CHAPTER 13

Adam

Supper time in the O’Shea household was always chaotic with so many people to feed, but Tilly and Maya seemed to love it. It had been suggested that we get them some help in, and they’d both vetoed it.

They liked spending time together, chatting while they worked. It wasn’t that we didn’t chip in when needed, because we did. My Mam would have turned in her grave if we didn’t. When Maya was in hospital having Ronan, we’d all taken turns helping Tilly, and we made sure that they never had to clean up; instead, they sat at the table and kept us company. I’d gone from being fairly solitary to spending more and more time with my family and found that I enjoyed it. I was looking forward to telling them our news.

I’d been worried when Tilly had called me because although she sounded fine, I’d known from the tone of her voice that something was going on and hadn’t wasted any time getting home.

Only relaxing once I was through our front door and in our home, there she was, looking gorgeous as always, waiting for me. Striding towards her, I’d taken her mouth with mine.

But when I’d seen the T-shirts they each wore, I felt as though my heart had stopped before it started beating again. This was nothing I’d ever expected to have. Not with the lives we’d lived; I’d never have wanted my woman to go through what Noni had, and I’d made peace with not having a family. But now I realised that I’d been lying to myself because this… this was everything, I now know, as I stood against the far side of the kitchen watching Maya and Tilly working side by side to get supper sorted and on the table, Ronan sleeping happily in his swing in the corner, safely tucked out of the way.

Tilly and Maya were just about to put the stew and freshly baked bread on the table when we heard the rest of the family coming. It was hard not to.

“They’re like a herd of elephants,” Tilly said laughingly to Maya just as Johnny came bursting through the door and made a beeline for her, scooping her up and laying a kiss on her laughing mouth. Smiling at them, I shook my head in amusement. Liam followed, shaking his head at Johnny and rolling his eyes at me.

Grinning, I walked towards my lady and wrapped my arms around her, cupping her belly. Now that I knew, I couldn’t seem to help myself. We’d had to send the girls out of the kitchen until we were ready for the big reveal. I wondered how long it would take them to notice.

Turning Tilly towards me, her laughing brown eyes caught mine, and I couldn’t help myself, I had to kiss her until Da interrupted us.

“Okay, boys, put my girls down. We have starving children waiting to be fed, not watch you maul their mothers,” Da’s amused voice rang out as he pulled his chair out and sat down.

Tilly grinned at me, saying with a snigger, “You heard Da, put me down.”

Reluctantly, I let her go. “Trouble, that’s what you are,” I told her, tapping her on the backside before I pulled her chair out for her.

Looking down the table, I saw that Ally and Jeanie already had their T-shirts on display, excited smiles on their faces. Smothering a laugh, I wondered how long they’d contain themselves before they burst.

“Here, a ghrá , let me get your jumper,” I say to Tilly with a wink before she can sit.

“Thanks, love,” she says as she pulls it off, facing towards Da, whose face lit up into a pleased smile as I straightened it and winked at him.

Liam, because of where he sat next to Da, also had a good look, and he grinned wide when he noticed, then his eyes flickered to Ally and Jeanie, who were squirming with excitement.

Johnny, never one to be left out, caught the grin Liam threw in my direction and immediately demanded suspiciously, “What are you grinning at?”

Turning Tilly towards him, I let him read her T-shirt. He let out a whoop. Congratulations and laughter followed.

When everything quietened down, I cleared my throat, “Oh, and it’s twins.”

“Fucking overachiever,” Johnny cackles with laughter, pulling both me and Tilly into a hug. “Happy for you both, brother.”

Jackson and Emy have joined in the noise, not that they really know what is going on. Jackson might, but Emy wouldn’t have a clue; all the noise wakes Ronan up, adding to the happy din.

It’s a good night in the O’Shea family, and it’s all thanks to one of the strongest, most loving women I was lucky enough to call mine.