CHAPTER 9

TOMMY

God, this woman was too sweet. Definitely too sweet for a broken-down old fucker like me. But I was a selfish fuck, and I was going to take everything she was willing to give me until she got sick of me. Which I hoped wasn’t anytime soon. This definitely was not how I saw my Christmas going, and I wasn’t sure what I’d done to deserve it, but I was going to hold on tight to the gift I’d been given.

It was one of the best Christmas Days I’d had since leaving Uncle Colm’s house. But even those days had been overshadowed by the constant worry that the police would be knocking on our door because someone had fucked up somewhere and been caught. Then, the years I’d spent doing the man-for-hire jobs. Those type of jobs didn’t give you days off. So if I didn’t find myself working on Christmas Day, then I’d find a bar and get drunk with the rest of the lonely souls the world seemed to have all over. It didn’t matter which country you were in, there were always those who didn’t have a family and the big dinner to look forward to. I’d treasure this day in my memories for years to come.

When dinner was finished, we vegged out on the mattress that we’d left on the floor in the lounge as she didn’t have any furniture in here yet. Sprite snuggled up against my chest, arm thrown over my waist, one leg over my hips, perfectly comfortable as she told me what she wanted to do over the next few days—sanding floors and painting so that she could move in properly in the new year. All her furniture was in storage just waiting to be picked up and moved in.

“I’ll help,” I told her, running my fingers through her bright red hair. “It’s been a while, but I think I remember how to hold a paintbrush.”

Titling her head back to look at me, she smiled, “I won’t say no, because it will go much faster with both of us working on it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Sprite. Told you, I’m not a freeloader.”

Sprite patted me gently on my chest, “I know you’re not, Tommy. Under that dangerous, gruff, grumpy aura you have going on is a good man.”

The fact that she thought that had a lump forming in my throat. Not trusting myself to say anything, I pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

That was another thing I loved about her was that she didn’t need to spend the whole time filling the air with useless chatter. She was just as happy to be quiet, especially when she thought it was needed.

Yep, definitely a day for the memory books.

The rest of the day was spent watching movies, napping, eating leftovers or whatever snack Sprite felt like, and making love. Because that’s what it was with her, whether we went hard and fast or soft and gentle, every time with her, it was making love, not just fucking.

I wasn’t sure when this cold, shrivelled heart started to catch feelings for the gorgeous woman, but somewhere between taking a fall off my bike and waking up under her brightly lit Christmas tree with her taking care of me, I’d started to fall for her.

I also knew it would kill me when she decided she’d had enough and kicked me to the kerb, because it would have to be her doing the kicking. I didn’t think there was any way I’d be able to leave her willingly.

But as with most good things, they come to an end.

We’d picked up the lounge late last night and crawled into bed around two in the morning, so this morning we’d been slow to get up and moving.

I’d offered to make the coffee and get breakfast going while she had a shower and got ready for the day. We’d finish off the painting today in the lounge, dining room, and hallway. Sprite only needed one more coat on them all. Then tomorrow, we planned to sand the floors and maybe get a coat of varnish on them. The lounge would have to be done in sections as that was a high traffic area, but I figured we’d get it all done in the next three days, then we’d get the rest of her furniture moved in.

The shower had shut off about ten minutes ago, so I knew Sprite would be out soon. I was just pouring our coffee and could hear Sprite walking down the hallway towards the kitchen when the sound of a vehicle pulling into her yard had me at attention.

Instead of coming towards me, she went to the door, her bright happy voice calling out a bright good morning and Merry Christmas to whoever was out there. My shoulders relaxed slightly at her friendly greeting. But I wouldn’t relax completely until I knew who it was and assessed the danger. It was hard to switch off that part of me.

Leaving our coffee on the counter, I quietly walked towards the slightly open front door that was letting out all the heat. Sprite was assuring whoever it was that she was fine. She still sounded happy, and that went a long way to keeping the beast I had coiled in me calm.

