“I am not. I assume you are talking about men and I’m telling you they don’t see me. Never have.” They had to be wrong, right? No way I have went through life not seeing what was taking place around me.
“Oh, Brook, our boys may have messed this up a little, but they noticed you, always. And being boys and then turning into young men, they were oblivious themselves to what was taking place. But growing up they watched you when you entered a room. Even when you were small they watched out for you. Do you remember the day you learned how to ride a bike and wrecked out in front of the house? Fin and Tony ran in screaming for the first aid kit. You would have thought you were laying half dead, scared the crap out of me. I rushed out the house and Reilly was helping you up while Mia was encouraging you to get back on so you could learn like her and you’d be able to ride like big girls. Only thing wrong with you was scraped palms and knees. We cleaned you up and you got back on that bike again. When I turned to go back in the house, those two followed telling me they thought you needed to go to the hospital and get checked out, that you could be injured and no one would know. They caught hell from the other boys because they heard them saying all that. Started a fight when they teased them and it ended up the boys needed the bandages more than you after I broke up the fight in the living room between them,” Olivia said, smiling. “And that was just one instance.”
“Sweetie, do you not even remember your prom?” my mom took over.
“What about it? I remember Fin, Tony, and Mike were in the living room with Reese. They had come in to visit that weekend for wherever reason, and when I came down the stairs they looked at what I had on and commented that I should go back up and change because no one should see me in the dress I wore. Yeah, I remember that because I wanted to cry. Mia had helped me pick that dress out and it was a form fitting white and pink gown with spaghetti straps. It hugged my body and Mia had told me how beautiful I looked and every guy’s head would turn when I walked in. When they didn’t like the dress, I went to baggy clothes after that because I figured if they saw something in how I was dressed, so would others,” I said and the shock that crossed the women’s faces had me wondering if I needed to stop talking.
“Is that why you started having me buy you bulky sweaters and loose fitting jeans and those gaudy skirts that hung down to your calves?” Mom stared at me in shock.
“Well yeah.” No doubt it was finally hitting them the guys were right—I should never wear anything that showed my body, it had to be offending and should be covered up.
“For all that is holy. Honey, it wasn’t because you looked bad in the dress,” my mom paused, “it the opposite. Even your brother wanted to follow you and your date that night,” she chuckled.
“You have no idea that those boys came home that weekend because you and Mia were going to the prom.” Sonia shook her head as if I should have known.
“Sweetie, you looked stunning in that dress. When I saw you, the first thing I thought was you had grown into the most beautiful woman. After you left, those boys tried to be sly and say they were going out for a while, like I wouldn’t know they had all intentions of following you girls that night. Don’t looked so shocked, if those boys had looked so pained as they watched you grow up, it would have been hilarious and it was to a point. Brook, you have to realize they were older than you, in their twenties when you were just turning into a woman coming of age and they didn’t know how to react to that. You wouldn’t have been ready for what they wanted to offer then or even five years ago. But now—” Fin’s mom cut my mother off.
“Now, sweetie, they have earned their place in this world, matured, and accomplished what they wanted in life, all the while giving you time to mature too. It may have taken them a while but if I know those two like I think I do, even Sonia will agree—you are the last thing in their lives they haven’t went after and gotten. All of my sons, Reese and Tony, their friends, once they make up their minds on something, there is no stopping them. Give Tony and Fin the chance to show you what you mean to them, I don’t think you will be disappointed,” she finished and smiled, my mother and Sonia nodded in agreement with her.
“Do you understand they both want me?” I didn’t think they were looking at the big picture here, no way they were this accepting of ménages at their ages.
“Brook, quit doing so much thinking. I can see your brain spinning from here. When have you ever known us to care what people thought, especially about our children. We want you all to be happy and if that means it has to be three in a relationship for it happen, who cares as long as the ones involved are happy with the arrangements,” my mom finished and we turned toward the door when we heard the guys return and were speaking with Jet in the hall.
“They’re back,” I whispered.
“Yes, and when they take you back home, sweetie. Go for it if they are what you want too. Nothing would make us happier than for the three of you to be together,” Olivia said just as Fin and Tony walked in the room.
They glanced between the four us and Fin told us about Brant. Jet and Reed were put on finding Hector’s hangout, the rest of the men had been called and informed of what they found out too. With my mom being released tomorrow, everyone was to be vigilant of their surroundings until they found out more, no one was to take chances.
“I know you boys will handle everything. You always do,” my mom told them when they finished.
“We will. You can count on that, Ms. Maddie,” Tony said.
“We are heading to the house now. We’re starved and Brook needs to eat as well. We will be back tomorrow to make sure you get settled at my folks,” Fin addressed matter-of-factly.
“No need, son. Your dad and Anthony Sr. will come with us and get Madeline tomorrow so you boys can get busy finding who was responsible for her shooting, and then you can stop by and check in with us later. This we’ve got. Right, Sonia?”
“Sure thing,” Tony’s mom agreed.
“Alright, that will save us some time and the opportunity to do a little digging into things,” Fin mused.
