“Everything go okay with your buddy?” Storm asked as he walked toward him. “He didn’t stay long.”
Murphy shrugged. “He had other things to do. Anyway, do you need me for anything else today? I want to head to the office to see what Owen wants before I go home.”
Storm reached out and gripped Murphy’s shoulder. “No problem, man. Just take it easy, okay?”
Murphy sighed but nodded. “I don’t plan on wearing myself out, but I’m not the kind of guy who just sits back and watches TV all day, you know?”
“Nothing wrong with that some days,” Storm said with a grin. “Hell, I’m just now back on my feet from being laid up for weeks.”
Murphy held back a wince at that since the other man had been injured pretty badly. But now, he was back on his feet—literally—and everything seemed to be going okay. Murphy was determined to make sure that outcome happened for him, as well.
“Good to see you working, though.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “So, yeah, call me if you need me to look at anything for you along the way, but you’ve got this, man. Hell, you have way more experience than I do.”
“Never hurts to use another set of eyes, just in case. Take it easy, man, and thanks.”
“No problem.” They said their goodbyes, and Murphy headed to his car parked behind his sister-in-law’s tattoo shop since there was only one small spot behind the bookstore at the moment.
Feeling a little off after meeting with Hugh, he turned up the volume on his stereo and blared nineties alternative rock as he drove toward the Gallagher offices. Each jobsite had a small office as well that they used a lot, but when they weren’t onsite and needed places to work, they had the main office. That was also where they met with clients more often than not.
Murphy had a slight headache, but unlike most people, he couldn’t just take an aspirin and call it a day. So many things could interfere with his meds and cause side effects he really wasn’t prepared for, so he chugged some water and hoped he was just dehydrated. If it persisted, he’d call the clinic and see what he could take that day.
He pulled into the lot and got out of his car, a little more tired than he’d anticipated. He might not be able to stay at the office for as long as he wanted, but he’d deal with it later. Being sick meant he had to change plans often so he didn’t make things worse.
When he walked into the building, he heard voices that didn’t belong to anyone he knew and he held back a curse. Owen hadn’t mentioned that anyone was coming in that afternoon. If he had, Murphy would have worn something other than what he had on. He was batting zero that day in terms of wearing something appropriate, apparently.
Owen walked out of his office and smiled. “Hey, Murph, we have a couple of guests today.”
Murphy tried to keep the growl out of his voice. “I can hear that.”
“Oh, we’re so sorry for just walking right in without an appointment, but when we called, and Owen said he was working with you today, we just had to come over and meet the two of you.” A fiftyish or so woman with light blonde hair that didn’t look dyed walked out beside a man around her age with light hair, as well. They had to be husband and wife from the loving looks they gave to one another after she’d spoken.
“Now, Grace, darling, let the man at least relax a bit before you accost him.”
“Oh, shush, Chris. We’re just so happy to meet some of Tessa’s friends.”
Murphy froze, blinking a few times before noticing Owen making wide arm movements behind the couple. As Murphy had no idea what Owen was trying to say, he ignored his brother.
“I take it you’re Tessa’s family?” Though the two of them looked nothing like Tessa at all. In fact, Murphy couldn’t see a single feature that told him that these two were related to Tessa, but from the way their eyes warmed, he figured he’d hit the nail on the head.
“We’re her family, yes.” Grace smiled widely. “Our daughter’s mentioned you Gallaghers a few times when talking about Liz, and we just had to meet you.”
“Plus, we knew what company we wanted to come to when we were finally ready to remodel our home. It’s best to work within the family, I always say.” Chris grinned with pride, and Murphy felt a little off-kilter.
“Oh? Tessa didn’t mention you guys were looking for a company. That’s great you came to us. We’ll totally take care of you.”
Grace came forward and patted his arm, her smile kind and her eyes shiny. “I know you will. Liz wouldn’t ever marry into a family that wouldn’t take care of their own and others. She’s like our daughter, though I don’t think she sees it that way.” The other woman winked. “We’ll wear her down, though.”
“Grace,” Chris chided, though he held the same soft smile as his wife. “The boys here don’t need to know all of that.”
Grace waved him off. “Of course, they do. Owen is marrying our Liz, and now we hear Murphy is living with our Tessa. They’re family now, too.”
Murphy froze. “Uh, ma’am, we’re just roommates. We’re not…” This wasn’t awkward at all.
“Oh, we know.” Grace waved him off. “We’re just glad Tessa had the room to help you out since your landlord went a bit crazy.” She winked. “Tessa brought it up during our last phone call since I wanted to know if I could help with the wedding.”
Tessa hadn’t really mentioned her parents much—or at all—and he wasn’t sure why. They seemed so nice. He didn’t know what was going on exactly since there was an undercurrent here he couldn’t quite place, but he hoped he would figure it out soon so he didn’t misstep.
“Anyway, we need to head out and meet with one of Chris’s old colleagues. When you’re ready for a real meeting, you just let us know, and we’ll be here. It was wonderful finally meeting you, and I do hope we see you again soon.” Grace’s eyes widened. “Oh! I know. Tessa is coming to dinner in a few days so we can tell her all about the remodel since we wanted to keep it a surprise that we want to work with Gallagher Brothers Restoration. You should join her.”
