The new generation arrived with a bang, Keira Maloney returned home from university much to the joy of her father! After spending a nice hot summer with her family and friends, her mother dropped a bombshell on her. She has been recruited to help Joshua Hayes settle into his first year at university when she goes back. She's not amused, but she doesn't want to let her mother down. Meanwhile, after spending seven weeks in Cambodia doing voluntary work, Joshua returns home to the bosom of his family...
Roxanne Hayes heard the crunching of the gravel outside, knowing it was the footsteps of her first born she felt her heart do a little dance in her chest.
His mother, father, two brothers and sister were all stood in anticipation of his arrival as Joshua Hayes opened the front door to the hillside cottage that belonged to his grandfather. It was closer to the airport and since Josh had refused his mother a reunion there in public, she insisted on moving the entire family up to the cottage to be nearer her boy. "Joshy baby!" she gushed as he strode towards them, grinning from ear to ear at the sight of them. How fresh they looked after a whole seven weeks away!
"Hey mum!" he croaked, a lump forming in his throat. He had missed her so much!
"Don't just stand there baby gimme a hug!" Roxy wept and pulled him roughly in for a squeeze.
"OHMIGOSH!" she gasped, "You are ripped my boy! Have you been working out???" Joshua laughed and managed to ease out of his mother's vice like grip.
"I have mum, I have! It's my new hobby, you know, lifting weights and exercising!"
"Lookin' good son!" Matthew remarked. There was no denying how muscular Joshua had become over the summer.
Roxy looked her son up and down with awe, he was more handsome than she remembered! Her boy was no longer a boy! "We're going back to the houseboat tonight, your auntie Lain says we can go and see Kee tomorrow afternoon. Won't that be fun? I'll bet you missed her huh?" Josh sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Mum, I'm sweaty! Can I go and have a shower please?" Roxy smiled and nodded, her baby was now a man. Obviously a man who didn't want to discuss the girl who stole his heart when he was six years old.
"Sure honey! We'll head down later!"
It was another lovely sunny afternoon as Dexter headed out to join his wife by the pool. Their daughter had retreated upstairs in a huff, she'd just learned that Lainie had volunteered her services without her permission and she was a little annoyed. Lainie felt bad for doing it, but Roxy had specifically asked for Keira, not Rosie or Daisy Mitchell, Keira! "Want me to rub some sunscreen on your back?" Dexter winked at his wife.
"Dexy!" she breathed in frustration, he hated it when his name sounded like an irritation.
"It's way too hot out here, let's go in and have a nice bath and then we can..."
"DEXY!" Lainie snapped at him, "Please, stop!"
"When are you ever going to let me touch you again? Hold your hand, caress your soft skin, kiss your lips..."
"I...I can't...you..."
"I didn't do anything wrong freckles I swear! You are the only woman I have been with for 19 whole frickin' years and you know it! I made my vows to you and I meant them, every goddam one! She is gone, she never stood a chance against you inside my heart! No one ever does!"
"Dexter, I need more time, I..."
A long silence echoed around the garden as Dexter stood behind her, unsure of what to say to convince her she was his soulmate. "Evelyn!" his voice broke as he said her name. "I miss you!" She turned to face him, and as their eyes met he grabbed hold of her hands and pulled her into him, she was fighting him, edging further and further away until her back was against the wall. But he still didn't give up.
"Remember that day in the diner? Kee Bee's first birthday! I told you then, we belong together. I held your face in my hands like this, and I kissed you like this..." he began planting tiny, soft kisses all over her face like he did all those years ago when she threatened to leave Moonlight Falls with their daughter.
Lainie felt warm and fuzzy all over, every time his lips touched her skin it felt like fireworks were going off inside her heart. He kissed her lips as she stiffened against the brick wall, their first lip to lip contact in months. "We belong together freckles! You, me, Kee Bee, Luke and Damon! We're a family! I love you Evelyn, I've always loved you, let me show you how much please!" she could hear the desperation in his voice when he said the word please, and it broke her heart as she slid out of his grip.
"Stop Dexy you're smothering me!"
"WHAT?" he cried in disbelief, "I've given you plenty of time to yourself, now I want you to give me a little of your time! Like a proper wife should..." as he realised what he'd just said, he stopped talking. But the damage had already been done.
"A what?" Lainie felt the rage rise up inside of her, he would never understand.
"Evelyn I..."
"Like Erica would you mean?"
"WHAT? What the f*ck has she gotta do with any of this? It's you!"
"Your lousy wife!"
"I never said that!" Dexter raised a hand to silence her as she attempted to talk over him, "She's the reason you won't sleep with me?"
"That and your heart, you're not supposed to get too worked up!" Dexter snorted and raised his famous eyebrow at her.
"So a quiet relaxed evening of tender lovemaking with my wife constitutes as getting worked up??? Gimme a break Evelyn, could it be YOU who cheated on ME? Who is STILL cheating on ME??? Is this a cover for YOUR indiscretions??? Huh??? ANSWER ME!!!"
Lainie could not believe what she was hearing, "How could you even think that of me? Let alone SAY IT!!!"
"But you can think it of me??? That's not very fair is it?"
"Dexy I almost lost you, it scared me. So forgive me if I don't want to mount you and make your heart explode!"
"I'M SICK OF BEING HEART ATTACK GUY! TREAT ME LIKE A HUMAN BEING EVELYN NOT A PIECE OF CHINA!!!"
