Chapter 7 #2
“Fecking hell ceann beag, did you have to pick a biker? They’re no fun to tease because they don’t scare off easily.
You and your sister are no fun at all.” He’s laughing, and I can see the resemblance to Butcher as he reaches out and takes my girl from me.
Hugging her, he presses a kiss to her forehead.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Johnny, let them in so we can eat. I’m growing older by the minute, and I want to meet the man my Jeanie’s brought home before I die,” a guttural voice calls out.
“You forgot the wee donkey, Da,” Johnny shouts back at him.
“The wee donkey will be dead and all if you don’t hurry the feck up,” Colm shouts back.
“You’re not dying yet, Granda,” Jeanie calls back and pushes past her uncle, dragging me along with her into the brightly lit kitchen, which at first glance seems to have about a hundred people in it, but it’s probably only about thirty including us. That is still a shit ton of eyes to have on you.
I follow along behind Jeanie as she approaches an older man sitting at the head of the table. Liam sits on his right and a familiar tall dark-haired woman to his left. At least there is another friendly face at the table, other than Sam and Ally’s.
“Granda,” Jeanie greets, bending to kiss the old man’s grizzled cheek affectionately before standing and tugging me closer to introduce me. “This is Bolt.”
Holding out my hand, it’s taken in a firm grip, making a mockery of what I assumed was a frail old man. “Humph,” he mutters, running an assessing gaze over me. This man might be frail now, but he’s seen some shit throughout his life. He lifts his head, and his gaze meets mine.
“Good to meet you, sir,” I say. He stares at me for a beat longer before nodding and turning towards the rest of the table and declares, giving me his approval, “He’ll do.”
Tension I didn’t even know I was carrying slides from my shoulders as the energy in the room shifts at his words. Well, I say all the energy shifts. And it does. Except for the one man glaring at me from the other end of the table.
Meeting his gaze, I nod in understanding, and his eyes turn shrewd. I understand the message without him having to say anything.
He and I will get to it eventually, but not right now.
“Welcome, Bolt.” Sera smiles. I return her greeting just as the back door opens and more familiar faces come through.
A grin spreads across my face as a small blonde tornado almost takes my legs out from under me with a shrieked, “Bolt, you came to see me.” Laughing, I pick up the tot and toss her up in the air, smiling at her shrieks.
She won all our hearts when we went to Ireland and then they visited us when Sam and Ally got married.
Catching her, I settle her on my hip and turn towards the couple in the door watching us, unaware of the surprised glances being traded behind me. “Da, look Bolt came to see me,” she says, pressing her little lips to my cheek.
I tickle her and grin as she squirms, trying to get away before responding, “Of course I came to say hello to my princess.”
And I would have. We all love her at the Queens Wraiths. She is a happy, mischievous soul that had stolen all our hearts.
“Bolt.” Moira smiles up at me as she wraps her arms around my waist in a hug.
“Moira,” I greet her, wrapping my spare arm around her and kissing the top of her head. “It’s lovely to see you. Are you coming out to the Queens Wraiths?” I ask Butcher as I release his wife and shake his hand.
He nods. “Good to see you too, Bolt, and yeah, I spoke to Coal earlier today. We’ll come see you all after Christmas.”
“Let’s eat, everyone,” Colm orders. “We can catch up as soon as we’ve dished up. Bolt can tell us how he knows Andy and his family.”
Turning back to the table, I hand Mikayla over to Butcher to settle.
“Where are you sitting, sweetness,” I ask Jeanie, ignoring the growl that can only come from her father and the sniggers from her uncles.
Jeanie taps the back of the chair she’s standing behind.
Pulling it out, I wait until she’s seated before I sit in the empty chair next to her.
I don’t care if it belongs to someone else.
Tonight, it is mine. Nobody comments when I sit, so hopefully, I won’t have to fight anyone for it.
Food is passed around the table, and I take note that the ladies and children get first dibs before the men dish up.
It’s loud, chaotic, and laughter flows freely.
There’s teasing and gentle reprimands when it gets out of hand, but the underlying current is a feeling of love and respect that flows around the table.
It reminds me of my family and the home I grew up in.
I’m anchored in the moment by the hand that hasn’t left my thigh since we sat down.
The hand of the woman I’ve chosen as mine.
Pudding has been served, and coffee and tea have made it to the table while the teenagers clear up. I wonder when we are going to break the news when Jeanie and Ally stand.
Lifting my eyes to hers, I close my eyes as she cups my cheek for a minute before her hand falls back to her side and reaches for mine. Sam and I rise together. I wrap my arm around Jeanie’s waist, taking her weight as she leans against me.
Up until now, Jeanie’s been strong, not seeming to be worried about telling her family, but now that the moment is upon us, I can tell she is nervous.
I know from the way she acts around her parents that she is worried about disappointing them, but I don’t think that is possible, not with the way they treat each other.
They may be shocked, but they’ll be supportive, much like my family has been, and if they aren’t; well then, I’ll get her out of here. Nobody is going to upset her.
Not even her dad.
The table went silent when the girls had stood. All eyes are on us. Ally clears her throat. “Jeanie and I have some news.”
Adam’s eyes narrow as he looks first at Sam and then at me. A muscle moves in his jaw, and I’m not the only one who notices when Tilly puts her hand on his on the table.
