A/N Thank you all for your wonderfully kind comments, I appreciate them all. I apologise for not being the quickest writer – I have later chapters completed already – it's the bits in between! Hope you like the next part!
Chapter Six
Cheryl had Leah gabbling faster than she could breathe about fairies and princess, whilst calmly suggesting she should change into her jammies and get into bed so Cheryl could read her a story. He'd missed seeing his little sister with kids – she was always great with the boys back in Belfast – even if she did spoil them rotten.
Little Lucas bawled in the next room, as Lynsey, Amy and Ste stood around – Amy looking frazzled from an evening's stress. Brendan made tea in the kitchen, it being the first thing to come to mind and took them into Ste and Amy.
"Black, no sugar," he said handing the mug to Amy, who almost seemed grateful but unsurprisingly distracted by her son's state.
He handed Ste's his, giving his shoulder a sympathetic squeeze.
"How is he? Do you need me to run ya to the hospital?" he asked, directing his question between Lynsey then Amy and Ste.
"He's got a bit of a temperature, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. Do you have Calpol or anything?" Lynsey said, giving the little man's hair a stroke.
When Ste had routed around the bathroom cabinet for a bottle of the syrupy medicine, Lucas seemed to calm slightly at the quick intake of sugar. Lynsey suggested giving him something dry to eat and a damp flannel on his head and scribbled her number on a piece of paper to call if they needed anything.
By the time Ste, Amy and Lynsey returned to the living room, Cheryl and Leah were both worn out with each other's company and Leah had begun picking out the story she wanted read to her, tottering around Brendan's feet.
"Seriously thank you Lynsey for coming, I just couldn't think straight with both of the kids off the walls," Amy said.
"Don't mention it," Lynsey said, stifling a yawn. She laughed, "We better get off before we all fall asleep on you!"
Cheryl sat up drowsily from the sofa, and picked herself up, staggering a little on her awkward heels. Leah thrust a book into Brendan's hands and he smirked at the contrast of expressions in the room, awkwardness and alarm in her parents' faces.
Ste stepped forward, scooping her up in his arms and taking the book from Brendan. "Bed, you," Ste said to Leah and after thanking Brendan and their influx of help a final time, Ste carried Leah to her room.
/x/
"You'd be forgiven for actually thinking he was normal sometimes, wouldn't you?" Amy said, collapsed on the sofa with the kids finally asleep.
"Who?" Ste said obliviously, washing up the mugs in the kitchen.
"Brendan." Amy said, adopting a strange voice when she mentioned his name.
"Well he's got kids of his own, ain't he? He knows what it's like,"
Amy rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Yeah well he creeps me out when he's nice. It's always like he's got an ulterior motive,"
Ste was about to defend him, but he knew all too well what Amy's response would be. And she was sort of right. Yet tonight he just seemed to care.
/x/
He was back in work the next day – the usual lunchtime routine of making drinks and cleaning. They'd started making a few bits and pieces to eat for the lunch crowd which he liked doing – even if it consisted mainly of putting a sandwich and some crisps on a plate. He hadn't seen all that much of Brendan in the club, he'd spent most of the day holed up in the office probably making phone calls and checking out the orders from the supplier.
There was an ease, a relief, when he wasn't skulking around the bar, eyes and breath and words plaguing Ste as he worked, but in a funny way, he was better company than Warren who made no attempt to be anything more than his boss. Ste had tried, granted Warren and his past hadn't helped matters, but Warren didn't even seem to want to chat – not even about the mundane or even about Mitzeee.
Just after the lunch crowd had died down a little and Warren had gone to buy something to spoil Mitzeee with, Noah arrived at the club with flowers and an apologetic grimace on his face. Ste screwed up his nose and mouth in the sulky way he did to show he couldn't be bought that easily.
"Ste," Noah began, approaching the bar.
"I'm working," Ste replied, not looking up and not willing to give in too quickly.
"Five minutes, please. Cindy let me leave early for lunch especially,"
"Good for her!" Ste replied, the bottles behind the bar suddenly in need of rearrangement.
"Look, I shouldn't have said the things I did. It was completely selfish of me, but truth is Ste I just love being with you,"
Noah watched Ste's shoulder's rise and fall in a sigh and he shook his head slowly. "Me kids come first Noah. They always will." His voice lowered to a grumble, "You haven't even asked me how Lucas is,"
Noah creased in embarrassment. "How is he?"
"He's okay. Just a bug."
"Good. I'm relieved for you," he paused for a moment, hoping to see Ste soften a little more than he already had. "Ste please! I'm sorry, I'm an idiot." He pushed forward the flowers towards Ste. "Why don't we take the kids somewhere at the weekend. They're important to you, so they're important to me."
Ste's eyes darted to the side. "Okay," he said softly. "But you gotta realise they're me life,"
Noah kissed him briefly on the mouth. "I do."
/x/
Brendan knew he had to be smart about this deal. This wasn't one to fuck up. It was too risky to get Warren involved, he couldn't trust him as far as he could throw him for starters, not to mention he was willing to screw him over at any given opportunity. No, Foxy was a no go. He needed someone willing to look the other way, but cover his back, someone smart enough not to blow his cover. He needed someone with guts.
It was only then he'd been staring straight ahead at the rota on the wall – Ste in red marker. There was his answer, if he could just let himself be open to persuasion.
Yes. This could be the start of something special. Playing against the big men and walking away with everything. Together.