Someone to Hold

Sham-Wow

Johnny adjusted his sunglasses and groped his way into the kitchen. Living on the beach was nice and all but fuck the open plan kitchen, dining and living room was bright of a morning. He winced at Mel's cheerful greeting and gratefully accepted a cup of coffee. Her wide smile hinted that she knew just how much he was suffering after what had been a crazy night.

"What are you doing here?" he asked bluntly as he took a seat at the poolside table beside Zacky who was flicking through the pages of a newspaper.

"Good morning to you too," Zacky glanced at Johnny. "The light of my life wanted a swim and they don't have a pool at her parents' house so here we are."

"Morning Kelly," Johnny called out with a distinct lack of enthusiasm to Kelly who was floating on her back in the pool. He tried to ignore the knives stabbing his brain.

"Hey Johnny," Kelly floated to the edge of the pool. "Zacky I think The Spawn likes being in the pool, she's trying to swim laps in my uterus."

Johnny snickered at the name Kelly had given her unborn child. The Spawn of Vengeance had a certain ring to it.

Zacky gave his girlfriend a pained look. "Can you not call our daughter The Spawn?"

"I can try Poodle, I can try. But just to be clear I think that it gives her an air of danger. You know like no one is going to mess with our kid." Kelly kicked her legs out behind her. That was just what they needed, another terrifying little girl. Jeff and Cathy's daughter confined her reign of terror to pretty much just Brian but if this new one set her sights on the rest of them....Johnny shuddered.

"I know but please my little nest of vipers, can you try anyway?" Zacky replied.

Johnny snorted in derision, "Jesus man, and you wonder why she calls your kid The Spawn?"

Zacky's hand whipped out and caught the back of Johnny's head. Fuck. His head was ringing like a church bell. "Fuck man."

It was good to see Zacky happy again. He'd been a miserable asshole when his marriage to Meaghan had been falling apart. Johnny had been just as stunned as everyone else to find that Zacky and Kelly were expecting a baby. Years of inappropriately reading the messages on Zacky's phone meant he'd long ago given up any hope that Zacky and Kelly would sort their shit out and get together. When they had it had been an accident. And that was why he knew that when it came to relationships you needed to be proactive, not reactive. Nope none of that being blindsided by a woman like had happened to Zacky and Brian. No siree. Not him. He was all for taking the bull by the horns and making sure life worked out the way he wanted.

A groan from Kelly in the pool drew their attention and Zacky was almost half out of his chair before Kelly spoke. "I hope I manage to get a bit of a tan. I'm so pale in this black bikini and with the amount of weight I've put on I look like freakin' Shamu."

"Muffin! Honey! Angel darling baby face! You look radiant," Zacky protested. God those two and their pet names. "You look gorgeous and stunning and in no way whale like."

"Technically an Orca is a dolphin," Johnny pointed out and received a glare from Zacky for his pains. "Anyway K-Wow," Johnny turned a smile on Kelly, "Why worry? Blackfish is my favourite movie."

As he clutched his sides with laughter Johnny found himself being lifted out of his seat before suddenly finding himself airborne. The splash as he entered the pool sent water straight up his nose just to add to his hungover misery. He broke the surface of the pool, gasping for breath, to find Kelly laughing at him and Matt standing on the edge of the pool with his arms crossed.