by Megan Lowe
“So, erm, what did she do?” It seems my curiosity wins.
“I take it you’ve met Parker? Chris’s dad?”
“Briefly.”
“Well, Parker and Emma never dated. From what I hear none of my grandsons do. It was a one-night thing.”
My brows shoot up at this bizarre information. I'm too damn intrigued for my own good so I nod for Jay to continue.
“You see, we Ryans have a problem with women: we can get ’em, but keeping ’em is another story, a kind of curse you could say. My wife, Marla, died after having Nate, the boys’ dad. We’d only been married a year at her passing. Our relationship was eighteen months all told.”
Despite the years since this happened, sadness lurks in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Jay.” I reach over to pat his hand, wanting to offer comfort.
“Nate did better with his Liz. They were together almost ten years before cancer took her, but Park... well, let’s say he had the worst luck of all. Unfortunately, it didn’t just affect him, it got to this little one too. To this day, I don’t know how she got her talons in my grandson, but she sashayed in and he was hooked. Dropped everything and everyone. He was only twenty-two and his career was about to take off. We warned him not to get too caught up but it didn’t matter. He was already gone. Emma was the lowest kind of person. She had seen Parker’s star was on the rise and wanted on board the gravy train.
"It was clear she was only with him so he would pay for everything, and that included what she put up her nose."
I can't hold back my gasp. Jay seems unfazed as he continues while I look around the diner, wondering if Parker's going to re-enter any minute and demand Jay shut up. Hell, there's no chance I'd want all of my stories shared with strangers. But like a deer caught in head lights, I can walk away. I need to hear this story.
"She claims the condom broke, but we have our own suspicions. She did right by Chris, at least while he was in her belly, but the moment he was out, she went back to snorting all of Park’s money. When Chris was almost one, Park had to go away to compete. Emma wanted them to travel with him, but Chris had a bit of a cold so Park told them to stay at home. Emma was livid. She tucked Chris into bed and invited all her druggie friends around for a party. Chris woke the next morning and as he usually did, went into her room to wake her up, only she didn’t wake up. He stayed with her until the next morning when Park came home. She’d OD’d. It wasn't a surprise to any of us. I just wish Chris wasn’t the one to find her.”
Tears well in my eyes. No child should have to deal with that. “The poor darling,” I say, and hug him tighter.
“So you see, him getting close to you is a big deal.” He leans back, his gaze roaming over my face. "Yep, you'll do."
With wide-eyes, I sit back and try to work out what he means. It seems Jay's just told me I’ve become a part of this family of men and their world. I have not a clue what that is going to entail. If it’s anything like tonight, it will be a bumpy ride.
Chapter Two
REED
Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I’ll admit those fuckers got in a good shot or two. The bruise on my jaw and the blood dripping from my nose are proof of that, but I’m betting they’ll be pissing blood for days, along with some nicely broken ribs.
“Holy shit, those fucks,” Park fumes as he comes back into the bathroom, first aid kit in hand. His lip is split and there’s a nasty gash over his eye that’ll need to be sewn up.
“I know.”
“And Chris…. I don’t know who that girl is, but if you don’t marry her, I will.”
I smile at the thought of Bria being mine. I’ve seen her in here before and think she works at the supermarket over the road. I seem to remember her in those god-awful tan-and-white shirts they wear. Even those couldn’t hide her beauty. She’s the most stunning girl I’ve ever seen. About five six, midlength blonde hair, and a killer body with curves for days and a nice rack. I’d love to have that body wrapped around me, her squirming underneath me as I rock her world. I chuckle as I remember Chris’s scolding. He always says I’m doing an eye thing, but what he doesn’t know, what he can’t know, is I’ve never been so affected by a woman’s gaze as I am by my angel’s.
It’s then that Pop bursts through the door.
“You boys all right?” he asks, surveying us.
We both nod.
“Where’s Chris?” he asks, noticing that the little guy isn’t with us.
“He’s with Bria,” Park answers.
“Who the fuck’s Bria?”
“The girl outside with Chris,” Park explains.
“Chris is with a girl?”
“A woman, Reed’s woman,” Park says.
“That so?” Pop raises an eyebrow at me.
I shrug, not willing to argue it. I was already stricken, but seeing how she looked after Chris and handled the fucked-up situation, there's nothing more I want but to get to know her better.
“Must be some woman for Chris to take a shine.”
“Judging by R’s reaction, I’d say she’s a game changer.” Pop raises an eyebrow again, and again I shrug. Let it never be said we’re not an expressive family.
“Come on, let’s get you two cleaned up.”
Two stitches later, we exit the bathroom to see Pa sitting with Bria, Chris asleep in her arms.
“Good Lord in heaven, would you look at that?” Pop swears when he sees them.
“Told ya, game changer,” Park says as he walks past.
“I know it’s a risk,” Pop says to me, “but if you let that one go, you’re an idiot.”
“Trust me, already miles ahead of ya,” I answer as I pat him on the back and head towards my girl. She doesn't know it yet, but she is.
“Holy shit, Chris never goes to sleep without a fuss,” I voice as I approach Bria and kiss her on the top of her head. “You got the magic touch, baby.” She jumps at the contact. I'm being overly familiar with her, acting like I've known her forever, but her pull is strong.
