by Evie Harper
However, all of my brothers are scowling. “Stop it,” I demand. All eight eyes shoot to me, and then reluctantly they walk back into the living room and sit down in similar positions they were before, except Pacer, Mack, and Lana, who sit up to give Dom and I room to take a seat.
When I’m settled, I glance to the mystery woman. “Kel, are you going to introduce us? Or do I have to keep thinking mystery woman in my head.”
Kelso laughs. “Della, this is Ivy, my girlfriend.” My eyes widen at the term. “Ivy, this is my sister, Della.”
Ivy stands and stretches out her right hand to me. I stare at it for a second before realizing she wants to shake hands. I place my right palm in hers feeling very strange. “Hello. Nice to meet you.” Her voice is unexpected; it is confident, clear, and she sounds well educated. I’d always imagined Kelso going out with bimbos who spoke with high-pitched voices and giggled non-stop.
“Hey, nice to meet you too. Hope I didn’t give you too much of a shock,” I reply.
Ivy smiles and the word "sweet" runs through my mind. “It was worth it just to see the scared expression on Kel's face.” Ivy lets go of my hand and sits back down between Kelso’s legs.
“Whatever, I don’t get scared. That look was my battle-ready face.” Kelso kisses Ivy on the lips when she laughs.
Slater clears his throat and everyone goes quiet. I expect him to be staring at Dom and me, waiting for us to start talking, but I find him giving Kelso a hard stare, the both of them having a silent war with their eyes.
“Come on, Ives, I’ll drop you home. It’s getting late.” Ivy seems confused by Kelso’s sudden need to leave but doesn’t push him. She stands and smiles. “Night everyone.” We all say our good-byes aloud and wait for the front door to close.
I know why she has to leave. This is family business and she’s not family. But for Kelso to fight Slater on her staying speaks volumes about how much he’s fallen for her.
“What’s with Kelso and you having eye battles for the whole room to view?” I ask Slater.
Slater sighs heavily. “Says he’s in love with her and wants to start including her more in the family.”
“I think his exact words this morning were blinded by golden pussy,” Lana says with a smirk.
“He’s gone on her all right.” Pacer sulks. “I posted a video of him singing and dancing in the kitchen on YouTube, and I’ve been waiting for my payback ever since, but nothing. He’s been too busy with Ivy. Fuck. I feel like I’m the one who's been dumped.”
Grabbing my stomach, I laugh loudly. Pacer and Kelso have always been the two who caused the trouble. They love to play tricks on each other and get back at each other. I imagine with all my brothers, bar Pacer, now having someone to warm their beds—a shudder runs through me at the thought.
“But there is one big problem. She’s Sheriff Johnson's daughter,” Mack declares.
Oh no. Poor Kel. He’s never looked for love, let alone wanted it. Out of all my brothers, he is the one who is still growing up and dealing with our past. I always hoped he’d find love, but the daughter of a sheriff? It can only end badly; there’s no way he can be completely honest with her.
We have too many secrets. Not just Jae, there are others. Slater killed for the first time when he was fourteen. I was ten at the time, and it was a cold night. We'd all been huddled in the corner of a dead-end alley, one dirty blanket between us all. Suddenly a man had run toward us. He'd latched onto Mack, pulling him by his arm, dragging him up the alley. Kelso and I, the youngest, stayed sitting, screaming at the strange man who tried to take our brother away. Slater and Pacer had hit the man, kicked him, but they were just kids, and the man had easily pushed them off him, still dragging Mack away. Slater had known what the man wanted from Mackson, so he'd picked up a brick and hit the man over the head.
The man had slumped face first into the cement. Blood had poured from his head. We all ran from the alley that night. Slater was the only one who returned the next day. He said the police had arrived and they were taking away the man's sheet-covered body. We didn’t understand what the sheet meant until years later when we watched a movie at Rex and Lana's house.
Since then, Slater has never hesitated to end anyone who meant us harm. He had more restraint for Rex because for a time, Rex was a part of our family. He taught us things he learned at school, and he welcomed us into his home. We never had friends like that before. No one wanted or was allowed to hang around us: the no-good, dirty street kids.
I’m surprised Kelso ever thought his relationship with Ivy would work. The boy who never believed in love has found it with the one woman who could cause our family the most harm.
