“Yeah.” I answered my wife without turning around. “She and Jax argued, so she’s here to apologise.”
“I was wonderin’ what he was sulkin’ around for. I knew what happened this mornin’ wasn’t bummin’ him out that much.”
I turned around and leaned my butt against the countertop. I watched my wife as she opened the fridge and removed her almond milk as she moved to the kettle and flipped it back on. My eyes roamed over her, lingering on her endowed chest and rounded behind. I grinned when she clicked her tongue at me. I looked up at her face, and said, “You’re hot.”
She giggled. “Shut up.”
I moved away from the counter and came up behind her, my hands going to her hips.
“Make me.”
Aideen laughed. “In other words, play fight me until we have sex.”
“Basically.”
Aideen shook her head, amused. “The children are home.”
“We’ll be quiet,” I assured her, scrapping my teeth over her neck.
My wife looked over her shoulder at me. “When am I ever quiet when we have sex?”
I paused, then grinned. “Never.”
“Exactly,” she replied. “The boys will come in and fight ye’. D’ye remember last month when we were havin’ sex and Locke screamed from his bedroom that he was on the phone to Childline to report emotional trauma?”
I tipped my head back and laughed. My second born severely disliked whenever I touched his mother. Out of all my sons, he was the mommy’s boy, and he wore the title with pride.
“I’ll settle for cuddling with you then.”
Aideen turned in my arms and looked up at me.
“What’s wrong?”
I smiled. “Why does something have to be wrong for me to hold you?”
“It doesn’t,” she replied, “but ye’ seem very hands on with me today. Always touchin’ me in some way whenever I walk into a room ... why?”
I hadn’t realised I had been doing that.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I went down memory lane earlier. My mind navigated through the good, the bad, and damn ugly, and I guess I subconsciously just want your comfort.”
Aideen’s arms slid around my waist as she frowned up at me.
“Anythin’ ye’ want to talk about?”
I shook my head. “It’s just memories we’ve already talked about before. I just was blindsided when I started thinking of my past, that’s all.”
Aideen slid her hands up to my shoulders, then onto my face where she cupped my cheeks.
“You’re still the bravest, strongest, and most amazin’ man I have ever met,” she said, her love and adoration for me shining within her eyes. “I wake up every single day in disbelief that you are me husband. I love ye’ more than words could accurately describe. Always know that. Okay?”
My response was a kiss, a toe-curling, mind-numbing kiss that drew a soft moan from my wife. I hugged her tightly to my body and slid my hands over the curves I knew so well. I had had many years of loving and protecting this woman, and knowing I had many more ahead of me made me love my life that little bit more. She was my rock, the mother of my children, and then reason my heart beat. She was the reason for everything that was good in my life, and I loved her.
“Ye’ have two seconds to back away from me mother, good sir.”
Aideen suddenly giggled against my lips while I sighed and stepped away from my wife just so I could turn and stare my second eldest son.
“We’ve talked about ye’ gropin’ her in public,” Locke said. “It’s got to stop.”
“We aren’t in public. We’re in the privacy of our home.”
“A home ye’ share with five dashin’ and very impressionable young lads.”
Aideen said, “He’s got ye’ there, handsome.”
Locke grinned because she agreed with him, then crossed the room and put his arm around his mom’s shoulder. He was a couple of inches taller than her at fifteen which amused me and baffled my wife. She slid her arm around his waist and hugged him. We didn’t have favourite children, but Locke was the only son who let his mother fuss and be affectionate towards him whenever she wanted. Even our youngest son set boundaries but not Locke. He loved her attention.
“How was your match earlier?”
“We won,” Locke replied. “I scored. Twice.”
I bumped fists with him because his goals were pretty good.
The three of us looked towards the doorway when Beckett and Eli suddenly tumbled into the room, limbs tangled together and fists swinging. Beckett was eleven, and Eli was seven, and even though Beckett was clearly trying to restrain his baby brother, it was proving difficult. Eli was the baby of my sons, and because of that, he constantly wanted to prove that he was tough and was, of course, not an actual baby.
“Stop!” Aideen screeched. “Stop!”
They didn’t stop.
“Your mother said stop, so stop!”
My sons listened to me instantly. They rolled away from one another and got to their feet as Aideen rushed over to them, fussing. They tried to push her hands away, but she wouldn’t allow it this time. Locke shook his head at his brothers as though their antics were childish, and I had to agree.
“What are ye’ both fightin’ for this time?”
My sons looked at one another, then at Aideen, and in unison, they said, “He started it.”
“Did not!” Eli hissed. “You did.”
“Me?” Beckett scowled. “You came into me room and took it from me.”
“Because it’s mine, and you took it first.
“Took what?” Locke demanded, irritated. “What the hell are ye’s wafflin’ on about, ye’ dopes?”
“Language,” I warned him, then turned back to my sons. “Answer his question.”
“I was playin’ COD when Eli came into me room and took me controller right out of me hands, then he got mad when I ran after ‘im for it. He’s always takin’ me stuff, and I’m stick to death of it.”
Eli opened his mouth, ready to yell at his brother, but Aideen raised her hand, and it shut him up before he even started speaking.
“Which controller?” she asked Beckett. “Be specific.”
“The blue one ye’ bought me last week.”
Eli’s eyes widened. “Ye’ bought him a blue one?”
“Yes,” Aideen answered. “His black one broke.”
Eli’s cheek flushed red, and he suddenly looked nervous. “I didn’t know that. I thought it was my blue controller that he had.”
“Ye’ didn’t give me a chance to tell ye’. Ye’ just took it and ran.” Beckett glared. “Like ye’ always do. Ye’ never listen. Ye’ just do what ye’ want, and ye’ get away with it ‘cause you’re the baby.”
“I’m not a baby!”
Jesus Christ.
“That’s enough!” I interjected. “Eli, give Beckett back his controller and use your words before your actions the next time something like this happens. And Beckett? Stop implying he’s treated differently because he’s the youngest. You know he’s not.”
Beckett didn’t look at me, which told me he disagreed with me.
“Fine,” he said.
“Okay.” Eli sighed. “I’m sorry, Beck.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he grumbled, took his controller, and walked back down the hallway towards this room. Eli went in search of his own console controller, enlisting Locke’s help, which left me alone with my wife.
“He’s always annoyed with someone.”
I raised a brow. “Who?”
“Beckett.” She sighed. “He’s always grumpy.”
“He’s eleven, and he’s the middle child. He probably feels as if he’s always getting the short end of the stick.”
Aideen nodded. “You’re probably right.”
“Probably?”
My wife looked at me. “Just because you’re right most of the time does not mean you’re right at this very moment, so don’t push it.”