Page 56 of Love Thief

“Is Uncle Kellen sending you away, Aunty Kitten?” asks Oisin. He turns to Kell and pleads, “It was not her fault, Uncle Kellen. The pony butted the goats and then Eamonn.”

We all start to laugh again as Eamonn does an impression of Pinky butting him. I fall on the floor in hysterics and the boys all pile on.

“Get your goggles down boys, we’re under attack,” I tell them. They all put their goggles down, me included, and we’re all rolling around on the grass.

Marshall sighs and shakes his head at us all, taking the Pony from Kellen and tells me he’ll see me at home.

“Right then, who’s going and who’s staying?” I demand, standing back up and facing them all. I cock my hip at Kellen and the boys all follow suit.

Xander can’t contain his laughter. “Yeah, Kellen,” he says, “who are you sending home?”

The girls have all moved to stand with Gabe and Levi, who are standing on the same side of the pool as Kell, a clear divide it seems.

I’m really pissed now that Kellen is not backing me. I know he thinks I’m a pain in the arse, and cause trouble, but not this time. I decide to take matters into my own hands.

“Tell you what, I’ll make it real easy for you. I’m out. Let’s go boys.” I grab the boys bikes and they jump on.

“Just wait a fucking minute. I did not say for you to go,” Kell shouts, panicked, as I go to get my motorbike.

“But you did not say for me to stay, either.” I get on the bike, and carry on glaring at him. “Don’t bother coming back to Marshall’s. Stay here with these bitches, just about your barrow.” I rev the bike before he can drag me off it. He’s steaming, and when he grabs me, Colm runs into him on his monkey bike.

“Get off our Aunty, get him boys!” They all turn their bikes to drive into him, and only Xander plucking them off the bikes stops them from mowing him down.

“Fucking Purcells. Is it genetic that you defend her?” Kellen shouts as Colm rams him with his miniature motorbike.

I lean over and grab a crop from the bike and hit him with it.

“Get the crops,” shouts Eamonn. “Get them.” They’re like savages, charging in, yelling and whacking.

“Stop,” shouts Bug, who’s appeared round the side of the house. “Boys, what the hell are you doing?”

Eamonn bursts into tears. “They’re shouting at Aunty Kitten, and she didn’t do anything wrong.”

Bug looks at his boys with goggles, monkey bikes, and crops and then at me in the same gear, just about to wallop Kellen. He smiles and says, “Just like old times,”

Then he morphs into full-on playful protector mode and growls, “Who's hurting my kitten? You better not be Marcus, I’ve got back up,” and he points to the three miniatures of him.

Kellen smiles and Xander steals the crops off the boys, except Eamonn’s who’s jumped into his daddy's arms.

“Don’t let Uncle Kellen send Aunty Kitten away. We love her. She lets us ride bikes and eat chocolate really late. Stop him Daddy, you’re bigger than him.” And just for good measure, he points at Kellen.

I look at Kell. “Well, am I going?”

“Never my love, you just don’t give me a minute. You’re insane, Kitten. Of course you’re not going, you’re my wife.”

The women are not backing down. “Well, we’ve got a problem with her,” puts in Becky. “Levi, tell him she has got to go. There are more of us, outvote them.” She points to Xan and Kell, clearly believing Xan won’t go against me.

“I’m sorry, Becky,” Levi says, “but you’ll have to go. You set the ultimatum, not Evie. She’s never said she didn’t want you here, although I’m sure she’s thought it.”

“Gabe, what’s it gonna be brother?” asks Xan. “They can’t stay, you’ll have to recruit two more.”

All the girls are aghast. They can’t believe they’re essentially now on the outside looking in. They start shouting again at me, Gabe, and Levi. Levi pushes them towards the house while Kell takes hold of my arm, pulling me off the bike and into his body.

“Just about my barrow, really?”

I shrug at him. “Enough, Evie,” I mimic.

“You’re feral and you’ve got these boys feral. They were normal yesterday and look at them today,” he looks down at Colm at his feet, “trying to kill their uncle in your defence.”

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