“I don’t even know what me problem is,” she answered with a sigh. “Sometimes, I just realise we have such a big family, and I’m terrified if we suddenly can’t provide for them anymore.”
“Bronagh.”
“You’re the one who makes the money, Dominic,” she cut me off. “I just … I just—”
“You just take care of everyone and everything else,” I finished. “Sweetheart, you are the heart of this family. Without you, there is nothing. You know that.”
When her eyes glazed over with tears, I leaned down and kissed her until she relaxed against me.
“Alannah pays you too. You’ve been working with her for years. You contribute financially as well as me.”
She sighed but didn’t disagree with me.
“No more worrying,” I murmured against her lips. “Okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“I love you.”
She hummed. “I love ye’, too.”
I jumped when her nails ran over my softening cock, and it made her laugh as I backed out of the shower with a smirk in place.
“Same time tomorrow?”
Bronagh snorted. “If I can sit down by then, we’ll see.”
I left our bathroom with a shit-eating grin on my face. I dried myself off, changed into clean boxer shorts, and just as I was about to grab some pants, I thought I heard voices in the hallway. I ventured outside to investigate, and the second I left the room, gasps and giggles could be heard, as well as a horrified, “Da!”
Georgie was clearly heading towards her bedroom with two of her friends in tow, Alexandra and Joanne aka Alex and Joey. I had known both girls since they were in kindergarten with my daughter, so seeing them stare at me without blinking freaked me out. I looked down at my boxer briefs then back up to my child’s teenage friends, and I think, for the first time in years, I felt myself blush.
“Hi, girls.” I smiled as I reached out to grab a towel hanging over the stair rail and wrapped it tightly around my hips. “How are you, ladies?”
“I’m doin’ real good, Mr. Slater,” Joey replied with a brow raised and her teeth sinking into her lower lip. “Real good, sir.”
Alex giggled and Joey stared at me without blinking while Georgie looked mortified if her burning face was any indication.
“Can you please put some clothes on?” she pleaded. “Please.”
I bobbed my head and sprung back into my bedroom and closed the door behind me before anyone could speak another word. Bronagh was in the middle of putting a bra on. She already had socks and panties on, and when she saw me, she raised her brows.
“Alex and Joey just saw me in my boxers.” I cringed. “I think Joey licked her lips, too.”
Bronagh grinned. “Is Georgie red faced?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “She’ll be complaining about this for the next week.”
My wife giggled as she pulled on a pair of jeans, and she playfully rolled her eyes when she found my eyes glued to her as she got dressed. I grinned, not ashamed in the least to be caught ogling her. I watched her as often as I could, and she and everyone else knew it. My kids weren’t bothered by it because seeing me being constantly affectionate to their mother was all they ever knew. I think if I stopped showing that affection, they would find it weird.
“You’ll have to apologise to Georgie,” Bronagh said as she put on her socks. “She’ll be a nightmare otherwise.”
I pulled on jeans, socks, and a t-shirt.
“I’ll catch her before she goes to the centre with the girls.”
“I’m bringin’ Axel shoppin’ with me, so you just have Quinn and Griffin to bring to their game. Their game is a home game, so it’s just down to the pitches for you. I wanna stop off at Skechers and get Axel new runners; his last two pairs were ruined from all the climbin’ he does at Gravity with you.”
I smiled. “He loves it.”
“His runners don’t.”
I walked over, smacked her ass, grabbed her face, and kissed her like I meant it. When I pulled away, my wife swayed into me just like she did when we were teenagers.
“What was that for?”
“Because I felt like kissing you.”
She opened her eyes and smiled up at me.
“You’re so beautiful.”
“Speakin’ of beautiful.” She smiled. “Why were Beau and Georgie fightin’ earlier?”
“He took her phone; she retaliated.”
“That lad constantly tries to find ways to annoy ‘er.”
“He loves her … loves to piss her off, too.”
Bronagh chuckled as I kissed her cheek and left the room. I glanced over the stair rail and saw Alex and Joey descending the stairs with my daughter nowhere in sight. I made my way to her bedroom, and when I entered the room, I froze in the doorway.
“What the hell are you wearing, Georgie Slater?”
She spun to face me, and when I saw her bare stomach, my heart stopped.
“You were right ab-about it bein’ hot out,” she stammered. “I was just changin’ into somethin’ … cooler.”
“Cooler?” I blinked. “You’re naked.”
“Da, please.” She frowned. “I’m not naked. It’s a crop top and a skirt.”
Two things she had never worn before. Ever.
“Naked,” I repeated. “You aren’t leaving the house in that.”
I ran from her room to mine, grabbed a t-shirt that I made as a joke the year before, and rushed back to my daughter’s room. I pushed it at her and waited outside as she changed into it. When I heard her screech, I felt deeply satisfied with myself.
“Daddy!”
“Don’t ‘daddy’ me,” I warned as I re-entered the room. “If you won’t dress yourself correctly, then I’ll do it for you.”
My child almost snarled at me. “This will put me at the top of the loser list, Da! No lad will ever look in me direction if ye’ make me wear this!”
Fireworks went off in my mind at her words.
“You’re never taking it off.”
Georgie stomped her foot on the ground and turned her back to me. She opened her mouth and shouted, “Ma!”
I listened for Bronagh and smiled when I heard her walk towards our daughter’s room humming a song.
“What is it, Georgie?”
“Da is ruinin’ me entire life, and he’s happy about it.”
I was very happy about it.
Bronagh entered the room on a tired sigh, but when her gorgeous eyes fell to the t-shirt Georgie had on, she laughed with glee. Our less than impressed teenager screeched. “It’s not funny! I’ll be slagged to the high heavens if I have to wear this, Ma.”
Bronagh folded her arms over her chest. “I thought ye’ didn’t care what people thought of ye’?”
Georgie shifted her stance. “I don’t.”
My wife raised a brow. “Then what’s the problem?”
Georgie pointed at her shirt and read the words printed in black.
“This is my dad. He will do to you what you do to me. It’s even worse with the stupid picture of da without his shirt on under the writin’.”
“That’s a nice picture.” I frowned. “Don’t be mean.”
She refused to look at me. Instead, she focused on Bronagh. “I’d sooner walk around school in me bra in front of every lad in sixth year than wear this t-shirt, Ma.”
My child just described an actual nightmare of mine.
“Do you want me to have your cousins flank you all day at school on Monday?” I growled. “Because I’ll call them right now and arrange it.”
My stubborn child scoffed. “Go for it.”
She challenged me, and she was old enough to know never to do that.
“Fine,” I said and took out my phone.
“Fine,” Georgie quipped.
I dialled Jax’s number and placed my phone to my ear.