“She’s definitely worked her magic on young Chris here,” Pa agrees.
“He’s not the only one.” Park grins and nods in my direction. Pa raises an eyebrow and I shrug. He nods, approving my choice.
“Parker, do you have anywhere I can put him down? I can’t imagine this is a very comfy place to sleep,” Bria asks.
“I don’t know. You look like the best kind of pillow,” I say and she shoots me a look, her one brow raised. I flash her my best smile and she gasps. I’ve got her!
“We live in the house at the back. Come on, I’ll show you,” Park says.
“I’ll watch him,” Pa volunteers. “Leave you young ’uns to the hard work.”
“Actually,” Bria pipes up, “I can stay with him if you want. This place is a mess, and the faster you can get it cleaned up, the faster you can get back up and running.”
“Angel,” I breathe, and wrap her in my arms, or as best as I can with a sleeping Chris, “you don’t have to do this, you know.”
She freezes at the contact, her eyes raising to mine. Upon contact, she releases a breath and her shoulders relax.
Clearing her throat, she looks away towards Parker. “I know, but this little guy needs me and Jay is needed here. It makes sense I stay with him.”
“Really, Bria, it’s not necessary,” Park says.
“Guys, come on. I don’t know everything but I do know Chris being this close to a woman is a big thing. Just go with it, yeah?” It really is. Not one of us can deny it.
We all look to Park, who nods.
“You really don’t have to do this.” I lower my voice when I speak, looking into her eyes. She shifts Chris slightly and even in his sleep, he clings to her tighter.
“I don’t mind, but it seems your nephew does.” I smile at her and get a shy one in return.
“Come on, I’ll show you.” With a hand on the small of her back, I guide her to my childhood home. Park, Pop, and Pa all kiss Chris on the forehead as we leave.
Chapter Three
BRIA
Reed guides me to the house behind the diner. It’s old. Some would go so far as to call it ramshackle, but I wouldn’t. The colonial-style home has a wide veranda and a screen door that has rips in it, but I like it immediately. It’s a little worn down but it’s tough, much like I imagine the family that inhabits it is.
“You grew up here?” I ask Reed as we cross the gravel driveway.
“Yep. Until I moved out a few years back, this was the only home I knew.”
“I like it. It’s rough but it has character.”
“Like me?”
I shake my head and laugh. “Oh, you’re smooth, Ryan, real smooth.”
He chuckles and opens the door for me. I step into what appears to be the living room, filled to the brim with trophies.
“Are you guys secretly trophy hoarders?” I ask.
“Nah, my pop just likes to display all the trophies my brothers and I have won.” He shrugs.
“Do you think you have enough?” There’s barely a spare surface.
“There’s always room for more. Come on, Chris’s room is down here.” He leads me down a corridor, stopping at the first door.
“This used to be mine,” he says, raising his eyebrows.
“And how many thousands of women have seen the inside of this room?” I ask as I walk past him, the words spilling out. I have no idea where my confidence or my questions are coming from, especially since I don't know the guy. A blush heats my cheeks and I'm relieved he's behind me so he can't see.
“A few”—he shrugs—“but none as stunning as you.” He kisses me on the cheek as I'm rolling my eyes before he goes to the small bed and pulls back the covers.
It's the second time his lips have touched my skin and each time, my breath has caught in my throat. There's such ease and casualness between us. I've never known anything like it before.
Takin a deep breath to get my hormones under control, I sit on the bed while Reed kneels down and takes off Chris’s shoes and socks.
“This really is incredible,” he says, standing up again.
“What is?”
“Chris being this comfortable with you. Not that I blame him. I’d give my right arm to be wrapped around you like that. But for him,”—he lifts his arm, exposing a tight expanse of abs and hint of that male V, and rubs the back of his neck—“it’s nothing short of miraculous.”
Heat once more travels across my skin at his compliment. Shifting Chris onto the bed, I pat his back as he settles again. It's a welcome distraction from the heated looks Reed keeps sending my way.
“Your pa told me about Chris’s mum and your brother. Sounds like the little guy’s had a rough start.”
“He has. Emma was, well, she was a fucking nutcase to put it mildly, but Chris was more than worth the trouble.”
“I can tell he’s well-loved.”
“The centre of our universe,” Reed says as he runs his hand over the little boy’s head.
I risk a glance at him, wishing I hadn't. He's so gorgeous and distracting that I can't think straight with him so close. “Well, I think he’s down for the night if you want to get back to the diner.” Distance will be good. It means I can start acting like me and not this crazy woman who happily leans into a stranger's touch. But, boy, the simplest of his touches are divine.
“Are you sure you want to stay here? You don’t have to.”
“I know, but I seem to have developed a soft spot for this little guy.”
Reed cups my face. “You’re amazing, Bria.”
I smile shyly. “Go on, you’re not using me as an excuse to get out of cleaning up.”
“Damn, baby, way to shut a man down.”
“I think you can handle it.”
“For you, I’d handle a fuckload more.” With a quick kiss, this one edging closer to my mouth he’s gone.
