Bronagh (11 page)

Branna came beside me. "Do you really want to be the one from stoppin'
that
possible one night stand from happenin'? Besides, I think you might lose a finger if you try and separate them."

I looked to Kane and Aideen, who were sloppy kissing and grinding against one another. Branna was right; there was no way I was breaking those two up.

"Leave them be."

Branna laughed at me then looked around and said, "Where are the rest of the lads?" She shouted.

I could barely hear her over the noise of the crowd’s cheers and shouts. I turned around and scanned the crowd, but I couldn't find anyone.

"I'll check the bar," I shouted.

Branna nodded her head, so I walked down through the crowds in the direction of the bar. I leaned up trying to spot Dominic or his brothers and did so with a spring to my step. I was going to check in with Dominic and then go to the bathroom. I walked over to them, but I was knocked back when a man bumped into me.

He laughed when he seen me stumble, and that annoyed me.

"Excuse
you
!" I snapped.

He looked surprised that I shouted at him.

"
You
walked into
me
."

"Yes, and I was goin' to apologise until you laughed."

The man only grinned at me. "It was funny watchin' you try and stay on your feet."

Fucking dickhead.

"Prick," I said to myself then started forward.

I shouted when the man grabbed my arm and pulled me against him. "What did you call me? A prick? Who do you think you're talkin' to you ugly little cunt?"

I tried to pull myself free but the man had a firm grip on my arm.

"Dominic!" I screamed.

I knew he was at the bar in front of me so I screamed as loud as I could. The man holding me ducked his head and shook me.

"Shut the fuck up screechin'!"

"Bronagh?" I heard Dominic call.

"Dominic!"

"Get the fuck away from her!"

I was shoved backwards when Dominic tackled the man who was hurting me. Two lads caught me from falling, I thanked them and looked back just in time to see Dominic rise to his face. The man he tackled got up as well.

"Let me guess, the ugly bitch is your bitch?"

Dominic swung with his right arm and can't man in with a perfectly timed right hook across the jaw. The man's head snapped to the side and he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

I flung my hands overs my mouth when he didn't get up.

"Fuck. He knocked him out with
one
dig!"

I ignored the shouts from the lads behind me and moved to Dominic's side. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Am I okay? Are
you
okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine, his bark was worse than his bite."

Dominic was pissed as he took my hand and led me away. I tugged him in the direction of the bathroom because I still had to go.

"Can you stay put Bronagh?" Dominic asked as he followed me into the girl’s toilets.

"Get out, this is the ladies."

Dominic didn't say anything he only held onto the sinks to steady himself.

"Are you drunk?" I asked.

He wiggled his fingers. "Just a little buzzed, I haven't drank in a long time."

I frowned. "So why drink tonight?"

"I wasn't planning on it, but then we decided to try for a baby so I figured what the fuck, let's celebrate."

I snorted as I went into a bathroom stall, pulled down my booty shorts and suspenders and relieved myself.

"Are you still there?" I asked.

"Yes."

I shook my head and grabbed some tissue, wiped myself then stood up and flushed the toilet.

"Where were you going before that guy grabbed you?" Dominic asked me when I exited the stall and moved to the sinks to wash my hands.

"To see where you where."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "Just wanted to know."

Why so curious?"

"Why?" I asked.

Dominic shrugged. "Wanted to know what you followed me for."

I frowned. "I didn't follow you, I was just checking in to see-"

"Checking in? Jesus Bronagh, I'm not a kid, you don't have to check in on me."

What?

"No, that's not what I meant-"

"I mean I was away from you for two minutes did you think I ran away or something?"

Where the hell did all this comm from?

"What the fuck is with you? What are you pickin' a fight with me for?" I bellowed.

Dominic shrugged. "Not picking a fight, just saying it like it is."

"You're makin' out like I'm clingy with you."

Dominic laughed. "You
are
clingy with me baby."

Excuse me?

"No, I'm fuckin' not."

"Yeah, you are."

Oh, my God.

"Because I wanted to see where you were at means I'm clingy? Okay, then yeah, I'm
so
clingy. What I want to know is why do you act like that bothers you?"

Dominic blinked. "Because I like some freedom to chill with my brothers and friends without my woman's head up my ass 24/7."

What. The. Fuck?

"You're bang out of fuckin' line here."

Dominic shrugged.

I swallowed. "If I'm so clingy and it's bothers you why did you agree to us tryin' for a baby?"

"Because I want a baby with you... I'd just like you to-"

"Take me head out of your arse."

Dominic laughed. "You said it pretty girl, not me."

I was hurt, and I was furious.

"They only thing up your arse will be me foot, you dickhead!" I snapped.

"Oh, the dramatics."

I stared at him. "I'm sick of this."

"Sick of
what
?"

"This. Us. Fightin' all the time."

Dominic groaned. "We fight all the time because you turn every argument into a fight - not now, use the men’s room."

I looked to the girl Dominic snapped at and watched her flee back out the restroom door. Dominic turned his head back to me, and he didn't look so buzzed anymore.

"We fight because you can’t just converse when things get tough."

I felt my heart pound.

"I can't do this anymore Dominic; I'm not fuckin' tall enough to ride your emotional rollercoaster!"

"So get on your tip toes," he snarled. "Because it's one ride you're never getting off. I'm your fucking life, not just your boyfriend. We're need each other, don't you get that? We
need
each other. "

I blinked.

