by G. Bailey
“This way,” Sebastian says, and I follow him through the house. There’s a small, cosy-looking lounge, and then a dining room before we get to the kitchen where a girl my age is pulling something out of the oven. She places the tray of what looks like enchiladas down and puts the stove mitts down as she turns to smile at me.
“You must be Tilly,” she says, walking over and pulling me into a hug. I’m a little shocked at her friendly introduction, but I don’t mind a hug, so I return it. When she leans back, I can’t help but think how unfair it is that she has had a baby and is pregnant again, and looks amazing. Her long, black hair is up in a messy bun, and she has on casual clothes that show off the tiny, little bump she has.
“I have to say, you look amazing for someone who is pregnant and has a little one already,” I say.
“Oh, I don’t, but thank you,” she laughs as Sebastian wraps an arm around her and kisses the side of her head.
“You’re crazy, beautiful,” he tells her, making her blush a little.
“Why don’t you two take Jake to the lounge to play toys while I help Maisy serve up dinner?” Sebastian says.
“Sounds good,” Harley replies, and Jake tightens his hands around Harley’s neck as he hugs him again. It’s clear that Jake loves Harley.
“Here, go and sit with him and I will get some toys out,” Harley says and hands me the toddler.
“Err, sure, I mean, yes. I just have never held a little one before.”
“You might need the experience one day,” he tells me gently as I accept Jake. I manage to place him on my hip, and he reaches up, taking my glasses off and tries to put them into his mouth.
“Nope, these aren’t food,” I chuckle, and he gives me a toothy grin as I take the glasses off him.
“Har-har,” he says, pointing at the door Harley just left through.
“I know, you love Har-har,” I say as I hold Jake and am surprised how heavy he is. I walk over to the rug in the room and sit down with Jake in my lap. Jake starts trying to crawl away the moment I try to sit him down, and I have to pick him up again. It’s only a few minutes of trying to keep his attention before Harley comes in with two trucks in his arms. He puts the trucks in front of Jake, and he crawls over and starts pushing them around the rug.
“Do you like children?” I ask Harley, watching how he looks at Jake.
“Yes, you?” he replies.
“No idea, well, not yet.”
“I think you will be a natural,” he tells me gently but doesn’t say anything as he watches me play with Jake. I hope Harley is right.
Chapter 7
Tilly
“Can I have a word with you before you go to bed?” Harley asks me when we get back from Sebastian’s and Maisy’s house after a lovely meal. I was surprised how much information about Harley they managed to tell me over the dinner. I think they both suspect something is going on, so they decided to tell me every good thing they could think of about Harley. I learnt that he always babysits for Jake, that he helped them so much when Jake was teething, and no one was getting any sleep. That Harley’s favourite colour is blue, and he likes strawberry cheesecake. I was hoping to avoid any conversation with Harley, so I planned on rushing up the stairs when we got home, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. I pause with my hand on the bannister and look back at him.
“I’m tired,” I respond.
“You can avoid this all you like, but I’m asking you to talk to me. I won’t judge you, but I won’t stop you walking away. Anything you tell me, I will never tell anyone else,” he tells me gently.
“You will judge me, Harley,” I whisper as he moves closer, and gently runs his hand down my arm.
“How about I tell you something about me that people judge, and then you can tell me about this?” he asks as he places his hand on my stomach, where there is a slight, hard bump.
“You know anyway.”
“Tilly,” he says gently, and I nod, knowing that some part of me wants to talk to him, and a bigger part of me already trusts him. I haven’t spoken to anyone about what is going on, and I don’t know why, but I kind of trust him. He takes my hand and leads me down to the other set of stairs at the end of the corridor. They lead up to another door, and he opens it before flicking on the light. The room is a massive, attic conversion that has a desk, two sofas, three bookcases, and several old boxes around the room. It’s a cosy room and well-used by the looks of the all the things lying around on the desk.
“This is my office, well, office space that I like to be in. I sleep up here some nights,” he tells me as he shuts the door behind us, and I walk over to the sofa.
“It’s a lovely room,” I comment, but he doesn’t reply to me. I sit down, and he comes and sits right next to me, his body pushed against mine and it surprises me that I don’t attempt to move.
“How far along are you?” He asks me straight away.
“I thought you were going to tell me something about you first,” I say, with a small, awkward laugh.
“Okay . . . fair enough,” he says and then clears his throat, “I fight in a place called the Cage, and I have done since I was a teenager,” he says, watching for how I react as he looks down at me.
“Do you win?” I ask. I want to be shocked, but some part of me isn’t shocked at all. I knew he had secrets, it’s written all over his face. I’m glad it’s this, in a way, and not a secret wife and kids he hides in another town or something.
“Every time,” he says, but there’s a hint of sadness in his voice that makes me wonder if he likes to win at all.
“Do you hate it?” I ask him, and he runs his hand through his hair that he let down at Sebastian’s when Jake pulled the hairband out.
“Yes,” he tells me, and I put my hand on his knee, squeezing gently before I start talking.