Dexter controlled his anger as he felt his pulse start to race, "I'm going for a shower, and a lie down! I don't know what to do I...you're the one freckles! You and I, the lift, so long ago and yet...it sends shivers down my spine the way you whispered my name in my ear as we...I can still feel your breath on my neck, still hear your little whimpers and feel how tightly you wrapped your legs around my waist. Like you were scared we would never touch again. That night has stayed with me for over 20 years Evelyn! The night we made our daughter!" Lainie looked as if she was going to say something, but instead she left him standing there alone as she went inside.
Not about to give up on her, Dexter followed her up to their room. "Do you want a divorce?" Lainie shot him a surprised look, her mouth forming an O shape in shock of what he had just said.
"Divorce?" she managed to splutter.
"Yeah, you obviously don't wanna be around me. I repulse you it seems, is there someone else freckles? Why don't you love me anymore?" Dexter managed to hold back the tears, he wasn't going to cry, it would just be another excuse for Lainie to call him a child.
"There is no one else, I still love you I..." before she could finish Dexter grabbed hold of her and spun her around, pressing her against the wall, he asked her again...
"Why don't you love me like you used to? What changed? And DON'T say Erica f*cking Daniels!" Lainie's breasts heaved up and down as her breathing quickened, her eyes were glued to his trying to find something, he was clueless as to what it was because if he knew he would give it to her, anything. "Freckles, it's not my heart that will kill me, it's you! Now tell me why you don't want me!"
Lainie could hardly focus, it had been so long since they had been this close, the feeling of his skin against hers was flooding her thoughts. Their bellies touched, it made her eyes blur and her heart pound. She never wanted him to let her go and yet she couldn't wait to be out of his firm but gentle grip.
She wanted so badly to feel his lips against hers once again. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy his little performance by the pool. Looking into his eyes then made her realise that maybe, just maybe, what she had believed was all a lie!
Finally, she spoke. "Erica told me that...it was only a matter of time before you were going to leave me!" Dexter frowned and looked down, then up again into her big blue eyes.
"No! When...when did she say this?"
"The night...the night you had your heart attack! Sh...she came to the hospital and told me that you were supposed to leave that night but when she didn't hear from you she thought I'd done something to you! She blamed me for your...she blamed ME!" Lainie began to sob as Dexter was frozen on the spot.
"Baby, I was NEVER gunna leave you EVER! That spiteful little b*tch wanted to hurt you, and boy did she get what she wanted!"
"Dexy she said you called me fat, she said I trapped you by getting pregnant all the time and that...you'd have left long ago if we'd never had Damey!"
"Lies, baby it's all lies! You're not fat how many times! You're the most beautiful, natural, curvaceous...I love your curves, they make me crazy! I've done skinny and it sucks, you're the most shapely, sexy woman I've ever known! And I'll let you into a little secret..." he leaned in closer and whispered "I actually trapped you by getting you pregnant. I didn't want you to ever leave, so I kept putting babies in your little belly!" He'd hoped that would get a smile, but her face was still so sad.
He let her go, feeling drained and unable to get through to her at that time. "I'm going for a shower. I meant it, I love you and I wanted a hundred babies with you! If we could have, I would have! No trapping, no leaving, just you and me and our kids!"
After his shower, Dexter was alone in the room he shared with his wife, no sign of her. As he threw himself on the bed, he must have dozed off for a while until someone whispering his voice woke him. "Dexy?"
"Freckles!" he mumbled into the duvet, "I don't have the energy to argue..." as he looked up, he could hardly believe his eyes.
"Evelyn..." his breath caught in his throat as he tried to sit up but found his body was stuck to the bed.
"Dexy..."
"...I love you! I...can we...try to make this work?"
Dexter didn't need to be asked twice and finally took control of his body and sat up. Pulling her towards him as she cupped his head in her hands, she was so beautiful! "Freckles, baby, we can! We can make this work! I'm not gonna throw away 19 of the best years of my life!"
"Dexy...I'm...I will try!"
"Oh baby you're so beautiful! Do you have any idea what you do to me???" Lainie laughed softly and closed her eyes.
"I think I can feel it against my leg!"
"You need to be punished for that kind of talk young lady!"
As he lay her down gently on the bed, her blue eyes were wide with panic. "I'm scared Dexy, I'm...I don't want to lose you!"
"Ain't gunna happen! I wish we could just stay like this forever! I look at you and we're back in that lift!" Lainie wrapped her leg around his and squeezed his arm.
"I want..."
"What? What do you want baby?"
"I..." she couldn't get the words out, she should have been feeling safe and relaxed in the arms of her husband as he caressed her and kissed her neck, softly working his way down as she ran her fingers through his dark brown hair. Relax, just go with the flow, he's your husband and he loves you! But Lainie couldn't let herself unwind. She began to squirm underneath him and finally managed to get out from under him.
"You're not telling me the truth!" Dexter finally spoke after sitting next to his distraught wife for over fifteen minutes. "Evelyn something is going on here and I wanna know what!"
"It's nothing I...I'm just..."
"You were never this scared of me, never!"
"I'm not scared of you..." Lainie sobbed into her hands.
"Did somebody hurt you? Evelyn?" Lainie shot up from the bed, trying to leave but Dexter was on her in an instant.
"Who? Was it Raymond? I know he was being a letch at that Christmas party, did he hurt you? Baby?"
"No Dexy, no one hurt me!"
"You would say that, you don't want my heart to give out when I'm pounding his fat face into the pavement!" Lainie laughed then, and it surprised her. But then the sadness crept back in.
"The truth is, I'm...I'm just getting older and less attractive. Things are starting to sag..." Dex cut in with a scoff.
"Where?" he looked her up and down approvingly.
"I...you're a man you would never understand! I was settling into my fifties when wham! Erica Daniels comes into our lives and she wanted you, boy did she want you and didn't hide it either!"
"You're omitting the part where I never wanted her! Freckles, I'm still here! Does that not tell you something? Come 'ere!"
