Slice (The Elledge Family #1)

by L Johnson

  “It's none of my concern,” Callum said.

  “None of your concern? How can you stand him Luke?”

  Lucas didn't answer, he just grabbed his jacket and made his way towards the door. It was the first time I could honestly notice that he was the youngest brother. I felt him withdraw.

  “Stand me?” Callum’s voice rose. “I’ve always been there for him Mark! I don't try to change who he is. I don't try to make him a standup guy.” He stepped back. “I love my cousin for who he is. You can't it’s why you constantly try to change him. You’re a fucking control freak.”

  “Who the fuck are you talking to! He is my brother. I would die for him! I do everything that I can to make sure everything is right! I bend over backwards for him. You aren't shit.”

  “I'm not shite?” Callum walked over to Mark. “Who the fuck are you talking to boy?”

  “You know who I'm talking to.” Mark said between clenched teeth. His chest heaved and he looked dangerously furious.

  “Mark,” Asher said. “Come on, it's not worth it.”

  “Stay in your place little brother,” Mark warned. Asher complied as he backed towards the kitchen.

  “I'll fuck you up boy.” The threat was real. Callum tilted his head at Mark. “You wanna try me ey? You think he’s crazy…” He pointed at Lucas and a small gasp escaped from my mouth. “You haven't met me yet. I'll rip your tongue out and glue it to your hand so you can learn to hold it.”

  “Try me, you fucker. You talk a mad ass game, but I will have the last word.” Mark did not back down he stepped towards Callum.

  “Words don’t mean shit when you’re gutless on a stone floor.”

  “Was that a threat?”

  “No, it was me predicting the future if you don’t watch your fucking mouth.” Callum spat.

  “ENOUGH!!” Nadine yelled from the kitchen. “Everyone sit down! I mean sit down right now!”

  My head spun. I had no idea what was going on. Lucas was quiet and Callum was red. “Let's just go.” I whispered.

  Lucas turned towards me. “This is my family and I know that they are crazy anyone can I see it.” Lucas paused. “But I can’t leave. I have to stay. You can go outside if you want. Get some fresh air. Don’t let this stress you.”

  “It’s not me that I am worried about, I don't want to be away from you. You need me. I can stay.”

  “Shia and Holly… take Nina to the backyard and pick some fresh veggies for the spread. Now.” She snapped. They all disappeared and she smiled. There are some things that everyone in this room needs to know and I'm gonna tell it.”

  “Ma,” Declan moaned. “Let me talk to my sons.”

  “No, shut it up Declan Marcus Elledge. When I speak you are quiet, nothing has changed.” The entire room grew quiet and she started to talk. “Firstly, you owe your boys an apology. You should have been a man enough to know that you could handle raising them. Though it looks like they are more than fine without you. Mark, your father was a wild kid when Luna first got pregnant. We sent him to America to learn and be educated and every time we turned around the woman was pregnant again.”

  Mark scratched his head. “You didn't give us a chance.”

  “I wanted to but there were things going on than that you should have not been around.”

  “Why him?” Asher pointed to Lucas.

  “Our plan was to send him away too.” Declan refused to cut his eyes toward Lucas. “But he stole your mother's heart with his cry. Mark and Asher… you were two quiet babies. We took you while you were sleeping and you lived quiet lives. But this one has been acting out since he came out the wound. She never heard you cry.”

  “Why?”

  “We were selfish.” Declan admitted.

  “Obviously.” Mark interrupted.

  “When she had Lucas, I made him cry.” Nadine admitted. “She cried and then she said he was hers. Declan had no choice but to agree. And he raised Lucas.”

  “Barely,” Lucas added.

  “I'm sorry that I hurt each of you. I'm sorry that I'm selfish. Don't take it out on Callum for me being alive. Callum is a good kid and he done what I asked. He even stopped talking to Lucas so it would not be so hard to hide.”

