Chapter Thirty-Six
Alicia
“Tell me about the Phoenix,” Ro rumbles against my spine where he’s been placing soft kisses.
We’ve spent the better part of the day in bed—making love slowly or fucking like the world is ending. Eventually, our bodies wore out and we dozed off. I woke up to him tracing the lines of my tattoo with his lips.
I hum in response, trying to formulate words when all I can think about is the feel of him. “I can’t think when you’re touching me like that.”
He chuckles, places one last kiss to my shoulder, then settles back on his side, head propped on his fist. “Sorry, love.”
Cracking open an eye, I give him a look. “I didn’t say I was mad about it. But if you want the story, you’re going to have be a good boy and not distract me.”
He grins, not an ounce of shame on his face. “I rather like the sound of you calling me a good boy, so, for now, I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
“We’ll see,” I tease.
“Cross my heart and all that,” he promises, schooling his face into a mask of sincerity. “Please tell me the story of your Phoenix tattoo.”
I sigh as I think back to that day.
* * *
“Okay, B. I’ll see you after school, okay?” I wave to my eight year old sister as she exits the car and walks into the elementary school.
It’s the first day back after the holiday break, and she’s been dreading it.
Even as a third grader, school is so hard for her, but I’m hoping that with the new ADHD medicine her doctor prescribed, she’ll have an easier time.
Last semester was disastrous. Her reading level tanked and she’s constantly in trouble for not staying in her seat or interrupting the teacher.
Getting her to focus on any single task for longer than five minutes has been a challenge not just at school, but at home too.
God bless her teacher, though. That woman has the patience of a saint.
At our first parent-teacher conference, I was honest and explained our situation.
How both parents had been out of the picture for quite some time and I’d been the one raising Bridget for the last eight years.
I confessed how I was at my wit’s end and had no idea how to help my sister.
That’s when she said she suspected Bridget had ADHD and would benefit from testing.
Initially I fought the idea, but the more she explained it the more sense it made.
It took me a while to eventually make the appointment with our family doctor, but finally, over the holiday break, I got her in and her diagnosis was confirmed.
They gave me some resources to help manage the symptoms while also prescribing a low dose of a stimulant.
She’s been on it for about a week, and so far, I can’t tell if the improvements I’ve seen are from the meds, new routine, or both. Time will tell, I guess.
Speaking of time, it’s my twentieth birthday, and I have plans with my tattoo artist, Griff, to finally get started on the Phoenix tattoo I’ve been saving up for.
The idea came to me shortly after our parents deserted us.
I’ve worked at least two jobs since I was sixteen and learned how to manage money at a young age.
Whenever Mom would send me to the store with a list and a rumpled up wad of cash, I always bought the off-brand of what we needed and pocketed whatever money was leftover.
Then when we’d get shut off notices in the mail, I’d pull from my stash.
At first, I was certain that we’d be doomed without our parents, but quickly realized that I’d been the one holding it together all along, so I was more than capable of doing this now.
Probably even better now that I didn’t have to manage my good-for-nothing parents.
Once I saw that we weren’t just surviving, but thriving, I felt like a new person.
We’d been in the flames of hell for so long, but we were finally starting to emerge.
My first tattoo was a Capricorn symbol, and that’s all it took for me to know that my addiction wouldn’t be drugs or alcohol, but the buzzing of a needle inking a permanent mural into my skin.
So I saved and saved, knowing that eventually I’d want a large piece (or two) and it wouldn’t be cheap.
The Phoenix may be cliché, but it’s the best representation of my life I could think of.
Life is hard as fuck, but I’ve always managed to rise from the ashes and start fresh.
It also reminds me to not just get back up, but to stay strong.
And maybe be a little intimidating in the process.
* * *
“So, there you have it. Not anything exciting really.” I shrug my shoulders, still laying flat on my stomach.
“Not exciting, like skydiving, but still a compelling story of resilience and strength. For someone that young to already carry so much weight, it’s remarkable, love.
” Ro leans in to place a gentle kiss on the corner of my mouth.
“You are remarkable. And in case no one’s said it, I’m so proud of you. ”
I turn my face to bury it into my pillow, not from embarrassment, but to hide the wave of emotions that hit me with his declaration.
No one has ever said those words to me. I’ve heard “good job”, but never that someone is proud of me.
For one shining moment, I feel weightless and free.
I’m not a fucked up bartender who is barely scraping by while trying to create a better life for her little sister.