Chapter Nineteen
Della
“Start talking, you two. I want to know everything,” Slater directs at Dom and me, pulling me from my thoughts.
Swallowing past a lump in my throat, I begin. Dom chimes in now and again when I forget something. I skip over the information about Pacer. I decide that I should say that last.
Each time Paulie’s name is mentioned, Slater’s face grows a brighter shade of red. Piper rubs his arm, obviously noticing his anger and trying to soothe him as best she can.
When I’m finished, the room is silent. Nobody moves or speaks. I glimpse at Dom, and he appears to be tense, possibly bracing for all of my brothers to jump up and grab him at once. They better not or blood will be shed, and it won’t be Dom's.
Slater blows out a breath and lifts Piper off him gently. He aims a hard stare at Dom. “I knew Della leaving with you would be a mistake.” Slater stands from his seat and points to Dom. “You couldn’t keep her safe, and you got her to lie to us, her family.”
Dom stands. “I never thought they’d catch up to us that qui—”
“That’s because you didn’t fucking think,” Slater interrupts.
“All I thought about was her saf—”
“You want to sit here and spout promises about keeping her safe and loving her, but all you are is a liar, Dom, and you’re dragging Della down with you. You aren’t good enough for her. You weren’t then and aren’t now.”
“Fuck you, Slater. Just fuck you!” Everyone in the room including myself stand to attention when Dom's justified frustration explodes. “Dude, you spend so much time worrying, you miss the actual point. I did everything in my power I could think of to save her. And yeah, they caught up to us, but I kept Della safe. You want to say I’m not good enough for her? Fine then, asshole. I can agree with you on that, but that’s her decision to make. I don’t promise you shit! But I promise Della everything. I will be that guy she deserves. I will be good enough for her.”
Slater, Mack, and Pacer all seem lost for words. Piper and Lana aren’t smiling, but they look at Dom as if they're proud of him.
“I’m going to step outside and cool off.” Dom kisses my head, and I nod as he walks toward the back door.
“I asked you to give him another chance,” I hiss.
“That’s before you told us you were almost killed, three fucking times,” Pacer points out, annoyed.
“Della. Jesus, do you have any idea what we’ve been going through?” Mack's voice is tortured, and it sends a sharp pain through my chest.
“I do understand and I’m sorry,” I announce in a soft-spoken voice. “But don’t blame Dom. He didn’t tell me to lie. That was my decision. I knew you’d all come after me, no matter how far away I was and for once, I was going to protect you guys. I’ll never regret the choices I made to keep you all safe.”
“Dell, we’re family. You don’t go through shit like this on your own. We stick together no matter what. It’s how we’ve survived this long.” Slater steps forward; his expression has softened, but he’s still not understanding me.
“Slater, I wasn’t alone. Dom has been there for me and had my back every day. And I believe him when he says he always will. I need you all to please give him a break and another chance, for me.”
Holding my breath, I w
ait for Slater's reply.
“I can only give him one more chance,” Slater says defeated as his shoulders slump.
“That’s all we’re asking for.” A smile graces my face, and I clap my hands together.
I turn to Mack and Pacer and raise an eyebrow asking them if they also agree. “I’ll be watching him,” Mack warns, and Pacer mutters his approval while repeating what Mack said.
“Yay,” I squeal and quickly get in the last word. “I’m serious, though. Any funny business from you guys and laxatives will be going in your morning smoothies."
Lana and Piper are the only ones who laugh, but Pacer recoils, obviously remembering the last time he was slipped some laxatives.
We all hear the familiar sound of Kelso’s car pull up in the drive. He walks inside swinging his keys and whistling.
My heart aches as the time arrives for me to explain to Pacer what I learned about him while I was away.
“What’d I miss?” Kelso says jokingly, but his expression turns serious when he sees my face.
“I need everyone to sit down. I have some pretty shocking news,” I announce.
“Fuck. You're pregnant,” Slater guesses while clutching his chest.
“No!” I answer quickly.