Taking hold of her hand, he teased her head towards his with one finger. "I want to taste your lips! It's been way too long and I'm afraid I've forgotten that lip gloss of yours!"
"I gave it to Keira!" she whispered. "I taste different now!"
"Well..." he replied, unfazed by her revelation, "...I like change. Always ready to try something new!"
"You're not getting away from me girl! We're going to fight this! But we can't do it alone, say you'll fight with me!" Lainie's brain was buzzing and her head felt dizzy as his finger tenderly stroked her chin, coaxing her head further forward.
"I will!" she finally managed to get out, and she let him kiss her...never wanting it to end.
Keira was up early in anticipation of seeing chubby chops again after over a year. She wasn't looking forward to him following her around campus like a leech. Her phone buzzed in her hand, it was Rosie Mitchell. "Hey Rosie!" Keira answered with a sigh.
"What's up?" Rosie knew immediately that something was bothering her friend.
"Nothing just...can you believe it? Mum has roped me into babysitting Joshua Hayes, aka chubby chops, during his first few weeks at uni!!! I mean, why me???"
"That's...well that stinks Kee!"
"Yeah, and the worst thing is he's coming over here to catch up this afternoon! Way to invade my personal space! Ugh!"
"Surely he'd rather settle in by himself? He's probably as annoyed about it as you Kee!"
"I know right? I mean, we didn't have anyone holding our hands when we started uni! Why do I even have to see him? It's been like, a year since we last hung out! Gotta go Rosie, parent alert! Laters!" Lainie came in from the garden and said good morning to her daughter as Keira put her phone away.
Keira's uncle and father appeared behind her mother as she began preparing the family breakfast. "Little Keirakins!" Ash called to her and squeezed her into a bear hug.
"My Kee Bee Ashton! I haven't seen her all night, me first!!!" Dexter protested behind them like a pouty child.
"Hey uncle Ash!" Keira giggled through breaths, sometimes he didn't know his own strength when he got excited.
"I can't believe we only have two weeks left! Why does time fly by so fast when you're here and drag when you're not, huh?"
"Time flies when you're having fun I guess!" she shrugged as Ash tried to conceal his sadness. He loved having his niece home for the summer, he remembered when she was a baby, how he would go over to Lainie's for snuggle time every day at 4pm. He always envied his brother for having Keira, it took him years to become a father himself, but he always had a special place in his heart for Keira. The first Maloney of that generation, the child that was almost Alex Wilder's!
Dexter pushed in like he always did, he got jealous of anyone spending time with his daughter, even her mother. She was the happy accident that Lainie brought into his life, she was his first born child and he loved her more than anything in the world. A parent wasn't supposed to have favourites, but Keira would always be special to him no matter what. "Wanna come see our tour manager with us Kee Bee? It'll be fun! We're pickin' out a new tour bus!"
"Daddy I have Josh coming over remember?" she sighed and looked away in annoyance as her mother grunted something in her direction.
"Well you can just leave a trail of donuts leading to the garage and lock him in, kaching! High five!" Dexter attempted to high five his clumsy daughter, but it didn't work out very well as Ash stifled a giggle.
"Sorry daddy I have no hand to eye coordination whatsoever! That's why mum took me out of the majorettes remember?" Dexter grunted in agreement.
"Yeah the baton was tricky, especially after the third black eye we had to defend ourselves to your headteacher and convince her we weren't abusing you!"
"That's what you get for mixing your DNA with a clumsy chick hehe!"
"I HEARD THAT ASHTON JAMES MALONEY!!!" Lainie called from behind him as he blushed. Dexter's phone began to ring loudly in his pocket as the others looked at him, expecting him to answer it.
"Daddy?"
"What?" Dexter tried to pretend he couldn't hear the ringing in his trouser pocket.
"Aren't you going to answer that?"
"Oh for pity's sake Dexy answer your phone!!!" Lainie shouted at him.
"Raymondo!"
"Who's..." Keira began but her uncle shook his head and whispered,
"Total loser who wants to produce the new album! Won't leave us alone!"
"Gee I doubt it!" Dexter replied to this Raymondo on the other end. "No it's not going to be a problem, we just don't want you!" Ash started to laugh quietly and cover his mouth like a kid.
"I see, well here's the thing...we don't do hip hop! Bye now! No! Still a no Raymond! I'm hanging up now! He will hang up too, and him as well, ciao!" As Dex hung up his phone Ash laughed even louder.
"What now?"
"Oh the usual! How come he always calls me first? Ugh!"
"Because Dexter, you are the one who loses your temper quicker so he tends to get your no's over with first!" Ash patted his brother on the back softly.
"So I was thinking maybe you could take her with you some time, she's not going out much lately and I worry..."
"I know you do Ashton, which is kind of part of the problem!"
"What are you two talking so quietly about?" Dexter interrupted the conversation between his wife and brother.
"None of your beeswax Dexter Maloney, eat your french toast!" Lainie snapped at him, then realising she was doing it again apologised. "Sorry Dexy!"
"You guys are so annoying! You have a beautiful love! Why do you insist on tearing each other apart???" Ash muttered in annoyance.
"Because she wants my body and can't admit it!" Dexter winked and sat down beside them.
"I just threw up in my mouth!" Lainie retorted as Dexter blew her a kiss.
James and Liam had already left the table as Keira, Luke and Erin sat down to eat their breakfast, Damon was yet to make an appearance. He often lay in during the summer, he stayed up late on his computer or lying in bed writing songs. "I'll do that thing for you Ashton, but you have to stop worrying okay?" Lainie said quietly to her brother-in-law.
"Thanks sis!"