The men hugged their moms and kissed mine on the cheek before asking if I was ready. I followed suit on the moms hugging and whispered in each of their ears a “Thank you”, then moved toward Fin and Tony. When I went between them and laced my hands with one of theirs, I watched smiles grace their faces. Could it be as easy as the moms said, that if I wanted them, go for it? Could I handle them both? As we walked out of the hospital room, I realized that yes, I could handle them. Dreams could come true if you grabbed ahold of them and didn’t let go. Would they want me for forever, I didn’t know but the ride to reach the answer would be wild—that I did know.
Yep, and I planned to hold on for dear life was my resolve as we pulled out of the parking lot and headed for Fin’s.
Chapter Eighteen
Tony
Something had changed, I didn’t know what but it was something because Brooklyn was relaxed and seemed to be at ease with both Fin and I. Fin seemed to be as perplexed as I was but he didn’t think too much about it apparently, since he was totally looking happy that she was accepting both of us. I was just having a hard time thinking it was this easy.
“Do you want to set the table, boys?” she said as she pulled the pan out of the oven and then put in the bread to toast a little.
The house smelled amazing like always when Fin’s mother cooked her lasagna, hell, I was surprised that Fin’s brothers hadn’t found out she had cooked it for us and shown up on our doorstep. It was really that good.
I stood and walked to the cabinet and then stopped and turned. “Sweetheart?” I said, unable to help myself a second longer. Brooklyn turned and smiled at me, damn I would die a happy man if I knew she wore that smile all the time. I wanted to be the man who put it there. I know Fin felt the same way as he watched her face light up.
“Yeah?” she said.
“What is going on?” I asked softly and Fin shook his head and tried to look like he wasn’t wo
ndering the same thing.
“What do you mean?” she said, looking adorably confused.
“Sweetheart, before we went to the hospital you were struggling with what we told you.” She opened her mouth to protest but I shook my head and continued, “No, don’t bother to argue, I am just curious what changed your mind? I mean, I am happy you are more relaxed, but I’m just confused and want to make sure that everything is good.”
She stared at me for a second and then she turned to Fin and said, “Are you worried too?”
Fin looked at me and then shrugged and said, “A little, I mean, it was a pretty big about–face, baby.”
Brooklyn nodded then pointed to the dishes and said, “Let’s get the table ready and we can talk during dinner.”
The kiss of death, when a woman said they needed to talk. I wanted to moan out loud, I hated talks. Fin apparently felt the same way but he wasn’t afraid to express his displeasure at her words.
“Baby, we will talk, but I swear if shit comes out of your mouth that is fucked up and we have to straighten you out again before we can fuck you, we are gonna be a little pissed off. All day I have been wandering around with a fucking hard-on just thinking about tonight and everything I wanted to do to you. If my mother cockblocked me yet again because she said something stupid, I am gonna be irritated and, baby, you do not want me irritated when I am gonna fuck you, ‘cause spanking that cute ass red would be a pleasure.”
Brooklyn’s eyes widened but she still had a little smile on her face, hmmm, worth remembering. I chuckled a little but then grabbed the dishes and Fin and I set the table and got the drinks ready while Brooklyn got the food, it was all very domesticated, much like last night.
Finally, we sat down and after we had all gotten food and settled in to eat, I turned to Brooklyn and said, “Well?”
She sighed and took a drink of her wine and then started, “It is just a little strange, you know, the whole ménage thing. I have been thinking about it for a long time really, without actually realizing I was thinking about it. I read the books, you know, like a lot of women have, especially since you don’t have to carry around a book anymore. I will be honest, on more than one occasion I actually pictured us together,” she said with a blush and then looked at us as if she expected us to laugh, instead she caught us smiling at her. Then she blushed as if it embarrassed her before she continued, “Anyway, then I see you again, and wham bam all of a sudden you are attracted to me, or at least that is what I thought. It was strange and disconcerting, even though you told me you wanted me, it didn’t sink in. I uh, don’t have very many friends, and Mia being your sister, Fin, I felt weird calling her. So when my mom and your moms at the hospital seemed to give us the green light, I just couldn’t help myself, I had to have someone to talk to. You know?”
“Sweetheart,” I said taking her hand in mine. “If you ever have anything you want to talk about, and I mean anything, you come to us. I promise we will sit and listen and not give you grief.”
“What if what I need to talk about is you? I mean sometimes a woman needs to chat with her friends about stuff,” she said and then Fin took her other hand.
“Honey, if you need someone to talk to, then we want you to feel free to do so,” Fin said and I nodded.
“Well that is what I did, and anyway, your moms and my mom all had really good advice for me. I was just feeling unbalanced and now I don’t.”
I nodded and asked, “What did they say to help you out so much, if you don’t mind us asking.”
Fin
She was fucking perfect, and there was nothing in this world that would change our minds, I thought as I listened to her talk about what the moms said. Tony and I were both a little taken back when we heard what they said to her.
I had to think back, and damned if they weren’t right. Even back then, Tony and I had protected Brooklyn, we made sure she was safe. Even though we said time and time again it was because her and Reese were new, or because we felt sorry for them, which was bullshit. Even as kids we had been drawn to her and they knew it.
