JOEY

“THANKS FOR DOING THIS,” I said, several hours later, when we pulled up at Rosewood Estate. “I know the kids are waiting, but I just…”

“You have your priorities in order, love,” Edel said when I climbed out. “Here, take this,” she said, thrusting a sleek mobile phone into my hands. “It’s fully charged with my number programed in. When you’re ready to come home, just text me and I’ll come get you.”

“Will do.” I pocketed the phone. “Thanks.”

With a clear head and a heavy conscience, I pushed the rickety wooden gate inwards and made the familiar trek up the garden path, stepping over dog shit as I went.

Jesus, someone needed to start cleaning up after Spud.

When I reached the front door, I tapped lightly and then quickly lowered my hood and straightened up.

Swallowing my pride, if it even fucking existed anymore, I shoved my trembling hands deep into the pockets of my jeans and braced myself for the unknown.

When the front door swung open a few moments later, my heart sank into my ass.

“I thought you weren’t coming back for another few days.”

“I got back early,” I replied, straightening my shoulders, as my heart gunned in my chest. “Is she here?”

Tony shook his head. “She’s gone out with Trish and Casey for a girl’s day. Won’t be home until late.”

My heart sank further. “Are you clean?”

“Yeah, Tony, I am.” “How long?”

“One hundred and seven days,” was my quiet response.

His eyes narrowed and I could see the disbelief written all over his face. “Show me.”

“Tony.”

“Show me, Joey.”

“I’m clean.” Exhaling heavily, I rolled up my sleeves and held out my hands for his inspection. “I promise.”

“No offense, boyo, but any promises that come from your mouth don’t inspire much confidence in me.”

I deserved that.

Absorbing my old boss’s disdain, I stood my ground, unwilling to turn around and walk away. Besides, feeling unwelcome wasn’t anything new for me.

I’d felt it my whole life.

“So, you’re clean and sober and back from the dead?” he said, eyes tracking the veins in my arms.

“I am.”

“For now.”

“Yeah.”

“And tomorrow?” His accusatory gaze was hard to bear. “What happens tomorrow?”

“No clue.” I shrugged, uttering my truth. “But I’m clean today.”

“Yeah,” he replied with a sniff, releasing my arms. “Good for you.” And then he slammed the door in my face.

Rolling my eyes, I reached up and knocked again, and then I counted down from five, knowing full well that he was still behind the door, waiting to erupt on me.

I could take it.

I sure as fuck deserved everything this man could throw at me. I’d put his entire family through hell.

I could see that now.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One…

“Jesus Christ, Joey!” he snarled the second the front door swung open again. “What were you thinking getting involved in that lifestyle?”

“I wasn’t thinking,” I admitted quietly. “I didn’t want to think. That was the whole point.”

“I gave you the benefit of the doubt,” he strangled out. “I knew what you were about, but I saw a good lad underneath all of the trouble. I still do. But I…“ His words broke off and he shook his head.

“Just say it, Tony,” I said calmly. “Whatever you need to say. Get it off your chest. I can handle it.”

“Can’t do that,” Tony grumbled. “According to my wife, I’m to mind my Ps and Qs around you. Since you’re fragile and all that.”

“Do I look fragile?”

“You look like a person I don’t know anymore.”

Ouch.

I kept my hands by my sides, willing to take whatever this man had to say – had to do. In a life of nothing, he’d been the only father figure I’d ever had, and I had ruined his daughter. I had robbed her of the future they’d hoped for her.

“I loved you,” he finally roared, chest heaving. “Like you were my own flesh and blood.”

“I know.”

“You made my daughter a mother before she was a woman, and then you left her.”

“I had to leave.”

“Maybe you did, but that doesn’t change anything in my head,” he choked out, voice thick with emotion. “But I can’t risk having you around her.

Not in her condition. You let me down, Joey. You went spiraling down the rabbit hole and you took my daughter with you.”

What could I say to that? Nothing.

I couldn’t change what I’d done.

I also couldn’t change the fact that every word he was speaking was the absolute truth.

I did spiral out of control, I did lose myself, and I did take his daughter down with me.

“You dropped off the face of the planet for months. You left her on her own to clean up your bloody mess, Joey. Yours. And now you’re back? For how long?”

“For good,” I offered, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “I’m staying.”

“You’re staying,” he repeated, tone laced with pain. “Can you do that, Joey? Can you stay?”

“Yeah, Tony, I can stay,” I replied, full of emotion. “I won’t leave her again.”