“I’m fine, I promise. Thanks for checking on me, though. I appreciate that you thought of me.”

“Girl, of course I worried about you. You should have come to us for Christmas dinner, we had enough. Maya cooked too much, plus the kids would have loved to have seen you.”

Now, that grumbly, grumpy voice I knew and recognised. A smile touched my lips at his grumbling at her. It told me a lot. My Uncle Colm liked Lana. There weren’t many the old man did like, but if he did, there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for you.

Lana replied, amusement in her voice at my uncle’s grousing, “I promise I’ll pop over in the next few days. I want to get the house finished so that I can get my furniture moved in come the new year.”

“Do you want me to send the boys over to give you a hand? You’d get it done quicker.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I have help and it is one of your boys, just not any of the ones you are thinking of.”

“What?” Colm muttered. “Who do you have in there, girly? I only have four boys left since…...” Colm stops there getting a little choked up before continuing, “I only have four boys left and one is in prison and the other in Ireland.”

Well, shit, she just outed me. I’m not sure why I was reluctant to let my family know that I was home and safe, and Lana had obviously picked up on my reluctance. Nothing like ripping a bandage off. With a deep sigh, straightening my shoulders, I gripped the door and opened it wider so that I was framed in the doorway.

“Merry Christmas, Uncle Colm.”

My uncle staggered back a step as he took me in, his face a little pale.

“Shit,” Lana rushed forward and slipped an arm around his waist. Not that her tiny arse would hold him up if he went down. I felt like shit—I should have known it would be a shock, but I wasn’t sure how else I could have made it easier on him.

“Tommy,” my uncle whispered, and it gutted me to see tears in the old man’s eyes. “You’re alive.”

Steadier now, he reached for me. There was no way I could have stopped myself, I stepped into my uncle’s hard embrace, making no move to stop the tear that trickled down my cheek. I’d missed this old man. Looking over my uncle’s shoulder, my Sprite was standing, hands tucked under her chin, lip quivering, tears running down her cheeks at our reunion.

All it took was me beckoning her with my fingers, and she rushed over, settling against me, face pressed to my side. It took her pushing against us for my uncle to let go of me slightly and step back but only so that he could cup my face; his eyes travelled over me, noting the bruises and cuts, before dropping to the woman snuggled against my side. His face instantly softened.

“I’ve missed you. It’s good to have you home, son.”

Wiping at my face I smiled, “It’s good to be home, Uncle Colm.”

His eyes again slid to Sprite, and he smiled, “I can see.”

“Coffee’s made and breakfast is nearly done. Why don’t you come in and catch up,” Sprite invited, then she held up a hand, “I know there will be stuff you can’t say in front of me, but once I’ve eaten, I’ll go to the dining room, put my earphones on and start the painting so you two can talk about all that stuff.”

‘Fuck me, if I didn’t love her before I certainly did at those words,’ I thought but didn’t say anything, just lifted an eyebrow at Uncle Colm to see what he wanted to do.

“Coffee it is then,” he agreed, clasping my shoulder hard before stepping back. Letting go of Sprite so that she could go into the house before us, we followed her into the kitchen.

As if she knew I needed a minute, she settled Uncle Colm at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee even though I knew he’d have preferred a cup of tea but as she had none in the cupboards, he’d have to make do with coffee. I watched with amusement as he put four sugars in and topped it up with so much milk that there was hardly any colour in it.

Sprite’s eyes met mine with amusement, but she didn’t say anything, just got another plate out and set it on the table before sitting on a chair next to my uncle and tipping her head at the stove with an amused smirk on her face.