Red Alert! Red Alert!
The sirens from Star Trek blared in his mind, and he did his best not to run away in terror. “Um, maybe? Let me talk it over with Tessa.”
“It’s really no problem. We’d love to get to know Tessa’s friends more.” There was an odd pitch to her voice, and Grace blinked quickly before Chris wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
The older man cleared his throat. “Owen, thanks again for letting us see the building. And, Murphy, it was nice to meet you. I’m sure we’ll all see each other soon.” The couple walked out after waving and left Owen and Murphy alone in the foyer.
“What was that?” Murphy asked, his voice rough.
“That was Tessa’s parents being Tessa’s parents, apparently,” Owen answered after a moment. “I don’t know much, but from what Liz has told me, Tessa didn’t get along with her parents when she was a teenager, but I don’t think it was because of anything Chris and Grace did. I think it was just normal teenage things.” Owen paused. “That and the whole adoption thing.”
Murphy rounded on Owen. “What adoption thing?”
Owen’s face drained of color. “Oh, fuck. I didn’t know Tessa hadn’t mentioned it. Damn it. Liz told me in confidence, and I just spilled something that wasn’t my secret to tell. Don’t tell Tessa you know, okay? She wouldn’t want to know that we were talking about her behind her back.”
Murphy ran a hand over his face. “Are you saying Tessa was adopted? I don’t need to know the details, but I want to make sure I’m not thinking the wrong thing and make things worse.”
Owen looked visibly pained. “Yes, but I don’t know the details, and they’re not mine to know anyway. All I do know is that because of that, and probably many other things, Tessa didn’t always get along with her parents. Liz says that Grace and Chris have always been nice to her, and though she knows they want to be close to both her and Tessa, she’s always stayed slightly removed for fear of how Tessa might react. I don’t
know what that means or why Tessa would feel that way, and it’s not my business. But Grace and Chris want us to work on their house, and they know about us because of Liz and Tessa.” Owen blew out a breath. “They’re also loaded from what I’ve heard, and their house will be a huge project for us and good for the company. But I didn’t want to truly agree until we all met. This might get complicated.”
As they were Gallaghers; apparently, they lived for complications.
“I think I’m too tired to dive into all of that right now. I’ll have to think about it later. But, Owen? Family’s family, right? I mean, Tessa isn’t any different now than before we knew about it.” He wanted to be firm on that, just in case there was a misconception.
Owen raised his hands, palms out. “Of course. I mean, to us it shouldn’t matter, but…”
“But if Tessa has issues because of it, they aren’t any less real. Got it. And now, I’m going home because I can’t focus, and frankly, I have a feeling if Tessa doesn’t approve of this, then we’re not doing the job anyway. I’m not going to hurt her just for a big project.”
Owen shook his head. “You don’t have to explain that to me. She’s Liz’s best friend, and that means she’s family. We’ll talk it out when the time comes, but if she feels weird about it, then we won’t do it. Simple as that.” But they both knew there wasn’t anything simple about it.
Murphy didn’t want to meddle in Tessa’s business, nor did he want to hurt her. So he’d make sure she was really okay with him working with her parents before the company took the job. That’s what friends did, after all.
He made his way home after saying goodbye to Owen and knew he probably needed a nap. His treatments this time weren’t as bad as when he’d been a kid, but he wasn’t at full strength. Of course, he was probably also tired since he’d spent most of the night tossing and turning over very vivid dreams that involved Tessa, a can of whipped cream, and her screaming his name.
Talk about awkward that morning.
As soon as he walked into the house, however, he knew something was wrong. Tessa sat on the couch, a pint of ice cream in her hand, and a spoon dangling out of her mouth. She turned when he closed the door behind him and sighed, letting the spoon fall into the pint.
“Hi.” The word sounded so hollow, he didn’t even bother waiting for her to invite him to the couch, he just went straight to her. He lifted her into his arms and set her on his lap so she could rest her head on his shoulder. Tired or not, he still had his strength, thank God.
“What happened?” He kissed her forehead, running his hands down her sides and back.
“Brent dumped me last night. I’d have told you when I got home, but you were sleeping. Oh, and I’m pretty sure Brent thought we were fucking and I was a slut. So, yeah. I hate him.”
“That fucker. Want me to beat him up?” He squeezed her tightly before pulling the ice cream out of her hands so they didn’t end up a sticky mess.
“No, I just want to forget him. And I’m not a slut.”
Murphy let out a low growl and kissed her temple. “You’re not a fucking slut. No man should ever make you feel less than you are because they’re insecure. If they can’t handle who you are, then they can go fuck themselves.”
She let out a watery laugh and snuggled into him. He willed his dick not to get hard since she was sitting on his lap and felt really good, but he knew that was a lost cause. They would just have to ignore Little Murphy being happy at the close contact. It was a biological function, after all.
“I hate men.”
Murphy sighed and held on. “I’d say not all men, but then I’d sound like a Twitter asshole.”
She laughed again, but this time, he didn’t hear tears. “You could never be a Twitter asshole.” She paused. “Thanks for holding me. I didn’t know I’d react this way. I didn’t know that I liked him that much.”