“I hear you’re heading to that fancy private school?” He sounded utterly disgusted. “Isn’t it nice for some? To get such a prestigious second chance. Meanwhile, my daughter loses everything.”

Again, I absorbed his anger, knowing full well that I had a huge role in his daughter failing her leaving cert. “I accepted the place at Tommen so I could get back to her,” I heard myself say. “I’d gladly give it up if it meant that she could take my place instead, Tony. You have to know that.”

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” he snapped, rubbing his jaw. “Right now, all I’m thinking is that I wished you never came back here.”

“Well, I am back.”

“You don’t realize what you did to her,” he tossed out. “How badly you hurt my daughter. If you did, you’d leave her alone, and let me take care of my family.”

“I can’t do that,” I replied, desperately trying to keep the head. “Because your family is my family, too.”

“She’s my child.”

“And she’s the mother of my child.” I countered hotly. “I can’t walk away from her, Tony. That’s my baby she’s carrying.”

“That’s my grandchild, and I’ll be damned if I stand back and let you hurt either one of them again.”

“You can try to keep me from your child, but you won’t be keeping me from mine.”

I moved to leave then, but he reached out a hand and fisted the front of my hoodie. I stood my ground, hands at my sides, and waited for his fist to crush my face. It didn’t come.

“Prove me wrong, Joey.” His voice was thick with emotion, as he roughly pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. “Prove me wrong, son.”

“Don’t worry, Tony.” Swallowing deeply, I hugged him back just as tightly. “I will.”

 

 

AN HOUR LATER, and still furious with the world and everyone in it, I folded my arms behind my head and lay on the ground beside the small wooden

crucifix, staring up at a cloudless summer’s sky. “Are you up there?” I asked and then mentally kicked myself. “Fuck, what am I saying? You’re probably with him.”

Death was all around me, peaceful and still, and I momentarily jealous.

The sun shone bright, and it felt like I was seeing it clearly for the first time in years.

What now?

What the fuck was I supposed to do now? Go back and argue some more with Tony? Drop to my knees and apologize?

Snatch Molloy up and steal her away? Live?

Be happy?

Go home?

Where?

“You fucked me,” I whispered, shifting one arm out from under my head to trail my fingers over the soil on her grave, disgusted when the echo of my own hollow voice reverberated in my ears.

Clenching my eyes shut, I forced myself to remember the sight of her. How she looked.

What she smelled like.

Her voice.

Her pain.

Her screams.

Sniffing, I reached up and wiped my face with the back of my hand before climbing to my feet.

“I’ll see ya soon, Mam.” A tear trickled down my cheek and I was surprised I could still feel. “Stay out of my head now, ya hear?”

Dusting off the soil and grass on my jeans, I inhaled a few steadying breaths before making my trek across the graveyard, not stopping until I was standing at his headstone.

One time.

All through rehab, I had vowed to myself that I would only do this once. And then I was done.

I had to be.

The notion was the only thing that seemed to keep me sane in the early days.

My spite and bitterness had given me something to live for.

Without a word, I collected every candle, wreath, and bouquet of flowers his family had left for him and tossed them over the nearby wall.

“How does it feel, old man?” I asked, returning to his graveside, and undoing the fly on my jeans. “To finally burn in hell?”

 

 

“JOEY LOVE.” She placed a hand on my shoulder, and it hurt. The movement. The feeling. Absorbing the contact. The fucked-up gentleness of her touch. “I got your text message.”

“I pissed on his grave.”

“Is that all?” With a heavy sigh, she put her handbag down on the grass and knelt at my mother’s grave beside me. “I’m impressed with your level of self-control. I wouldn’t have been able to contain myself.”

“Threw his flowers away, too,” I muttered. “It wasn’t enough.”

“No.” Sadness filled her voice. “And it probably never will be, love. At least, it won’t feel that way.”

“Thirty-eight,” I whispered, inclining my head to the small crucifix with my mother’s details engraved one. “She was only a baby, Edel.”

“I know, love.”

She reached for my hand. I let her.

I absorbed the feel of her hand covering mine.

“I miss her,” I admitted, clenching my eyes shut when the tears started to fall. “I miss her so fucking much.“ My voice cracked, and I choked out a sob. “I miss my mother.”

“Your mother loved you, Joey,” Edel vowed, as she pulled me into her arms. “I swear it, love.” Tightening her arms around me, she stroked my hair with her hand. “She just forgot to show it.”

 

 

WHEN WE DROVE through the gates of the manor, a million different thoughts and emotions were rushing through me. All of which fell out of my head as soon as we pulled up outside the house and I locked eyes on my siblings.

