"I know, love, I know." He too is out of breath, but his lips are back on mine and this kiss has gone from hot to scorching. My hands are no longer in his hair, I have no idea how they got onto his shirt, but I don't care. I reach for the hem as he begins to walk me backwards out of the kitchen.
"Love you baby,” he says against my lips.
"Love you too,” I tell him as I pull his shirt over his head.
He backs me into the spare bedroom as he reaches for my trousers. He kicks the door closed and backs me up until my legs hit the bed.
Chapter 27
Two months later
I awake to silence, instantly fear grips me as it always does when I wake alone, where’s Richie? I hear his deep voice coming from downstairs and I hate myself for panicking. I have to try to overcome my fear of thinking that he’ll be gone when I wake up. It’s only going to make things worse for us. It’s been two months and Richie and I are taking things slowly, very slowly. Yes, we’ve had sex, more than once and somewhere in these past two months he’s moved in. Every day I start to regain the trust I had in him, I love him, I always have, and I think I always will.
I quickly tiptoe to the bathroom knowing that Malachy is in safe hands with his father, turning on the shower I step in and let the water cascade down onto me. Lately, I’ve been really happy, I’ve started college and I’m working back at Margaret’s salon. With Richie back, it’s like everything I’ve ever wanted is happening and sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure that I’m not dreaming.
I have a quick shower, as I’m dying to see my baby, he slept through the night without even a stir. I moved him into his own room last night, I’m so proud of him for taking it so well. I remember the first time he slept through the night, God, when I woke, I was so scared. I looked into his cot and saw that he was fast asleep. I don’t think I moved so quick in my life.
As I’m getting dressed, I smell bacon cooking, inhaling sharply I also smell sausages. I pull on my leggings and a vest top, as per usual I forgo any socks or shoes, I love walking around barefoot. I make my way downstairs with the smell of food getting stronger. My foot hitting the bottom step I turn towards the spare room and see that there’s a light on; frowning, I don’t remember the light on when I was in there.
Sticking my head around the ajar door, I spot Malachy’s moses basket in the room, that’s weird I usually bring him upstairs or leave him in the sitting room.
“I thought he’d get some peace in here, we can eat breakfast while we watch some shitty telly,” Richie whispers in my ear, his hands sliding around my waist.
“Yeah, I should have thought of this a while ago.” I turn in his arms and kiss his lips. “Thank you for seeing to him this morning.”
He winks at me, we’re so comfortable around each other, it’s the way it should have been. "You looked so peaceful there was no way I could wake you. Besides you need the rest, you've been working hard lately."
I sniff. "Is something burning?" Yeah, I smell burning.
"Ah shit!" He curses, and I watch with amusement as he turns and runs towards the kitchen. I follow behind him as he swears like a sailor. As I get to the doorway, he's throwing the burnt toast into the bin, I can't help but giggle. He turns to face me; he doesn't look amused. "It's not funny Nat, I wanted to cook you breakfast."
I smirk. "It's fine. It’s only toast."
He shakes his head. "I know, but Nat, every morning you get up, you sort Malachy, you clean the house and you make everyone breakfast."
I frown. "Hey, where is this coming from?" I walk over to him.
As soon as I’m within touching distance he reaches out and pulls me into his arms. "You do so much for me, for our son. I just wanted you to rest today."
Warmth fills me with his words. "You do a lot for me. Those days that you're home before me, you have this house spotless, you make sure that dinner is on the table and that Malachy is set for bed."
He smirks. "Look at us all domesticated. This is beyond anything I could have dreamed of, when I got that call about my dad. I thought that me and you would never be, I thought that I'd lost the woman I love forever." He stares at me, so much love and devotion shining in those bright green eyes, "After everything I've done, the mistakes I've made, you're my solace."
I lick my lips, heat rushing through my body. "Richie, before you, I was dirty and tainted. I hated myself. I was a prostitute because I felt it was all I deserved to be. You coming back into my life, it showed me that I'm not dirty and I'm not tainted. You released a strength inside of me that I never knew existed. I got out of that life and I'm living my dream."
