Redeeming 6: Boys of Tommen #4

AOIFE

SECRETLY THRILLED that Joey was handed a two-week suspension from Tommen, I soaked in every second of having him with me.

Because the truth was that I felt better when he was around.

More stable.

More supported.

More like me.

Unlike when I was with my mother, I didn’t feel embarrassed or inadequate when I had to ask him a question about AJ. It was like Home Economics class all over again and I had the best partner. He was so patient with me, even when I didn’t have any patience for myself. For the first week of his suspension, he rarely left our sides. By the second week, he managed to coax me out of the house with the prospect of hitting the shop. The boy knew my weakness and targeted it with unapologetic deviousness.

“How would you feel about taking a spin over to the manor?” Joey asked on Tuesday morning, as he drove us back from the doctor’s office, after taking our son to his two-week checkup.

The Pogues’ A Rainy Night In Soho was playing on the radio, and the lyrics were curling around my heart like a little blanket of warmth.

“Everyone will be at school, so it’ll just be Edel and Sean,” he was quick to add, reaching across the console to give my thigh a reassuring squeeze. “Nothing too stressful, I promise.”

“Of course, Joe,” I replied, snatching his hand up in mine. “God, I’m sorry, I didn’t even think that you would want to bring AJ over to see your family.”

“I want to bring the both of you over,” he corrected gruffly. “But it doesn’t have to be today if you’re not feeling up to it.”

“Why wouldn’t I feel up to it?”

“You’ve had a hard couple of weeks, Molloy.”

“So have you.”

He snorted. “Hardly.”

“You’ve literally done every single night feed for the past seven nights.”

“Because you’ve literally grown a human for the past nine months.”

“You think I can do this, right, Joe?” I asked, looking back to check on AJ, who was nestled in his car seat in the back of my car. “You think I can be a good mam, right?”

“I don’t think it, Molloy, I know it.”

“I’m getting better at it, though, right?” I chewed out my lip, feeling another horrible wave of uncertainty. “It’s just that I love him so much, Joe. Every time I look at him, I get completely overwhelmed thinking about all the things that could go wrong. All the things I don’t know. The thought of doing something wrong or making a mistake with him makes the anxiety inside of me multiply until I can’t breathe.”

“I feel the exact same way,” he replied, squeezing my hand.

“You do?”

He nodded. “With you, Molloy.”

My breath hitched and my heart squeezed tight. “Joe.”

“Listen to me, you are an unbelievable mam, and that kid is lucky to have you,” he urged. “You don’t need to second guess a damn thing you do, Aoif. You honestly don’t, because you’ve got this, baby. You’re the glue. The three of us are here together because of you.” He squeezed my hand again. “AJ wouldn’t be here without you, and neither would I. So, don’t doubt yourself because you’re temporarily out of steam. The only reason you’ve been running on fumes in the first place is because you’ve spent your entire pregnancy picking up the slack for me.”

His words curled around my heart, and I shivered. “Joe, it’s okay. I understand. You were sick.“

“Yeah, I was,” he agreed. “And I can’t change that part of our story, but I can lighten the load for you now. I can step up now, Aoif, so let me do it, okay?” He cast a glance in my direction, imploring me with his clear green eyes to listen to him. “Let me take care of you.”

‘Joey?’ Edel called out from behind the kitchen door. ‘Is that you, love?’

Standing in the utility room, I watched as my boyfriend fought an internal battle.

I could see it in his eyes.

I knew exactly what was happening in his brain.

Joe was willing himself not to run.

He was willing himself to trust the woman on the other side of the door.

“You’ve got this,” I whispered, reaching out to trace his cheek with my thumb.

Finding that inner steel I adored so much, he took a steadying breath and nodded to himself before calling out, “Yeah, it’s me.” I watched as he tightened his hold on AJ’s car seat and pushed the door open. ‘I brought a few people to see you.’

Pride.

It roared to life inside of me.

When we stepped into the kitchen, I was too overwhelmed to speak.

‘Look at you,’ Edel whispered, clasping the front of her apron with floury hands, as her tear-filled gaze flicked from me, to AJ, before settling on Joey. ‘Look at the man standing in my kitchen.’

“Holy shit, Joe,” I spluttered when he let me inside his new digs. “This entire place is yours?” I spun around with our son in my arms, taking in the huge open plan kitchen/living area. “Are these people fucking millionaires?”

“I think they are,” he replied with a frown, as he set the empty car seat on the table. “It’s fairly wild, huh?”

“I’d say,” I replied, choking out a laugh. “Holy crap, this is insane.”

“It sure beats that mouse-infested flat in Elk’s Terrace we talked about, huh?”

“Yeah,” I laughed and then quickly spun back to face him, when awareness smacked me upside the head. “Wait, what?”

“Move in with me.”

I stood, unmoving, un-bloody-blinking, as I tried to absorb his words. “Huh?”

“Move in with me, Molloy,” Joey repeated. “Live with me.”

“Here?”

“Here,” he confirmed with a nod. “To start with. Until I get you that mansion in the country, that is.”

My heart bucked wildly in my chest as my eyes roamed over his face, searching for the lie.

I didn’t find it.

“Of course, the ring will come first, when I’ve saved up the money,” he continued, withdrawing a packet of Rolos from the front pocket of his hoodie and setting them down on the table. “Consider these the sweetener.”

“You’re serious,” I breathed, feeling dizzy, as I watched him close the space between us. “You’re not joking.”

“No, I’m not,” he replied, clamping a hand down on my hip. “Be with me.”

“I am with you, Joe.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Be with me, Molloy.”

“In what way?”

“In every way.”

Whoa.

“I love you.” He reached a hand between us and stroked AJ’s soft curls. “I’ve spent a third of my life loving you, Aoife Molloy, and I don’t plan on stopping.” Leaning in close, he pressed his brow to mine and exhaled a shaky breath. “I’ve made a lot of terrible decisions,” he admitted quietly. “But the worst, by far, was hurting you and pushing you away.”

“It’s okay, Joe,” I heard myself whisper, trembling now. “I forgive you.”

“I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he replied, voice thick and gruff. “But I will earn it. Because whatever comes our way, from here on out, I’ll be right beside you.” He nuzzled my nose with his before pressing a kiss to my lips. “Because in this version of forever, we get the happy ending, Molloy.”