With everyone seated, I turn my eyes to Pacer. “Abi and Jared, the wonderful people who took Dom and me in had pictures of their family lined up all along their walls. Abigail pulled a picture off the wall to show me her twin sons. She was so proud and talked about them with so much love in her heart.” I tap my heart a few times rapidly, hoping to convey just how much I felt that love. “When I looked at that picture, Pacer, I saw you. I saw the little boy I grew up with.”
I hear gasps, but don’t look away from Pacer as his blank expression twists and contorts with his thoughts. His eyebrows drop low as if thinking of ways that this couldn’t be true. “Abi and Jared's son, Mason, went missing when he was five. He disappeared from their driveway and was never seen again.”
Pacer stands from the sofa and turns his back to me. He walks to the window, staring out into the night. “I still questioned it myself until Abi said that Mason's brother Jacob, nicknamed his brother ‘Mason the Pacer’ because he used to count all of his steps. Abi stated her son's nickname with warmth, love, and longing, Pacer.” He takes a firm hold of the windowsill, his knuckles growing white as he stretches his arms out and bows his head as if holding it upright is too hard at the moment.
“Holy shit,” Kelso mutters behind me.
A few minutes pass before Pacer straightens, walks to the door and picks up his car keys from the bowl. Before leaving, he turns around. The shine in his eyes and the lost expression on his face causes my chin to tremble. “I’m going for a drive. I need to clear my head.”
I step forward and place my hand on Pacer's back. He stills. “I’m here whenever and if ever you want to ask me any questions.”
He nods stiffly and walks out, closing the door.
Spinning on my heel, I see the whole room is looking at me with amazement in their eyes.
“Of all the houses in this country, you found Pacer's parents?” Mack's voice is awed.
“I know,” I breathe out.
Piper stands from the side of the recliner. “As shocking as that was, I think we should all try and act as normal as we can around Pacer until he comes to grips with the decision he’s going to have to make.”
We all nod our agreement.
“Now let’s celebrate you coming home,” Piper says.
“There’s a massive tub of chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer. Let's get some spoons and eat it all,” Lana adds.
“Yes, that would be amazing,” I agree, my stomach rumbling just thinking about the creamy dessert.
Walking into the kitchen with the girls, I let them know I’m going to grab Dom and tell him it’s safe to come in, again.
Stepping through the back door, I call out to Dom with a smile. “This time, I promise it’s safe.”
Dom walks to me with a soft smile and wraps his arms around my waist, hugging me warmly. “I’m going to head off and give you some time alone with your family.”
“No.” I sulk and push back on his chest.
“Yes,” Dom states firmly, but I can hear a tinge of reluctance in his tone. “It’s the right thing to do. We can’t turn up after two weeks saying we’re together and happy and expect your brothers to be okay with it. Let’s take it slowly and show them we’re serious. What’s a few months when we’ve got forever?”
Frowning, I look away. I came home wanting to start my life with Dom, but I can’t argue that what he’s saying is probably for the best.
Dom kisses the corners of my mouth. “Please don’t frown. You know I’m right, and I promise to come over early tomorrow morning, and we’ll spend the day together.”
Staring up at Dom, I nod and ask, “But where will you stay?”
“William's here,” Dom informs me cautiously. “I called him a few minutes ago. He’s staying at the Museum Hotel in Louisville and offered me the spare bed in his room.”
“Fancy,” I say in a condescending tone.
Dom smiles and tightens his arms around me. “No hotel room could ever beat waking up next to you.”
He pulls a grin from me as he rubs his nose against mine. “I have questions for him. About what happened to Nick and how it all went wrong in Mexico after I left.”
Understanding falls over me and I suddenly feel wretched that I hadn’t thought he might want to go home and be with his friends during this hard time for them all. “You should go home and be with your friends. I feel terrible I didn’t suggest it earlier.”
“I will as soon as this mess with Lucini is sorted and I want to be here when you meet William. I was hoping we’d both go. Call it a vacation. Fly this time. I’m going to put my house on the market while I’m there, and we can drive my car back here, stopping at Jared and Abi’s on the way.”
A wide grin spreads out across my face. “That would be perfect.” But for Dom to be back with his friends soon, I need to get this meet with William done as soon as possible. “This disaster with Lucini should be over shortly, so why don’t you bring William with you in the morning? I’ll talk to the guys tonight and let them know what’s going on.”
