“Thank fuck,” I reply with relief. Lifting myself up, I slip from her body with a groan. Slipping my hands under her knees and around her back, I say, “Let’s get you in the bath Mrs Davies or you’ll be sore.”
Maggie tightens her arm around my shoulders. “Will you join me?”
“Absolutely,” I assure her, setting her on her feet by the bath. I get the water running before we step into the bath and lean back against the lip. Maggie uses her toes to close the taps when it’s full enough. We spend the time in the bath catching up in a way that we couldn’t in the letters we’ve exchanged. Only when Maggie yawns, and our fingers are like prunes and the bath water is now cold, so I insist we get out and dry off.
Naked, we crawl back into bed and fall asleep with ease.
Knowing that I’ll be doing this forever.
Every night that I’m home, from now until I no longer can. I’ll go to sleep, enjoying the feel of my woman tucked up snug and warm next to me, breathing easy.
That’s what I aim to give Maggie, as much as life will let me.
Easy.
She deserves nothing less.
PART 2
DOG
2003 Feannag Hospital
“We need to get the boys back,” Gunny states.
Removing my gaze from Shep, who is lying still in the bed. If it weren’t for the beeping on the machines showing his heart rate, I’d think he was dead.
Our village had been overrun by a gang in recent months, and we weren’t strong enough by ourselves to get rid of them. I knew that Gunny was right. We should have called the boys when it all started and got them to come home. I knew that Draco and Onyx had resigned, but I wasn’t sure about the rest. We could pull strings if need be to get them released early. We weren’t without resources.
“You’re right,” I agree. Turning to Thor, I say, “Make it happen, brother. We need the boys back or we’ll not have a village. Idon’t like Maggie, Katie and the girls not having protection. If you can’t get the boys released early I’ll speak to Colm and see if Adam can spare some bodyguards but this,” I wave at Shep, “is the last straw. We’re going to lose the village if we’re not careful.”
“I’ll make it happen,” Thor assures me, leaving the hospital room. I didn’t want to know how he made it happen. It was better that we didn’t know. Thor had connections that were a little shady, but if it meant saving our family, I’d use what we had to.
Turning to Gunny, I say, “Get with Colm and Liam. Get us weapons. Anything that you think we’ll need. I’ll make sure that the abattoir is still in good condition so that we can store them. If Thor manages to get the boys released early we’ll need to get their bikes serviced. Is Alec ready for that?”
“Yeah, he is,” Gunny nods. “I’ll go see Colm this morning and then this afternoon I’ll help Alec get the bikes out of storage and he can start working on them.”
“Okay, we have a plan.” I got back to watching Shep. My gut clenched tight. It had been years since we’d lost Roman and Jones. I wasn’t ready to lose another brother. We still had lives to live. “Fuck,” I swipe a hand over my face.
“It will be fine, Dog, we’ll get it handled. You’ve been here for nearly thirty-six hours. When Kate gets here. Go home. Spend time with Maggie and Bella. Regroup. It's going to be busy once the boys are back home. We may not get a lot of downtime for the next few months.”
He is right; and I know it. I’m exhausted; we’ve been on edge for weeks. I reply, “I’ll do that, brother.” I'd missed Maggie. Other than when we’d first got together until I’d resigned from the army, we’d not spent a night apart until now.
I’d go home tonight. Kate would spend the night with Shep, the same as she’d done every night since his attack.
As usual, Maggie was keeping things running at home. God, I fucking loved that woman.
She was the rock that kept us all afloat—the steady centre when everything else threatened to come apart. In any crisis, big or small, she was the one who never wavered. When things went wrong, we gravitated toward her without even thinking about it, knowing she’d listen without judgment, without trying to fix us unless we asked. Maggie, for all her quietness, was the strongest of all of us. She didn’t need to raise her voice or demand attention; her strength was constant, unshakeable, and always there when we needed it most.
I’d go home and let her soothe my worries like she’d done for the last thirty-four years.
Jesus, thirty-four years. Where had the time gone?
They’d been thirty-four of the best years though. Even with all the losses we’d endured. The good times had outweighed the bad. And I’d got to spend them all with Maggie. Yeah, I’d be going home tonight. A peaceful night's sleep with Maggie was what I needed.
MAGGIE
Change was coming. Violence in our little village had escalated over the last few months. It concerned me enough that I didn’t allow Bella out of my sight if I could help it.
