The Aftermath

by R. J. Prescott

  Bone-wearily tired I sat down on the sofa and pulled Em to sit down in my lap. If she forgave me enough to hold me, then I wasn’t letting her go.

  “Why the fuck didn’t you just talk to me about it,” she said.

  “I think you’ve sworn more today than any day since I met you,” I answered.

  “Stop changing the subject,” she replied.

  “Because husbands are supposed to protect their wives. It’s my job to deal with my shit, not drag you down with me,” I said.

  “I didn’t marry you for protection. I married you because I love you. If there’s stuff worrying you, then I’m the one you talk to about it. Because this marriage isn’t going to work if you try and keep me in the dark about important stuff. I get that you want to take care of me, I really do. But don’t you think it worries me more to see you go off the deep end like this?”

  “I’m sorry,” I repeated, but I really did mean it. There weren’t enough apologies in the world for the way I’d been acting.

  “Don’t be sorry, O’Connell. Do something about it. You promised me once that you’d be a better man. Well then be one. You can’t solve every problem with your fist. This shit has to end now or you’re going to end up in prison one day, and I really do not want to be visiting there.”

  “And if Frank gets to you again?” I asked her.

  “Then I’ll fight him off again and stay alive until you rescue me. I’ve lived my life in fear once before, O’Connell. I won’t do it again. You can’t worry about everything. Just take things a day at a time, and what will be will be. And when you get angry, hit punch bags, not people,” she ordered me.

  “I can do that,” I agreed. I was so relieved that she hadn’t just up and left me after knocking Earnshaw out that I’m pretty sure I would have agreed to anything. In all honesty, it felt like a weight had been lifted off me just by sharing with her.

  I’m not the only one you need to apologize to either,” she reminded me.

  “I know, Sunshine,” I agreed, as I rested my forehead against hers. “I’m just really not looking forward to it.”

  * * *

  The next day, I sat at the bar of the Royal Oak sipping my orange juice and lemonade. The barman had sniggered when I’d ordered it until I gave him the death stare. I was trying to be a better man but that didn’t mean I still couldn’t fuck with people from time to time. Any man who mocked another for drinking a non-alcoholic drink deserved to be fucked with anyway. Earnshaw sat down on the stool next to me sporting a killer black eye and looking like someone had stolen the jam out of his doughnut.

  “A pint of lager please,” he mumbled to the barman.

  He nodded and we sat in silence as the barman poured him his drink. He reached for his wallet until I held my hand up.

  “I’ve got this,” I told him, sliding a fiver across the bar. “Do you regret coming to London?” I asked.

  “I don’t regret following my sister. She needed me even if she didn’t know it. But yeah, I’m kind of regretting taking a job with Danny,” Earnshaw told me miserably, still not looking at me.

  “Danny’s the best. I know he comes over as a bit of a hard arse but what he doesn’t know about boxing ain’t worth knowing,” I told him.

  “It’s not Danny that I regret working with. You’re a lot more of a dick than I thought you’d be.” Fair play to the man, he had a pair of balls on him. I’d knocked him into the middle of next week, and here he sat calling me a dick to my face. Oddly, it made me like him a little bit more.

  “Yeah, well, I’m genetically predisposed to be a dick. You’ll learn to get used to it,” I told him, which was pretty much my version of an apology.

  “I’m not sure there’s any point in sticking around to find out,” he admitted. “I’ll be honest, when I came here I had a real dream about what I wanted to achieve. Emily’s Jerry Maguire call wasn’t that far off the mark. I wanted to be part of something special. When I met Danny and found out he was looking for the same thing, I figured this was my opportunity. You resenting my help didn’t factor into my plans.”

  Earnshaw took a sip of his pint while I thought about what I was going to say. Letting him in and trusting him wasn’t going to be easy but he had a right to it. Hell, after the stunt I pulled, he could have gone to the police and probably had me charged with assault. At this point, I don’t even think he’d told Danny what had gone down.