Dom gives me a knowing smirk, catching onto my plan. He leans down and his lips gently brush mine. It’s not an innocent kiss; it’s a tease. Our breaths mingle and my heart flutters as Dom adds more pressure. The world around me falls away as heat and intensity builds inside me. Before it can be lit into a flame, Dom pulls away. It’s a brief kiss but perfect for the moment because we had to let each other go. Nothing could come from this kiss tonight.
We say good-bye and Dom gives me another quick kiss. He propels himself away and around the corner to walk up the drive with a speed suggesting if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have been able to leave.
I walk back inside to Lana and Piper, who are spooning chocolate ice cream straight from the tub. Lana hands me a spoon and Piper grins while demanding, “Now. Tell us everything. Do not leave out even one little sexy detail.”
Laughing, I fill my mouth with ice cream and proceed to tell them all the juicy details I would never tell my brothers. Things you’d only tell your sisters or best friends.
Sitting happily in my home, surrounded by people who love me and who I love, my mind wanders to Abi and Jared. I look to the ceiling and for the first time in my life, I say a quiet prayer.
Please keep Abi and Jared safe and please keep them busy until Dom and I can get back there.
Chapter Twenty
Della
I’m up early this morning. Even though I stayed up late last night talking with Piper and Lana about Dom and me. After that, we ended up in the living room, and everyone had lots of questions about Abi and Jared. Slater was the most curious, which I find interesting since he has never shown any interest in talking about our real families.
I announced that William
will be over in the morning with Dom. Slater grumbles, his words incoherent, but I can only imagine they were along the lines of hoping the meeting would be brief. I’m sure my oldest brother is dreading meeting William. A man who has the same blood running through his veins as I do. It was at that moment I wondered if I’d ever reassure Slater of where I wanted to live, where I was truly happy.
Before heading up to bed, I snuck in a call to Abigail and Jared and left a message on their answering machine, knowing they’d be in bed and wouldn’t pick up. For some reason, it felt wrong to talk to Pacer's parents in my home without him knowing or them knowing I knew their son. I chickened out, letting them know I’d be in contact again soon.
I hugged Slater tightly. “A thousand brothers with the same blood as mine could come to our front door, and it would never change who my real family is.” I squeezed Slater tighter. “Family is where my heart is and that’s right here.” Slater's warm cuddle became a bone-crushing unable-to-breathe cage with his arms. So I was right. He let me go swiftly, not showing me his face as he climbed the stairs toward his bedroom.
Standing beside me, Piper watched Slater ascend the stairs as I did. When he was out of sight, she wrapped me in her arms. “Thank you. He’d never say it, but he needed to hear that.”
“I’m sorry it had to take me saying it for him to know it’s the truth.”
Piper stood back and looked me in the eyes. “He knows how you feel. It’s just so much has changed for you all this year, what with Me, Lana, and Rex. Brett is Dom, and now William is coming tomorrow. Control helps him cope with his current life and his past, but he’s getting better. It’s going to take time, though.” Pressing my lips together, I nodded, understanding everything Piper was saying. “You know he won’t be happy until he can wrap us all up in bubble wrap, keep us with him at all times and spoon feed us.” We both laughed aloud at Piper's perfect description of my eldest brother.
Washing my face and the sleep out of my eyes I dress in skinny jeans and my teal Nike V-neck. I head down to the garage at the back of our house to check the books out. I want to see how much of a mess I’m coming back to. When I was in hospital, Lana helped out, keeping the books up-to-date and the invoicing and ordering system running smoothly. However, I haven’t at all expected she would have touched them in the last few weeks while she’s been dealing with Rex's death. Last night we gave each other warm smiles, both knowing one day soon we’ll have to talk about that fateful day. While I was in hospital before leaving with Dom, Mack said Lana was too distraught to come and see me. I understood and it was for the best. It wasn’t the time for us to talk. I was filled with too much anger and hatred. I would not have eased her pain. I would have made it worse. Thankfully, having a clear mind and a partially healed heart, I can offer Lana the parts of that day that will help her understand how lost Rex was. With as much help as she was trying to give him, that day, his eyes begged for it all to end. He was tired, lost, and ripped apart from his father's betrayal and the drugs he’d allowed to take him over.