Juice: The O'Malleys Book 1, contemporary Adult Romance Read online

  Juice

  Rory & Cass The O’ Malleys book 1

  Written By

  Michelle Mc Loughney

  Copyright © 2014 Michelle Mc Loughney

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under S.I No. 337/2011-European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Universal Service and User’s Rights) Regulations 2011.

  This ebook or paperback is the sole property of the author, and may not be reproduced or transmitted without permission of the author. Please help prevent the piracy of ebooks. This book is a work of fiction. All names and characters are fictional, and any likeness to those living or dead including events, or occurrences, is completely coincidental.

  This ebook or paperback is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook or paperback may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, then please return it to the author. Thank you for respecting the hard work of an independent author.

  The author acknowledges and thanks the real people, places or products and copyrighted status of the following used in this book:

  Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Durty Nellies pub, Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James, County Clare, Regents park, London, Paris and Devon. Also, Dealz, Montmartre, Botticelli, Albrecht Durer, Birth of Venus, Simonetta Cattaneo Vesspuci, Picasso, Manet, Jack B Yeats, Renaissance period, Frappuccino, Shannon Airport, Jack Kerouac, Michael Mc Clure, Allen Ginsberg, Beat Generation Writers, City Lights Bookstore, John Steinbeck, East of Eden, San Francisco, The Gilmore Girls, The Mater Hospital, Dublin, Los, Jameson Irish Whiskey, The Smiths, Claddagh Jewellery, France, Gatwick Airport. Hogwarts, Quiddich, East Lyn and Hoar Oak Waters, Watersmeet, Plymouth, Derriford Hospital, Thin Lizzy, London Eye, Clare and Kilkenny hurling teams. Mister T, The A team and Prince, Cream, Get off, Raspberry Beret, Johnny Depp, Facebook, Google, UGG boots, Molly Ringwald, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Kathy Bates, Misery by Stephen King.

  Due to the frequency of bad language and several sex scenes including one with masturbation within this book, all readers should be over 18.

  This book contains a story dealing with the sensitive topic of organ transplantation. This may be a trigger for some people. I have endeavoured to deal with this subject in a sensitive and dignified manner, and have done much research on the subject. I have spoken to some recipients of life-saving organs

  transplants and also to families of those who have donated organs.

  In loving memory of John Doonan.

  An ordinary man.

  With much love,

  Michelle. x

  This, my first book is dedicated to my family and friends. Thank you to all who have helped and supported me throughout this process.

  Family:

  I could never thank my husband Liam enough, for his endless support and faith in me. It is only your love and support that made it possible for me to chase my dream, and catch it! A special thanks to our children, Aoife, Kate, Junie and Liam and our lovely grandson Alex, for just being the amazing people that you are. I am forever grateful for the bucket-loads of love, support and endless humour offered so generously by you all. Thank you so much to the wonderful people who make up my immediate family and much love to my new family too. Having you all in my life, has only enriched and completed it. You have supported me so much and I could not have done this without you. And remember, if you do piss me off, I will write about you and make you get up to all sorts of ridiculous shenanigans.

  Friends: What can I say, except thank you. The friends I have accrued over the years, have laughed and cried with me in equal measure. Because, that’s what true friends do. You have more than proven yourselves to be true friends, time and time again. I am so grateful to have you all in my life to share lunches in the Knights, dinner parties, drinks, chats and coffee. You know exactly who you are, all across the world. I hope you recognise a little of yourselves in this book. You know you’re in there. Right? Every weird and ridiculous, fun and emotional situation in my life somehow has you lot in them. You are all so very special to me. Never forget that. Only real friends would happily check out €1.49 vibrators in Dealz on a random Saturday.x

  A special mention to all the Indie authors, and facebook friends who have supported me, and made me laugh with your total weirdness. You guys are the shit.

  Table of Content

  Prologue

  Chapter1

  Chapter2

  Chapter3

  Chapter4

  Chapter5

  Chapter6

  Chapter7

  Chapter8

  Chapter9

  Chapter10

  Chapter11

  Chapter12

  Chapter13

  Chapter14

  Chapter15

  Chapter16

  Chapter17

  Chapter18

  Chapter19

  Chapter20

  Chapter21

  Chapter22

  Chapter23

  Chapter24

  Chapter25

  Cass ran to the door and pulled it open. She beamed widely when she saw her aunt Debbie standing in front of her on the doorstep. Her arms were filled to bursting, with matching pink and blue happy 21st birthday balloons. Cass put her hands out and started to take them from her.

