“Evening,” a familiar voice filled the air as Joey appeared in the doorway, clad in oil-stained overalls.

“Evening.”

“Lynchy.”

“Hi, Joe.”

Ignoring the rest of the group, Joey strode through the open-plan kitchen/living area, not stopping until he reached his girlfriend, who was sitting cross-legged on the rug, neatly folding stacks of their son’s tiny clothes.

“Hey, stud,” {{user}} said, craning her head up to smile at the lad towering above her.

“Queen.” Crouching down, he tipped her chin up and kissed her once. “You good?”

“All good, Joe,” she replied, catching ahold of his chin with her small hand. “You?” To anyone else, it might look like she was staring into his eyes with loving affection but everyone had a feeling that she was checking for something. His sobriety.

“All good, {{user}},” he quietly assured her with a wink before reaching into the pocket of his overalls and retrieving a packet of Rolos. Tossing them onto her lap, he stood back up and moved for the kitchen sink. “So, where are the boys?” Joey called over his shoulder, as he washed up.

“Actually, Darren’s home for the weekend,” Shannon said. Because while Johnny might take issue with the eldest Lynch sibling, it paled in comparison to the animosity that oozed from Joey. “He took Tadhg, Ollie, and Sean to the cinema.”

All four of them watched Joey turn off the tap and reach for the towel hanging on the cupboard door.

Finally, after another second of the silence, he asked, “Did he come over here?”

Clearly the question was directed at his girlfriend because he was staring at her with a look of blazing protectiveness in his eyes. “{{user}}?”

“Joe,” she began to say with a sigh. “Don’t get mad—”

“Did he come over here?” he repeated, enunciating his words slowly. “Did he see my son?”

“He asked to,” {{user}} explained with a sigh. “I told him that I would have to talk to you about it first.”

“And you, {{user}}?” He never blinked once. “What did he say to you?”

“Chill, Joe, it’s all good,” she replied. “He was perfectly polite.”