Luke seemed rather nervous, Ash could tell when his nephew was out of sorts. Dex was too involved with Keira sometimes to notice his son's sensitive side. "Uncle Ash? Dad?"
"Yeah bud?" Ash smiled as Dex added,
"What's up kid?" Luke took a deep breath and just came out with what he had to ask.
"Is it okay if I skip the band meeting today? I have a er...meeting...of my own!
"Ohhhh? What meeting is this my son?" Dexter winked and attacked his french toast with his fork. Ash frowned and growled,
"Leave him alone bro!" as Luke cleared his throat and answered his father without giving anything away.
"It's...future stuff!" Dexter snorted,
"Oh yeah?"
"Shut it Dex! Sure thing junior, go do what you have to do!" Ash reassured his nephew.
"Thanks!" Luke blushed and finished his breakfast in silence.
As Luke tried to finish his breakfast while thoroughly embarrassed, Damon was finding his aunt Erin's interrogation quite fun. He took everything in his stride and like his dad, had no fear. "So Damey, how's the band coming along? Got any groupies?"
"A few!" he replied while chewing loudly.
"I was your uncle's groupie you know!" Erin giggled bashfully as Damon nodded, nonplussed.
"I know, he got you and dad got Selena McLean! I heard her nephew moved here last week. Hope he's not as nutso as her!"
Ash felt he needed to give his brother a telling off for the way he embarrassed his son. "Dex, take the kid's feelings into consideration eh?"
"I did!" Dex gave him the wide eyes.
"I think now would be the best time to go and give him that talk Drew mentioned. I can do it if..."
"No, I can do this!" Dex pouted. "I'm not a complete idiot!"
"Not complete, no!" Ash chuckled.
"The talk!" Dex breathed in, "I can do this!"
Keira offered to help her mother with the washing up, but she was miles away. "Mum?"
"Hmm?"
"Want some help?" Keira repeated.
"Oh, no thanks sweetheart. Remember Josh and Roxy are coming over this afternoon!"
"How could I forget?" Keira mumbled irritably.
All was rather quiet at the mansion that day. Dex had spent the evening out with his fellow bandmates the other night and Drew had mentioned in between album talk that Luke had been round to visit Rosie quite a bit while she was home from university. He'd also mentioned that Maloney junior was lacking that smooth flirtatious knack that his father seemed to have in spades.
With a little prompting from Drew, Dexter took it upon himself to have a father/son chat with Luke. As he knocked on the bathroom door and heard his son permitting him entry, he felt his tongue swell up in his mouth. How did a father approach such a subject? "Hey kiddo, got a minute?" Luke was obviously making himself look presentable for another visit to the Mitchell farm.
"Sure dad, what's up?"
"Well...I just thought we should catch up, touch base, shoot the breeze..." Luke sighed and interrupted.
"Dad stop trying to be cool, you already are cool you don't need to make a fool of yourself to prove it!" Dex chuckled nervously and continued.
"Well I was wondering how you and Rosie were getting along. You two seem to...have a...thing?" Luke nearly choked with embarrassment.
"Dad, that's...that's private!" Luke's face turned a fetching shade of red.
"Oh come on kid! I'm your dad, if there's anything you...well you're 18 now and I'm sure you know how to put on a condom..."
"DAD!" Luke coughed.
"...me and your mother were caught unawares in the lift and bam, Kee Bee! Oh and one thing they don't tell you in sex education is the location of the g-spot..."
"Seriously dad, stop talking now!"
"I just want you to go in prepared! There's nothing worse than not knowing what you're doing and looking like it! Oh and they say they don't like their nipples played with but they lie, even a little suckling drives them insane!"
"Oh my God, please let me die NOW!"
"Luke, you don't talk to me about this stuff and I feel that if you bottle it all up, you go crazy!"
Luke tried to explain to his father why that was without hurting his feelings, but it was going to be impossible. "Dad, I don't talk to you about this stuff because you're embarrassing! You talk to me like one of your mates at the pub! You can give Kee all the advice in the world but me? Noooo, you smack me on the back and make rude, lewd comments!"
"Ouch!" Dexter looked stunned.
"Dad I am going through the most nerve wracking, heart wrenching, terrifying time of my life right now and the last thing that is on my mind is intercourse!"
"Huh?" Dex squinted at him with confusion.
"I'm in love...with Rosie! But she's...she's 19 and at university and she's so beautiful and smart and...and..."
"And you're all of those things too!" Dexter cut in and smiled at his eldest son. "Except the uni thing and being 19...you get the gist! You're a handsome, smart, sensitive, caring, loving young man and she will see that!" Luke felt tears forming in his blue eyes, his father could really be so sweet sometimes.
"And Rosie so wants you, Drew told me!" Luke rolled his eyes.
"Dad..."
"She's all like preening and fixing her hair. She wears your favourite colour to get you hot! When you arrive at her house she gets all excited and changes her top three times before she comes downstairs...she has you photo in her bedside drawer..."
"Thanks dad!" Luke smiled as Dex grew confused once again.
"So are we done?"
"Yep, we're done!" Luke nodded.
"Wow that was embarrassing!" Dex muttered as he left his son alone.
"How much more humiliating can it get with my father???" Luke mumbled through gritted teeth before pulling out his phone.
"Okay Luke, be a man!"
"Oh hey Rosie, you picked up quick! Listen, do you wanna come over to mine? Cool, ten minutes? Oh-kay! See you then!"
"Here goes nothing!" Luke took in a deep breath, and promptly vomited his breakfast down the toilet.
It was almost 12pm, Roxy was concerned that she hadn't seen her eldest son for breakfast that morning. Cormac was given the task of looking for him. "Dude, mum is freaking out! You didn't come down for breakfast! Have you been in bed all this time?" Cormac guffawed.
