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I nodded stiffly, hackles rising.
“Well,” he continued, “my wife and I have been doing a lot of talking lately, and we wanted to speak to you about the possibility of—”
“We want to keep you!” his wife blurted out, causing John to drop his head in his hands and groan. “All five of you,” she continued, hurrying over to the island and catching ahold of my hand. “Especially you.” She smiled down at me. “I think I want you the most.”
“The fuck?” I choked out, yanking my hand out from under hers. “What are you…” Shaking my head, I practically fell off the stool in my bid to get away from this strange woman and her hands-on nature. “You want to keep me?”
“Tact, sweetheart,” John groaned, biting down on his fist. “Where’s the tact we talked about?”
“I forgot,” she argued before turning her attention back to me. “That didn’t come out right, Joey love.”
“Listen.” I held a hand up to warn her off. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.” Keeping my back to the kitchen cupboards, I stepped sideways in my bid to escape the second coming of Mother Teresa. “And how good you’ve been to my sister, but I’m not interested in anything else, okay? I don’t need anyone…keeping me. So, I’m going to go home now.”
“She means fostering,” John explained with a sigh. “Edel, would you back up, sweetheart, and give the boy space? You can’t crowd him, remember? Baby steps.”
“Oh Jesus, yes,” she mumbled, hurrying to her husband’s side. “Of course, I’m sorry, Joey love.”
“Fostering.” I stared blankly at them. “The fuck?”
“We’re already approved,” Edel blurted out. “We’ve been foster parents before. It’s not our first time, love. And we can offer you stability and safety and—”
“No!” I choked out, practically climbing the wall backwards in my bid to escape. “Jesus Christ, no.” Panic-stricken, I looked around uncertainly before locking eyes on John. “I want to leave.”
“You can leave any time,” he assured me, keeping a firm hand on his wife’s shoulder, while she looked like she was seconds from springing toward me. “Right now, if you wish.”
“Good.” Blowing out a shaky breath, I cagily walked to the utility room door that led to the back door, only to hesitate when I reached for the door handle.
No, wait.
Hear them out.
Think of the kids.
Jesus Christ, what was I doing?
Run, lad.
Get the fuck out of this place.
“When you say you want to foster us…” Turning around, I eyed them warily. “Are you offering my siblings a home?” I looked around. “Here?”
“We’re offering all of you a home,” John replied. “Sean, Ollie, Tadhg, Shannon, and you, Joey.”
“I don’t…” Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I quickly shook my head. “No.”
I could see the devastation flash across his wife’s face, and I felt like a prick.
“I don’t want to be fostered,” I said slowly, trying to find the words I needed to make sense of this madness. “But I think…” Jesus Christ, why was this so fucking hard? Why couldn’t I just think clearly? “My brothers and sister might…would…need… Fuck, I can’t get it out!”
“Take your time, love,” Edel said in a soothing tone. “Take all the time in the world.”
“I don’t know you,” I bit out, pinching the bridge of my nose as I forced down a wave of nausea. “And you don’t know me.”
“We’d like to get to know you, Joey,” John said calmly.
“No.” I shook my head. “Not me. I’m off the table.”
Edel shook her head. “But—”