About an hour later, after some Saos and vegemite—a girl's got to eat and my burger was never cooked—I’ve gotten myself settled on Chris’s small bed with him cuddled into my side when another dark, brown-haired head pokes into the room.
He starts and then comes to stand in the doorway. There’s no denying he’s a Ryan, but shorter than Reed and Parker, probably more my height, and a little less built but still solid.
“Over the years, I’ve become used to finding beautiful women in bed with my brothers, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find one in bed with my three-year-old nephew.”
“And you didn’t partake in these shenanigans?” I ask with a smile.
“Honey, I’m the straightest gay man you’ll ever meet.”
I raise an eyebrow and am met with a nod. “I dunno.” I tilt my head. “I’ve dated a few who could give you a run for your money.”
The new Ryan raises his eyebrow and I shrug.
“Your family doesn’t approve?” I ask.
“My brothers appreciated me leaving all the women for them. I am the prettiest, after all.”
I laugh.
He comes further into the room and offers me his hand. “Liam.”
“Bria.”
“So, explain to me how you’re here?”
“I was in the diner when all the shit went down. I grabbed Chris until it was over.”
“And he went willingly?”
“He’s my boyfriend.” I shrug.
“Boyfriend?”
“He got jealous of Reed.”
“Right. Well, if you’re okay here?” he asks, still puzzled at my presence.
“We’re fine. Go help your family.”
With a quick kiss on Chris’s forehead, Liam leaves to join the rest of his good-looking family.
Chapter Four
REED
We’re an hour into the clean-up, with all the glass swept up, when Liam waltzes in.
“I don’t know who hooked that girl in there but whoever did, if you don’t marry her, you’re queerer than I am,” he says, picking up a sheet of plywood to cover the window.
“That would be our nephew, but I’m trying to unhook his claws,” I reply.
“I gotta tell you, man, that girl with Chris, dismissing the fact that she’s with Chris for a minute, she’s something else.”
“I’m already with you, man.”
“She’s R’s game changer,” Park chimes in as he fits more wood into the window.
“Game changer, huh?”
I shrug, my standard reply when I'm struggling to put into words exactly who Bria is to me.
“You could do a hell of a lot worse and probably not much better.”
“I don’t think I can do any better. There is no one better.”
Liam raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, Bria’s a game changer, all right.”
It takes another couple of hours for us to board the windows and clean up the kitchen, but by two we’re finally finished.
Liam heads back to our place while I go to check on Bria and Chris.
In her sleep, she’s curled around him and he is tucked tightly to her side.
I sweep her hair off her face. “Angel,” I say with a quick kiss to her cheek. She stirs a little then curls tighter around Chris.
“Come on, wake up for me, pretty girl,” I whisper in her ear, nuzzling her neck.
This gets her pretty brown eyes to blink slowly.
“Reed?” she asks sleepily.
“Hey. I thought you might be more comfortable in a bigger bed.”
“You’ve finished cleaning up?”
“Just got done. Come on.” I hold out my hand to her.
“What about Chris?”
“He’ll be fine. Park, my pop, and Pa are here.”
“He’ll be fine, Bria,” Park says behind me. “But thanks for all this. I'm pleased you were here for him.”
“It was no problem,” Bria says, getting up and tucking Chris in. “He’s an amazing kid. You’ve done a great job with him, Parker.”
“Look at my girl, sucking up to the bro-in-law al
ready.”
Bria just glares at me and I chuckle. “Come on, let Chris get his beauty sleep.” I take her by the hand and pull her through the house and outside.
“Where are you taking me?” she asks with a hint of annoyance.
“To my place.”
"I don't live far. I can—"
"No. Come on. It's been a long night." The last thing I want is her disappearing on me. After the drama of earlier, I want nothing more than to spend time with her.
She glances at me, seeming to deliberate something. “Your place? Where is that exactly?”
“Here,” I say, unlatching the gate that divides my family home from mine. “Liam and I share.”
“So when you moved out, you moved behind your house?” Her brows lift and a small smile plays on her lips.
“It’s a separate property, so technically I did move out, but I wanted to be close and this was available so here I am,” I say as we walk up the back steps and into the kitchen.
“At least it’s clean.” She grins, looking around at the slightly dated décor. The house isn’t as old as our family home, and Liam and I have made some improvements over the years.
“For a couple of bachelors, Liam and I do okay. Come on, my room’s through here.” I tug her into my room. I pulled the age card—I’m twenty-four to his twenty-two—and snagged the master suite, and at the moment, I’m glad I bothered to make my king-sized mahogany bed this morning. I pull back the covers and gesture for Bria to get in.
"I can just take the couch."
I shake my head and nod towards my bed.
Rolling her eyes, she adds, "You just expect me to climb in bed with you, a complete stranger?"
That's exactly what I'm asking her. Saying it aloud, it's sound crazy even to my own ears, but the thought of her not spending the night or lying close to her sends panic through my chest. "I've seen you around," I admit. "You work at Coles, right?"
She nods.
"So," I continue, "we're not technically strangers. Hell, you've already met my whole family."
She bites her bottom lip.
"Please."