"Why must everything be over the top with you, Bronagh? I try to tell you I want a little space so I can hang out with my brothers and friends and you get defensive. I love you more that life itself, I swear on my life that I do. I
want
to have a child with you, I want to be with you forever... but you need to grow up
with
me. We aren't in high school anymore Bronagh, the tantrums have to stop at some stage."

I swallowed.

"I'm not tryin' to hurt you baby, but you have an anger problem. I have a temper that is spiked easily, but damn when I say one thing to you, you explode verbally or physically. I walk on eggshells around you most days because I don't know what you will do. I admit I react wrong by laughing at you or playing everything off as a joke, but I don't know what else to do to take tension out of a situation. Do you understand that? I just don't know."

I felt my stomach drop.

"Why does this feel like a break up?" I whispered.

Dominic sighed. "No one is breaking up, we're in this for the long haul... but I need to know if you're in my corner fighting for me, or if you in the opposing corner fighting against me. It's easier to fight when we're fighting for the same thing, pretty girl."

I looked down.

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Our relationship."

My head was swimming, and I couldn't think.

"I hate that this upsets you, I want to protect you from everything."

I sniffled. "And who protects you if you protect me all the time?"

Dominic smiled. "Once you're in my corner and you're really
with
me, that's all the protection I need, pretty girl."

I closed my eyes.

"Look, I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to let you
think
about everything I just said instead of turning this into sex, okay? Come back to the table when you're ready."

I was shocked when I opened my eyes and looked up and found Dominic was gone.

He was serious about everything he said... but what the hell brought it on?

He has never mentioned my anger in a serious discussion before, nor has he said I needed to fight with him instead of against him.

He has obviously thought about it for a while, but what the hell triggered him to lay this out tonight?

I thought on it for a minute then gasped.

"The baby talk," I murmured aloud.

Oh, my god.

When I sprung that I wanted us to have a baby it must have brought this up in his mind. A baby is serious. He knows we're serious, but having a baby makes us
really
serious.

"He wants us to be strong together so we don't fall apart if we have a baby."

I went into a bathroom stall, closed the door and then sat down on a closed toilet lid and I cried.

Was I ruining us?

Was I the reason we fought all the time?

Did... Did I have an anger problem?

I calmed myself down so I could think clearly.

I knew straight off the bat that Dominic really
was
my life and that I needed him because without him I wasn't me. Nothing would make sense without him. I also wanted a family with him, because despite our arguments I knew we were ready for a baby, but to make us a
happy
family Dominic was right. I needed put a stamp on my temper and my reaction to things... I needed help.

I needed to talk to Branna.

She was mid-wife, she must know of classes or something that help people deal with anger.

I nodded my head, stood up and exited the toilet stall. I made the decision to fight in Dominic's corner and to fight for us with him. I would protect like him does me.

I looked around the restroom and shook my head.

I thought life changing decisions were meant to be made in the shower?

I exited the bathroom but I didn't want to walk the way I came in case the fella Dominic knocked out was awake so I walked around the opposite side of the platform. I stayed close to the platform because most people hung back so they could watch any fights. It made getting by easier.

I was walking along fine until I felt a tap on my head.

I looked up.

"Hey," a red headed girl shouted down from the platform. "Can you help me off this thing? Some of the lads pushed me up as a joke."

Men.

"Sure, I could catch you-"

"Could you give me your hand?"

Uh.

"Okay," I said and reached my arm up and placing my hand in hers. "But I don't see how that will- omigod."

Hands grabbed onto the back of my thighs and pushed me up into the air. The girl who had my arm pulled me until I stumbled onto the platform.

"What the fuck was that?"! I snapped and carefully got to my feet.

I looked at the girl who was in shorts, a sports bra and hand wraps around her hands.

Oh, no.

She was a fighter.

"You're fightin' me tonight."

I heard her wrong.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You. Are. Fightin'. Me. Tonight."

Okay, I heard her clearly this time but I was
not
in the mood for jokes.

"Listen, what's your name?"

"Jennifer."

"Listen
Jennifer
, I've a lot goin' on right not, can we please cut the bullshit here?"

Jennifer laughed. "The only bullshit is that you think you can go around startin' shite and cause people to get hurt."

What?

"I have
no
idea what you’re talkin' about-"

"Ladies, and gents. Who’s ready for a CATFIGHT?"

Did that mean me and Jennifer?

The screams and shouts were deafening.

"I'm not," I shouted. "I'm not ready... I'm in heels and a fucking dress!"

I screamed and jumped to the side when Jennifer suddenly came at me.

This was not fucking happening
.

"Oh, please! I don't want to fight you!"

I was crying, but can you blame me? This bitch wanted to kick my arse.

"Why me?" I asked as tears fell down my cheeks.

"Because
your
fella knocked
mine
fuckin' out."

Wait, the lad who hurt me and called me ugly was her fella?

"That dickhead is your fella?"

Jennifer growled.

I panicked. "I take it back he isn't a dickhead, don't kill me!"

Jennifer took a step forward.

I took a step back.

"Can we not just talk about this, I'll buy you a pint?"

Jennifer shook her head. "No, you're on the platform so let's just do this."

"But I'm a beckon for peace; I wouldn't hurt a fly!"

She didn't know me, so she didn't know how much of a lie that was.