“Cheeky bint,” I grinned at her, flicking her gently on the tip of the nose as I walked by. Her laughter brightened the room. Uncle Colm gave us an assessing look but didn’t say anything as I went to the stove and finished off breakfast. Breaking eggs into the pan for scrambled eggs and pressing down on the toaster to get the toast ready. The bacon, tomatoes, and beans were still in the warmer, so it wouldn’t take much longer. I was content to listen to the hum of conversation between two of my favourite people behind me. I knew I had a long explanation to give to Uncle Colm, but he’d let it rest for now until we could talk in private.

A few minutes later, I had everything on the table, and we were digging in. Sprite kept up the chatter and listened with amusement at the stories Uncle Colm was telling us of his grandchildren. I knew that my younger cousin Johnny had married a woman that had children, and Uncle Colm didn’t call them anything but his grandchildren, even if they weren’t his blood. Just like I’d, for all intents and purposes, been treated as his son, not just his nephew.

“Right, I’m going to leave you two to catch-up,” Sprite informed me as she stood up, gathering our plates and put them in the sink.

Then, turning to me, she continued, “Maybe get Colm to help you go and pick up your bike. We can’t leave it where we did. If you can’t remember where it is, I can draw a map.” With that, she walked over to me and pressed her lips to my temple, whispering, “I’ll just be a room away, call out if you need me.”

With those words, she walked away towards the dining room, closing the door behind her. I waited until the door closed before turning back to find Uncle Colm watching me with amusement in his eyes.

“You are so fucked, boy. I was hoping she’d go for one of my boys; never in a million years thought it would be you,” he grinned at me before his face turned serious.

“Talk to me. We got the news that you were dead, blown up. I had a feeling that you weren’t, though. I was so sure I’d have felt it if you weren’t with us any longer. I waited for two years holding onto this place for you but then started to second guess myself, and I thought that maybe I’d been wrong and that you were gone. Just about killed me to get rid of this house, and I held off until Kate Crow brought Lana out to meet me and to have a look. Something told me that she was important, so I sold it to her, then I waited, wondering if I’d made a mistake,” pausing for a breath, he looked at me then smiled a little smugly, “I guess I didn’t.”

Uncle Colm had always been big on trusting his feelings or his gut and to be fair, they’d never let him down before. It was said that my grandmother had had second sight. Doing the jobs I’d done, I had to agree because quite often I’d have a feeling and change what I was originally going to do and it always worked out for the better. Including the time I’d nearly been blown up by my supposed friends.

“You didn’t make a mistake,” I assured him. “She’s making this house into a home and for some reason, she thinks I’m what she wants. I’m going to make sure that she doesn't regret picking me up off the side of the road when I wrecked my bike.”

Uncle Colm picked up his mug and took a sip of his coffee, making a face at it. Chuckling at him, “I’ll buy some tea for next time you come over.”

“That would be good, son. I don’t know how you drink this swill,” he grumbled with disgust. “Now, fill me in on what you’ve been doing the last few years. I’m assuming whatever threat there was is now gone?”

“It is,” I assured him. “It’s why I’ve come home. I’m finally free.”

For the next two hours, I told my uncle everything that had happened, the why, and who the betrayers were. I didn’t keep anything back. He got it all from the start right up until I’d come off my bike a few days ago. It felt good to offload onto the one man I’d trusted my entire life. He’d never, not once, let me down, and I doubted he’d start now.

When I was finished telling him everything, I was exhausted but lighter than I had been before I started, “That’s everything. You know it all. I’m done living on the edge. I’m getting too old for that shit. I’ve got enough money to live on comfortably. I’ve got a meeting with Avy Crow and Bella Davies about investments in the new year. And Sprite and I have plans to travel as much as we can over the next year.”

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to have you home, son,” Uncle Colm informed. “It’s been a hard few years with Rhett being put away and you missing. It’s slowly been getting better, and I don’t regret Liam getting us out of the guns, although I do like to give him a hard time about it. The boys have been working hard to get us clean and are now bringing in the type of money we used to with running guns. Who’d have thought,” he shook his head as if in disbelief.

