Born for This
five.
With her feet propped up on a pillow, Emma let out a sigh of frustration. The housing market was stale and time was running out for the Conlon’s to find a new place to call home. The apartment was quiet, for now. In just a few short hours, family and friends would be pouring through the entryway to celebrate Keane’s first birthday. Tommy entered the bedroom looking like a shell of the man he was. There were permanent bags under his eyes and every muscle in his body seemed to ache a little bit more. As he pulled off his spit-up stained t-shirt, the fighter couldn’t help but groan softly. With a lack of conditioning and strengthening in the gym, his shoulder began to stiffen.
Tommy crawled onto the bed and wiggled his way between his wife and the headboard. Emma leaned back into her husband’s chest and felt some of her stress and frustration begin to melt away. He reached around and grabbed the tablet from her hands and began scrolling through the listings.
“Split level, three bedroom, one bath-”
The brunette cringed at the thought of a her grandparent’s split level, “Next.”
“Two stories condo-”
“Next.”
Tommy rolled his eyes but decided against making any comments, “House.”
Emma nodded, nervously cracking her knuckles, “Okay...”
“Four bedroom, two and a half bath, new electric and plumbing, central air, flat roof for your garden and plants, finished basement for a home gym, two car garage, and a big back yard for a dog.” Tommy wasn’t even looking at the listenings anymore. He had opened their shared email and pulled up the photos he was sent before handing the tablet back to his wife.
“Where the fuck did you find this place? I check listenings every day and I never saw this.” The brunette scrolled through the photos with wide eyes, mesmerized by the house, “Can we afford it?”
Tommy nodded, “Yeah, right in our price range... close to some pretty good schools for when TK‘s old enough.”
Emma turned to face her husband as much as her protruding stomach allowed, “How’d you find this place though? I’ve been combing through listings like crazy.”
The fighter shrugged, “Buddy from the gym that I’ve been training with a bit mentioned he and his old lady were packing up. We talked a bit and ended up agreeing on a price.”
“When were you in the gym training, Tommy?” Emma scoot away from her husband’s radiating heat and swung her swollen feet over the side of the bed.
“Babe, it’s not a big deal.. It was just some light sparring with a few guys. No harm done.” Tommy leaned forward to place a gentle hand on his wife’s back.
The brunette flinched at her husband’s touch and tilted her head forward creating a veil around her face, “You don’t fucking get it. No harm? You almost fucking died Thomas. You have a family now.” She stood up from the bed and placed a protective hand over her stomach, “You’re not running anymore. This isn’t like you’re old family. Stop trying to get yourself killed for gods sake!”
Before Tommy could so much as open his mouth to respond, Tess and Rosie appeared in the doorway. The blonde gave a sheepish, “Bren and Paddy are on their way with Emily. I still have a spare key from when you know what happened.”
Emma tucked her hair behind her ears, straightened her back, and turned with a smile on her face, “Well if it isn’t two of my favorite ladies! Why don’t we go into the kitchen and start setting up the food.”
Tommy watched his wife, sister-in-law, and niece left the room. He rubbed his hands over his tired face and sighed. There was a soft knock on the door before the other side of the bed dipped down from the weight of another body.
Brendan pat his brother on the back, “Women are crazy aren’t they.”
“You don’t even know half of it.” Tommy scoffed and shook his head, “Every time I think I’m doing the right thing here, it’s like I get crucified for it.”
The older of the two could empathize with his brother, remembering a time in his own house when anything he tried to do seemed to upset his wife. Then things changed when he finally realized there was more on the line than himself. “Things are different now though, Tom.”
“Jesus, how many more times do I gotta hear that man? You think I don’t know that?”
Brendan shrugged and pushed himself off the bed, “Well it sure doesn’t seem like it. Open your eyes and stop fighting it.”
Tommy crawled onto the bed and wiggled his way between his wife and the headboard. Emma leaned back into her husband’s chest and felt some of her stress and frustration begin to melt away. He reached around and grabbed the tablet from her hands and began scrolling through the listings.
“Split level, three bedroom, one bath-”
The brunette cringed at the thought of a her grandparent’s split level, “Next.”
“Two stories condo-”
“Next.”
Tommy rolled his eyes but decided against making any comments, “House.”
Emma nodded, nervously cracking her knuckles, “Okay...”
“Four bedroom, two and a half bath, new electric and plumbing, central air, flat roof for your garden and plants, finished basement for a home gym, two car garage, and a big back yard for a dog.” Tommy wasn’t even looking at the listenings anymore. He had opened their shared email and pulled up the photos he was sent before handing the tablet back to his wife.
“Where the fuck did you find this place? I check listenings every day and I never saw this.” The brunette scrolled through the photos with wide eyes, mesmerized by the house, “Can we afford it?”
Tommy nodded, “Yeah, right in our price range... close to some pretty good schools for when TK‘s old enough.”
Emma turned to face her husband as much as her protruding stomach allowed, “How’d you find this place though? I’ve been combing through listings like crazy.”
The fighter shrugged, “Buddy from the gym that I’ve been training with a bit mentioned he and his old lady were packing up. We talked a bit and ended up agreeing on a price.”
“When were you in the gym training, Tommy?” Emma scoot away from her husband’s radiating heat and swung her swollen feet over the side of the bed.
“Babe, it’s not a big deal.. It was just some light sparring with a few guys. No harm done.” Tommy leaned forward to place a gentle hand on his wife’s back.
The brunette flinched at her husband’s touch and tilted her head forward creating a veil around her face, “You don’t fucking get it. No harm? You almost fucking died Thomas. You have a family now.” She stood up from the bed and placed a protective hand over her stomach, “You’re not running anymore. This isn’t like you’re old family. Stop trying to get yourself killed for gods sake!”
Before Tommy could so much as open his mouth to respond, Tess and Rosie appeared in the doorway. The blonde gave a sheepish, “Bren and Paddy are on their way with Emily. I still have a spare key from when you know what happened.”
Emma tucked her hair behind her ears, straightened her back, and turned with a smile on her face, “Well if it isn’t two of my favorite ladies! Why don’t we go into the kitchen and start setting up the food.”
Tommy watched his wife, sister-in-law, and niece left the room. He rubbed his hands over his tired face and sighed. There was a soft knock on the door before the other side of the bed dipped down from the weight of another body.
Brendan pat his brother on the back, “Women are crazy aren’t they.”
“You don’t even know half of it.” Tommy scoffed and shook his head, “Every time I think I’m doing the right thing here, it’s like I get crucified for it.”
The older of the two could empathize with his brother, remembering a time in his own house when anything he tried to do seemed to upset his wife. Then things changed when he finally realized there was more on the line than himself. “Things are different now though, Tom.”
“Jesus, how many more times do I gotta hear that man? You think I don’t know that?”
Brendan shrugged and pushed himself off the bed, “Well it sure doesn’t seem like it. Open your eyes and stop fighting it.”
♠ ♠ ♠
slowly getting better at updating now... only 2 months in between rather than a year. ha thinking about a Peaky Blinders series, anyone interested?