  “Do you know what happened to Em?” I asked him.

  “No,” he replied and turned sharply to look at me.

  “Before we met she lived with her mum and stepfather. He beat her pretty much daily. She came to university to study for her mathematics degree and changed her name but he found her. We were already married when he kidnapped and tortured her. In a few weeks, he’s up for trial. He did all that to my wife, and I’ve never laid a finger on him. The day I acted like a fucking imbecile was the day he’d written to her from prison. It made me a little crazy, and I took it out on you.” I left out the fact that she’d been raped. My baby girl wouldn’t want him knowing that. But his face was ashen anyway.

  “Shit, man. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

  “Are you kidding me? You have nothing to apologize for. I was out of order in the worst way, and I’m sorry. If you’ll stay, I’d like to give this manager thing a go.”

  “That absolutely killed you to say, didn’t it?” he said with a grin.

  “Yeah, so make the most of it. I can’t promise not to be a dick again but being a dick also means that I don’t apologize often.”

  “How does Em put up with your moody ass?” he commented.

  “Fuck knows. She owns the balls of every man at Driscoll’s so be warned she’ll own yours by the end of the week,” I warned him.

  “I’ve already got one sister, and she’s enough of a handful. I’m not sure I could handle another,” he said with a grimace.

  “Em is gentle and kind. She doesn’t shout or even raise her voice much. She doesn’t bark orders or ask for anything but she is the strongest woman you’ll ever meet. If Danny’s the backbone of our family, then Em’s the heart. That’s why she’ll own your balls like she owns ours. You’ll love her and won’t be able to help it.”

  He nodded thoughtfully as he stared into his pint.

  “She’s your voice of reason then?” he asked curiously.

  “That and my moral compass,” I agreed. “But I have a short fuse when it comes to people flirting or fucking with her. I’ll work on reining that in, but our relationship will be easier if you bear that in mind.”

  “I don’t have any interest in her other than being friends, so you have no worries on that score. She’s important enough to you that I’ll take her advice and consult with her a fair bit of the time but consider this my word that I won’t be messing with your head that way.”

  “I appreciate it,” I told him honestly.

  “Look, if you’re serious and you can get a handle on your anger management, then I think I can help you. But you need to listen and take my advice. You do that and fight like you’ve been fighting, and I’ll take you to the top.”

  “Done,” I agreed with a rare smile.

  Chapter 7

  I loved to watch Em sleep. It was the most peaceful thing in the world to watch her pulse tick gently at her throat while her chest moved slowly up and down. Every protective instinct in me flared to life, like my body knew she was at her most vulnerable and it was my job to protect her.

  Usually I could watch her sleep for hours. Usually. Today I paced back and forth in front of the bed waiting for her to open her eyes. I’d already been for a five-mile run to burn off some excess energy but it hadn’t worked. What if she didn’t like it? Today was her twenty-first birthday. I’d spent my twenty-first in a series of bars and fuck knows where after that. I had no memory after the first ten pints. Sunshine’s birthday was going to be different though. With everything that had gone down this year, she needed a day filled with happiness, an
d I was going to give it to her. Her flushed, warm cheeks dimpled as she grinned, amused by my excitement.

  “Happy birthday, baby,” I whispered.

  “Best birthday ever,” she replied.

  “How do you know? You’ve only just woken up,” I asked.

  “Because it’s the first birthday I’ve ever woken up with you,” she told me.

  God, sometimes it’s like she reached into my chest and held my heart in her hand, just to remind me why it belonged to her.

  Her answer was rewarded with another lingering kiss before I bounded from the bed to the kitchenette, full of excitement and restless energy. I opened the oven and put the pastries I had warming on a plate, then placed them on the tray next to the expensive coffee I prayed was still hot. Frowning down, I figured the tray needed something fancy like a flower or something. Grabbing a couple of paper towels off the countertop, I folded them origami style into a sailboat and placed it next to the pastries. Placing the folded tea towel over my arm in my best imitation of a butler, I turned to look at her.