“We lost a lot of men except for Adam’s team; they stayed on and are working for his security company instead. Times are changing and it’s getting hard to do stuff under the radar. Plus, Johnny’s married and a father now and his wife has been through enough. I wouldn’t want her living with the worry that Noni lived with or going through what she is,” he looked sad at the mention of ex-daughter-in-law.

Shaking himself, he stood up, taking his mug to the sink and tipping the left-over coffee down the sink, “Go tell your lady you’re leaving for a bit, and we’ll go pick up your bike. Then we’ll go get the boys to come and help her with the painting. I’m sure Maya will feed us all tonight.”

“Okay,” I agreed, standing up and going to the dining room, opening the door, I smiled as I watched Sprite shaking her arse to whatever she was listening too. She was too fucking cute in her paint-spattered dungarees, long-sleeved T-shirt, and a head scarf that was protecting her hair from paint spatters. Both of these had candy canes all over them because, of course, her painting clothes needed to be Christmas-themed.

She caught sight of my reflection in the window and smiled, taking off her headphones. Walking over to her, I wrapped my arms around her waist, kissing the side of her head. “You’re too fucking cute, Sprite, shaking your arse like that.”

Lana snorted out a laugh at my words, “You need glasses, old man, I’m a mess.”

Turning her in my arms so that I could kiss her, and when I was done, I pulled back slightly, resting my forehead against hers, “Not to me, you’re not, Sprite. To me, you’re gorgeous no matter what you’re wearing.”

Her eyes softened at my words. Leaning over, she put her paint roller on the tray that was on the table next to where she’d been standing. Happy that it was secure, she turned back to me, wrapping her arms tight around me and resting her cheek against my chest.

“I know it’s too soon because we only met three days ago, but I think I’m falling in love with you, Tommy O’Shea,” she whispered.

Pressing another kiss to the top of her head before taking her chin gently in my fingers so that I could tilt her head up to look at me, “I don’t think I’m falling for you, Sprite, I know I am.”

Her smile was blinding with her happiness. Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to mine before opening for me. As my tongue stroked against hers, something settled in me. I knew then that I’d found my home; it hadn’t been a place I was looking for, it had been someone, and something told me I’d found it.

Ending the kiss, I pulled back slightly when she sighed happily before asking, “Did everything go okay with Colm?”

“Yeah, Sprite, it did. He’s going to take me to pick up my bike, then we’re going to get the boys to come and help here. Hopefully, we can have you moved in before the New Year.”

Excitement lit her eyes at the thought, “Yeah, that would be great. Well, big man, shoo, the quicker you go, the quicker you get back,” she pushed me towards the door. Laughing, I let her; taking her hand, I tugged her behind me to the front door. Uncle Colm was in his car, the engine running while he waited for me. Taking my leather jacket from the hook by the door, I pulled it on. Kissing Sprite one more time, I opened the door and went to leave, “Make sure you lock up, Sprite.”

Lana rolled her eyes at me, “Okay, old man, it’s not like I’ve been living alone for years.”

“Maybe so, Sprite, but you didn’t have me then and I look after what’s mine.”

“You saying I’m yours, old man?” Lana grinned cheekily at me.

“For as long as you want me, Sprite.”

“Well then, you’d better make plans to bring whatever stuff you have with you when we start moving my stuff in so we can make this your home again.”

Stepping up to her, I kissed her long and hard, not wanting to leave and probably would have continued and taken this to the bedroom if Uncle Colm hadn’t been around and had reminded us of his presence when pressed on the hooter, making us jump and Sprite to laugh out loud.

“Boy, get your arse in the car so we can get started. The quicker we get out of here, the quicker you’re back,” Uncle Colm boomed out of his open window, but his eyes were twinkling with amusement.

“I love the fact that he calls you boy,” Lana snickers at me.

“Woman, carry on and you’ll not be sitting comfortably for a few days,” I stated.