“They said we were made for each other, and that if I was worried about what people think I should get over it, no one can dictate what happens in this house,” she said and I nodded.
“That is true, and we don’t want you to ever feel like you can’t come to us, with anything,” I said firmly and Tony nodded.
“Oh, I know, trust me, I get it. It just took me a while. You can’t expect me to not dwell on this for a while, it is a big decision. I have a job in the city, I have an apartment, a life. I don’t know how all this is gonna work, but I am willing to try,” Brooklyn replied with a soft smile. Damn, I loved that look on her face, the one of contentment.
“We will figure it out as we go along, but right now you can’t go home, not until we get this shit taken care of. Besides, apparently we know the man who could be responsible for this shit,” Tony said.
Brooklyn frowned. We had discussed this, she needed to know who was involved because she knew him, at least she had when he and Tony were in school. To say we were shocked was an understatement, and since I didn’t run out and kill the motherfucker, I felt like I should be given a medal, or a blowjob from Brook. It pissed me off that I hadn’t thought about that asshole before.
Hector Sanchez was a fucking prick, and had been since we were in school. He had gone to Mic at the same time I had. Sure the kid had some talent, hell, I had even been excited that someone who was in my grade was training with me. However, I soon realized that Hector just wasn’t quite right in the head. Everything with him was a competition, and when he didn’t win, he extracted revenge out of the one who beat him. I’d been both on the receiving end and actually witnessed it firsthand, both were unpleasant.
Hector’s father was a piece of work, I always figured it had been the old man who fucked him up, but who knows, it could just be because he was born a prick. I was a senior in high school when the whole thing came to a head. Mic had competitions in the gym, they were mostly to get the boys to feel pride in what they could do. Even the losers were praised and given a pat on the back. I had been the best for the last few years, for some reason that put a target on my back with Hector. He was determined to beat me, determined to embarrass me. I didn’t say a word to the guy, ever.
The day of the fight, Tony and I had gone to the gym early in order to help Mic set up the place. When we arrived, Hector had been there arguing with Mic about something, the old man had never told us what it was about, but whatever it was, it was heated.
I shook my head, got out of the past, and listened as Tony explained to Brooklyn how Hector was involved.
“Seriously?” she said with a shocked and angry tone. “He was suck a jerk, when I was in high school he came up to me and asked me out. I would avoid him around the neighborhood, but somehow he always found me. Then one day Mia was with me, and she reamed him a new one for bothering me. After that, he wouldn’t come near me, but then Mia said she would tell her brothers about the harassment.”
I stiffened as she talked about Hector hitting on her. What the fuck? How had I not known that? That fucker had actually tried to get Brooklyn, the protective instinct came out and I looked at Tony who was equally as pissed, and that was evident when my best friend snapped.
“Why didn’t you tell us that?” Tony said.
Brooklyn frowned and stood, beginning to clear their dishes since they had finished their meal while they were talking. “Why would I?” she snapped back, clearly angry.
“Because we were there to protect you, Brooklyn, we have always been there,” Tony snarled.
“Listen, that was like ten years ago, you were both moving out of the borough, I was still an awkward teen, and besides, Reese took care of it when Mia told him. He had a talk with the jerk,” Brooklyn said, then slammed the plates in the sink, then turned back and put her hands on her hips looking pissed off. Damn that made me get hard, she was fucking gorgeous.
“You shou
ld have had Reese come to us,” Tony said.
“Really?” Brooklyn said with a frown. “You are going to piss me off when this happened years ago? This is how you want to spend the rest of the night? Fine.”
I watched and Brooklyn pushed her sleeves up and then quickly cleared the table in silence. I looked at Tony who was frowning and still pissed, so was I but damn, she was hot normally, but pissed? She was absolutely perfect.
She was sweet, no one would ever know she had this fierce side to her, and I liked it, so did Tony, even though right now he was a bit confused. This was just another side to her that we needed to get to know. I, for one, was glad there were so many surprises when it came to Brooklyn. She was going to keep us on our toes.
“Baby,” I said softly and she turned and snapped.
“No,” she said. “I am not in the mood right now to deal with you two.”
I grinned and looked at Tony who had apparently come to the same conclusion as I had, that Brooklyn had many layers to her—it would take us a lifetime to find them all.
“Sweetheart,” Tony said firmly. “Fin was trying to talk to you.”
“Yeah, Tony, I know, I responded didn’t I? If you don’t like my response, then tough shit. You two need to get this right now, I may be polite and quiet but my mother did not raise me to take the back seat to any man, especially when in a relationship. This is going to be a partnership, or this is not going to happen,” Brook said.
With that, she turned and walked out of the room and I looked at Tony who was grinning. Oh yeah, this was gonna be fun. I rose and Tony rose, we headed to find our woman.
Brooklyn had made it to the stairs and when she turned and saw us following, she ran up them and went to her room and slammed the door. I laughed and so did Tony as we neared it, she was turning the lock, seriously?
“Come on, baby, open the door,” Tony called. “You know that isn’t what we were saying.”
Vengeance: MMA/Ink Romance (KO Ink Book 1) Page 14