"No, have you? You're still not dressed!"
"Neither are you!" the brothers bickered, nothing had changed despite Josh's long absence.
"I was dressed, I was up at 6am and went for a jog. I got into my sweats and did a few crunches, push-ups..."
"Okay okay!" Cormac held up his hands.
"Oh yeah, like you don't care!" Cormac chuckled.
"I don't!" Josh replied.
"Oh really? that's funny..."
"So why is she still on your wall???" Josh craned his neck to see the portrait Cormac was referring to and lost his grip.
"Dammit Cormac!" he cursed.
"You still love her!" Cormac smiled with satisfaction, "Why else would you still have her portrait hanging right where you can see it morning and night?"
"I just got back from seven weeks in Cambodia, it really wasn't top of my list to take it down okay?"
"If you say so!" Cormac shrugged, knowing that his brother was lying.
"I do!" he replied, did one final push up and headed over to the mirror as Cormac made himself comfy on his brother's bean bag chair.
"So on a scale of one to ten, how excited are you to see Keira Maloney again?" he teased.
"Cormac, shut up! Keira Maloney was my crush when I was a kid. I'm not a kid anymore!"
"Mum, I'm sweaty! Can I go and have a shower please?" Roxy smiled and nodded, her baby was now a man. Obviously a man who didn't want to discuss the girl who stole his heart when he was six years old.
"Sure honey! We'll head down later!"
"Dexy!" she breathed in frustration, he hated it when his name sounded like an irritation.
"DEXY!" Lainie snapped at him, "Please, stop!"
"When are you ever going to let me touch you again? Hold your hand, caress your soft skin, kiss your lips..."
"I...I can't...you..."
"Dexter, I need more time, I..."
"WHAT?" he cried in disbelief, "I've given you plenty of time to yourself, now I want you to give me a little of your time! Like a proper wife should..." as he realised what he'd just said, he stopped talking. But the damage had already been done.
"Evelyn I..."
"Like Erica would you mean?"
"WHAT? What the f*ck has she gotta do with any of this? It's you!"
"Your lousy wife!"
"I never said that!" Dexter raised a hand to silence her as she attempted to talk over him, "She's the reason you won't sleep with me?"
"That and your heart, you're not supposed to get too worked up!" Dexter snorted and raised his famous eyebrow at her.
"But you can think it of me??? That's not very fair is it?"
"Dexy I almost lost you, it scared me. So forgive me if I don't want to mount you and make your heart explode!"
"Yeah, you obviously don't wanna be around me. I repulse you it seems, is there someone else freckles? Why don't you love me anymore?" Dexter managed to hold back the tears, he wasn't going to cry, it would just be another excuse for Lainie to call him a child.
"There is no one else, I still love you I..." before she could finish Dexter grabbed hold of her and spun her around, pressing her against the wall, he asked her again...
"No! When...when did she say this?"
"Baby, I was NEVER gunna leave you EVER! That spiteful little b*tch wanted to hurt you, and boy did she get what she wanted!"
"Dexy she said you called me fat, she said I trapped you by getting pregnant all the time and that...you'd have left long ago if we'd never had Damey!"
"Freckles!" he mumbled into the duvet, "I don't have the energy to argue..." as he looked up, he could hardly believe his eyes.
"Dexy..."
"Oh baby you're so beautiful! Do you have any idea what you do to me???" Lainie laughed softly and closed her eyes.
"I think I can feel it against my leg!"
"You need to be punished for that kind of talk young lady!"
"Ain't gunna happen! I wish we could just stay like this forever! I look at you and we're back in that lift!" Lainie wrapped her leg around his and squeezed his arm.
"I want..."
"What? What do you want baby?"
"It's nothing I...I'm just..."
"I'm not scared of you..." Lainie sobbed into her hands.
"Did somebody hurt you? Evelyn?" Lainie shot up from the bed, trying to leave but Dexter was on her in an instant.
"No Dexy, no one hurt me!"
"You would say that, you don't want my heart to give out when I'm pounding his fat face into the pavement!" Lainie laughed then, and it surprised her. But then the sadness crept back in.
"Where?" he looked her up and down approvingly.
"I...you're a man you would never understand! I was settling into my fifties when wham! Erica Daniels comes into our lives and she wanted you, boy did she want you and didn't hide it either!"
"You're omitting the part where I never wanted her! Freckles, I'm still here! Does that not tell you something? Come 'ere!"
"I gave it to Keira!" she whispered. "I taste different now!"
"Well..." he replied, unfazed by her revelation, "...I like change. Always ready to try something new!"
"I will!" she finally managed to get out, and she let him kiss her...never wanting it to end.
"Nothing just...can you believe it? Mum has roped me into babysitting Joshua Hayes, aka chubby chops, during his first few weeks at uni!!! I mean, why me???"
"That's...well that stinks Kee!"
"Surely he'd rather settle in by himself? He's probably as annoyed about it as you Kee!"
"My Kee Bee Ashton! I haven't seen her all night, me first!!!" Dexter protested behind them like a pouty child.
"I can't believe we only have two weeks left! Why does time fly by so fast when you're here and drag when you're not, huh?"
"Daddy I have Josh coming over remember?" she sighed and looked away in annoyance as her mother grunted something in her direction.
"Yeah the baton was tricky, especially after the third black eye we had to defend ourselves to your headteacher and convince her we weren't abusing you!"
"I HEARD THAT ASHTON JAMES MALONEY!!!" Lainie called from behind him as he blushed. Dexter's phone began to ring loudly in his pocket as the others looked at him, expecting him to answer it.