  “Hey Deb, it’s so good to see you, the gang are all out back.”

  She hugged Debbie to her chest and rubbed her back affectionately.

  “Happy birthday gorgeous girl, here take these. It’s only something small, a bit of money for the both of you. Where’s Harry?”

  “He’s dropping Matt Landon home. He puked all over the floor and as you can imagine, Mum is going mad.”

  “Deb, you shouldn’t have!” Cass smiled broadly as she took the envelopes from her aunt and placed them on the sideboard.

  “Yes I should! It’s not every day my favourite niece and nephew turn twenty one. Ah Cass, it seems like only yesterday you were two beautiful little babes in arms.”

  “And you haven’t aged a bit in twenty one years, imagine.” Cass winked.

  “Go on before I slap your behind lady.” One side of Cass’ mouth quirked up and she took the older woman by the arm. She led her out to the back garden where their friends and family were enjoying a BBQ in the spring sunshine. It had been an unusually warm April in England, the vast majority of the country was making the most of the fantastic weather. Cass looked around and sighed with contentment. Her family home overlooked the beautiful Watersmeet gorge; she never failed to be inspired by the soft beauty of the Devon countryside that had shaped her childhood. Her family home was idyllically positioned at the point where the lush valleys of the East Lyn and Hoar Oak Waters meet; it was the perfect setting to celebrate her birthday. Laughter and chatter were in high flow around the garden and Cass watched as her friends and family interwove warmly around each other.

  She noticed her mum looking at her watch, a worried expression etched on her usually carefree face. Moving over beside her, she tipped her lightly on the arm and whispered in her ear softly.

  “You okay mum?” Alice Evans turned toward her daughter and bit her lip frowning.

  “Where has your brother got to, Cass? He’s been gone over an hour. I only take ten minutes to get to Matt’s house and back. He knows we’re all waiting to cut the cake.”

  “He’s probably chatting to someone. You know Harry, ever the social butterfly. I’ll give him a ring.” Cass moved away from her mother, took out her mobile and rang Harry’s number. It went straight to voicemail. She waited for the beep and whispered between her teet
h.

  “Harry Evans, get your ass back home immediately! Mom is cracking up here. She wants to cut the cake. I’m giving you exactly five minutes until I open every birthday card and pocket the money!”

  Cass looked up and smiled over at her mother giving her a thumbs up. As she mingled with the guests, she tried to push down the anxious feeling that was threatening to bubble to the surface.

  “Cass, will you get the door,” her dad shouted from his perch in front of the BBQ pointing his cooking tongs towards the direction of the house. She shook her head and smiled at the sight of him flipping burgers and turning sausages dressed proudly in his chef’s hat and ‘kiss the cook’ apron. It was a world away from his job as a lecturer at a local college. Still, that was her dad, man of the people, expert BBQer and all round nice guy.

  Cass ran through the house and opened the door, she fought back a grin.

  “Really guys,” she shouted back down the hall.

  “This is what you’re going for?” She eyed the two men in police uniforms and sniggered.

  “Here for the party, are you boys? I take it this is Mark and Marie’s doing? Very funny. I’m afraid for your safety with that lot in there,” she said pointing with her thumb over her shoulder. She cupped her mouth behind her hand and leaned in whispering. “Also, keep an eye on my cousin Margo. She’s handsy, if you know what I mean?” One of the officers removed his hat, his expression serious.

  “Miss, we’re here about a Mr. Harry Evans. Could we come in please?”

  Cass felt her smile slip from her face and stepped backwards allowing them to enter.

  “What’s happened? I’m his sister. Is Harry okay? What’s happened? Tell me what’s happened, for Christ’s sake!”

  “Miss Evans, if we could go somewhere private. Do you have someone else here with you?”

  “Of course, everyone’s here it’s our birthday. We’re having a party. We’re just going to cut the cake.”

  Cass heard a noise behind her and turned as her mother cried out and threw her hands up to cover her face.

  “I knew. I knew,” Alice muttered, as she turned and ran towards the patio doors. Cass felt her bottom lip begin to quiver, she heard the fear in her mother’s voice as she called out to her father.

  “Brian! Brian, come quick! Oh God. Its Harry isn’t it? It’s Harry.”

  The officer looked pained and addressed Cass gently.