He’s shaking his head, his Adam's apple moving as he swallows. "Fuck,” he whispers, his eyes darken, "Nat, I've just cooked breakfast," his voice is tight as he barely controls himself, I smile, he wants to fuck me senseless.
"Feed me,” I say breathlessly.
I watch as his jaw grinds, "Natalie, don't test me."
I feign innocence, "What? I'm starving."
I'm disappointed as he turns and walks towards the oven, "Take a seat and I'll dish breakfast out."
I do as he says and sit down, knives and forks are set out along with butter, jam, and ketchup. He's really gone all out. He puts the kettle on to boil and puts more toast in the toaster. I watch him with fascination as he moves effortlessly around the kitchen. He makes me a cup of tea and places it down in front of me, before going back to sort the breakfast out he leans down and kisses my cheek.
He dishes up breakfast and it's a full English, sausages, bacon, eggs, beans, tomatoes, and toast. My plate is full of food, there's no way that I can eat everything he's put in front of me, but it looks delicious and I'm going to give it my best shot.
Breakfast is silent, he's not said a word to me since he told me to sit down. He doesn't need to though, his eyes speak volumes. Those green eyes of his are so expressive, they tell me everything he's feeling. Lately all I've seen in them is love and happiness, it's something I never saw before. Maybe it was there but I wasn't paying attention. I am now.
Malachy cries and I'm up and out of my seat before the first cry finishes. Walking into the room I instantly know my little boy is upset, his cheeks are rosy red. Poor thing is teething, as I reach the moses basket, I see that he's still tired, his tiny hands rubbing his eyes and a big yawn comes out of his little mouth. I take a step back, wanting to get him some Calpol; hoping that it will help ease his pain. As I turn, Richie’s standing in the doorway with a syringe full of Calpol. "His teeth have been bothering him all morning. He fell asleep, so I thought they were okay,” he whispers as he hands me the syringe.
I give him a grateful smile and walk back towards the cot, Malachy opens his mouth and lets me give him the medicine. He has three teeth at the moment, and I'm guessing he's got another on the way. Teething is the worst, you can only do so much for them and that's it. The pain medicine helps but doesn't fully take away the pain. My baby boy is so sleepy, his rosy cheeks so prominent against his pale skin.
Leaving the door open slightly Richie and I walk back into the kitchen. Seeing the food left on Richie's plate has my heart fill with regret., he didn't finish eating. I would have seen to Malachy, he should have finished eating. "Babe, why don't you sit down and finish up?"
He shakes his head, "Nah, I'm stuffed." He begins tidying up, putting away the sauces and filling the sink to wash up. I love that he does that. He doesn't sit back and expect me to clean. If he can, he'll tidy, and he'll do the washing before I'm awake, or home from college and work.
I pick up my plate and get ready to bring it over to the sink, but Richie's eyes glance my way. "Don't even think about it,” he cautions as he walks over to me and takes the plate out of my hand, then gathers the rest of the stuff from the table and brings it all to the sink. "Why don't you go into the sitting room and watch telly or something?"
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" I ask with a raised brow.
He shakes his head, a smirk on h
is face. "Now why on earth would you think that?"
"Hmmm," I reply, as I take a seat at the kitchen table, crossing my arms over my chest as I do.
"Baby, I would never want to get rid of you." His voice is smooth, he's not even looking at me, he's focused on the dishes in the sink. “But you need to rest, you're always making sure that Malachy and I are looked after, not only that, you're in college Monday to Friday and then in the salon on a Saturday. The only time you have to yourself is a Sunday. I don't want you working yourself into the ground."
He's worried about me, that's sweet. "I'm almost finished with college; another two weeks and I'm done. Penelope paid loads of money for me to do a fast track course. Two fast track courses to be exact and once I'm done, Margaret has already offered me a job in her salon. So, I can start getting clients and hopefully make a bit more money than I am now." Which is fuck all, I only get paid for the Saturdays I work in the salon. Even then it's one day's wages, not enough to pay the rent.