  Callum nodded his head. “I'm sorry mate.” he said towards Callum.

  Asher looked heart broken. “I guess you don't realize how hard this has been for me.” Asher looked at Declan. “Why are you here?”

  “Ma told me of you boys knowing and being here. I wanted to see you myself. I wanted to tell you that I love you and even though you didn't know it, I've watched you two grow from knee high.”

  “Dad, I always wanted brothers. I figured they would make me normal.”

  “Normal is not in our family Luke.” Callum chuckled. “And I understand that want, but they aren't that normal either. Asher reads people… Mark is you under control.”

  I looked at Lucas. What did under control mean? “What are you talking about?”

  “Nothing,” Lucas smirked. “Can we eat and maybe not kill each other?”

  “You can and will.” Nadine said.

  “Good, let's eat… talk later.”

  Asher

  I was grateful the dinner was over. Callum's house was quiet. Too quiet for me. I wanted some kind of noise to drown out this mind numbing pain that went through my whole body. I sat on the porch, it was past midnight and unlike at home, I could see every star that there was. Peace was not my friend right now.

  “Asher.”

  I would never forget his voice. Declan stood out in the yard. “Why are you here?” I whispered.

  “I wanted to talk to you alone.” He held his hands up. “I really just wanted to talk.”

  “Talk.” I said.

  “Tell me about yourself. I know your stepfather researched Luna for a while. I have a feeling that it should have been me.” He sat down next to me. “Tell me everything.”

  “I'd rather not. Tell me about my mother.”

  “I can do that.” Declan paused. “She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. She had these green eyes and this long wavy blond hair that cascaded down her back like a never ending ocean. And you have her face… good features of me too. Mark is the only one with her hair.”

  “What was she like?”

  “She was an angel. My angel mainly,” he paused. “She laughed a lot and she was always trying to find the good in every single person. She was forgiving and she was perfect. There is no other way to describe her. She just was not ready to be a mother. I made that decision for her.”

  “Why, I mean we are good men.”

  “I know you are.” Declan said. “But there are things about me that are just not right and they could have put our family at risk. Why do you think that she had a backup plan for Lucas? We moved his entire childhood. We kept him locked away at boarding schools. He didn't really have a good father. I was more concerned with other things to put forth effort. I had to kill myself off to avoid persecution.”

  “For murder?”

  “How did you know?”

  “I think that is hereditary.” I nodded my head.

  “Luna taught him survival mechanisms at such a young age. She taught him everything that she knew. Told him that if anyone ever tried to hurt him or who he loved to… kill them. And that's all he knows. He worshiped Luna.”

  “I can tell.” I paused as my mind raced. “How did you kill yourself off?”

  “I have a brother named Clyde. He is smart and he knew that my time was winding down. He found a homeless man and fixed him up for over a year. He treated him to the best of life and then when the time came we killed him. We burned him alive and the dental records proved to be me. They stopped looking for me and I hid out in Africa for a while. Then came home a few months back. I can't stay for long though. I stay for a while a disappear and my mom is happy with that.”

  “Nadine is a really sweet lady.”

  “I know she is. What I wanted to tell you is d
on't spend the rest of your life thinking of what could have happened.”

  “I know.”

  “You can change the future by what you do right now.”

  “I don't know about that Declan.”

  “I do want to know you. I want to know the you that is present. Not the little boy… the man.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “I want to know about your work. What do you do?”

  “I am a psychologist. I am about to graduate with my PhD in it. And hopefully work with a university on some new study analogies.”

  “So you are brilliant.”

  “I like to think so.” I said jokingly.

  “What else? Are there any women in your life?”

  “There is no one Declan.” I paused. “Shit, I don't know where I am headed next in life. I try to think about it, but things get complicated really easily here lately.”

  “You'll find someone.” He assured. “It's all in your DNA.”

  “Yeah,” I looked at him. “If you are trying to be in my life there has to be some constant effort. I can't take another father that just wants to be there and then leave.”