  “Miss Evans. My name is Officer James Milton.” He motioned to the other officer who was looked somewhat green, and young. First-timer, thought Cass. She knew what was coming next. A calm sense of finality and acceptance was already washing over her.

  “This is my colleague, Officer Tony Davis. Would you like to sit down?”

  Cass shook her head and stared out of the kitchen window, her father was running toward the house with some of the guests hot on his heels. She was struck with a sudden almost hysterical urge to laugh, so alien was the look of fright on her father’s face, coupled with the chef’s hat bobbing up and down as he ran. She wished she could be back there, just moments before in a state of not knowing what was ahead. Her father stumbled through the door, his face ashen and eyes wide.

  “Alice, what is it? What the hell-”

  Brian Evans looked around and stilted mid-sentence as his eyes rested on the officers standing above his wife, as she sat at the table clutching a tea towel in her hand.

  “Mrs. and Mr. Evans.”

  The officer cleared his throat, while his colleague stared somewhere off into the distance over her mother’s shoulder and wobbled slightly on his feet. Poor bastard, thought Cass.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Evans. I’m sorry to inform you that there has been an accident. The passenger, Matt Landon was killed outright and has been pronounced dead at the scene. Your son, I’m sorry-your son Harry has been airlifted to Derriford Hospital, in Plymouth.”

  Cass stood in front of him, her hand covering her mouth. She took in what he had said and blinked suddenly.

  “Then he’s alive? Oh thank God, he’s alive. Oh thank God.” She grabbed the back of a nearby chair and felt her legs buckle as she sat slowly into it.

  “It was a serious accident, Miss Evans. A head on collision. You need to come to the hospital immediately. Harry has been quite seriously injured. They’re not sure-”

  Cass raised her eyes and they clashed with the sea of faces of her family and friends. Gathered in a huddle at the patio doors, each one trying to contain their worry and shock. Cass could smell burning meat from the BBQ. Nausea washed over her and she swallowed to keep the bile from rising in her throat.

  Her father as always took charge. Slowly taking off his apron, he grabbed his keys and nodded towards the officers.

  “Thank you very much. We’ll go now.” Officer Milton nodded towards him.

  “We’ll provide an escort Mister Evans. Maybe someone could drive you. It’s been a massive shock.”

  “Yes. Yes of course. Mark?” Her father looked to Mark, Harry’s best friend and the fiancé of Cass’ best friend, Marie.

  Cass felt a dart of pity for her friends Mark and Marie. No doubt they were in shock as well. Mark stepped forward and grabbed Marie’s hand, she was crying softly and shaking her head in disbelief. Mark spoke quietly to her.

  “It’ll be okay Marie, Harry’s a fighter. God love the Landons. I can’t believe Mattie is gone.” Marie nodded at him, her breathing shaky and loud. “This will kill them, he’s their only child.” Cass felt her heart clench at the way the words hissed from Marie’s throat and the paleness of her pallor.

  They piled into the car and left Deb to organise everything else. She would deal with the crowds of family and friends who were standing around, some silent and others openly weeping. Deb was always the dependable one, the strong one.

  Every sound felt amplified in Cass’ head, she grit her teeth and winced at the sound of the stones as they crunched beneath the wheels of the car. Looking out the window as they left the driveway, she instinctively knew that their lives would never be the same again. Mark drove slowly behind the police car, while Cass forced herself to focus on his white knuckles gripping the steering wheel. Anything was better than having to look at her mother beside her, shaking uncontrollably. The three women in the back seat held hands, each lost in their own thoughts. Cass leaned over Marie and touched her mum’s hand lightly.

  “He’ll be okay mum. Harry’s a fighter. He wouldn’t dare…he just can’t-” Her mother smiled weakly and silently nodded. The journey took an hour and Cass had almost managed to convince herself that everything would be okay. Harry was Harry, after all. The life and soul of the party, protective and strong. He wouldn’t leave her alone. He wouldn’t hurt mum and dad like that. Liar. Liar. Liar. Cass was a pragmatist and knew that all the will in the world, the wishing and the praying and hoping would never be enough to save someone who was injured beyond repair.

  As they pulled into the emergency bay, Cass struggled with her seat belt and jumped out of the car not stopping long enough to shut the door. She raced into the hospital and stood anxiously at the reception desk where two women were deep in conversation.

