CHAPTER 13

MAYA

An emotional night led to an emotional day as I packed up the last of our belongings from the cottage at Crow Manor. After last night and the discussion between Jackson and Johnny, it seemed pointless to wait until the end of October to move out.

I'd told Johnny that I needed to do this by myself and while he hadn't been happy about it, he'd let me but not until he'd spoken to Reaper and asked if they'd help carry boxes to my car.

After I'd cleaned the cottage from top to bottom, I stood in the lounge and looked around, remembering the first day that I'd arrived with my children in tow, a little dented and broken, not knowing what was going to happen next. The Crow MC had taken us in and built me back up until I was back on my feet. Helping me get a job that fit around the children, letting Emy and Jackson attend the Crow nursery for free so I could work and get our finances back to being healthy. I'd be forever grateful to them. I don't know what I would have done if Ben hadn't found me.

Taking a deep breath, I wiped a finger under my eye and turned to leave, only to come to a stop as Reaper filled the door with Dragon coming in behind him.

"Is that everything?" Reaper motions to the boxes I'd stacked at the door.

"Yeah," I nodded, my voice choked up as I wiped frantically at my face to stop the tears. "That's the last."

"Ah babe, come here," Reaper opens his arms, and I catapult into them. "You're going to be fine. The O'Sheas are good people and Johnny loves the stuffing out of you. We're only a call away and the children will still be going to school here."

"I know," I sniffled into his cut, "I'm being silly, it's just this is the first place that I ever felt safe. I love being at the O'Sheas too. It's just a bit scary moving on. There's been so many changes in the last few years. "

Reaper squeezes me, "It might be scary, Maya, but you're strong, stronger than many I've known. You're going to be fine, and I understand that pretty soon you're going to be planning a wedding. Plus, Jackson couldn't wait to tell us that he was going to be an O'Shea like his dad, uncles, and granda. You're building a life for all of you and it's going to be a good one."

"It is," I agree, standing back. Wiping at my cheeks, I smile at them. "Well, I guess we better get this last lot loaded because I have about five hundred gates to open when I hit the O'Sheas, before I even get to the main house."

Dragon and Reaper laugh at my slight exaggeration. Dragon taking me from Reaper and hugging me, swaying us back and forth.

"Going to miss you and your sprogs," he says softly, but his eyes are smiling. All of them are happy for me and it showed, which goes a long way in assuring me that this is a good decision.

"Stop calling them sprogs," I mutter, slapping his shoulder slightly.

Walking over to where Reaper is picking up boxes, I take the smallest one and Dragon gets the rest. Taking one last look into the cottage before closing the door and metaphorically locking it on this chapter of my life. Turning away, I walk towards the garage, more than ready for the adventure that the next chapter was going to bring me. I had a feeling that with Johnny and his family, every day was going to be an adventure. And I was right. They certainly didn't let the grass grow under their feet when they wanted something.

The following month found Johnny and me getting married. Neither of us had wanted a big wedding, so we'd got married at the local registrar's office with only his family, Reaper and Abby, as witnesses. Then we'd gone to Avy's pub and had a good party. For me, it had been perfect. Family and good friends were what I'd wanted, and it was what I'd got.

We all slipped into a new routine with ease. Johnny was by no means a hands-off parent; he got stuck right in with me. He'd adopted my two as quickly as he could. Emy had loved him from the start, but it made my heart happy to see how Jackson flourished not only under his attention but under the attention that was lavished on him by his uncles and granda.

As for me, I was treated like a queen. It had started with an additional cleaner for the clubs, then it was that I take one night a week off from cooking and we got dinner in.

It took me a while to notice but one day I realised that I hadn't put fuel in my car for months even though I used it every day. Johnny had been taking it to be filled while I worked at The Lounge in the morning, and I'd never realised. The same thing was true for services and the MOT fitness checks. Adam had taken all my details and scheduled all that in for me. For a woman who'd relied on herself all her life, it was a heady feeling knowing that there were some things I no longer had to worry about.

Either Adam or Liam babysat with Colm twice a month so that Johnny and I could go out for dinner. I'd never had this, ever. I'd often been treated like an afterthought. At first it had been hard to let go and let them spoil me, but when I realised how happy it made them, I gave up and let them do what they wanted.

The only thing I insisted on was that we had dinner every night at the table, and we talked about our day. I'd loved family dinner when I'd had it with the Crows, and I wanted to implement it here. I wanted for Jackson, Emy, and any other children we had to know they were loved, wanted, and listened to. Just like I wanted the men in my life to know that they could talk about anything, and we'd listen and help if needed. So, evening dinners at the table became a thing, work hours were adjusted so that we could all eat together.

‘Not that anybody fought me on it,' I thought with a smile as I took a deep dish of bubbling lasagna out the oven and put it on the table with the garlic bread and salad. Putting two fingers in my mouth, I took a deep breath and let out a piercing whistle, then shouted, "Supper's on the table."

It didn't take long for everyone to gather. Adam buckled Emy into her highchair. Johnny came to me with a smile, pulling out my chair so I could sit down, " A ghrá , that whistle is enough to wake the dead."

"It gets you all here, doesn't it?" I grin at him, kissing his cheek. Going to help Jackson but see Liam is already sorting him, Emy is already piling food into her mouth like she hasn't eaten in days.

Colm catches my eye and winks at me. Adam is, as usual, quietly watching everything, but he's smiling, so I know all is good with him.

Johnny's hand is heavy on my thigh when he gives it a little squeeze. I tilt my head to look at him enquiringly.

"Thank you, a ghrá ."

"For what?" I ask, puzzled.

"For this," he whispers in my ear. "We're a family again and it's all down to you. Stór Mo Chroí, Mrs. O'Shea."

"Love you too, Mr. O'Shea. And just so you know, there will be another O'Shea with us later this year," I say loud enough for the whole table to hear.

I'd told Johnny this morning, he'd been ecstatic and would have shouted it from the rooftops then and there, but I'd wanted to wait until we were all together tonight to announce it.

A resounding cheer made me laugh. Colm pulled me up from my chair, hugging me into a tight embrace, tears in his eyes.

"Thank you, iníon ."

Standing on tiptoes, I kissed his grizzled cheek, "No thanks needed, Da. This baby is going to be so blessed to have all of you. Best thing I ever did was get your son slapped," I cackled with laughter.

Colm laughed along with me, before allowing me to sit back down and going back to his own place.

It was a good night filled with love and laughter just like I liked it and through it all, Johnny was there, loving and living right alongside me.

I liked to think he was my reward for all the shit that had happened to me before I met him.

He always says I saved him, but for me it was the other way around. He saved me.