It took her a little while to figure out what I meant, but when her eyes widened and then heated, I groaned as my words worked against me as my cock hardened at the definite interest in her eyes.

“Jesus, Sprite, you’re going to kill me. I’m leaving now before I get any harder,” smiling broadly, I walked away from her, adjusting myself as she laughed at me.

Opening the passenger door of my uncle’s car, I looked at her and motioned with my hand for her to go in, which she did, but not before rolling her eyes at me. I waited until the front door shut and I heard it lock before getting in the car. My uncle was chuckling, but he didn’t say anything as we pulled out of Lana’s driveway and onto the main road. It didn’t take long for us to find where my bike was lying on the side of the road, but we’d need a trailer before we could pick it up, so turning around, we drove up the road and into the drive for my uncle’s property. I had to shake my head at all the signs he had posted warning of private property. When we got to the main gate, he handed me a key to open the lock. This part hadn’t changed much, other than the gate, which was much larger and sturdier now, as was the anti-climb fencing. I made a note to get the cost to have Lana’s property fenced and gated and a few more cameras set up. She’d hate it, but I also knew that she’d let me do it if it made me feel better, which it would. I didn’t live the life I had without knowing a thing or two about security.

Rolling the gate back on its tracks, I waited for Uncle Colm to drive through before closing and locking it behind him, knowing that we’d only be doing the same routine again when we left.

It amused me a little and also made me feel better that not everything had changed. Some things had stayed exactly the same. I can’t think how many times I’d done this exact routine as a kid.

With a small smile tugging on my lips, I got back in the car, and we continued to drive along the bumpy dirt road towards the main house.

As with the gate, not much on the property had changed over the years. Soon, we were leaving the tree-lined road and pulling into the wide driveway and up to the front of the house.

It still looked much the same, other than it looked like it had a fresh coat of paint, and a wide veranda had been added on.

There was a grouping of chairs and benches on it with comfortable-looking cushions. On one of the benches sat two men and a woman; the woman was wrapped in a blanket and sitting on the lap of the man with short, dark hair. I couldn’t tell from this distance, but I had to assume that it was Johnny and his wife. I wasn’t aware of any of my other cousins having a woman.

The man next to him had short blonde hair and if I had to make a guess, I’d say that it was Adam as only Johnny was dark like me—the others had all had blonde hair. That would make the large man with long blonde hair chasing the little boy and girl around the garden my cousin Liam.

I was older than all of them, with Rhett being the closest to me at forty. After Rhett, there had been Liam, who would be around thirty-eight, Adam at thirty-four and Johnny at thirty-two.

“They look good,” I said quietly, suddenly feeling nervous. It had been years since I’d seen them.

“They’re doing better,” Colm agreed. “It’s been a tough few years, but having Maya and her children come into our lives has been for the better and having you home now is the icing on the cake. Come on, they’ll be happy to see you.”

Even though Uncle Colm had invited me to get out, I waited in the car, not wanting to just announce myself by immediately getting out. The children stopped running around as soon as Uncle Colm opened his door and made a beeline for him, the little boy shouting, throwing his arms around Uncle Colm’s legs, “Grandpa, you’re back!”

Uncle Colm laughed and ran his hand over the boy’s dark hair. “I am. Looks like you’re running your uncles ragged. What do you think about having another uncle join us?”

At his words, Liam picked up the little girl and settled her on his hip. Johnny gently set his wife on her feet and he and Adam walked down the veranda steps to stand next to Liam, the little girl reaching for Johnny when he came to a stop.

There was no hesitation from him as he took her, and she cuddled into him. The pretty, dark-haired woman walked down the steps behind them and came to a stop next to Johnny. He automatically lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her close even as his eyes never left mine through the windscreen. Something in my chest tightened as I watched them. Making me ache a little at all I’d missed out on with the choices I’d made in my life.

“I have more uncles?” the boy asked curiously.

“You do,” Uncle Colm told him. “This one has been away for a long time. He’s my oldest boy, older even than your Uncle Rhett.”