"What?" Dexter tried to pretend he couldn't hear the ringing in his trouser pocket.
"Aren't you going to answer that?"
"Oh for pity's sake Dexy answer your phone!!!" Lainie shouted at him.
"Who's..." Keira began but her uncle shook his head and whispered,
"Total loser who wants to produce the new album! Won't leave us alone!"
"Gee I doubt it!" Dexter replied to this Raymondo on the other end. "No it's not going to be a problem, we just don't want you!" Ash started to laugh quietly and cover his mouth like a kid.
"What now?"
"Because Dexter, you are the one who loses your temper quicker so he tends to get your no's over with first!" Ash patted his brother on the back softly.
"I know you do Ashton, which is kind of part of the problem!"
"What are you two talking so quietly about?" Dexter interrupted the conversation between his wife and brother.
"None of your beeswax Dexter Maloney, eat your french toast!" Lainie snapped at him, then realising she was doing it again apologised. "Sorry Dexy!"
"Because she wants my body and can't admit it!" Dexter winked and sat down beside them.
"I just threw up in my mouth!" Lainie retorted as Dexter blew her a kiss.
"Thanks sis!"
"Yeah bud?" Ash smiled as Dex added,
"What's up kid?" Luke took a deep breath and just came out with what he had to ask.
"Ohhhh? What meeting is this my son?" Dexter winked and attacked his french toast with his fork. Ash frowned and growled,
"Leave him alone bro!" as Luke cleared his throat and answered his father without giving anything away.
"It's...future stuff!" Dexter snorted,
"Oh yeah?"
"Shut it Dex! Sure thing junior, go do what you have to do!" Ash reassured his nephew.
"Thanks!" Luke blushed and finished his breakfast in silence.
"A few!" he replied while chewing loudly.
"I did!" Dex gave him the wide eyes.
"No, I can do this!" Dex pouted. "I'm not a complete idiot!"
"Not complete, no!" Ash chuckled.
"Hmm?"
"Want some help?" Keira repeated.
"Oh, no thanks sweetheart. Remember Josh and Roxy are coming over this afternoon!"
"How could I forget?" Keira mumbled irritably.
"Sure dad, what's up?"
"Dad stop trying to be cool, you already are cool you don't need to make a fool of yourself to prove it!" Dex chuckled nervously and continued.
"Well I was wondering how you and Rosie were getting along. You two seem to...have a...thing?" Luke nearly choked with embarrassment.
"Oh come on kid! I'm your dad, if there's anything you...well you're 18 now and I'm sure you know how to put on a condom..."
"DAD!" Luke coughed.
"...me and your mother were caught unawares in the lift and bam, Kee Bee! Oh and one thing they don't tell you in sex education is the location of the g-spot..."
"Seriously dad, stop talking now!"
"Oh my God, please let me die NOW!"
"Luke, you don't talk to me about this stuff and I feel that if you bottle it all up, you go crazy!"
"Ouch!" Dexter looked stunned.
"Huh?" Dex squinted at him with confusion.
"I'm in love...with Rosie! But she's...she's 19 and at university and she's so beautiful and smart and...and..."
"Dad..."
"She's all like preening and fixing her hair. She wears your favourite colour to get you hot! When you arrive at her house she gets all excited and changes her top three times before she comes downstairs...she has you photo in her bedside drawer..."
"So are we done?"
"Yep, we're done!" Luke nodded.
"No, have you? You're still not dressed!"
"Neither are you!" the brothers bickered, nothing had changed despite Josh's long absence.
"I was dressed, I was up at 6am and went for a jog. I got into my sweats and did a few crunches, push-ups..."
"Okay okay!" Cormac held up his hands.
Josh looked his younger brother up and down, "So what's your excuse?"
"Huh?" Cormac gave him a confused look as Josh nodded towards his state of undress, "Ohhh, XBox! Listen mum is making lunch. She wants you to show your face and you've got to get ready for going over to Maloneyville later!"
"Oh yeah, that!" Josh sighed and headed over to his exercise bars.
"Oh really? that's funny..."
"You still love her!" Cormac smiled with satisfaction, "Why else would you still have her portrait hanging right where you can see it morning and night?"
"I just got back from seven weeks in Cambodia, it really wasn't top of my list to take it down okay?"
"If you say so!" Cormac shrugged, knowing that his brother was lying.
"Okay!" Cormac replied, but he knew his brother was still head over heels!
Joshua could hardly concentrate on anything as the aroma of burnt macaroni wafted through the houseboat. Roxy babbled on about putting on his best shirt and showering before meeting someone. "And you could dab on some of that nice cologne Evie got you for Christmas..."
"MUM!" Josh held up his hands to silence her, "Why are you making such a big deal about this? She's only going to settle me into my dormitory or something, then she'll skip off into the sunset, also known as the art department." Roxy gave her son a disappointed frown.
"Joshy darling, you have adored Kee since you were a toddler, I know you were thinking about her every second of the day out in Cambodia, wishing you were here to see her for the summer and..."
"Mum I just want to go to university and pump some iron. My two biggest passions right now. Keira Maloney barely crossed my mind the whole time I was away!" he was lying, and his mother knew it. Josh knew his mother knew it, but he had to save face in front of his siblings, especially after the ribbing Cormac had given him earlier about the painting and the fact that he was giving The Rock a run for his money in the muscle department lately.
"Okay honey!" his mother smiled wryly and rubbed his arm, "Just eat your lunch and go shower, we're going to command central in just over an hour!" Command Central was Roxy's nickname for the mansion, the mansion Keira was staying in. Josh felt his stomach lurch, but he was unsure of the cause. Was it his mother's burnt offerings? Or was it the prospect of seeing Keira Maloney for the first time in over a year? As his father gave him a sympathetic smile, he knew the answer to that.