“Ah Jesus,” Jeanie mutters. “I can’t take the tension Ally; I’ll just spit it out.”
Biting my lip to hide my chuckle. That’s my girl, no beating around the bush.
“Feck’s sake, Jeanie, I’m trying to ease them into it.” Ally mutters, glaring at her sister.
“They don’t need easing into it; just spit it out,” Jeanie retorts, glaring back at Ally.
“Girls,” Tilly shouts in what I can only describe as a mom voice. I’ve heard it a few times myself from my own mother.
Ally and Jeanie wince in unison. When they fall silent, Tilly says, “Now what do you want to tell us?”
“You’re going to be grandparents,” they say at the same time before they begin to laugh.
Shock lights up Tilly’s face before she beams with happiness and is out of her chair and around the table pulling both girls into her arms. “My babies are having babies,” Tilly cries.
Tilly’s happy, but Adam glares at Sam and me. He points at Sam. “You’re lucky you married her first.”
He turns the same finger at me. “You! Outside,” he commands and stalks towards the kitchen door.
“Dad!” Jeanie glares at his back as he walks out of the kitchen.
“It’s okay, sweetness,” I say, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“It’s not okay,” she replies, eyes brimming with tears. “I don’t want the men I love to fight.”
My heart swells at her declaration of love. We’ll get to that later because she’s upset right now, and I’m not sure she realises what she’s said.
Enfolding her in my arms, I hug her to me, whispering, “It will be okay. I promise.” Kissing her one last time, I push her towards her mom before I leave the kitchen. Butcher and Sam follow me. It means something to me. Them having my back. Especially Butcher, as this is his family.
I hear shuffling behind them, so I know before long her uncles will follow. Walking out onto the veranda, we watch as Adam walks from one side of the garden to the other, taking deep breaths.
Taking my cut off, I hand it to Sam, saying, “Look after this for me.”
“Will do, brother. Remember he’s her dad.”
Waving my hand over my shoulder at him, I step off the veranda and down the steps, walking towards Adam. He turns to look at me. I stop just short of him.
“You got anything to say?” he demands.
“I’ve got plenty to say, but I’m not sure you’re in the mood to listen, so I’ll give you one shot because I understand that you’re pissed at me for knocking your baby girl up. One shot only, though; after that it’s fair game. When we’re done, maybe you’ll be in the mood to listen.”
I’m barely finished talking when he hits me and fuck me; the man has fists like a brick.
I’m a man of my word, though, and I give him his shot.
I know it’s not just about me and Jeanie; it’s about the fact that both his girls are now no longer his alone to look after, and for a protective man like I know Adam O’Shea to be, it’s got to be a hard pill to swallow.
I also know that I won’t have to hold back with him.
He may be older, a little shorter, and a tad lighter than me, but the man is by no means over the hill, and every hit he lands counts.
He doesn’t pull punches, and when he has to, he fights dirty.
That means I don’t need to hold back either, and it feels fantastic to let all the tension from the last few hours out.
I’m not sure how long we go at it. I know at some point Jeanie comes onto the veranda but keeps back and lets us fight it out. I knew from the start that she was old lady material, and her choice not to interfere only confirms it.
It’s Butcher who finally puts a stop to our fight by stepping between us, saying, “That’s enough from both of you.
Shake hands and be done now. Adam, you’re upsetting Jeanie.
Bolt and Jeanie may have gone about starting out back to front, but he’s a good man, and he’ll cherish Jeanie the way she should be.
Stop being a fecking idiot and go hug your daughter before you lose her. ”
Adam and I stand back at his words. He’s right. Neither of us wants to upset Jeanie any more than we already have.
Both of us are panting with exhaustion, blood and sweat coating us.
We bend over, hands on knees, catching our breath.
Adam looks up at me, and I’m a little proud to see the blood coating his teeth when he smiles before straightening and holding out his hand.
I take it, and I’m surprised when he pulls me in for a hug, slapping my back.
“Welcome to the family. Don’t fuck my daughter over. ”
This is the type of family I can understand. Beat the shit out of each other, but once it’s done, it’s done. Laughing, I slap his back in return. “I won’t,” I reassure him. “She’s in good hands and worth the beating.”
“Feck it.” Adam smirks, letting me go but keeping a hand on my shoulder. “At least my girls have chosen men I can respect.”
His hand is still on my shoulder as we walk up the stairs together. Jeanie’s waiting for us at the top of the stairs, glaring at the pair of us, arms crossed, foot tapping.
‘Man, she looks pissed.’
She takes one look at our grinning faces and throws up her hands, rolling her eyes.
“Boys are so stupid. Clean up so we can go home,” she orders me, then turns on her heel and stalks away.
I can’t help but ogle her fine ass as she walks away clean, forgetting her father is standing next to me until he slaps me on the back of the head.
“Not in my presence.” He glares at me, but I can see his lips twitching, so I’d say he’s over his mad.
“Sorry, Grandpa.” I smirk at him.
“Fecking cheeky gobshite knocking my baby girl up, without first putting a ring on her finger,” he grumbles as he walks away, but I take it as a win because he doesn’t slap me again.
“She is an old lady, though,” I shout at his back.
“At least that’s something,” he rejoins.
I laugh out loud.
Looks like I passed the O’Shea family welcome.