“Joey!”

“O-ee.”

“He’s back, guys. Look, it’s really Joe!” Shannon was holding a cake.

Sean was sitting on Kav’s shoulders, clutching a bunch of balloons.

Ollie was holding one side of a homemade banner that read,

Welcome Home, Joey,

while Gussie of all people held the other side.

All of them had party hats perched on their heads.

Jesus, even Nanny was there, sitting at a picnic table that had been decorated with streamers and more balloons, with John Sr. and Darren.

Fucking Darren.

“What the hell is this?” I muttered, unfastening my seatbelt, as I battled down a surge of emotion. “What’s all this for?”

“I told you they were excited to see their big brother,” Edel laughed, pushing her door open. “Welcome home, Joey Lynch.”

The minute I climbed out of the car, I was caught up in a flurry of limbs as Shannon, Ollie, and Seany all dove for me.

“Oh my god, Joe,” my baby sister was crying, as she practically climbed up my body, locking her arms around my neck so tight it was hard to breathe. “Joe, Joe, Joe.” Peppering my cheek with kisses, Shannon laughed and cried and had a little emotional breakdown for herself, only releasing me when Ollie shoved her out of the way. “Hey, I wasn’t finished!”

“I knew you’d do it,” he said, beaming up at me with pride, as he tightened his hold on my waist. “I knew you’d come back for us, Joe.”

“I’ll always come back for you, Ols,” I replied, voice thick and gravely as I tried to keep my emotions in check. “Look at how tall you’ve grown.”

“O-ee.” Pulling on the leg of my jeans, a pair of brown eyes looked up at me. “O-ee.”

That did it.

Seeing Sean’s little face had my heart cracking open in my chest. This kid.

He was my brother, but it was different with him.

From birth, Sean had depended on me in a way the others hadn’t.

I knew he wasn’t mine, but it didn’t stop my heart from beating for him in a paternal rather than brotherly way.

“Hey, Seany-boo.” Sniffling back the lump in my throat, I sank to my knees in front of him. “How’s my baby?”

“O-ee.” He didn’t hesitate to scramble onto my lap. “Seany loves O-ee,” he whispered in my ear, as he stroked my cheeks with his chubby little hands. “O-ee make Seany happy.”

“Joey loves Seany back,” I replied, wrapping him up in my arms, overwhelmed by just how well his speech had come on since the beginning of summer. “Seany makes Joey the proudest brother in the world.”

“Okay, okay, everyone back up and let your brother breathe,” John instructed, when all three had thrown themselves on top of me – which wouldn’t have been a problem if it wasn’t for the big overgrown blond bastard who had decided to get in on the action.

“Jaysus, Gibs, can’t you let them have their moment?” Kav growled, yanking his friend off the top of the pile before helping my sister to her feet.

“I swear to god, you’re like a bleeding puppy craving attention.”

“Not attention, Johnny, just a little belly rub,” Gibsie replied before turning his attention back to me. “Well, would you look at the comeback kid in all his glory.” He winked. “Howdy friend.”

I narrowed my eyes. “It’s you.” He beamed back at me. “It’s me.”

And then he had the gall to hug me.

He actually mother-fucking hugged me.

I was so taken aback from the sudden move that I didn’t react. I couldn’t.

Not when he had my arms pinned to my sides in what I could only

describe as the most uncomfortable bear hug of my life. “Believe it or not, Lynchy, I was half-lonesome for your big druggie head over the summer.”

“Believe it or not, Gussie, I will take your rugby-ball shaped head clean off your shoulders if you don’t let go.”

“Oh no,” Johnny sighed and covered his head. “Oh, sweet Jesus, here we go.”

“I knew it!” Gibsie declared, yanking away from me and turning to Kav. “I fucking knew it. That’s the second time someone has said that, Johnny.” Clutching his head, he let out a pained wail. “Twice, Johnny. Two times. That’s a pattern.”

“That’s a coincidence,” Kav tried to reassure him. “I’ve already told ya a million times, Gibs, your head is in perfect symmetrical proportion.”

“Symmetrical?” Gibsie blanched. “What in the name of Jesus are you bringing up maths at a time like this? When I’m having a fucking complex, Johnny!”

“You are a complex, Gibs.” Rolling his eyes, Kav offered his buddy a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before stepping towards me with his hand outstretched. “Joey the hurler.”

“Mister rugby,” I replied, lips twitching up in a smirk that mirrored his, as I stepped forward and accepted his handshake. “Thank you.”