"Mum I just want to go to university and pump some iron. My two biggest passions right now. Keira Maloney barely crossed my mind the whole time I was away!" he was lying, and his mother knew it. Josh knew his mother knew it, but he had to save face in front of his siblings, especially after the ribbing Cormac had given him earlier about the painting and the fact that he was giving The Rock a run for his money in the muscle department lately.
"Yeah Kee, it's me!" he chuckled uncomfortably as his mother cut in.
"Well you two haven't seen each other since last summer, Joshy has grown a bit since then and...well, he was obviously working out during the summer!" Keira could barely concentrate on her Aunt Roxy as she looked Joshua up and down. His face remained crimson as he kicked the toe of his shoe into the floor. This was going to be awkward!
"Yeah, business studies like my dad!"
"He is so smart!" Roxy gushed and fussed with his hair.
"Mum, please!" he muttered through gritted teeth.
"Sorry sweetie, I forget you're a man now. 18 he is now Kee!"
"Just call me Josh Kee! After all it's my name!" Keira could sense a hint of hurt in his voice, he knew her nickname for him was just a joke, right? Surely he didn't think she meant it? She would rather die than hurt his feelings.
"Do you still have that karaoke machine in your room?" as a smile spread across Keira's face, perhaps this wasn't going to be as awkward as she thought.
While Keira was entertaining Joshua, Damon had arranged for a band practice in his father and uncle's studio. But Rory was not amused when Cormac came to heckle. He had come as moral support for Josh, but ended up following Rory up to the studio. But he wasn't the only one stalking, as little Liam latched onto Cormac on the way there too. "Get to f*ck Cormac!" Rory growled.
"Language little brother!" Cormac laughed.
Damon called over to Rory, "Are you good to go or..."
"Yeah let's do this, I'm not letting a$$face put me off!" he replied as the boys set up to practice.
Liam gazed up at Cormac in awe. "Hi Cormy!"
"Oh uh...hey er...Liam!" Cormac replied awkwardly.
"Wanna hang out?" the younger boy asked excitedly as Cormac groaned uncomfortably.
"I...don't you have homework to do or something?"
"No it's the summer Cormy, we don't get homework during holidays!" Liam giggled, silly Cormy!
"Oh right, well I'm kinda busy babysitting the boys here so..."
"But they're all 14, they don't need..." Cormac lost his temper and shouted,
"BEAT IT KID!" as Liam choked back a little sob.
"Okay, I'll see you around!" his little voice replied sadly, and he left.
"DAMMIT!" Cormac cursed, he didn't mean to be so horrible, he just didn't want to get a reputation hanging around with kids. But Liam was too young to understand that! And now Cormac felt like crap!
When Rosie arrived rather promptly, Luke almost chickened out of telling her, but he knew that he couldn't go on like this. He loved Rosie and he was going to confess!
His confession did not contain any words however, merely a gesture that Rosie would have no problem deciphering.
"LUKEY!" she gasped as he prayed for the ground to open up and swallow him.
"I..."
"...I l-love you Rosie!"
"Oh Lukey!"
Rosie pulled him in, wrapping his arms around her waist, "What took you so long???" she giggled and kissed him.
Luke felt like a weight had lifted off of his shoulders, he had danced around Rosie for far too long and now he had come out and said it, he loved her!
As they lay together by the pool, Luke attempted to test something his father had mentioned earlier, but lost his nerve. Besides touching Rosie like that so soon was just inappropriate. "So, why does your uncle Rob have uncle Drew's surname?" Luke nuzzled her hair, it smelled heavenly.
"Oh, well my grandfather Kennedy turned out not to be my grandfather so when mum and dad got married, uncle Rob took his name so he and mum could be the same. They're twins like Daisy and I so they always have to be the same."
Rosie sighed sadly and pressed further back into him, "I have to go now, I promised Isaac I'd take him to the library. You don't mind do you?" Luke smiled and kissed her head softly.
"Not at all, as long as we can see each other again tomorrow."
"We can, and Luke?"
"Yes?" she laughed quietly and squeezed her eyes shut.
"I love you too!"
Luke and Rosie arranged to hang out the next day. But there was one thing on his mind still, "Does this mean you're my girlfriend?" Rosie laughed again, he was so silly.
"Yes Luke, I am!" she kissed him once more before leaving him, he needed a little while for all of this to sink in!
"Okay!" Josh laughed, "Let's do another one!"
"Nooo!" Keira protested, "I suck! Can we stop now!"
"I don't get it!" Josh laughed even harder. "How come you can't sing? Your dad, mum and brothers can all sing..." Keira interrupted him.
"How come you can't play keyboard like your mum?"
"Touche little bee, touche!" he chuckled and put the microphones away.
"I can't believe how hot you look!" Keira marveled at his new physique.
"Gee thanks Kee, meaning I was a minger before?" he winked playfully at her.
"No, no..." she shook her head emphatically.
"...you were always cute Joshy!"
"Why thank you, good recovery!" he winked at her again, but this time genuinely.
"So...can I have a little feel of your chest?" she teased and raised her hand.
Joshua instinctively took hold of it and pushed it away, getting closer to her. She moved closer to him also, and there was a short silence as they gazed into each other's eyes.
"Keira!" Josh whispered her name as he touched her face, she pressed his hand closer to her skin and closed her eyes, smiling.
"You smell nice!" she remarked as he laughed softly.
"My sister bought me it for Christmas!" remembering his mother's advice, and glad he took it, all he could do was stare at the girl he had loved since he was a child and hardly believe that they were so close at that moment. She let out a little satisfied sigh and murmured,
"COme on Joshy chops, let me have a little peek under your shirt!" she grinned cheekily as he guided her back against the wall and his heart threatened to explode.