“It’s not that you liked him, I don’t think. He made you feel like shit, and now you’re upset about it. Right?”
“Yeah. Stupid Brent.”
“Dull Brent is gone. No more khaki pants and boring talks about finance.”
“Did he ever talk to you about finance?” she asked, laughing.
“No, but it seems like something he’d talk about. That, and golf.”
She snorted into his chest and sank into him as they talked about nothing important. Soon, her breath evened out, and Murphy reached for a throw blanket to put over them. He was just as tired, so realizing that she was warm and safe in his arms, he let himself drift off, knowing that this might be the most comfortable he’d ever been. And because he was just tired enough, he didn’t let himself worry about what it all meant.
8
A couple of days later, Tessa woke up with a headache and the sudden urge to work out. There had to be something wrong with her if a run sounded like the best thing ever, but considering that she hadn’t slept much for the past week or so, she wasn’t sure where she’d find the energy. She figured endorphins could give her a boost. Or maybe she’d just collapse in a heap afterward and finally get some sleep.
And why couldn’t she sleep?
Not because she was stressed about her job because she wasn’t any more stressed than usual. Not because she had dinner with her family soon, because she actually loved her family and wanted to see them. Not even because she’d been dumped by Brent and had seen her ex on the same day.
No, it was all because of him.
Murphy Gallagher.
Her roommate.
Now the subject of every sex dream her subconscious could possibly think up.
She’d ridden him, lain under him, had him slide into her from behind. He’d licked up every inch of her pussy, devouring her in her dreams until she woke up coming with her hand between her legs and her panties dangling off one ankle. And just when she thought she’d had enough, she’d fantasized sucking him until he shouted her name, his voice hoarse, and his hands tangled in her hair.
Murphy Gallagher was going to kill her, and he didn’t even know it.
She needed to get out of the house. Now.
So, she put on her sports bra and tried not to accidentally choke herself with it, found a pair of workout leggings that had an inspirational quote on the side, and pulled on a tank with a matching quote. She might not work out as much as she should, but she had kickass activewear for motivation. After sticking her ear buds into her ears and setting her jogging playlist to repeat since she sadly didn’t have enough songs on it, she stretched and started her run.
Her lungs were going to kill her. She just knew they were inside her rib cage, holding on for dear life and screaming about how she was murdering them. But Tessa continued, telling herself that after half a mile or so, she might be able to catch her breath and not feel like she was dying with each step. At least that’s what she vaguely remembered from her last time running.
Tessa wasn’t the skinniest woman in the world, and she was just fine with that, but she still figured she should probably exercise more than once a week if she wanted to stay healthy. She just wished she could keep her weight steady by eating ice cream.
After the first mile, she could finally breathe again and started to remember why she liked running. It let her focus on what was around her at the same time it let her mind wander. And since she vehemently did not want to think of her roommate, she went through her checklist of things that should have been on her mind.
Roger Sanders, her co-worker and general pain in her behind, was starting to annoy her more every day, but she could usually tune him and his complaints out. As with any hospital in this economy, things were tightening up and getting more stressful by the month. Tessa had more patients than ever. And she had to wade through them all to ensure that they were not only paying but also not being scalped by the insurance companies. The latter was an ongoing, uphill battle, but Tessa refused to quit fighting for people’s health.
She huffed out a breath as she climbed another hill and cursed hers
elf for living in Denver instead of a completely flat place and at a lower elevation like Nebraska. At least she wasn’t running on an actual mountain.
Her phone buzzed on her armband, and she looked down at the screen and smiled before answering.
“Hey, Liz.” She panted between the words, and her friend laughed.
“Running? Really? It’s super early, Tessa,” her friend teased, but Liz was not wrong that running at this time of day was out of character for her. Hell, running outside was out of character for her these days.
“If it’s so early, why are you calling? Is everything okay?” Tessa turned the corner and started down a new block so she would end up going downhill for the end of the run. She was already sweaty, and her joints ached, so hopefully she’d be able to sleep eventually.
Liz sighed, and Tessa went on alert. “I’m fine. I almost just walked the few feet that separates our houses to see if you wanted coffee or something, but then I remembered Murphy was there, and I didn’t want to wake you. Hence the call. But I honestly didn’t expect you to be running right now. How can you talk and run at the same time? I’d run out of breath.”
She was not wrong. “You do most of the talking.”
Liz laughed before letting out another sigh. “I have no idea how we’re going to plan a wedding, Tessa. I mean, I just want to be married. I don’t need tulle and lace.”
“You might not need all of that, and honestly, I don’t think Owen needs any of that either.” Tessa coughed, out of breath but needing to reassure her friend. “Make it small. Intimate. Casual.” Apparently, she only had enough energy for one-word sentences. Why had she decided to run so far?
“I want to tell him I love him and that I want him to be mine forever just like I’ll be his. I hope he already knows that but…”
“You want it to be a ceremony.” Tessa panted and wiped sweat from her brow. She was officially a hot mess, and her legs were going numb. Almost there, she thought. She could see her house and would be able to shower before passing out soon.
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