held out her hand to me with a cheeky grin. “Come on, Mr. O’Shea, let’s get you a mop and bucket and you can show me what you can do.”
Laughing, I stood up, pulling her into my arms. I gave her a quick hard kiss, then pushed her towards the bathroom with a small tap to her arse. “Go get sorted out, then I’ll show you how I rock a mop and bucket.”
Grinning at me over her shoulder, she swiped her shorts off the arm of the sofa and skipped to the bathroom.
Her happiness filled me with relief that our chat hadn’t upset her and that she’d agreed to not only move to our property but also to wear my ring.
Looks like the luck of the Irish had finally come in to roost.
It was about bloody time.
CHAPTER 11
MAYA
Johnny had been right that I was holding back, and it made me a little ashamed because he was nothing like my ex had been. I couldn’t imagine any of the O’Shea men raising a hand to their women.
I’d spent a hilarious few hours after we’d finished our talk and left The Lounge, watching Liam and Johnny trying to keep up with my cleaning. They spent more time messing around than actually doing any work. We were in Ozone having finished Atomic earlier when Adam had walked in and shook his head at them messing around. I’d laughed out loud at the look on his face.
“For fuck’s sake, I thought you two were meant to be helping Maya. Instead, I’ve been watching you on the cameras for the last hour messingaround while she’s run rings around you,” he scolded them loudly, taking the mop away from me and shoving it at Johnny.
“Here, you two can finish up. I’m taking my sister-in-law-to-be out for a late lunch, then we’re going to pick up the children. We’ll see you two tonight for supper and this place better be spotless by then,” Adam ordered, taking my hand as he tugged me along with him to the door.
“Hey,” Johnny shouted out amusement in his tone, “that’s my woman.”
“And she still will be this evening, but for now, she’s mine,” Adam retorted.
Chuckling, I gave Johnny a wink, blowing him a kiss that he caught with a smile and a smirk. I left them to it, knowing that I’d done most of the heavy cleaning and that there wasn’t much left for them to do.
Adam, out of all the brothers, was the hardest to get to know. Whereas Johnny was in your face, Adam was quiet, mostly keeping to himself, although I’d noticed that he was always the first to volunteer to help either of his brothers when they needed something.
Whereas Adam was serious, Liam always lookedlike he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Today was the first time I’d seen him cut loose and have fun. Although, from what Johnny had told me of him, he hadn’t always been like that. It was only since their older brother Rhett had been put in prison that he’d changed. The responsibility of being in charge wasn’t something he’d ever aspired to. He’d been more than content to stay in Rhett’s shadow. For myself, I was glad they were no longer running guns. The thought of any of them being put in prison or, god forbid, being killed would have been hard for me to take.
Adam led me to his vehicle; one of his guys was leaning up against it waiting.
“Where are your keys,deirfiúr bheag,” Adam asks me holding his hand out for them.
Sticking my hand into the bag I’d snagged up on our way out of the club, I take them out and pop them in his hand. He tosses them to the waiting guy.
“Pick up one of the men from the office and take Maya’s car back to the house for me, Colin,” Adam orders him.
“Umm, Adam. I’ll need the car seats to pick Emy and Jackson up,” I tell him, thinking maybe hedoesn’t realise that we’ll need them.
Adam turns and smiles at me, “Don’t worry,deirfiúr bheag, I have car seats for them as does Liam in his vehicle and Da in his. You never have to worry about their safety with us.”
Well, didn’t those words hit me right in the feels, tears pricked at my eyes. Although not for long because a look of horror crossed Adam’s face when he saw them, making me snort laugh and if it was a little wet, we’d not mention it.
“You’re not going to cry, are you?” demanded Adam. Laughing, I wiped under my eyes, smiling at him. “Nope, I’m good,” I assured him, smiling sweetly.
“Thank fuck,” he heaved a relieved sigh, helping me into the passenger seat.
The smile that spread over my face in amusement hurt it was so wide and I couldn’t help the little chuckle that left me as he rounded the front of his vehicle eyeing me through the windscreen as if I was going to start crying at any second. It was too funny. Looking over my shoulder, I felt the tears prick again when I saw the same high-end car seats that Johnny had in his vehicle.