He turns to face me, "I'm so proud of you Nat." His voice full of so much emotion that my eyes begin to water. "Everything you've been through…" He shakes his head. "You've come out the other side, better and stronger than before."
"Thank you,” I whisper, my throat closing as my nostrils flare.
"Don't thank me. You raised our son alone for four months, I'm in awe of you, Nat and not only me, my mam is too."
"Your mum?" I ask, slightly horrified.
A twisted smile forms on his face, "Yes Natalie, I’ve spoken to my mam about you.
"What have you told your mum about me?" I'm actually scared, and I pray that he hasn't told his mum and sister that I was a prostitute.
He winks at me. "Baby, nothing bad. I've told her that you're a fighter and that I'm an arsehole."
I laugh, believing him. When I consider all I know about him, I don't think he would say anything I might be uncomfortable with. I mean, who would tell anyone that the mother of their child was a prossie? "What did she say to that?"
He smirks. "She told me that you need to be a fighter to put up with an arsehole like me."
"Sounds like your mum and I will get along just fine."
He nods as he pulls the plug from the sink, "You will, believe me. My mam is looking forward to meeting you."
My eyes widen. Why does him saying that make me frightened all of a sudden? "Um, when did you tell her about Malachy?"
"On the way home from when you first told me about him. I was pissed off at myself because I left you at a time when you needed me the most. I should have been here, but I was selfish. I rang Mam and told her everything." He laughs. "She was so mad at me, she called me a fool and told me that I don't deserve you."
Hmm, seems there was a lot thinking that, myself included.
"She's dying to see you and Malachy, I've been telling her that she should come over and visit you both." He tells me as he walks towards me, his arm outstretched to help me up off of the chair.
"Well when is she coming?" I would love for Malachy to finally meet his grandmother.
"She's not."
I'm sorry what? "Why?"
He shrugs as he leads me into the sitting room. "She's never left Ireland before," he says matter-of-factly.
"Surely seeing her grandson would be the perfect reason to leave and come for a visit?" I'm so confused. If she's dying to meet him, why hasn't she come over? I wouldn't have stopped her from visiting him.
He looks at me like I'm daft. "Nat, I've been asking her every day since I found out about Malachy." He's not lying when he says every day, he actually means it. He and his mum talk every day. I think it's sweet and hope that Malachy and I are the same when he's older.
"We'll get her over here, or maybe we can visit."
He gives me a look. "Nat, we're both going to be working full time soon, not to mention, do you fancy bringing an almost seven-month-old on a plane? Or better yet, in a car for that journey?"
He's right, that would be a nightmare. "What do we do then?"
"I’m not sure. I'm going to talk to Mary-Anne and see if she has any advice." He sounds defeated.
"What about if Mary-Anne came over with her? She's not seen Malachy either,” I say pointedly as I take a seat on the sofa.
"I've asked them, and Mam just says she's never left Ireland and Mary-Anne changes the subject." He sounds annoyed, and I don't blame him. I mean I don't have any blood family, but the family members I have acquired have all seen Malachy.
"I'll call her tonight," he tells me, and judging by that tone of voice—he's going to put his foot down. "It's about time they saw our son,” he says through gritted teeth.
"Call them now, you're only going to get yourself worked up even more."
He gives me a tight nod before leaving the room, and I can hear him walking upstairs. I put the telly on and find Toy Story playing on one of the channels. I love this film. God, it’s been a long time since I watched it. I remember when I first saw it. Mum had it on DVD, and she put it on one day when I was sick, and we were on the sofa with a blanket around the two of us, I think I was six.
Malachy cries thirty minutes later, and this time it’s not because he’s sore. My little man’s fully awake. I change his nappy and bring him into the sitting room with me. I place him in his bouncer so that he can see the telly, and we both start to watch the rest of the film. Richie’s still upstairs on the phone, and I hope that everything’s okay. I didn’t expect him to be talking for this long.
Finally, he comes into the sitting room, a massive smile on his face. “They’ll be here next month. Mary-Anne’s dying to see him. She said she didn’t come before now because she didn’t want to leave Mam alone.”