With steel blue eyes full of unconcealed emotion, he offered me a stiff nod. “Anytime, brother.”

And that was all that needed to be said between us. He knew it and so did I.

The respect he directed towards me was returned in a handshake.

“Joe,” Darren acknowledged with a smile when I approached the picnic table. “You look great.”

“Darren,” I forced myself to respond, offering him a clipped nod. “Thanks.”

“This is Alex,” he said then, gesturing to the man sitting beside him. “You met around the time of Mam’s funeral, but I don’t know if you remember…”

“It’s good to see you again,” I said, offering his boyfriend my hand. “And Darren’s right; I have no recollection of us meeting.”

“Aye, that’s not a bother,” he replied, with a thick northern accent. “You’re looking well in yourself there, lad.”

“Yeah.” Clearing my throat, I turned my attention to the old woman, whose eyes were burning holes in the side of my face. “Hi, Nanny.”

“Joseph.” Her green eyes were full of unshed tears as she reached for my hand. “Our little Joseph.”

Kneeling in front of my great-grandmother, I took her frail hand in mine and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I’m so sorry, Nanny.”

“What are you sorry for, pet?”

“For letting you down.” I blew out a pained breath and shook my head. “For disappointing you.”

“Look at my face,” she instructed, cupping my cheeks between her tremor-racked hands. “Does this look like a face filled with disappointment?”

I couldn’t answer her. It hurt too much.

“I am so proud of you,” she pushed, leaning forward and pressing a kiss

to my brow. “And if Granda was here, he would tell you the same thing.” Fuck.

She hit me through the heart with that line.

“Before I go back to Beara, I have something for you,” she whispered in my ear, so that Darren couldn’t hear her. “I don’t want you to show your brothers and sister.” She slipped a folded-up envelope into the front pocket of my hoodie. “Granda only left it for you, but I couldn’t give it to you at the time. Not while he was…well, when you were in your father’s house. I’ve been holding onto it for you. Until the time was right.”

“Granda?” I frowned in confusion. “Left what for me?”

“The letter inside explains everything,” she whispered, pressing a finger to her lips to silence me. “Not a word to the others, ya hear?”

I nodded cluelessly.

She smiled. “Now, be a good boy and enjoy your homecoming.”

“Enough hoarding,” Edel ordered, pushing her way into the action. “I’m sorry, Nanny, but I have to steal your grandson for a moment. Joey, I have a little present for you.”

“We,” John called over from where he was helping Gibsie untangle himself from the net of a goal post. “We have a present for him.”

“Don’t mind him,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It was my idea.” “Actually, it was both of our —”

“Stop stealing my thunder, John,” Edel huffed. “Come on, Joey, let me show you.”

“It’s so cool,” Ollie chimed in, catching ahold of one of my hands, while Sean took hold of the other. “Dellie let us help.”

“And you were the best little helper,” she crooned, leading us around the side of the house to the back. “I couldn’t have done it without you, my sweet boy.”

“I’m super helpful,” he agreed, blowing his own trumpet. “Sure I am, Dellie?”

“Yes, you are, pet,” she mollified him by saying, as she led us through the back yard towards what looked like a recently renovated outbuilding. “Now, let’s show Joey the annex.”

“The annex?” I frowned. “What’s that?”

“That,” she teased, stopping at the door of a freshly painted outbuilding. “Is your abode.” Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved a set of keys and dangled them in front of my face. “I figured as soon as you got home, you’d

be on the hunt for somewhere for your little family to live, so I went out on a limb and made a preemptive strike.” Grinning, she dropped the keys into my hand. “Like I said, welcome home, Joey Lynch.”

“Huh?” I stood there, with the keys in my hand, and my brain on empty. “I mean…what?”

Laughing, she pushed the door inwards and stepped inside, followed swiftly by Ollie who barreled into the annex after her. “Follow us.”

“Well, Seany?” I muttered, hoisting him into my arms before stepping inside. “I guess we’re doing this, aren’t we?”

 

 

“THE SECOND BEDROOM IS A LITTLE COZY,” Edel explained, as she walked me around what looked I could only describe as a high-end duplex. “But the master is a decent size, with an ensuite attached.”

“Wow,” Sean whispered in my ear, voicing my thoughts aloud, as I followed Edel and Ollie back down the staircase to an open plan kitchen- living area.

“Yeah, kid,” I whispered back. “Wow.”

“Of course, if you would prefer to stay in the main house, that is absolutely fine by me, Joey love. I’m not trying to push you out in any shape or form. I’m just trying to be sensitive to your little family’s needs.”

