Chapter 20
DONOVAN
The next couple of weeks passed without much incident, which was a relief considering all the bullshit going on behind the scenes with Evan and the custody case.
Ro and I took the kids up to Rock Springs to kit them out with back-to-school clothes and supplies, and we had a blast. Then we all went back a few days later to go boating and waterskiing at Flaming Gorge.
The kids loved it, especially Imogen, who was a total water baby. The best part of the day was that I got to perv on Rosie in cut-off shorts and a bikini top, and the worst part was that all the other men in the vicinity did too.
At one point, Rosie had to pull me back from punching some asshole who hit on her in front of my face. We got nose-to-nose before my woman dragged me away and told him to beat feet. Apart from that little blip, our day out was amazing, and the perfect swan song before the kids went back to school.
On the last weekend of the summer break, Cash decided to have a party at the Demons' clubhouse. Ro and I arranged to go to the shindig with Callum and Maeve. My brother had told Ma about Maeve’s pregnancy a couple of days after they got back from their honeymoon, and as you could imagine, she was beside herself.
Mam was bursting to tell everybody, but Callum wanted to wait until Maeve was past the twelve-week mark, which incidentally fell on the same weekend as the party, so the happy couple decided they’d announce their news there.
I rushed home from work with Imogen and fed and bathed her. As soon as we emerged from the bathroom, Ma hovered in the background, itching to take over while I got my girl into her little sleep onesie.
“Should I take my granddaughter Imogen so you can get dressed?” Mam asked, her tone verging on desperation.
“Thanks, Ma. I’m good.” I carefully threaded my girl’s little arm into her sleeve. “I won’t see her all night. I want to spend as much time as I can with her before I go out.”
Imogen looked up at me, and I swore I saw her little eyes roll.
My eyes widened as I looked down at her, and in an affronted tone, I asked, “Excuse me, but what was that?”
Imogen heaved out a sigh, and in her sweet baby voice, she murmured, “Nana.”
Mam sniffed haughtily. “See? She wants her nanna, but her father’s too selfish to hand her over. I ask Mary mother of Jesus, every day how the angels could send me such a little fecker for a son. You’ve had her all day at work, and I’ve been lonely, and you don’t even care.”
“Alright, alright, I’m done now anyway. I’m pretty sure she’s ten seconds away from falling asleep.”
Mam swooped in and took the baby, settling her on her hip. “She’s not going to sleep anytime soon. I have a new mermaid story I want to read to her, and we’re playing sticker books for a while, aren’t we, Imogen love?”
My daughter looked up at her nanna and gave her a big, toothy smile before faceplanting her cheek against Mam’s chest.
“You’re going to have a little baby cousin soon, Imogen.
Isn’t that grand?” Mam crooned. “We should go through the baby book and make a list of all the names we like and give it to your aunt Maeve. I’m sure she’d love some suggestions, don’t you?
There are some beautiful Irish names we could tell her about.
..” Mam’s voice faded away as she took Imogen into the kitchen, no doubt so she could shove something sweet and full of additives down my kid’s neck.
My heart warmed as I watched them leave. Not for the first time, I wondered what my dad would have made of my daughter.
Lorcan O’Shea was a man’s man, but he loved the ladies, too.
He made mistakes with my brothers and me, but he wasn’t that way with my sister Aislynn.
Dad doted on her, called her his princess, and encouraged her to do and be whatever she wanted.
It was Mam who was harder on Ash, and although they had a great relationship, Mam was always on her back to settle down and have babies, though hopefully, Callum and I could keep her happy in that department for a while.
Checking my watch, I realized I only had ten minutes until my ride was due. Heading into my bedroom, I paused to grab my cell phone from my back pocket and clicked on Rosie’s name.
She answered after the third ring with a soft, “Hey.”
My cock jerked because I only had to hear my woman’s voice to be affected by her.
“I’m glad you called,” she continued. “I just wanted to ask what your thoughts are on biker club party attire for women?”
Walking into my room, I closed the door, quietly chuckling. “Honest, baby. Can’t say I have any thoughts on it either way. Maybe you should explain more.”
“Okay,” she replied. “Let me spell it out. The club girls there won’t be wearing much, and I’m not a girl to be upstaged, so I was thinking sexy with a touch of skank.”
My voice dropped low. “I don’t give a fuck, Rosie Posy, but I warn you, if I see a glimpse of titty, I’ll be dragging your ass somewhere quiet and giving you the business.”
She paused for a second, then murmured, “Oops.”
I laughed because Rosie showing some titty could mean anything, and I was all over that shit. “Wear what you want, babe. I don’t give a fuck.”