I smile. “That’s great.” I’m really excited, not only because I get to see his mum but also that Malachy gets to meet his family. “Is your mum excited?”
“She cried when I told her, she’s really looking forward to meeting you and of course meeting Malachy. She loves you for calling him that, and I’ve been telling Mary-Anne that we’ve been relegated to third and fourth in her love.”
I smile. That’s so silly but so accurate. Penelope’s the same. Stef and I talk about how we’ve been moved down the list since Carter and Malachy have been born.
“I love you, baby,” he whispers in my ear as he kisses my cheek.
“Love you too,” I say and watch as he kisses Malachy’s head before sitting beside me on the sofa. The two boys that I love are both under this one roof, we’re a family and I couldn’t be happier.
Epilogue
Three Years Later
Something wakes me, and I open my eyes to discover the bedroom is shrouded in darkness. I hear giggling, so they’re awake early, I should have guessed. Malachy’s been excited to open all the presents for weeks. Turning over, I see that it’s half six. For some reason, I thought it was earlier.
A floorboard creaks, and I sit up, waking Richie in the process
“Ssssh, KayKay. You’ll wake Mummy and Daddy,” Malachy tells her, and I groan. They’re going to make their way downstairs. That little rat, trying to get his sister to be naughty with him too. Kayla is only seventeen months old and she loves her brother and follows him everywhere. Malachy’s now three and a half and a troublemaker.
I’m out of bed and racing to the door.
“God, have they ever heard of a lie in?” Richie grumbles, he too getting out of bed.
As I open the door, my heart leaps into my mouth when I see Malachy trying to climb over the stairgate. “Malachy Charles Murphy, get down from there now.”
Kayla walks over to me and hides behind my legs, they both know that they’re not allowed to go near the stairgate when we’re not there.
“I’m sorry, Mummy,” Malachy says as he pouts.
“Did you two see your stockings?” Richie asks them as he walks into the nursery.
“Where?” Malachy asks looking around the hall.
“You two go into my room and get into bed, I
’ll bring your stockings in,” I tell them, and Kayla runs into my bedroom with a smile on her face.
I go into their rooms and grab their stockings which I had left at the end of each of their beds. They both threw the covers over the stockings so they completely missed them. I bring them into my room and see that Malachy helped Kayla into bed and they’re both waiting patiently for me.
“Here you go, they were at the bottom of your bed.” I hand them the stockings and climb into bed beside them.
“Mummy, do we have to wait for Daddy to come in?” Malachy asks with such sadness that I lean over Kayla and kiss his head.
“You can open them now, I’m here.” Richie says, walking in with Aiden in his arms, I can’t believe my baby is six months old already, he’s tiny compared to the other two at the same age. Richie comes to sit down beside me, I want to reach out and take Aiden, but he looks so content in his daddy’s arms that I don’t.
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I’m a mother of three. I never thought I’d be a mum to one. Things between Richie and I are great. It took a while, but my fears of having him leave have gone. He’s a doting dad. He loves our kids so much, and each and every day he shows me how much he loves me. I’m happy, my kids are happy, and Richie’s happy that’s the main thing.
We sit and watch as the kids open the presents in their stockings. It’s not much as they have loads of presents downstairs. A few books, a selection box, Kayla has a teddy and Malachy has a board game. It’s a tradition that Richie had when he was little, and he wanted to do the same with our kids.
“Mummy, are we going to Pen’s house today?” Malachy asks with a smile on his face, I look to Kayla who’s got the most hopeful look in her eyes. My kids absolutely adore Penelope and Grant, every Wednesday the kids go to their house and they love it.
Grant and Penelope still haven’t gotten pregnant, and Pen’s given up hope. Pen’s devastated. She finally came around to the idea of having another one, and it hasn’t happened. She spends every Wednesday with my kids and every Thursday with Stef’s two, although that’s soon to be three as she’s pregnant again. Stef has told me that she wants more than three. I, on the other hand, am done.
The Scars Of Life (The Working Girls Book 4) Page 24