  “I'll be here whenever you need me.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Cypress

  I had never seen Lucas cry but that night everything changed. We slept entangled in one another and he wept. And the only comfort I could find was to say it would be alright. Comforting was not a strong suit of mine. I had to force my own tears back. He was not in the bed with me when I woke up. It was just me and the baby who was destroying my bladder. I waddled to the bathroom and finally sat down to pee.

  The bedroom door opened and his cell phone was thrown on the bed. “Good Morning Cypress.”

  “Hey babe,” I hated when he never knocked. I was not there yet. I wiped myself and turned to wash my hands. “You okay this morning?”

  “I'm good.” He lied. I could tell by his voice.

  “You talked to him yet?”

  “I'm not going to.” Lucas laid back on the bed and tossed his shoes on the floor. “They cooked breakfast again.”

  “I don't think I can eat her eggs again. Why doesn't she just scramble them?”

  “She likes poached eggs.”

  “Well, I say that today we talk to your father together. This is simply not something you can ignore and pray away. We are going to be living here soon and I don't want us to walk into a family mess. I would rather everything be settled.”

  “It's not your decision.”

  'Your decisions directly impact me and this baby. So you are talking to him and I am too. And you are gonna snap out of this funk. This trip was to make you happier.”

  “I don't think that I'll ever be happy. And I don't think it's a good idea.”

  “Too bad I don't care.” I closed the bathroom door and listened to him fuss for about an hour.

  “Open the door Cypress!”

  “No!”

  “Look okay! Fine. Damn it.” His stream profanity continued for another minute, then I opened the door.

  The yellow sundress was bright, but it was comfortable and really the only thing that I had that were not pants. It was shorter than normal because of my belly and my breast unlike usual were busting out. I could tell by his face that he was either pissed or pleased. I didn't really care to which he was. I moved passed him.

  “What are you staring at?”

  “Your legs.” Lucas answered. “Where the hell do you think you are going with Holly today? That dress is thirty percent cloth and seventy percent air.”

  “Nowhere, and nothing is wrong with this dress. You’re just being an asshole. I mean you bought me this dress.”

  “I must have been blinkered and bloody insane at the moment I made that decision. The moment you became pregnant that dress was no longer allowed.” He scoffed. “You're allowing everyone to see your body. And because your body now belongs to me, I can’t allow it. Take it off.”

  “Belongs to you? Have you lost your mind? I’m not taking this dress off Lucas. Now get your panties out of a wad and get dressed.”

  “Now.” Lucas growled.

  “You're not going to tell me what I can and cannot wear. I am wearing this dress and you are going to shut up about it.” I fiddled with my hair in the mirror and looked at him. “Stop pouting.”

  “You are confused as to who wears the pants in this relationship.” He said with an edge of playfulness to his voice.

  “I’m not confused at all Lucas.”

  “You are.”

  “No, sir.” I answered. “I wear the pants. I always have and you, kind sir, should know that I always will.”

  “You wear the skirts and too short dresses.” He gestured at my dress with a wave of a hand and then turned to lock the door. “I can remind you if you truly can’t remember who’s the boss.”

  “Remind me of what?”

  “Who is the boss in this relationship, it's me.”

  “No, come on we have breakfast and people are up.”

  “I don't care.” His hand touched the nape of my back and crawled up to my shoulders. He pushed my strap to my dress down and turned me around. “Take it off.” he whispered.

  “I said no.”

  The sting of his hand slapping my ass sent heat to my face. A gasp escaped my mouth and he pulled the other strapped down. “I will make you change.”

  “You can try.” I pushed him and he went nowhere. A smile came across his face. “What are you smiling for?”

  “Because I'm gonna take that dress off of you and fuck you until you listen.”

  “So confident… what makes you think I am gonna let you.”

