Branna stared after our son after his dramatic exit, then she looked at me and said, “Why do I feel sad at disappointin’ ‘im?”
“Because he could convince the Devil that he was God, that’s why. Now come here and give me some of that sweet loving.”
“I can hear everythin’,” Jules hollered from the hallway. “Every single word, and I’m callin’ Childline!”
Branna burst into a fit of giggles, then proceeded to pick up my clothes from the floor and hand them to me, breaking my heart entirely.
“I’m gonna whoop your ass, Jules!” I shouted. “You ruined Mommy and Daddy’s alone time.”
“I’m diallin’ Childline as we speak!”
Branna’s laughter brought a smile to my face as I dressed. When I was fully clothed, I leaned my hip against the counter and watched her busy around the room as she checked on the dinner as it cooked. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my entire life, and she was mine. She vowed to spend her life with me, to love me and stand by me through thick and thin, and she had done just that. She stuck by me when she probably should have run for the hills, and she gave me my children and took care of all of us even though she worked a trying job.
She was the light of my life.
“Do you have any idea how perfect you are, Branna?” I asked, walking over to her and pushing stray hairs away from her face. “I’m not sweet-talking or trying to get you naked. I’m being serious. Do you have any clue how incredibly amazing you are? I can’t believe you’re my wife, sweetness.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Ryder, what’s brought this on?”
“Nothing,” I answered. “I was just watching you, and it struck me just how in love with you I am. I’m in awe of you, sweetness. I always have been, and I always will be.”
Branna’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, and before she could say a word, I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers. She turned her body towards mine, slid her arms around my waist, and relaxed against me as we kissed. I loved how she felt against me, how she tasted, how she smelled. I loved everything single thing about her.
“I love you,” I said against her lips. “I love you so much, Branna.”
“I love ye’ too, Ry.”
I smiled when I heard a long sigh from the doorway.
“I hate to admit it,” Jules grunted. “But that was very romantic. Ye’ have to teach me that, Da. Everythin’ ye’ said was gold.”
Branna turned her head, and to our son, she said, “What he said isn’t rehearsed. He put what he feels for me into words. When you fall in love, you’ll say somethin’ similar to your partner, I imagine.”
Jules rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. How long until dinner will be done? I’m leppin’.”
“Half an hour,” Branna answered. “Eat an apple if you’re hungry in the meantime.”
He groaned but grabbed an apple and ventured out of the room. I heard arguing in the living room then which told me Jules wanted the remote control for the television and whichever one of his brothers had it wasn’t giving it up. I was about to go and dissolve the argument by the taking the remote for myself when my phone rang. I found it on charge on the other side of the room.
“Did you put this on charge?” I asked my wife.
“Yeah,” she answered. “It was nearly dead.”
I thanked her, picked up my phone, and answered it when I saw it was Kane calling.
“What’s good, little brother?”
“Did you know Georgie had a fucking boyfriend?”
I nearly fell over. “A motherfucking what?”
“I’ll take that as a solid fucking no,” Kane grunted. “She has one, a boyfriend, I mean. And he’s a Collins.”
Now, I knew Kane had no quarrels with the Collins family, he was married to one for God’s sake, but Georgie was our niece, and she was the only girl amongst our horde of boys ... and a snot nose Collins boy was her boyfriend. That was a big fucking problem.
“A boyfriend who’s a Collins?” I repeated, hoping I heard the entire conversation wrong. “Is that what you just said?”
“Word for word, brother.”
“No,” I said. “No she fucking does not!”
“Trust me, Ry.” Kane sighed. “She most definitely does. Damien called me with the bad news.”
“Where does he live? Which brother does he belong to?” I demanded. “We’ll fix this problem inside of the hour.”
“We can’t.” My brother grunted. “We’ve been banned from hurting the boy by the highest chain of command.”
I sucked in a breath. “Bronagh forbid us?”
“Yup,” he replied. “Dominic is Croughs with Damien, and he needs us there to make sure he doesn’t do something that will make Bronagh divorce him or land his ass in jail. Alec is already on the way, and I’m good to go.”
“Shit, come and get me. I’m ready right now.”
I looked at my wife and found her silently laughing as she checked on the potatoes.
“Branna, why are you laughing?”
“Because, accordin’ to what I just heard, Georgie has a boyfriend who happens to be a Collins lad, and you and your brothers are havin’ a meltdown over it. That’s why I’m laughin’.”
“This isn’t funny,” I stated. “This is very serious.”
“You’re damn right,” Kane echoed.
Branna shook her head. “Where’s Dominic?”
“In a pub.”
She laughed again. “Go on, go with your brothers to help ’im through this. I have to call me sister to get the full story.”
I walked over, kissed her cheek, then turned and walked out of the kitchen.
“Kane, are you on the way?”
“Driving toward you as we speak, bro.”
I hung up on him, shoved my phone in my pocket, grabbed a jacket, then left my house. My life was great—no, my life was perfect. I had come across some bumps in the road along the way, then some fucking mountains, but I managed to climb each one and get to where I was now, which was happy, in love, and very blessed. I reminded myself of this as I waited for my little brother to come and pick me up. I rehearsed a speech in my head that I hoped would give Dominic some comfort, but I wasn’t sure if it would work. Georgie was his baby girl, his firstborn ... I think this would be one of those mountains in the road that me and my brothers would have help Dominic overcome together, but I knew in the end that we would get through it because that was what families were for.
We were there in good times, the bad, and the downright ugly. There was nothing we couldn’t tackle together as a family ... and this little Collins motherfucker would soon realise that.
Part V
DAMIEN
CHAPTER ONE
Present day ...
“Damien?”
I had just left the bathroom as my wife called my name.
“Yeah, babe?”
“C’mere,” she shouted from the kitchen. “You can deal with this disrespectful little shitehead.”
Uh-oh.
I jogged down the stairs, down the hallway, and into the kitchen where my second eldest son, Kailen, was leaning against the counter, looking down at his feet. Alannah stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot on the ground. This was becoming a regular occurrence. Kailen was twelve, but his attitude was getting out of hand. He talked back, didn’t do what he was told, and I knew Alannah worried herself sick over him.
“What’s wrong?”
Alannah didn’t look away from our son. “D’you want to tell ‘im or should I?”
Kailen peeked up at his mom, then looked at me and dropped his head instantly.
“Fine,” my wife clipped and turned to face me. “He didn’t help me with dinner when I asked ‘im to because he was too busy playin’ on his phone. I took it off ‘im and told ‘im to help me, and he told me to piss off and do it meself.”