Page 21 of Liam

With work done, it was time for some fun. We arrived home to Johnny and Maya’s kitchen looking like an entire craft shop had thrown up in it. There was a lot of noise, but as most of it was laughter, I figured it was all good.

JoJo was in her element; Colm was smiling from his place at the top of the table, one of his never-ending cups of tea at his elbow. He was wrapping what looked like leather around the handle of a wooden sword. Along one wall, resting on newspaper, there were several shields painted and drying. They lookedphenomenal. I noticed Liam looking at them, a contemplative look on his face.

My attention was diverted by Ally, who had me threading elastic through fake fur that I was told would go over our legs and sit at the top of our boots. We were just finishing up when I noticed Liam by the shields, a paintbrush in his hand as he painted designs on the shields. They all matched with Celtic shield knots added, as well as what I’d come to think of as the O’Shea symbol that was on their vehicles; I’d seen it on their clubs in a slightly smaller capacity. I’d thought it was similar to what the Crows wore on their bikes and cuts as an MC, even though the O’Sheas weren’t one.

The shields were beautiful, with the additional adornments Liam had added. Some already had our names done in beautiful calligraphy.

Colm was watching his son as he painted, and there was a sheen of tears in his eyes. He abruptly got up and left the table. I followed him shortly afterwards, finding him on the veranda looking out over the garden. Seeing that he’d walked out without his jacket, I went back into the house, swiped a blanket from the couch in the lounge, and walked back outside. Opening it up, I wrapped it around his shoulders, not saying anything, just waiting while he gathered his thoughts.

“He’s painting again,” he finally says. “He stopped after Rhett was sent down.”

Again, he was silent, and I had a feeling he wasn’t finished, though. “I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life,” he continues, “I had an amazing wife who stood beside me come hell or high water, and she gave me five sons. Admittedly, the youngest is a little shit, but my oldest four are some of the best men that I know.

“What I regret is not having the balls to get us out of gun running when I took over from my father. I thought I knew best, but I hurt my sons a lot, expecting them to fall in with family tradition. Rhett never had a problem with it; he thrived on the danger, it’s just how he was built.

“But Liam was softer, gentler. I should never have put him in the position I did. He reminds me so much of his mother. She was a painter too. The two of them could spend hours painting together. Adam was the same; that boy could happily spend hours by himself or in their company watching the two of them while he read book after book.

“Johnny, well, he took after me and he was good at what he did. He still is, but he didn’t get to see the darkness that Liam, Adam, and Rhett did.”

Colm sighs softly, his voice filled with grief and regret, “When Andy came along, I promised my wife I wouldn’t make him join the family business, but, in the end, I ended up fucking up there too because he’s nothing but a spoilt brat who thinks he’s owed the world. To see Liam painting again fills me with both happiness and despair. I hate that my choices hurt my boys so much. It makes me glad that Tommy decided not to follow in my footsteps.”

Leaning my head against Colm’s shoulder, I give him what comfort I can because we all have regrets in this life.

“Your boys love you,” I assure him. “Could you have made better choices? Maybe. But in the end, you brought up some pretty amazing men. I can’t speak for Andy because I don’t know him, but the three you have in that house are all good men.

“We all have regrets in this life, Colm; it’s how we learn not to do the same shit again and again. Plus, you have me, Tilly, and Maya to help you look after them now,” I tell him beforecontinuing, “And my girls, well, they’ve already staked a claim as Liam’s sisters, and I assure you they may be full of fun and know how to have a good time, but they’re also deadly, even JoJo. We’ll look after him.”

Colm lets out a little chuckle, and I feel the brush of lips against my head. It makes my heart ache a little because it was very much a dad thing to do, and the loss of my own dad was still new.

“I’m glad you turned up,iníon,it makes me hopeful that the rest of the boys will find their one and settle down before the good Lord takes me.”

“I hope the same for my squad,” I tell him. Lifting my head from his shoulder, I ask, “What doesiníonmean?”

Colm smiles warmly at me, patting my leg before he stands up, holding his hand out to me, pulling me up. Patting my scarred cheek gently, he tells me, “It means daughter.”

“Oh,” I say a little huskily, tears prickling at my eyes, “I like that. Maybe my parents and your wife are up there making sure we’re all looked after down here.”

“Could be,iníon. Could be,” he smiles warmly at me before walking back into the house, leaving me to follow him in. It’s when my gaze meets Liam’s and I realise that he’s looking at me with concern that I notice my cheeks are wet with tears, but I’m smiling too because it hit me on that veranda that while I missed my parents, I’d found a whole other family to fill those missing spots in my heart, and that made me happy.

CHAPTER 10

LIAM

The urge to paint hit me out of the blue as soon as I saw the shields lined up against the far wall of the kitchen. I hadn’t hesitated in getting my paints out and start decorating them. JoJo, Ally, Jeanie, Maya, and Tilly had done a great job making them. Growing up in a houseful of boys, it was strange to have so many women in our space. They brought a completely different dynamic to the entire house, lighting it up with laughter and teasing.

I’d not paid any attention when Da had got up abruptly and left, but I’d noticed when Sera had followed him out. I stood up to follow them, but JoJo stopped me with a gentle hand on my arm, “Let them be; there’s nothing to worry about.”

I’d taken her at her word and gone back to the shields, but most of my attention was on the kitchen doorway, waiting for them to come back inside. It was only about ten minutes before Da walked back in; he looked like he felt lighter than when he’d left. Sera concerned me because although she was smiling and looked happy enough, she was also crying.

It made me wonder what the hell they’d been talking about. When I made a move towards her, she waved me off and wiped her face on her sleeve before continuing with the task Ally had set for her. I’d relaxed when, after a little while, she started laughing at something. Whatever it was that bothered her, I’dfind out from her when we got home; for now, I’d let the two of them be.

Not an hour later, I’d finished the shields. The noise in the kitchen had died down about twenty minutes ago as everyone had disappeared to get dressed. Washing my brushes, I left them to dry and hurried out of the main house towards the path that led to my house. Opening the door, I smiled when I heard the sound of the shower running. Hurriedly, I toed off my boots and started stripping out of my clothes so that by the time I hit my bedroom door, I was naked with a pile of clothes in my arms that I tossed toward the washing basket.

Stalking towards the bathroom door, I push it open and am met by the gorgeous silhouette of my woman, naked in the shower. Arms up, breasts thrust out as she washes her hair, water streaming down her delectable body.

“Are you going to stand there or are you coming to join me?” she demands to know.

Broken from my reverie by her question, I open the shower door and step inside, crowding her up against the wall.

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