  “You are red...” He touched my face. “And though it suits you… It's a completely different color from your honey like complexion. And you are also breathing slowly, like you are trying to pace yourself and not fall into the bed with me. But it's okay. I plan to get the dress off now.” He pulled the dress to my ankles and tilted his head towards me.

  “Okay.” I complied. “But I'm gonna switch it up.”

  “You are?”

  “I'm going to wear this dress.”

  “Fool yourself if you want to.”

  I pushed him against the door and kissed his cheek gently scraping my tongue against his cheekbone. My hands explored his pants and stopped at his belt buckle. I pushed my hands into his boxers and gripped him. He was just about hard, but a few strokes and his dick was strained. His pants dropped to the floor and lowered myself down. My lips tasted his sweet skin and my mouth covered his dick entirely taking him to the back of my throat. I groaned a little bit and his dick flinched like he was already there. I sucked him more and his hands clasped into my hair.

  “Fuck,” He uttered.

  I circled my tongue around him slowly, feeling every ridge. My hands explored his body and I sucked him harder than before sending him to buckle his hips into. I gagged a little and pulled back from him, but his grip on my head was strong. I could taste him coming in my mouth with a melodic sound that had me ready to fuck him senseless.

  Lucas leaned against the door, breathless. “Fuck me.”

  “No, sir.” I fixed my dress and moved him out of the way. “See you at breakfast?”

  His mouth dropped as he watched me walk out of the room. “Cypress...”

  “Good Bye Luke.”

  Lucas

  I was sure that pregnancy was the best thing that happened in our relationship. I fixed my pants and walked downstairs. She wore the dress and the pants in the relationship apparently. My face still reddened from whatever had just happened up there. And words weren't exactly forming correctly.

  “Morning Luke.” Callum said next to Mark.

  “What are you two best friends now? And who the fuck punched you?” I pointed at Callum's blue eye and then glanced at Mark.

  “I did and it was wonderful.” Mark said. “Good morning.”

  “We’ve made a decision to be friends.” Callum
laughed and then punched at Mark. Mark winced once his fist connected with his side. It was to no surprise that the fight was an even one. They were both stubborn and callous.

  “Yeah, whatever,” I stared at Cypress as she floated around the room with her damn yellow dress. Fuck she was radiant and that dress had my mind thinking some untamed thoughts. “Morning Cypress.”

  She grinned at me. She had won, my mind, body and soul had completely surrendered to her. “It is a wonderful morning isn't Lucas.”

  “What is wrong with you two?” Asher said.

  “I don't know. She is so weird.” I whispered. “Why are women so damn weird?”

  Asher shrugged his shoulders. “If you find out the answer to that one, please let us all know.”

  “Well, it only marks the beginning cousin. When she has the baby she'll be even more weird.” Callum chuckled. “She is wearing a nice dress though.”

  “Fuck off.” I mumbled.

  “You’re chipper this morning.” Callum nudged Mark again and caused him wince in pain. “Mark and I are going to meet your pa for brunch. You should come. Asher apparently talked to him last night.”

  “Why Asher?”

  “Because I can. I didn’t think I needed your permission to talk to my dad?”

  The words my dad stung a little. I brushed his crass comment off and rolled my eyes. This little fucker had grown a small attitude. “Fuck you.”

  “Good answer Asher.” Mark picked.

  “Both of you should come. Asher I want to show you the University. Maybe you can spring a job here. I could pull some strings. My father will be there too. He never comes in from England.”

  “Uncle Clyde is leaving his throne? God something must be wrong.”

  “Actually, he wants to meet Mark. He owns a law firm in England and he wants him to open a law firm in the states. I think it’s a wise business venture. Maybe he'll find you something legit as well.”

  “I like writing, it hasn’t failed me yet.” I turned to Asher. “What did he say to you last night?”

  “Talk to him yourself Luke.” Asher smirked. He had started to finally start acting like an older brother for once. And I must say it annoyed me more and more every day.