by Sarah Bailey
“Was stealing my car a dare too?” Quinn asked.
“Well, yeah,” Duke admitted.
“Next you’re going to be telling us everything you two got up to when you were kids was a dare.”
“It only started when we were eleven. It’s not like we intended for it to get this far.”
This was getting off track. And Duke wasn’t entirely to blame for what happened between us. We were both responsible for getting married. We’d done it together regardless of whether Duke dared me to do it or not.
“Oh well, that makes it so much fucking better, Duke.”
“That’s not fair!”
I couldn’t let them give Duke a hard time. I was on my feet the next second and putting my hand up. My husband was not going to do this alone. Just as Duke stood by me, I would stand by him. He was my husband and I was going to defend him no matter what.
“Stop it! All of you, just stop.”
Chapter Fifty One
My dads fell silent with Kira’s interjection. She looked like a fucking goddess with her hair curled around her shoulders and her hands clenched into fists as she stared down Eric and Quinn. They had been giving me way more of a hard time than I expected. I didn’t blame them, given how upset Mum looked before she ran from the room, but Dad had gone after her. I felt it best to stay and speak to the others.
“You’re acting like I wasn’t a participant in this,” Kira said, pointing at her chest, “I married your son too, you know. It takes two.”
She came over to me and put her hand around my waist.
“You can be angry with him if you want, but you should be pissed at me too if that’s the case.”
She looked up at me, her eyes showing me her determination to take responsibility for her part in it. I had no idea it was possible to love someone as much as I did her right then. Kira standing by me meant everything. She gave my waist a squeeze before turning back to my dads.
“We kept it from you because we weren’t together, not really. We had feelings for each other, yes, but with my father dying and Duke finding out the truth regarding Andie’s death, things were stacked against us. The real reason we fell out is because I asked him for a relationship and he wasn’t capable of giving me one at the time.”
“How did this happen then?” Rory asked, waving between us. He didn’t sound angry like Quinn and Eric had.
I let out a breath and cleared my throat.
“Kira served me with a divorce application… and I refused to accept it.”
“Well, there’s a surprise,” Eric muttered, “You refusing to do what you’re told.”
I couldn’t help smiling. Whilst I wasn’t the biggest troublemaker out of the four of us, I had put them through hell when Andie died.
“As if you would have me any other way.”
“Are you still getting a divorce?”
“We wouldn’t have told you about this if we were. Kira withdrew the application.”
Quinn paced away to the door and looked down along the hallway. He turned around and leant against the frame, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“First, Cole and now this… you kids really know how to time shit.”
“Me getting married without telling you is hardly the same as Cole pissing off the Russian Mafia.”
Quinn gave me a sharp look, indicating Kira with his head.
“She knows.”
“You aren’t supposed to tell people about that shit, Duke,” Quinn said, “That was the damn agreement.”
“Kira’s my wife, she deserves to know the truth about our family. She’s a part of it in case you’d forgotten.”
“I don’t care about your past,” Kira said, “It doesn’t change how I feel about you all. You’re my family.”
I kissed the top of her head, reassuring her things would be okay. My parents were in shock right now, but they would come around. They loved us. There was no way in hell they’d continue being angry about it.
Dad came back into the room at that moment and made a beeline for us. He didn’t look particularly happy. I had no idea what his feelings were regarding my marriage to Kira. I was surprised when he embraced the two of us, holding us against his chest.
“Now you really are my daughter,” he murmured, “It’s a bit late for congratulations, but know I love both of you dearly and I’m happy for you.”
“Dad…”
“Your mother, on the other hand, is not happy at all. I think you need to talk to her, Duke, alone.”
“How mad is she?”
He let us go and shook his head.
“She’s upset, not angry. Her kid got married without her being there. You know that’s not an easy pill for Ash to swallow.”
I sighed. Mum’s reaction was the one I dreaded the most.
“Are you mad?”
He reached up and stroked my head.
“No, Dukey, I’m not. Perhaps disappointed you didn’t confide in me, but I understand why.”
“We haven’t even told you why we got married.”
He smiled.
“I saw the date… you did it for Stan. He always told me he wished to see his daughter married before he left this world. And you’re the type who would do anything to make an old man happy in his last days. Especially one you were so close to.”
I had no idea Dad and Stan had ever talked about that shit.
“Were you and Stan conspiring behind our backs?”
Dad laughed and shook his head.
“Not at all. More like we both wished for our kids to find happiness and we hoped it would be with each other. I see you’ve finally come to your senses, so all is well. Just talk to your mum, okay?”
I nodded and hugged him again before turning to Kira and pressing a kiss to her lips.
“I love you,” I whispered.
She gave me a sad smile, burying her face in my shoulder for a moment before letting me go. I walked out of the room, going along to my bedroom to pick up my tablet before climbing the stairs. I found Mum in her bedroom, sitting at her dressing table, her eyes fixed on the mirror. It was clear she’d been crying. It made my heart hurt.
