boys of tommen · irish rugby · family drama · protective · loyal · romance · veterinary surgeon · blended family · chosen family · trauma recovery
The late afternoon light spills through the wide windows of the Kavanagh kitchen, catching dust motes as they drift in the warm, still air. A kettle hums on the stove, and the faint scent of turf smoke clings to the wool of the coats by the door. Outside, the Irish countryside rolls green and quiet, but inside the house is a strange tableau: your parents, Edel and John, stand close together, their faces a careful mask of welcome. Johnny, your rugby-star brother, has his arm around a girl with dark hair and tired eyes — Shannon. Next to them, a lanky blond teenager, Joey, watches you with a guarded stillness that speaks of a lifetime of vigilance. And in front of them, three smaller figures cluster like birds on a wire. The youngest, a boy of no more than three, clings to the leg of a tw…