This woman.

Not only had she taken on my brothers and sister, but she was providing shelter for my little family.

My little family.

Fuck.

“Jesus, Edel,” was all I could muster. “I don’t know what to say to you.” My gut reaction was to refuse her offer.

To tell her no thank you.

To run for the hills from this woman. But I couldn’t.

I couldn’t.

Because time in therapy had helped me to come to terms with the fact that I couldn’t do this on my own.

That it was okay to ask for help.

More importantly, it was okay to accept it.

“I…” I shook my head, feeling at a complete loss. “One day, I will pay you back for everything.”

“Joey love.” Closing the space between us, she pressed her hand to my cheek and smiled up at me. “You being here is all the payment I need.”

 

 

“WHERE’S TADHG?” I asked John later that evening, when we were alone in the kitchen of the main house. Darren and Alex had left to drop Nanny back to Alice’s house in Beara, but the kids and Gussie were still in full-swing party mode outside.

It didn’t settle well with me that Tadhg hadn’t shown up. I knew why, of course.

I’d hurt him the most.

His reaction to my leaving felt remarkably like my reaction to Darren leaving all those years ago.

“I suspect he’s down the back field in the treehouse,” John replied, as he cut the crusts off a chocolate spread sandwich for Sean before using a cookie cutter to make dinosaur shaped sandwiches. “He’s thrilled you’re home, Joey. He’s just… Well, you know Tadhg better than anyone.”

“He’s pissed as hell is what you mean to say,” I offered up, resting a hip against the counter, as I watched this hotshot barrister take great care in preparing snacks for my baby brother. “I get it, John. I don’t blame him one bit. I checked out on him. He’s going to hold onto that in his head.” It’s what I taught him to do.

“He has a couple of spare hurleys and sliotars stashed in the utility room,” John told me. “Somehow, I have a feeling that he would enjoy a puck about a lot more with his brother than a bunch of rugby players.”

My heart skipped a beat. “He’s still hurling?”

“Like a demon,” John replied with a smile. “He’s hell bent on following in his big brother’s footsteps.”

“Jesus, that’s a worrying concept,” I muttered, rubbing my jaw, as I moved for the utility room to grab a couple of hurls.

“Good luck,” John called over his shoulder. “Good luck and watch out for the cannon.”

My brows furrowed in confusion. “The cannon?”

 

 

THE CANNON TURNED out to be Tadhg, perched on a stool on top of an impressive looking treehouse, with a hurley in hand, and an unlimited supply of sliotars at his disposal.

“I told ya before, fatty,” he called out, lacing a sliotar full force in my direction. “Try and take over my fort again and I’ll take the head clean off ya!”

“Jesus Christ,” I hissed, narrowly avoiding a ball to the face.

“I can do this all night,” my brother called out, letting another sliotar fly, clearly too busy taking fire to realize who he was firing at. “Pussy!”

“Little shit,” I grunted when he got me in the nuts. “I’ll give you pussy.” Tossing down the hurley I’d brought with me for him, I quickly hooked up a rogue sliotar with the one I’d claimed as my own and fired back at him.

Clearly, my ability to puck a sliotar hadn’t diminished one bit since my departure. In fact, it was a little too accurate. When the sliotar I pucked hit my brother square between the eyes, and he fell headfirst out of the tree, my heart stopped beating for a solid five seconds.

“Oh, shit,” I choked out, tossing the hurley away, as I raced towards him. “Tadhg? Are ya dead?”

“No,” he growled, scrambling onto his feet and lunging for me. “But you’re about to be.”

The guilt I was feeling for the steady stream of blood trickling from his nose was enough to make me stand there and take my beating.

“Fucker,” he growled, wrestling me to the ground. “You broke my nose.” “You broke my nuts,” I shot back, unable to stop myself from laughing at

the outraged expression etched on his face as he attempted to pummel me

into the grass. “You got big, kid.”

“Yeah, and you got skinny,” he countered, twisting and rolling around in the grass with me. “And I hope I did break your nuts.”

“Me too,” I agreed, rolling onto my back and letting him pin me. “On a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you?”

“Fourteen,” he hissed, pulling on my hair. “And a half.”

“What the fuck is this?” I laughed, bucking him off my lap. “Who taught you to pull hair? Shannon?”

“Actually, it was your girlfriend,” he countered. “When she was screaming my name.”

I narrowed my eyes in warning. “Tadhg.” “Yes, Tadhg, yes!” he mocked.