I approached her slowly, not wanting to spook her. She didn’t turn around as I reached the dressing table and leant against it.
“Mum?”
Her eyes flicked up to mine. We shared the same shade of blue.
“You got married.”
I nodded, reaching out and stroking her hair. I placed the tablet on the table, wishing I never had to put my mother through this pain.
“All I’ve ever wanted is to see you happy, but I wanted to watch you get married. I wanted to be there on your special day.”
“I wish you could have been there. I’m sorry, Mum. I really am.”
She took my hand from the side of her head and gripped it in her own.
“Why did you keep it from us?”
I sighed and squatted down next to her.
“Kira and I never meant for it to be permanent. We did it for Stan, then things got really messed up between us. I didn’t want to admit to my mistakes or have any of you be disappointed in me. Guess I should have been honest a long time ago. I’m trying to make it right now, especially with Kira.” I stared up at my mother. “I love her to fucking death and I want things to work out between us so badly. She’s the one, Mum, she always has been.”
Mum gave me a sad smile, squeezing my hand.
“I know she is, Dukey. You think none of us noticed the way you two were together? Trust me, we did, but no one wanted to push you. We were waiting for you to get there in your own time. When you told us you’d fallen out with Kira, a part of me died inside for you.”
I had no idea my parents had paid that much attention. Perhaps I was the only one stupid enough not to have seen what was right in front of me. I mean, I had, but circumstances had got us all twisted up in shit which should have never happened. The past couldn’t be changed or erased. I
had to focus on the future. The one where me and Kira were happy together. Where we could be a real husband and wife.
“Kira and I fell out because I wasn’t ready for a relationship with her when she asked me for it. My head was all messed up. She gave me an ultimatum, be with her or walk away. She deserved more than what I could offer her, Mum. I had to walk away for both of our sakes.”
It wasn’t something I’d ever be proud of, but at the time, it was the only thing I could do. The only way I could free Kira from my fucked up bullshit. The only way I’d been able to heal myself was by being on my own. Well, I hadn’t exactly been alone this whole time, but I’d got my shit together. I quit my bad habits and shitty coping methods. Now, I knew I could give Kira everything she needed from a relationship. We didn’t need each other, but we wanted to be together.
“I understand, sweetheart. I wish you’d have told me, but I do understand.”
I straightened and hugged her, holding my mum tight because I loved her to death. She might be overbearing and a worrier, but she had picked me up many times and set me back on my feet. She was always here for me even when I pushed her away, never faltering in her love or giving up on us kids.
When I pulled away, I picked up the tablet and took her hand, dragging her over to the bed. We sat down together and I unlocked the tablet.
“I have something to show you,” I told her as I opened up the folder holding our wedding photos.
I handed her the tablet and let her flick through them. Seeing them made my heart ache. Kira and I standing near Brooklyn Bridge, giving our vows with huge smiles on our faces. It was one of the best days of my life. Mum smiled and asked me questions about the day. My heart swelled, telling her all about what we’d done and how we’d gone about it.
“You’ll have to show your fathers these as well,” she told me when I got done going through the photos, “They’d want to see them too.”
I turned to her.
“I’m so sorry you weren’t there with us. I really am… but you’ve still got Rora, Raphi and Cole. You’ll get to be there at their weddings.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Yes, well, who knows if your brothers will ever get their act together, especially now Cole has got himself embroiled in all this shit with the mafia. As for Rora, that all depends on Logan. Those two are content without marriage for the time being.”
Mum had been determined not to break down over her youngest son having to go on the run. I knew from Dad and Rory, she’d cried at night over it, but during the day, she’d got on with life and her part in running the Syndicate. My mother was strong as fuck when it came to pulling herself together and getting on with things.
“There is something you can do with me which is sort of wedding-related.”
Her eyebrow quirked up.
“Help me pick wedding rings for me and Kira. We never got them before and I want to surprise her with them… not now, because we’re still working things out together, but soon, when I know she’s not going to try to divorce me again.”
Mum stared at me. I had been joking about the divorce part. Kira and I agreed if we didn’t work out, we’d do it together.
“What? She tried to divorce you?”
I realised she wasn’t in the room when I told my dads about that.
“Um, yeah… that’s why we reconnected. She served me with a divorce application. Don’t worry, she’s withdrawn it now. We want to make our marriage work. It’s why we waited to tell you until we’d spent time together and worked at things.”
I’d taken Kira out on numerous dates over the past few weeks and spent a lot of time with her outside of university. Well, as much as I could with trying to get all my assessments done and finish everything else. I was glad we were both officially done. It’d been one hell of a slog.
“I see. Well, I would love to help you choose rings. When did you want to go searching for them? We need her size.”
I’d already worked out a plan to find out her ring size by asking her lodger, August to help me. Whilst I’d not had too much interaction with him, he was a decent guy.
“I’ll get it. We could go next week or something now I’m done with uni.”
“Hmm, yes, well, Quinn wants you to start at the casino soon.”
