Page 31 of Fierce Family

“Ask me what?” Sheila’s eyes are red as she steps closer.

“When can I go home, Mum?” He’s realised now isn’t the time to ask about climbing.

“They want to keep you here overnight,” Nicholas answers, still looking worried. He starts to talk to Gregory about something unrelated, giving me a chance to pull Sheila to the side.

“What’s wrong?” I ask in a low voice. Her eyes dart to her son, but he’s not paying us any attention.

“They need to do follow up checks on his liver to make sure there’s no long-term damage—”

“He’s going to be alright,” I whisper desperately. I need it to be true, for her, for me, for the whole family.

“Josh, thank you for being here.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” I place a chaste kiss on her lips.

“Josh, my dad’s boyfriend is cooking a big dinner tomorrow night, can you come?” Gregory interrupts us. I guess he’s trying to tell me that I have his approval.

“Love to!” I grin at him.

I’m not deluding myself that we are going to be a picture-perfect family from now on. There will be plenty of slammed doors and arguments, but I’m sure between Sheila, Nico, Peter, and I, we somehow will wrangle these crazy hormones of our boys. This is afierce family, and I want to be part of it.

Epilogue

Josh

Ilook up fromthe book I’m reading as Sheila flicks the light switch. She is wearing one of my work T-shirts and nothing else.Fuck, she’s sexy.

“Angel, what’s that look on your face?”

“I’ve just realised that this is the first time in two weeks we’ve been alone in the house.” Peter and Nicholas have taken the boys for a weekend. These have been two emotional weeks. In addition to the girl, one of the boys also didn’t make it. The whole village has been reeling from the shock.

Two days after the incident, Nico and Sheila sat Gregory down and talked with him about what happened. He resisted at first and wasn’t willing to concede that he and his friends did something stupid. Then they told him about the two dead children and all ended up crying.

Both kids who died were buried this week. Their parents requested that none of the other teenagers attend the funerals, but they could go to the school’s memorial service. It was tough, especially for Gregory. I remember feeling invincible as a teenager, but losing two friends insomething he was part of has left him riddled with guilt. Sheila carefully suggested he see a therapist, and after initial reluctance, he agreed.

Gregory and his brother have accepted me into their lives, even if there’s still some distance as we get to know each other. But we’re getting there.

“And what are you planning to do to me?” I cross my arms and grin. With a woosh, Sheila pulls the duvet off me and drops it to the floor.

She crawls onto the bed and straddles my thighs, her fingers trailing up and down my chest. “I’m so grateful to have you in my life,” she says softly.

“The feeling is mutual, angel.” I hesitate for a second, “I love you.” Sheila’s eyes widen in surprise before she leans down and kisses me tenderly.

Her fingers trail lazily up and down my arm while her lips press butterfly-soft kisses against my shoulder.

“You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?” I say teasingly, turning my head to look at her.

Sheila shrugs with an innocent smile. “No. I’m trying to show you how much I love you.”

I chuckle and shake my head. “You could just look into my eyes and tell me.”

“I love you,” she replies seriously, her eyes searching mine as she continues slowly trailing her fingers up and down my arm. “You’re an amazing person and I’m… we are lucky to have you in our life.”

I feel a familiar tightening in my groin as Sheila’s soft lips press against the sensitive skin beneath my ear, her tongue darting out to trace a slow line down to my collarbone.

Before I know it, Sheila has manoeuvred herself and is straddling my lap, so now there’s no mistaking the effect she’s having on me.

She grinds her hips against mine sensually while trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses along the column of my neck. “I want you,” she murmurs softly against my skin.

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