Ray grinned, and it was as if the sun had come out, as he said happily, ‘Why not? Been a great day in many ways. It was good to get back into the swing of things. I didn’t realise how much I’d missed it.’

Jack Johnson smiled but a small shiver ran up his spine. Now he knew exactly who he was dealing with, he would use extreme caution for the foreseeable future. This was not a man to cross. Even he knew that.

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Two

Sharon was bathed and in a robe when Ray came into the house. She ran to him and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. She smelled of coconut shampoo and Nivea Creme. It was a smell he had begun to love. She looked up into his eyes and he smiled at her reassuringly.

‘It’s done. We won’t ever talk of it, OK? Not unless you want to . . .’

She shook her head quickly. ‘No, I don’t want to talk about it ever again.’

He hugged her tightly once more, and then she said, in a small voice, ‘Is he dead?’

Ray laughed then, and kissed the top of her head. ‘No, lass. He’s not dead.’

She kissed him lightly on his full-lipped mouth, and he kissed her back. Then the two boys came running down the stairs in their pyjamas and he held out his arms to them so they could join in with the hug. They were thrilled to see him and he was pleased to see them too. They were good kids, but they needed a stern hand and he could provide that for them.

‘Who fancies a game of Monopoly?’

His voice was loud and jocular and the two boys were immediately full of excitement.

‘I’ll make us all hot chocolate, shall I?’

As Sharon watched Ray and her sons setting up the game she felt a glimmer of hope. She had been so lucky when she had found Ray Donovan and she knew that his gentle firmness was just what her sons needed. His love for her was all-encompassing and she honestly felt cherished by him. Finally Sharon could see some kind of future. Christ Himself knew, she’d had enough to deal with in her young life. Surely it was time that she got some good luck? She had earned it one way or another.

She poured a shot of brandy into her hot chocolate and brought it through to the lounge where the boys were arguing over who was having the dog while Ray watched them with a big smile on his handsome face.

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Three