I snorted.
“Trust me, I know, but I agreed with him I could have some time off before I do.”
Now I had a relationship to work on, time in between finishing university and starting at the casino would be good for me. Kira started her job in a month. We could use this interim period to be with each other.
Mum set my tablet on the bed and gave me a hug.
“I love you, Dukey. And I am happy for you and Kira. I’m relieved you two have found your way back to each other. You’ve been so much happier these past weeks, even with Cole leaving, and now I know why. Your soulmate is back.”
I didn’t deny her words. Kira was my soul. She’d come back into my life and made it whole again.
“She is, and I intend to keep her this time… if she’ll let me.”
“I think the fact she’s here says everything. She wants to keep you too.”
“She wants her family back.”
Mum pulled away and stroked my cheek.
“We never went anywhere. She’ll always have us, no matter what.”
Kira would be relieved to hear my mum say that.
“Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m starved and I know for a fact E has whipped us up a treat.”
Mum got up off her bed and took my hand, dragging me with her. Whilst my parents might be miffed at us right now, deep down, I knew they were happy. Dad had told me so. I hoped from here on out, things would get easier for us. My younger brother might be gone, Raphi might be suffering, but we’d get through it all as a family. We’d stuck by each other. And we would continue to for the rest of our days. That’s what our family did. Stick together and take care of each other. Always.
Chapter Fifty Two
When Duke left to go talk to Ash, my skin prickled with nerves. I had no idea whether he would be able to make things right with her. Guess I’d have to wait and see.
Xav drew me back to the sofa and got me sat down with him. Quinn paced away to the bookshelves. Eric crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the doorway, whilst Rory remained seated with his eyes on me and Xav.
“Have you been giving them a hard time?” Xav asked when no one said a word.
“Yes,” Quinn said, leaning against the bookcase and levelling his gaze on Xav.
“Our son brings his wife home and the first thing you think to do is get pissed off at him?”
Quinn had the decency to look contrite.
“It’s not about the marriage, Xav, it’s the way they did it we have an issue with,” Eric said.
I didn’t say a word. To be honest, I hardly blamed them for their shock and annoyance, but it didn’t mean I was going to allow them to gang up on Duke. It was my responsibility just as much as it was his.
“Are you really surprised? This is Duke we’re talking about.”
I almost snorted. Duke wasn’t known for doing anything by halves, nor did he care much about taking risks. Those were the things I loved about him. He was unapologetically himself. Besides, I didn’t help matters. We were always egging each other on.
“It’s my fault Duke stole your car, Quinn. I dared him to,” I blurted out, wanting to direct the conversation away from Duke’s reckless behaviour.
I swear everyone in the room’s eyebrows shot up. Then Xav burst out laughing, slapping his leg whilst Eric and Rory looked amused. Quinn was the only one whose expression remained shocked by my revelation.
“In fact, most of the stupid things Duke did when we were kids are down to me. Those were my dares. Fake spiders in Aurora’s bed? Me. Switching out Rory’s shampoo with hair dye? Me.”
I remembered the day that happened. It was the first time a
ny of us saw him truly angry, and even then it was this silent rage that burnt in his eyes. We’d been fifteen and it was the type which washed out, but Rory was sporting some rather pink hair for a few days. Duke got grounded for a month and his gaming privileges were taken away. We’d seen each other every day at school, so we hadn’t minded too much. Actually carrying out a prank on Rory was worth it. He was notoriously difficult to read and the quietest one of Duke’s dads. We’d played pranks on all his other fathers and Ash, but we’d both been determined to catch Rory out at least once.
“Not to mention the time Duke shaved Raphi’s eyebrow in his sleep. Those were all me. Before you go get mad at him over everything, you should think about who dared him to do that stuff.”
Xav wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“The secret evil mastermind behind our son’s troublemaking ways,” he laughed, “I should have known.”
I grinned. Whilst I hadn’t done anything particularly crazy since Duke and I had been apart, we did egg each other on. We were bad influences, but perhaps we taught each other to be braver. To not let the world dictate who we should be or decide what we should want out of life. I couldn’t regret our dares. Not really. They were an intrinsic part of who we were and how we’d grown up. They were the building blocks upon which Duke's and my teenage years were formed.
“We all should have known,” Quinn said, shaking his head as a small smile played on his lips, “Quiet Kira who never did anything wrong, and yet here she is, the one behind our son’s mischief. Did you make him take the fall for you all those times?”
I shook my head.
“He did that himself… protective instincts and all that.” I eyed Xav. “I think we know where that comes from.”
Xav dropped his arm from my shoulder and shrugged before leaning back.
“Someone has to care about this lot or they’d do themselves in.”
Quinn scoffed.
“I’m the one who kept us from falling apart.” He pointed at his chest. “If anyone is protective, it’s me.”
“Hmm, yeah, because you didn’t need your guard dog over there to keep you in line or anything like that.” Xav waved at Rory. “Not at all.”