“O’Shea, you’re like a breath of fresh air. I’m used to being around cavemen like my brother, who think it’s okay to tell their women what to do. I don’t know how Sophie puts up with his neanderthal ass.”
I clicked the phone onto speaker and rested it on my dresser. “I gotta point out the obvious here, Ro. Never had a woman I cared about before, so as much as I say it doesn’t bother me, in reality, it may hit different. Remember the guy at Flaming Gorge? I was close to ripping his head off.”
“Baby, he hit on me in front of your face. If you hadn’t stepped in, I would’ve thought you were a dick. There are levels, honey, and your level was perfectly fine there.”
I pulled off the tee I was wearing and opened my closet to grab a clean shirt. “Whatever you wear, I’ll deal.”
She paused, then in a husky voice, said, “God. I love that about you. You’re so secure in yourself.
I don’t know if it’s because you’re so handsome that you don’t have to worry about other men, or if you’re just more evolved.
There are a lot of things I love about you, Donovan O’Shea, but I think that one comes out on top. ”
I paused buttoning up my shirt and smiled as her words sank in.
This was Rosie all over, no games, no bullshit. She let everything hang out, and I didn’t mean physically, but emotionally too. She possessed qualities that I’d never known in a woman before, and along the way, I’d fallen hard for her.
Maybe I fell on our first night, who the fuck knew? But I did know for sure that I definitely fell by our second.
“Rosie Woods,” I murmured, my voice raspy with emotion. “I’d walk through deserts of fire and mountains of ice if I knew you’d be waiting for me at the other side.”
“Donovan,” she whispered. “I lo—”
“Don’t say it,” I cut in. “Don’t say it when I’m here, and you’re there, and definitely don’t say it where I can’t kiss you.”
She giggled.
Lights from outside shone through the room and pulled me from my trance. “Callum’s here. I gotta go.”
“See you soon, honey,” she said softly.
I grinned. “Yeah, baby. See you soon.”
—————
Jumping down from the back of Callum’s F150, I reached up, grabbed Rosie’s waist with both hands, and lifted her out of the truck.
Her eyes flashed into mine, “You’re hot when you do that.”
I gave her The Smirk. “You’re just hot.”
She smirked right back at me because the sexy bitch knew how gorgeous she was. Rosie was the only woman alive who could give me a raging hard-on from twenty paces.
The instant she walked out of her house in her tight black leather pants, fuck-me heels, and a black lacy corset top, I’d been semi-hard. My state wasn’t helped by her dark, smoky eye makeup and her red, vampy lips.
God only knew how I was supposed to keep my damned hands off her all night. I wasn’t exactly known for my self-control, so I could see myself spiriting her away somewhere dark and banging her against a wall.
I slung my arm across her shoulder, bicep to nape, and pulled her in close so my forearm hung down past her chest. “Babe, tell me, did you paint those pants on?”
She twisted her neck, looked up at me, and giggled. “You can find out later when you peel them off.”
I adjusted the crotch of my jeans with my free hand, muttering, “Sexy little bitch.”
Rosie laughed. “I try my best.”
I eyed her tits, spilling out the top of the lace corset. “Where d’ya get your top from?”
“Some sexy undies boutique back in Oregon.”
“So, it’s literally underwear?” I asked dryly.
She smirked up at me again. “We’re at a biker party. It’ll be tame compared to some of the outfits. When in Rome and all that.”
“I wasn’t criticizing, Ro,” I said huskily. “You look gorgeous.”
The locks beeped from Callum’s truck, and he sauntered toward us, hand in hand with his wife.
“I know I’ve told you this at least eight times, but your hair really does look amazing,” Rosie called over to Maeve.
I gave her neck a little squeeze with my arm because I loved how she tried to boost Maeve’s confidence.
My sister-in-law was pretty and sweet, and also nerdy.
It was only recently that she’d come into her looks, helped by Tristan, who owned the local salon.
However, sometimes she still lacked self-confidence.
Maeve reached up and touched her hair, smiling shyly. “Thanks, I’ve had a new keratin treatment, so it’s smooth. I love your outfit. I think you look like one of those baddie girls from Brooklyn. They’re awesome.”
Callum deadpanned at me. “You got any clue what they’re on about?”
My arm tightened around Rosie. “Yeah. It’s just you who’s an old fart. I swear, Cal, you get more like Da every day.”
“Better than getting more like Mam,” he shot back.
Rosie laughed softly and squeezed my waist. “He got you there,” she teased just as a voice yelled, “Yo!”