“I’m five months pregnant and please don’t ask why I don’t look pregnant or have much of a bump, it just seems to be that way,” I tell him, almost not wanting to tell him this about me. I know most guys would run the other way.
“You can kick me out or run away from me. I get that. I’m a pregnant person you don’t know, who moved into your house and kissed you.” I mentally cringe as I blurt that out. He looks down at me, shaking his head ever so slightly, but I catch it.
“One time when I was seventeen, I fought and nearly lost. The fight was bad, and I ended up killing the man to survive. Afterwards, I was sitting at the bar, and a woman came up to me. She was a lot older than me, and I’d never seen her before, but I will never forget her words.”
“What did she say?” I ask him.
“That you fight for the best things in life, you fight to survive, and you don’t give up. That anything simple and straightforward, isn’t going to be worth it. It’s the hard things–the complicated things–that challenge you but give you the best rewards. She told me that and then walked away, but the words stuck around. I have a feeling you’re one of the best things in life, and I’m not going to walk away.” He says each word with emotion, an emotion that I’m feeling too, like I feel my heart pounding inside my chest. There’s silence as I don’t know how to reply to him. We just stare at each other, our faces inches apart.
“I’ve killed people in my fights, does that not make you want to run from me? Most women would,” he asks me gently. I’m a little shocked by that, but there’s something about him that makes me think he wouldn’t have done it on purpose. It’s just the way he says it, and the way he took Izzy into his home and accepted her as his sister straight away. No questions asked. He looked after her, a heartless killer wouldn’t have done that. It’s other things, like the way his family are around him, how they respect him, and it’s not out of fear. No, it’s respect that is brought on by doing good things and earning it.
“No, it doesn’t make me want to run. My family is complicated, but I know that even if someone has been forced to do bad things to survive, it doesn’t make them a bad person,” I say, thinking of my father
for only a second. He was in jail for a year for something he did, but he isn’t a bad person. Not one bit of him is.
“Why are you running, Tilly?” he asks. My name is spoken so softly that I almost miss him saying it and want to beg him to whisper my name once more. I keep my eyes locked on his green ones as I answer him.
“I’m running from my ex-boyfriend, the baby’s father,” I say quietly, watching as he nods with his eyes blazing.
“What did he do?” Harley asks and even thinking of that night has me tensing up. Harley notices and pulls me closer to his side, wrapping his arm around my waist. I rest my head on his shoulder. I don’t even think I could move away if I wanted to, my body just wants to relax against him. I love how he smells this close, like mint.
“Why do I feel safe with you? Why do I trust you when I couldn’t even trust my family to talk to them before I ran?” I mumble to him.
“I don’t know why, but I’m glad you came here, Tilly,” he tells me.
“Why is that?” I ask.
“You’re not ready for that answer yet,” he tells me gently, as I look up at him. Harley leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“You still didn’t answer my question,” he reminds me. I know I didn’t, but I don’t want to ruin this moment between us with my past. Not yet.
“I can’t, I’m not ready to talk about it, yet. I will move out if you want. I know you didn’t sign up for a pregnant woman with a messed-up past living in your house,” I tell him because I know it’s not fair to expect him to have me stay here.
“No, stay,” he says quickly, like he doesn’t even have to think twice about it.
“Only for a few weeks,” I respond.
“Until you’re ready to leave. The baby must come first, now, Tilly, and it’s safe here. You have people here who care about you and will help,” he tells me, and I know he is right. I rest my head back against his chest. Neither of us says anything as we hold each other for a long time. I can’t remember the last time I just sat and cuddled someone. There isn’t anything else expected, and I feel safe. I know I won’t be forgetting this day anytime soon. I look over at the bookcases in the room and remember the ones downstairs, too.
“Do you read a lot?” I ask, and he laughs.
“Every day if I get my way. I like to garden, too,” he tells me.
“Books are kind of my thing, too. When I left France, I had to leave my collection there. I hope to get them back at some point,” I tell him
“Well, you can borrow anything from here if you want,” he offers.
“You sure?”
“Yes, go and look,” he nudges me, and I slide off the sofa. I walk around the bookcases, and I’m surprised to see so many old books mixed in with new ones that I’ve read. It’s strange to think that he likes the classic romance and thriller books that I do.
“Wow, a first edition Jane Eyre,” I say, picking it up and reading the first page.
“Yes, I had to travel to an auction in London and pay an obscene amount of money for that one, but it’s worth it. I will travel anywhere to pick up a limited edition or signed copy I want,” he tells me, and I bet he did pay a fortune for this one. There aren’t that many around, as far as I know. I slide it back and pick up a book that I haven’t read. It has my favourite paranormal creature, dragons. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but sometimes I do. Pretty covers, as well as the blurbs, sell books to me.
“Can I borrow this?” I ask.
“Of course. I will also move the cot and spare child’s wardrobe into your room for you. It’s only been used for Jake a few times,” he tells me.
“I would like that,” I say with a small smile.
“You do need to tell Izzy before she finds out. Izzy sees you like family, and I know she would be upset to find out by accident,” he reminds me as I walk to the door.
“She is going to kill me for not telling her,” I say with a sigh.