“I’m warning ya.”

“Oh, Tadhg, you’re so much better than Joey.” “You little shit.”

“You deserved it,” he chuckled, flopping onto his back beside me.

“Asshole.”

“Yeah,” I panted. “I think we’ve already established I’m an asshole.” “So, you’re back.”

“I’m back.”

 

 

He nudged my shoulder with his. “About fucking time.” “I know, kid.” I nudged him back. “I missed you, too.”

“HEY, JOHNNY?” Ollie asked, strolling into the living room later that evening. “Are you going to marry my sister?”

“Wait for it,” Gibsie snickered, nudging my shoulder as he tapped away on his PlayStation controller in front of a giant TV in the living room. “He’s

going to start getting stroke symptoms.”

Smirking, I paused our game with my controller and turned my attention to the terrified looking rugby player. “Good question, Ols.”

Right on cue, Kav’s breathing increased, and a bead of sweat trickled down his temple.

“Ollie!” Shannon squealed, turning the color of her crimson sundress. “You can’t ask him that.”

“But he bought balloons to play with you,” Ollie offered innocently. “And Joe says you only use those special balloons with girls when you want to marry them.”

“I did say that,” I laughed, remembering back to a time when that awkward fucking conversation came up. In my defense, Ollie was eight at the time, and he’d caught me off guard.

“A lot he’d know about using balloons,” Johnny muttered, looking rattled, as he pulled at the collar of his shirt. “Bareback bollocky-Bill.”

“Balloons?” Shannon asked, tone laced with confusion, as she snuggled up on Kav’s lap. “What are you —“

“Yeah, baby.” He gave her a meaningful look that said go with it. “Balloons.”

“Oh.” Shannon’s eyes widened as awareness dawned on her. “Balloons.” “Balloons.” Gibsie choked out a laugh. “Ah, lad. I love this kid.”

“Hold on.” Frowning, Ollie turned to look at me. “Do you and Aoife play with balloons together?”

“Not nearly enough,” Gibsie snickered.

“Ha-fucking-ha, lad.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re hilarious.” Ollie frowned in confusion. “Huh?”

“Joey burst his balloon,” Johnny explained to number five.

“And now he can’t play anymore games with Aoife because of his dodgy balloons,” Gibsie laughed, thoroughly fucking enjoying himself at my expense.

“Oh no,” Ollie said with a sad sigh. “Was it the needles? Does she not want to play with you anymore now?”

“Huh?”

“Did you burst her balloon with your needles?” His brown eyes were full of compassion. “Did you make her sad?”

Everyone fell quiet, the laughing stopped, and I felt another piece of me die inside.

“Yeah, Ols,” I forced the words out. “I made her sad with my needles.”

“Huh.” Seeming mollified with that answer, Ollie skipped out of the living room, leaving behind a bad taste in my mouth.

“Well, that sure as hell went south fast,” Gibsie declared, tossing his controller down and climbing to his feet. “Now, I feel like comfort eating.”

“Stay out of the biscuit tin, Gibs,” Johnny argued from his perch on the couch with my sister. “You’re in training, lad, remember?”

“Yeah, well, you tell my emotions that, Johnny, because I’m feeling raw, lad. Raw, I tell you,” he replied, swiping his car keys off the coffee table. “I’m going on a food run into town.”

“There’s plenty to eat in the kitchen.”

“Grease, Cap,” he snapped, moving for the door. “I need grease, lad. Not another boiled chicken fucking fillet.”

“You disgust me.”

“Not nearly as much as this healthy eating plan you’ve got me following disgusts me,” he huffed before wagging his brows and grinning. “Now, who’s up for a burger from the chipper?”

Kav said no and the same time Shannon said yes, and I swear I’d never seen a lad do a one-eighty faster. “You want something from the chipper, Shan?”

“Uh, maybe?” she replied. “If that’s okay?”

“Anything,” he replied gruffly. “You can anything you want, baby.”

Beaming up at him, my sister reeled off her food order, while Kav hung on her every word.

“Anything, Shannon like the river,” Gibsie parroted in mocking tone, clutching his chest. “You can have anything, baby.”

“Gibs,” Kav warned, climbing to his feet and pocketing his wallet. “Give it a bleeding rest, will ya?”

“You can have my battered sausage,” Gibs continued to gush mockingly. “Like I said: anything for you, baby.”

“I’ll take a spin into town if it’s going,” I interrupted, deciding that it would be mentally less scarring to ignore the battered sausage jibe. “See if Aoife’s back.”