  “Ma’am, breakfast is served.”

  I’d like to say I walked the tray through to the breakfast room but our flat was so tiny that you were literally in the bedroom/living room if you turned around in the kitchenette.

  Giggling in delight she sat up against the pillows and groaned sexily when she poured the coffee.

  “This is wonderful. I can’t believe you did this,” she squealed in delight.

  “I’ll be back in a minute, love,” I told her. Placing a kiss on her forehead, I disappeared to get everything ready. When I came back breakfast was over, and she was in the kitchenette washing dishes.

  “Hey! None of that. It’s your birthday. No one washes dishes on their birthday.”

  “It’s just another day, O’Connell.” She laughed and I growled at her for not wanting more for herself today. I love that, even growling I didn’t intimidate her. Mostly my acting tough just made her giggle or roll her eyes. We’d come a long way since our spectacular showdown and were closer for it. I sat down on the bed and pulled her by her wrist to sit down on my lap. Pulling a box from behind my back, I placed it in her hands. Her eyes instantly welled up, and all my fears evaporated. It didn’t matter what was in the box. She’d love it anyway. She was tracing her fingers over the ribbon reverently.

  “Are you going to open that or stare at it all day?” I asked, amused.

  She wound her hand around the base of my neck and kissed me gently, then carefully peeled away the ribbon and tape. I swear to God, I was about to rip open the damn thing myself if she took much longer. Finally she slid off the lid to reveal a silver locket.

  “Oh, O’Connell. It’s breathtaking.” She sighed wondrously.

  “Open it up,” I told her. Inside was a tiny, perfectly sized picture. Danny was in the center looking pretty pissed off, Liam was smirking, Kieran was grinning, Tommy was pulling a face, and I was smiling as I thought about what my girl would think when she saw this. To get all of us in the locket picture, we had to squeeze around Danny. We looked like a scary arse version of the Brady Bunch. Em burst out laughing when she saw it.

  “This is wonderful,” she told me. “How on earth did you get them all to sit for it?”

  “I asked Danny to do it, and he told me to fuck off. Pleading and begging didn’t work, and finally Kieran asked him what he had bought you for your birthday. Danny went a bit green and told me he’d sit for one picture and give me fifty pounds if I let him say it was a joint present.”

  “I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when it was being taken. I really can’t imagine Danny doing this, even for me,” she said with a laugh.

  “Kieran and Tommy fucked about so much, Danny was just about hoarse from telling them off when the picture was taken. He told the photographer he’d stay for one shot, after that Kieran and Tommy wouldn’t have been in it anyway because he would have murdered them. That was the picture, and the photo people sized it down enough to fit in your locket.”

  “Thank you so much, love. I’ll treasure it. But you shouldn’t have spent so much money on me.”

  “I spent exactly the limit we set for birthdays. The boys all chipped in so I even managed to get a couple of odds and ends in.” She stared at it, running her finger gently across the picture. “It’s a Celtic family locket. You got us in one picture, and I’ve left the other one blank. You know. In case we ever have kids.”

  She bit her lip, and her eyes teared up. She handed me the locket as she lifted her hair and secured it around her neck. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her to her feet and toward the bathroom.

  “Time to get dressed. There’s one more thing you need to see,” I told her and with a quick kiss and a tap on the arse, I left her to get ready.

  * * *

  “Okay. Open your eyes. What do you think?” I took my hands away and let her look. This was almost as nerve-wracking as asking her to marry me. Back then I was asking her to forget all the crap surrounding me and imagine a better version who’d made something of himself. I was asking her to take a chance on me. Now I was doing the same with this house. Tommy was right. It was a shit hole. But when I was done, it would be a palace. A home for the two of us no one could ever take away. I stared at her expression, looking for any sign at all about how she felt.