  “Harry Evans? I’m here to see Harry Evans my brother, he been in an accident. A car accident. He was brought here!”

  She tapped her nails fretfully on the counter and bit her lip impatiently as the receptionist clicked away on her computer.

  “Please wait in family room one on the second floor, a doctor will be with you shortly. Your brother is in surgery at the moment.”

  “When can we see him? What is the surgery for?”

  The receptionist looked at her with a mixture of pity and a knowing nod that said she had uttered these words a hundred times before. It enraged Cass and she wanted to bellow at her. Don’t look at me like that. Don’t you fucking dare look at me like he’s already dead!

  Instead she waited. Just stared and waited, her blood silently bubbling beneath the surface of her skin.

  “You will
have to wait for the doctor, I’m afraid.” She pointed a long candy-floss coloured pink fingernail towards the corridor. “Take the lift up to the second floor and wait in room one, first door on your left. A doctor will be there shortly to talk you through the procedure.” Cass couldn’t move, she just stared at the clock on the wall behind the receptionist. Cold and impersonal, black and white. The ticking of the metal hands holding her captive in that moment.

  She felt her father gently take her stiff hands from the counter. He held them in his own as he guided her towards the lift.

  “What will happen Daddy?” she asked looking into his eyes. She needed him to take away the pain and the worry, like he had always done when she was little. She never called him daddy anymore. Now, it seemed necessary somehow. He rubbed her cheek gently, his fingertips cold and dry.

  “We will wait and see Cass; he’s in the best hands here. They need to work on him. Come on, we’ll go and wait.” Cass smiled softly up at him. Oh dad, I’m so sorry this is happening to you. So sorry for your pain. She couldn’t mouth the words so let him lead her away by the hand instead. A small kind of comfort for them both.

  Brian held her hand tightly and reached out for Alice, who folded easily into his embrace.

  “All we can do is wait and hope he’s strong enough.”

  Rory O’Malley looked out of the window onto the farmland that surrounded his home. Each of these fields bore the footprints of his past, his heritage. The hills lush and green had been toiled by his grandparents own hands and their grandparents before them. This land was in his blood. Every memory from his youth was tied up within the boundaries of this place. Hayrides with his brothers and sisters, milking cattle, herding sheep, baking with his granny and mama. His first drink, his first kiss, they had all happened here on this land. The land he loved.

  He watched his sister Annie from the window.

  Her long dark brown hair was flying in the breeze. She was sitting outside on the wall talking to their father, Gearóid. Their heads close as though they were whispering about something grave. He knew it was serious. The family meeting they had held the night before had been hard. His sister Aoife was dying. There was no easy way to sugar coat the inevitable. His baby sister was running out of steam. When she had been born twenty four years before, Rory had counted her fingers and toes and marvelled at her chubby cute face. He had truly believed she was the most perfect thing he had ever seen. She was the first girl born into the O’Malley family for over fifty years. The most special gift, but their gift was sick. Cystic Fibrosis, his mammy had told him. He didn’t fully understand what it all meant being only six years old. But, he knew it meant they had to be very careful around Aoife, he had to wash his hands very carefully before he held her. As she got older, Aoife had developed a love affair with books. The only thing that calmed her through an episode of breathlessness was to have Rory tell her a story. And he did, he would sit at her bedside for hours reading to her. Lovingly recounting every story his grandfather O’Malley had told him. The stories were their legacy, dutifully passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. Old Irish tales of princesses and fairies, pirates and high Kings. Aoife’s favourite story of all was the true story of Grace O’Malley. Or Gráinne Mhaol, as she is known in Ireland. A formidable sixteenth century Irish shipping magnate and ferocious pirate. She was rumoured to have been the most beautiful and brave Irish woman of her time. According to their grandfather ‘the boss man O’Malley’, they were directly descended from Grace O’Malley and her clan. That meant they were fighters, survivors. Aoife, would be a fighter too and she was. Every time she picked up an infection and was admitted into hospital, she fought it. She would never give up, Rory thought with pride. Sometimes, when he was a kid he would cry at night, his small head hidden underneath the blankets as he listened to her coughing and gasping for air. And through the walls, he would remember the words of the stories he had told her. Holding his hands over his ears, he would silently call on the spirit of the great Gráinne Mhaol to give Aoife courage. And to keep her safe, to keep her alive. He knew in reality he was comforting himself also. He couldn’t imagine life without Aoife, it didn’t bear thinking about.