“You might find she will understand. Not everything has been easy for her in the last few years. I believe she has things she hasn’t told you,” he says, and I know she left out a few things.
“Like the fact, her brother fights in a place called the Cage?” I ask.
“All her brothers do,” he tells me.
“Is that how you have so much money? Is it really worth it?” I ask, not really understanding why he would risk his life for anything. Even money and a house like this.
“I don’t do it for money, or for anything I want. I have no choice,” he says, looking down at his phone. Clearly, he doesn’t want to talk anymore, and I don’t know what to say. I walk away and shut the attic door behind me. Why would he have no choice?
Chapter 8
Harley
“Harley, I’ve been looking for you,” Blake says as he walks into the attic, and Luke follows him in. I shut my laptop, so they don’t see the baby store I have open on it. I’ve ordered a lot of stuff to come tomorrow as a gift to Tilly but made sure that it’s all boxed up well and I will tell my family I’m having a room re done or something. I’ve never bought a girl anything, and here I am, ordering nappies and cot sheets. I don’t know if she will be okay with my buying all this stuff for her and the baby, but I want to help her. It can’t be easy, running from your past and leaving your family behind when you have a baby on the way. I know I didn’t get her pregnant, and she isn’t my responsibility, but I can’t walk away from her. It feels like she is mine, and has since I saw her.
“I could use a distraction,” I say with a laugh and walk over to the sofas, where Blake sits looking nervous. I share a look with Luke, who only grins.
“Okay, what’s going on? Blake, you look like your about to shit yourself, while Luke looks like he is waiting for you to do just that,” I say, and Blake laughs, but it’s a nervous one.
“I want to ask Izzy to marry me, and I would like your permission. She never had a father figure in her life, but she has told me on more than one occasion that she sees you like that,” he says, and I’m not entirely surprised he is asking me. I know how much he loves my sister and has done since he met her.
“You didn’t need to ask me, but yes. I’m going to say this once, though. If you hurt her or do anything other than love that girl, I’m going to beat the shit out of you,” I say, watching as he nods at me in understanding. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect my sister.
“Congrats, man, but what he said,” Luke says, and Blake laughs.
“I’d rather hurt myself than ever hurt her, so don’t worry,” he tells us, and it makes me feel a little better.
“Can’t believe you're actually going to be our brother-in-law. I always saw you as a brother before you started dating our sister.”
“I felt more like he was a guy who ate our food, lived in our house most of the time, and made sure Seb found his way home when he was drunk,” I comment, with a smile to show him I’m joking.
“Oi! I brought food here sometimes, like food my mum cooks for you guys,” Blake responds with a fake hurt expression.
“Oh, yeah. I’m coming to yours for tea tomorrow night,” Luke says with a dreamy look as he rubs his stomach. Even I have to admit the food she sends us is impressive.
“Fine, but no hitting on my mum, it’s not funny, anymore,” Blake says, and I can’t help but laugh when Luke winks at him.
“Your mum is hot, though. If only I were twenty years older,” Luke says, and Blake throws a pillow at him.
“Harley . . . just . . . thank you for bringing her into my life. I was lost until her, and I know I can’t really explain it, but I know I have you to thank for bringing her here.”
“I didn’t bring her for you. In fact, when we found out you two were together, I wanted to beat the shit out of you,” I tell him honestly.
“Understood. If I had a sister, I would be the same way,” Blake replies.
“Luckily, you don’t. If she looked anything like your mum–” Luke says, and Blake thr
ows another cushion at him to stop that sentence.
“What’s the plan? How are you going to ask?” I ask, changing the conversation.
“Well, she loves the beach, so I’ve booked a private boat in a month, and I’m going to ask her on it,” he says.
“That’s a good plan,” I say, knowing Izzy told me about how her mum used to take her to the beach as a child. The fact he knows that, shows me that he listens to her. That he loves her.
“I had this ring custom made for her, I’ve been waiting for it for three months now, but I only want the best for her,” he says and hands me a small, white box. I open it to see a ring with one large diamond, and at the side of those are two, tiny, blue stones. I think they are sapphires.
“She will love it,” I reply and hand the box back to Blake. Luke doesn’t ask to see it, so I’m guessing he spoke to Luke before.
“How is Tilly settling in? Izzy is worried about her, and I’m not sure what to say to Izzy,” Blake asks.
“It’s been a week, but honestly, Tilly will talk to Izzy when she is ready,” I say, leaning back in my seat and trying not to think about Tilly. I know she still hasn’t told anyone about the baby, but she did listen to me when I suggested registering with the local doctors and hospital. I’m hoping she is going to say something to Izzy tomorrow when she goes out shopping with her. There’s no way the siren can hide this from everyone forever.
“A week of him following her around like a lost puppy. I’ve never seen you so hung up on a girl,” Luke comments, and I glare at him. I go to reply when my phone rings, and I pull it out of my jacket to see Arthur’s name flashing on the screen.
“What?” I answer, not wanting to talk to him right now, or ever. We have five fights left, that’s it now, and then my family will finally be free of him.
“I had an idea,” Arthur says, he sounds cold and calculating.