  “I love it,” she whispered, looking up at it in awe. I let out a deep breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

  “I know it doesn’t look like much now, but imagine if I cleared out and repaired the front garden, put in new windows and new fencing. Liam and I have gone over this place inch by inch, and the roof is sound. With a bit of hard work, it’ll look great.”

  I was rambling now. She’d already agreed to it, so I have no idea why I was giving her the hard sell.

  “Can we afford it?” she asked, her eyes full of wonder.

  “It’d take all our money and then some. But I’ve worked out a loan with Danny for what we need, and we can pay him back with the rent money we’ll save on our flat. We’ll have to fix it up on a budget but the boys have offered to help with the labor.”

  With a squeal she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me loudly. “I can’t believe you found this place. It’s going to be amazing! I know I can’t do any building work but I can clean, strip wallpaper, and paint,” she babbled excitedly. “Ooow, we could go and get some paint samples today,” she suggested.

  “We haven’t even had an offer accepted yet,” I pointed out with a chuckle.

  “I know, but there’s nothing wrong with planning ahead. Can we look inside?”

  “Sure. The agent is meeting us in a few minutes to show us around. It’s pretty rough inside, but the rooms are a nice size. You just have to use your imagination.”

  “I can do that,” she whispered as she smiled at me adoringly. Her eyes were full of everything I’d felt when I’d first seen the place, and I knew she was imagining our future in a real home of our own. My heart was so full I felt invincible. The way she was looking at me, you’d think I’d built this place brick by brick myself. I’d spend the rest of the day trailing after her doing whatever she liked just to keep that look. With another squeal she covered my face in tiny kisses, making me laugh, until a discrete cough sounded behind us.

  “Are you here for the viewing?” a skinny kid who looked about my age asked.

  “Yes, please,” Em answered. She was lit up inside and practically radiated happiness. People couldn’t help but be charmed by her natural warmth, and he was no exception. He smiled broadly at her and with a wink said, “Let’s go and check it out.” My crossed arms and fierce glare told him that I wouldn’t tolerate another wink, and he got the message as he messed around with the keys nervously. Rolling her eyes Em pulled on my arms until I uncrossed them and clasped her fingers between mine. She was used to me getting territorial around her but she really had no idea how many hungry looks followed her around. The agent used his shoulder to push open the front door
, past a mountain of junk mail, then fussed about brushing the dirt and paint chips off his suit. The previous owner really had gone to town with a baseball bat, and literally everything would need replacing but it didn’t matter. The more we looked, the more Em fell in love. By the time we were done, there were stars in her eyes. Having realized that flirting with Em was hazardous to his health, the agent couldn’t get out of there quick enough. He told us to call the office if we wanted to make an offer. “I’ll be in touch,” I promised him menacingly, mostly just to fuck with him, but he practically wet himself as he hightailed it back to his car. Em was so caught up in the house she didn’t notice. It was going to be a hell of a day.

  * * *

  “Can we stop by the gym on the way home?” I asked her. “I forgot to grab my dirty kit, and my wraps need washing and drying by tomorrow.”

  “Sure” she replied, happily. I looked at my watch and slowed my steps a little. Kieran was expecting us at five o’clock, and I didn’t want to mess up the surprise by getting there too early. From a distance I could see Tommy standing century at the door, though Em was too busy chatting about paint colors to notice him. He lifted his hand in a wave to me then hurried inside. I opened the door of the gym and stood behind her as she climbed up the stairs. She still didn’t notice that anything was amiss until the boys shouted “surprise.” Kieran yanked on a rope, pulling back the net they’d tacked to the ceiling and dozens of colorful balloons rained down on us. I’d warned Tommy and Kieran both that I’d kick their arses if this surprise had turned out to be shite. I seriously owed them one for the fantastic job they’d done, though it probably hadn’t hurt that Tommy’s ma, Mary, had been on hand to oversee the proceedings. The room fell silent as everyone looked to Em who burst into big, fat, ugly tears.