Pushing open the door, I got out and stood up. “Holy fuck,” Adam sucked in a breath, “Tommy!”

That seemed to break the tension as they surged forward as one, and I was pulled from one back-breaking hug to another. Questions were asked one after the other. There was no way I would have been able to answer them all, but I answered what I could as I basked in the attention of my family.

“Okay, boys,” Colm raised his voice to be heard over everyone, “Tommy’s back for good, so we’ll have time to find out everything. I found him at Lana’s. He came off his bike. We need to get the trailer hooked up and go get it. We’ll have to take it to Gunny after the holidays. For today, I promised we’d help Lana with the painting.”

He then turned to the pretty, dark-haired woman who was smiling wide as she watched us, her daughter now in her arms and the little boy at her side. “Maya, sweetheart,” Uncle Colm’s voice softened as he spoke to her, “do you think you can sort supper out for tonight? Lana and Tommy can spend the night here so they don’t have to sleep in a house full of paint fumes, and we can catch up.”

‘Shit, I hope Lana was okay with this plan,’ I thought but didn’t say anything. If she wasn’t, I’d find a way to get us out of it.

“Of course, Da, it’s not a problem; tell Lana not to worry about bringing anything.”

“Thanks, sweetheart,” Colm said to her, then turning to us boys, he started barking orders at us. My cousins just rolled their eyes at their Da but did as he asked. As my name hadn’t been mentioned in those orders, I walked up to the woman and held out my hand.

“I’m Tommy, and I’m guessing you must be Johnny’s wife, Maya. It’s great to meet you.”

Maya smiled as she shook my hand, “Good to meet you too, Tommy. I’ve heard a lot about you. I think you might just have made Colm’s Christmas. This is Emma,” she jiggled the little girl in her arms making her giggle, “and this is Jackson,” she introduced her son, running a hand over his head.

“It’s nice to meet you, Emma,” I said gently, poking her in her side and getting another giggle from her as she shyly hid her face in her mum’s neck. Turning to the little boy, I held out my hand, “It’s good to meet you, Jackson.”

He shook my hand, then tilted his head back, “You’re big. Bigger than my Uncle Liam and he’s huge,” he said, holding his hands out to emphasise how big he thought his uncle was.

Laughing, I ruffled his hair, “Yeah, I am tall. But that’s because of all the good food my aunt used to make me eat.”

“Vegetables you mean,” Jackson said, wrinkling his nose a little.

“Yep, I’m afraid so,” I grinned at him. I’d felt the same way at his age.

“Tommy,” Uncle Colm called out, turning I saw that the trailer was hitched up.

Lifting my hand up to show I’d heard him, I said goodbye to Maya, Jackson, and Emma before walking away, passing Johnny on the way.

“We’ll be over soon,” he assured me. “Just need to get changed.”

“Okay,” I acknowledged and got back into Uncle Colm’s car. Not long after, we were pulled up next to my bike. I lifted her, grimacing as I saw the damage done to it. Pushing it onto the trailer, I wondered how the hell someone as small as Sprite had managed to push it that far off the road.

“Don’t worry, lad,” Uncle Colm assured me, clapping me on the shoulder, “Gunny and his boy will make her look good as new.”

“I hope so, she’s not that old.”

“We’ll drop her off tomorrow for you. Come on, let’s get to Lana’s and get as much painting done as we can. I want you two at mine tonight, so do what you have to do to persuade her to spend the night.”

Running my hand down my face, I shook my head at his words. Hoping that Lana wouldn’t mind spending the night next door, but I wouldn’t force her. Not long after, we were pulling back into her drive and unhooking the trailer. The front door opened as we walked up the steps, and Lana stood framed in the doorway. I didn’t think twice about dipping my head and kissing her lips as I walked past.

I wondered how she’d feel about adding a veranda. I liked the one at Uncle Colm’s, and it would give me something to do with my time.

