Page 30 of Johny

“I agree with Maya. You should stay,” Adam announced, surprising us all. “My house is nearly finished; you and your girls will be comfortable in there. I’ll stay in the static caravan or with Liam.”

“Adam’s right,” Liam agrees. “It’s best if you stay here where we know you’ll be safe.”

We can all see that Tilly is undecided. Determining that they are right, I throw my agreement in behind my brothers, “I agree with my family. It’s best for you and the girls to staywith us for now. At least until you and Ally are healed.”

I think if it had only been her, she would have continued to move on, but it was the pain in her eldest daughter’s voice that decided her, “Please, Mum, let’s stay here for a little while. I don’t want to go home where he can find us again.”

I knew as soon as those words were uttered that they’d be staying for as long as we needed to ensure that not only Maya and our children were safe but also Tilly and her girls.

It was Adam who surprised us all when he went to Ally. Crouching down in front of her, he said kindly, “Is it okay if I pick you up, Ally, so we can get you and your mum to my home and in bed so you can rest?”

She considered him for a while, and her eyes flicked to her mother, who nodded, “Okay,” she whispered. “I’m really tired.”

“I know,ceann beag, let’s get you home,” Adam tells her softly, scooping her gently into his arms, saying over his shoulder, “Maya stop being stubborn and get your arse to Rea to check you over so that Johnny can calm down.”

“I agree with Adam,” Liam states. “While you go get checked out, I’ll get the children and updatethe Crows so they can up security at the school. At least they know who he is. We’ll see you back at the house tonight.”

“Okay,” Maya agrees, looking at me, her eyes wide. She’s still paler than I’d like.

“Come on,mo ghrá, let’s get you checked out and back home,” I tell her, helping her up from the couch and out of the office. Adam meets us at the door as we’re leaving so that he can lock up, having already put Tilly and her girls in his car.

Only stopping to say softly, “You and Tommy were right, Johnny, when it hits you it’s not something you miss.”

Grinning wide, I clasp his shoulder, “No, brother, you don’t miss it. I’ll apologise as soon as I can about how I spoke to her earlier.”

Adam nods, “You do that, or I might have to kick your arse.”

Laughing at him, I lead a smiling Maya towards our car, helping her in so we can get to Rea. Calling Rea I ask if she’ll see us rather than waiting for an appointment with a midwife.

Rea agrees and meets us outside the hospital to show us to a side room just off A&E where she does a complete check of Maya and the baby. Everything is fine, although Rea smirks at Maya,saying, “That’s not to say you shouldn’t put your feet up tonight and have this one fetch and carry for you.”

We leave the hospital laughing because little does Rea know that I make Maya put her feet up every night.

“Do you think I should tell her you do that anyway?” Maya laughs.

“Nah, let her have her fun,” I smirk at my wife. “You and I know and that’s all I care about.”

“Yeah,” Maya sighs, resting her head against the window with a yawn. She’ll be asleep before we’re even out of town. “I’m glad I’m not alone this time,” she whispers softly.

Taking her hand from where it rests on her thigh, I lift it to my mouth, pressing a kiss to her palm. “You’ll never be alone again,milseán. Let him come, he doesn’t know what’s going to hit him if he tries to take Jackson or hurt any of you ever again. Between all the O’Sheas, including Tommy and the Crow MC, we’ve got you covered.”

“I know,” Maya smiles, tilting her head towards me, “I’m blessed,” she whispers as she falls asleep.

‘Let the fucker come. I couldn’t wait to get myhands on him. We may no longer be running guns, but we’d lived a hard life while we had. None of us were strangers to fighting or bloodshed. We’d waged our own wars and come out on top until we didn’t want to anymore, it had always been our choice,’I thought. Pressing another kiss to Maya’s hand, I concentrated on getting us home safe behind the O’Shea gates and all the surprises that anyone who didn’t know our woods would find.

There was a reason that Da posted so many warning signs on the property. It wasn’t just because he didn’t like people.

‘Bring it on fucker, you don’t know who you’re messing with.’

EPILOGUE

TILLY

I’m not sure what it said about me that I’d so readily agreed to moving me and my babies to a complete stranger’s place. Maybe it was the way that Johnny was with Maya and the care and attention he showed her. Or maybe it was that although he’d barked at me, I’d seen the guilt cross his face when he realised I had my girls with me.

It was all of that and more, but mostly, it was the steady look in the green eyes of the man driving us towards his house and the care that he’d shown Ally that had made me agree.

The anxiety that had been twirling in my gut ever since Troy had barged his way into our house had eased as soon as Adam’s calm gaze had lit on me when Reaper and Draco from the MC had dropped us off.