I feel worthy of good things, of a good life.
It’s fleeting, but an image flashes in my mind of what life could be for us, and I want to grab it with both hands.
A house. No, not a house, but a home. Nothing huge, or fancy; a nice home full of love and laughter.
A safe space for all who enter. And inside, at a kitchen table, sits a dark-haired teen who, for the first time, looks peaceful and genuinely happy.
She’s laughing at something a beautiful man with red hair is saying.
Then there’s me, standing in the kitchen, taking it all in.
It’s my family. It’s a future I want more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life.
Rowan
“Move into my flat.”
The words jump from my gob before I can stop them. Not that I regret them, because I don’t, but now may not be the right time for this conversation. Too late to take them back now though.
Alicia lifts her head and stares at me wide-eyed, then bursts into laughter. “Whoa there, buddy.”
“What?” I ask, falling onto my back and throwing an arm over my eyes, offended and embarrassed.
I feel the bed shift before her hand gently rests on my chest. Peeking out from under my arm I find her staring at me intently, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
“Ro,” she whispers.
Like the sophisticated man I am, I grunt and shut my eyes.
“Baby,” she pleads. “Hey, will you look at me, please?”
“Forget I said anything. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Next thing I know she’s straddling my waist and prying my arm away.
“Gallagher,” she says sharply, the switch in tone snapping my eyes open and making my cock twitch. Plus she’s still gloriously naked, which means the view from here is only fueling the fire. She smirks. “There he is.”
The sigh that leaves me is supposed to be inaudible, but Alicia hears it and peers at me like I’m a petulant child. “Are you ready to talk to me like an adult now?”
Shame spreads through me, because I am acting like an eejit. My pride was wounded, when it’s my own fecking fault for springing it on her like that. That’s not something you just throw out there without some sort of preamble.
Sitting up, I drag myself to lean against the headboard, pulling her with me. Once settled, I wind my arms around her waist, bringing her close enough for our chests to press together, her piercings grazing across my pecs. I can’t imagine I’ll ever get tired of feeling her skin against mine.
“You’re right,” I murmur, leaning in to brush my lips against her jaw. “I’m sorry, love. I’m being a right gobdaw.” I place a kiss just below her ear, making her shiver.
With a husky laugh, and the slight rocking of her hips, she admits, “I don’t know what that means, but I agree.”
My cock stirs, hardening against her arse. I’d love to impale her on me, watch as she rides me to her release, but that will come later. Right now, we need to talk. Reluctantly, I pull back to look directly in her eyes.
“I’m sorry—truly—but this is something I think we should discuss, Li.”
She cocks her head to the side, a curtain of onyx hair spilling over her shoulder. “You think we should discuss me moving in with you? Even though we’ve only been officially together for a matter of weeks?”
“Aye, I do,” I tell her honestly. “We may have only been courtin’ a short while, but we’ve known each other for far longer.
And hear me out before you jump down my throat, but I know you’re struggling with money, especially after your poor excuse for a da took what didn’t belong to him.
You hate working at the country club, so just stay at Patty’s and move into my flat.
It’s been paid up through the rest of the year.
It’s just sitting there empty when I’m on the road anyway.
I only stay there when I come back to Wilmington. ”
Alicia gives me a thoughtful look. “And Bridget?”
“What about her?” I ask disbelievingly. I know she’s not suggesting I haven’t thought about, and included, the lass in my plans. I’m just as attached to her as I am to the woman in my arms. “There are two bedrooms. She’ll have her own space.”
Her lips purse. “And where will you sleep when you’re back in town if there are only two rooms?”
“Well, darlin’,” I croon. “I assumed you and I’d be sharing a bed.”
“That’s mighty presumptuous of you, Rowan Gallagher. What if I’m not that kind of girl?”
She’s fucking with me, but I still give her a what-for. “Christ, woman, do you have to make ructions out of everything?”
A giggle escapes her. “I don’t know what the means either, but you can’t just spring something like that on me and not expect questions!”
I cup her face between my hands. “Alicia, this doesn’t have to be complicated. All I’m asking is for you to let me be there for you. Let me help.”
Her sapphire eyes dart back and forth between mine for a moment before she says softly, “Okay.”
My shoulders sag in relief. “Good lass,” I murmur against her lips, gripping her waist and lifting her slightly to position my cock at her entrance before slamming home. Alicia cries out loudly, digging her nails into my bare shoulders. “Now be extra good and ride me, darlin’.”