It wasn’t more than ten minutes later that my cousins pulled up with a cooler full of sandwiches so that we didn’t have to stop working throughout the day. Lana obviously knew them well because she was comfortable with them. Comfortable enough to shovel whatever teasing shit they came up with right back at them.

It didn’t take long with all of us working for the painting to be done.

Lana hadn’t minded us packing up and spending a night at Uncle Colm’s; in fact, she asked if we could spend the next two nights if he didn’t mind. That way, we could get the sanding and varnishing done without having to breathe it all in.

I knew deep down she was doing it for my uncle’s benefit. He’d missed me and was glad I was home. Lana had a big heart and family meant everything to her now that she didn’t have any of her own. My uncle had readily agreed and told us to come over when we were ready, but he’d head out now and give Maya a hand, much to the bemusement of his sons.

I didn’t have much with me other than what was in my saddlebags. Between my few things and what Lana threw in a bag, we weren’t far behind Uncle Colm.

The memories hit me as soon as we walked in the front door, and much like the outside, not much had changed other than the décor. Instead of carpet, the floors were now wood, but everything else was the same, including the bank of family photos along one wall. Stopping in front of the one that held Uncle Colm, my aunt, and all six of us boys, including the baby, Andy. I’d been told he’d been sent to Ireland to get his behaviour under control. It was the one picture that I’d kept and carried around with me. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

A soft hand slipped into mine and I looked down into Lana’s concerned dark eyes.

“Are you okay?” she asked, a wrinkle of concern furrowing her brow.

Rubbing a finger across the furrow, I smiled, “I’m fine, Sprite, just lost in memories, but they’re good ones.”

“Okay, I’m going to drop my bag in the bedroom Maya’s given us and then I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” she told me.

“Okay,” I answered, watching as she walked down the hallway towards where the bedrooms were. She seemed to know where she was going. Turning towards the kitchen, I walked in, and my eyes widened in surprise. This room had had a major overhaul and an extension by the looks of it. It was much bigger than it used to be with a large table and chairs taking up the one side, new kitchen cupboards, cooker and fridge. It also looked like a laundry room had been added.

“Wow,” I muttered. “This has changed.”

Uncle Colm snorted, “Of course it did, my daughter-in-law needed something bigger to cook in, and I’m hoping that these two will settle soon and give me more grandchildren,” he waved his hand at Liam and Adam.

“Hey, what about him? He’s older than us,” Liam grumbled, throwing me under the bus.

Uncle Colm snorted and looked at Liam from under his brows, “Lad, are you blind? He’s been home three days and already has a woman. It’s you two I’m worried about.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that rumbled out of me at his words. I’d missed this so much; I loved my family as dysfunctional as we were.

“You just had to show us up,” Liam muttered, but he was smiling at me. “Three days home and you’re back in the favourite spot no matter the blood, sweat, and tears we’ve had to put in while you were gone.”

“Oh, cry me a river; I’ll get my violin out soon and start playing it if you’re not careful,” Colm grunted out a laugh, throwing the bottle top from the beer he’d just opened at Liam, who caught it with a grin and threw it in the bin. “I don’t have favourites lad; you’re all my favourites.”

Sitting next to Liam, I took the beer that he offered with a smile and settled back to catch up on close to twenty years of missed family meals. Lana came into the kitchen; my eyes were immediately drawn to her. Catching me watching her, she winked at me and then walked over to Maya, who was busy at the stove. Working in tandem, the two of them soon had two huge pans of lasagna, garlic bread, and salad on the table.

It was a good evening, and that night, I went to sleep in my old room, thankfully, now with a double bed. Holding Lana close and listening to all the familiar creaks of this old house, I was happy.

It had been a long road, but finally, I was back where I belonged, a lot older and more banged up than when I left. Burying my nose in Lana’s hair, I breathed her in as I fell asleep with a smile on my face.