Needing 13 - Johnny Kavanagh

POSSESSION OR OBSESSION?

TARA

I'd made up my mind to rebuild my parents' house into a children's home. After the fire that tore through it, the neighboring houses had also suffered some damage. The city had offered to repair them, but Teamhair & Co.—the O'Leary siblings' company—swooped in with an offer that gave the owners a choice much better than the insurance payout: a generous check and relocation to brand-new, fully furnished homes. It wasn't a hard decision for them to make. Just like that, I suddenly had a plot of land three times the size of what I'd originally started with.

The site was bustling, filled with the usual workers and a handful of summer volunteers. With school out, some of them were eager to help before heading off, and they'd thrown themselves into the project, working alongside us to get the foundation of the children's home laid.

A familiar voice came from behind me, jolting me from my thoughts. "Ah, look at ya, busy as a bee. Is this where you've been hiding?"

I turned, and there was John, standing with that easy grin and a plastic bag in hand.

Shit. I hadn't been brave enough yet to make my way over to the Kavanagh mansion, where my brothers and sister were staying. Neither John nor Edel had forced the issue. Sure, they'd all been at the funeral, but after the scene I'd caused at the altar, I hadn't spoken to them. I also knew they'd been the ones covering Joey's rehab expenses, though none of them had brought it up.

"John," I muttered, nodding stiffly as I turned away from the blueprints.

"Hey, stranger," he called out, making his way over to me. He gave the plastic bag a little shake. "You hungry? I brought us burgers and a couple cans of Coke. Sugar-free, don't worry."

I blinked, my brows knitting in surprise. I'd expected anger—maybe even a good telling-off—but here he was, all smiles, holding out lunch like it was a normal day.

"What?" I managed, still caught off guard.

"It's half-two, and I haven't seen ya take a single bite," he said, setting the bag down on the corner of the table with the blueprints. "Must be starved by now."

I frowned, the confusion probably plain on my face as I took the burger he handed me. "Aren't they expecting you for lunch?"

"They're expecting you, too," he shot back, his grin unwavering. Then he sighed, the grin softening. "Tara, I know you don't want us adopting you," he said, his voice dipping, "but Edel and I want you to come live with us anyway."

I hesitated, taking a sip from the can. "I'd set my sights on leaving. Going as far away as I could manage."

"How far are we talking?"

"Maldives, maybe," I muttered. "Or maybe London, Paris, New York... wasn't too fussed. Figured I'd decide at the airport."

He chuckled lightly. "You could do that and still live with us, you know. It's not like Edel and I'll be watching your every step."

"Your son already watches my every step," I grumbled darkly, glancing away as I bit into the burger.

"Ah, so I heard," he said, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Cian mentioned something about an 'adventure' the two of you had down at the station. Care to share what happened?"

I snorted. "I just finished up a delightful week at Step One Recovery. Food could've been better, but the facilities aren't half bad."

"Step One Recovery? That's a..."

"Rehab centre, yeah." I took another bite, waving my hand as if it was no big deal. "Sookie spotted me there, ran over like a woman possessed, and nearly flattened me. Johnny saved me from a faceplant, but we ended up in a screaming match. And right as we're at each other's throats, his whole fan club showed up."