He had no idea what came over him, maybe it was the touch of her hand or the playful way she asked to see under his shirt, but Joshua kissed Keira like he was starved of oxygen and she could replenish him. He was usually a gentle, quiet boy. What passion she stirred in him. As he tasted her sweet lip gloss, the same one her mother used and successfully won her father's heart with, he never wanted to stop. Keira didn't seem to put up a fight, she didn't struggle under his grip, in fact she returned the kiss more ferociously than he expected.
Josh had kissed other girls before, but it never felt like this! It never felt like the world was spinning out of control, it never felt like his knees could buckle at any moment, it never felt this good! As Keira ran her fingers through his hair, he was tempted to throw her on the bed, but that wasn't the gentlemanly thing to do. And his dad always told him to be a gentleman no matter what.
As he let her go slowly, he caught her eye as she gasped for air. If he hadn't got fit over the summer he would be gasping too, but he managed to steady his breathing. His heart was another matter entirely, he couldn't stop that from pounding out of his chest! As they stood facing one another in silence, Keira finally spoke, "Wow!" she breathed, one word, but it was enough as Joshua grinned excitedly and traced her lips with his thumb. Where did they go from here?
"Kee!" he breathed, his eyes penetrating hers. Both unable to move, they remained still for another few moments until Keira rubbed his nose with her own and whispered,
"Kiss me again, Joshua, never stop kissing me!"
Josh did not hesitate to do what she asked, Keira was always bossy, even when they were kids she was always in charge. She tasted so good, her lips were so soft, she smelled just as sweet as she tasted and the scent of her was making him dizzy with lust. Never before had he felt such an urge to succumb to his feelings, never before had he wanted a girl so much.
It was getting late, Keira and Joshua had spent their catch up kissing. Josh's lips were raw but he didn't care, she had asked for him to never stop and he had done just that!
It felt like a dream, he had just spent the afternoon making out with Keira Maloney, the girl who stole his heart when they were kids. The girl who was always on his mind, even when he was in Cambodia, all he could think about was coming back to her. Yes he was still in love with her, to hell with it he never stopped loving her!
He had no idea what all of this meant, whether or not they were an item or if Keira was just using him for her own means. "Do you have to go?" she whispered between kisses.
"I really kinda do Kee!" he replied.
"Will you come back?" she wanted him to come back???
"If you...want me to?"
"I do!" she replied and kissed him one last time.
As he left she called to him "Come back to me Joshy!"
"I will!"
"Tomorrow, same time!"
"As you wish!" he smiled, before exiting her room. Seriously was this for real?
As Keira took in what had happened, her mother appeared with a smile on her face. "Just met Josh as he was leaving, you have fun?" Keira giggled at her mother's question.
"Kee I hope you're not too mad at me for getting you into this, but it's only for a couple of weeks and Josh isn't a bad kid. Do you forgive me?" Keira laughed again, her body was tingling from her lips to her toes. The sensation of Josh's tongue so tenderly entwining with her own sent little electric shocks down her back.
"Not at all mum, you're right he's not bad at all!"
Keira lay on her bed feeling wonderful. What was looking like an awful day babysitting a chubby childhood friend turned out to be a steamy make-out session with a hot boy.
Yes Keira Maloney was in love. And if she was honest with herself, she had always been fond of Joshua Hayes, in a different way from the others. She just hoped that he felt the same.
To Be Continued...
End of chapter two, hope you liked it! :)
"Language little brother!" Cormac laughed.
"Yeah let's do this, I'm not letting a$$face put me off!" he replied as the boys set up to practice.
"Oh uh...hey er...Liam!" Cormac replied awkwardly.
"Wanna hang out?" the younger boy asked excitedly as Cormac groaned uncomfortably.
"No it's the summer Cormy, we don't get homework during holidays!" Liam giggled, silly Cormy!
"Oh right, well I'm kinda busy babysitting the boys here so..."
"But they're all 14, they don't need..." Cormac lost his temper and shouted,
"Okay, I'll see you around!" his little voice replied sadly, and he left.
"I..."
"Oh Lukey!"
"Oh, well my grandfather Kennedy turned out not to be my grandfather so when mum and dad got married, uncle Rob took his name so he and mum could be the same. They're twins like Daisy and I so they always have to be the same."
"Not at all, as long as we can see each other again tomorrow."
"We can, and Luke?"
"Yes?" she laughed quietly and squeezed her eyes shut.
"I love you too!"
"Yes Luke, I am!" she kissed him once more before leaving him, he needed a little while for all of this to sink in!
"Nooo!" Keira protested, "I suck! Can we stop now!"
"How come you can't play keyboard like your mum?"
"Touche little bee, touche!" he chuckled and put the microphones away.
"Gee thanks Kee, meaning I was a minger before?" he winked playfully at her.
"No, no..." she shook her head emphatically.
"Why thank you, good recovery!" he winked at her again, but this time genuinely.
"So...can I have a little feel of your chest?" she teased and raised her hand.
"You smell nice!" she remarked as he laughed softly.
"COme on Joshy chops, let me have a little peek under your shirt!" she grinned cheekily as he guided her back against the wall and his heart threatened to explode.
"Kiss me again, Joshua, never stop kissing me!"
"I really kinda do Kee!" he replied.
"Will you come back?" she wanted him to come back???
"If you...want me to?"
"I do!" she replied and kissed him one last time.
"I will!"
"Tomorrow, same time!"
"As you wish!" he smiled, before exiting her room. Seriously was this for real?
To Be Continued...
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