The Girl In The Dirty Shirt

Chapter 30

The four of us sat around the table, a bowl of salad in the middle of the table, a plate in front of each one of us.
As my life would have it, I sat between Noel and Liam with Peggy sitting across from me.

The initial this is my Mom, this is my girlfriend conversation went just as I expected; Peggy gave me a big hug and demanded that I tell her everything about myself, which most of she already knew, thanks to Liam.

She scolded both her boys for "sitting and watching telly while I slaved in a kitchen" which I told her I didn't really mind. She helped me with dinner anyway, saying she missed having someone to cook for.

Once we sat down, Peggy had taken the heat off me and diverted it towards Liam and Noel.

"How was your tour?" She asked to neither one of them in particular.

"Long" Liam answered not bothering to look up from his plate.

"Even for you?" Noel asked his brother before he looked at me. "Lyla was on the whole damn tour"

"Noel!" Peggy scolded

"Well she was," Noel shrugged. "Y'like 'er Mam?" He asked referring to me.

I tensed up feeling Noel's foot slide up the leg of my jeans. Noel looked at me and I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek.

Peggy nodded with a smile. "I think she's wonderful.

I smiled back picking at my pasta, pulling my foot away from Noel. "Thank you"

"She might look sweet an' innocent Mam, but she ain't"

All three of us looked at Noel; I was almost ready to cut him off. "She's the one who turned me on to drugs Mam"

"Noel," I scoffed.

"Y'did" he smiled. "I was clean cut before Liam dragged you into my life; how many times did we sleep t'gether?" He asked raising his eyebrows.

I bit the inside of my cheek.

Peggy rolled her eyes shaking her head. "Noel, be quiet"

I kicked Noel hard in the shin as his foot slid up my jeans for the third time. He flinched and glared at me.
Peggy and Liam just looked at Noel confused and I glared back at him.
I could see the hint of a million questions in Liam's eyes based on what Noel had just said.
He had said it semi-seriously and Liam had picked up on it.

"I'm glad y'like 'er Mam" Liam grinned

Yeah, she liked me now, because she doesn't realize that Noel had been telling the truth; masking it with his stupidity to make it sound like a joke. I had fucked both of her youngest sons; I was in love with both of them. One knew about it and the other had an idea, but I was too much of a coward to own up to it and tell Liam the truth, and eventually it was going to come back and bite me in the ass, I just hoped it wasn't going to be tonight.
You loved me, she liked me, and Noel hated me; it was a fucking gorgeous cocktail of emotions, a deadly one if Noel decided to turn it completely against me.

"We've got somethin' to tell you" Liam continued.

"We do?" I asked looking over at him

"You do?" Noel asked setting down his fork and looking across the table at his brother.

Liam stood up and went to the living room coming back with a box.
He tossed it to me; I jumped catching it, all three of us looking at him confused.

"What's this?" I asked

"Open it" he smiled standing next to me, his hands stuffed in his pockets.