Her Daddies’ Saving Grace

by Laylah Roberts

  It was a hell of a turn-on.

  And in contrast, Brick seemed to grow more relaxed. He smiled more. He laughed more. And joked.

  She loved them both so much. Tomorrow, Reuben was coming to visit.

  She really hoped he didn’t try to kill them.

  But after tonight, everyone was going to know they were together. That she was with both men. Xavier had gotten rid of his apartment and moved in with her. He’d told his boss at the hospital about their relationship and he’d taken it surprisingly well. Brick had moved what little things he owned here, and he was talking to Kent Jensen about working for JSI. He’d decided he was tired of trying to resurrect his business. He’d told her that the idea of working for someone else actually felt right.

  As they walked in, she stared down at her jeans. Yep, she was wearing jeans and a long dark blue top that came to her knees.

  She was going to be sick. Especially when everyone seemed to stop and stare at them. And then she heard them. From way at the back.

  “Juliet! Hurry up, dude! We need you!” Kiesha yelled.

  “Whoop!” Isa screamed. “We’re going to kick your butt, Loki!”

  “Only because Juliet is here,” Loki yelled back. “Are you sure you won’t marry me, Juliet?”

  Both of her men growled and gave Loki the death stare as around them everyone started talking again.

  Maybe, just maybe, this was going to be all right.

  They’d won.

  Not that there had been any doubt. But it was always nice to win. As Kiesha and Isa danced around, she grinned over at her guys and waggled her eyebrows.

  Brick grinned back while Xavier gave her a heated look.

  Oh yeah. That was happening tonight.

  Her insides twirled with happiness. Leaning over to Kiesha, she took hold of her arm. “Toilet?” she whispered.

  “Yep, let’s go.” Kiesha turned to the table where Brick and Xavier sat with Ed. “Doc and bodyguard boy, we gotta go pee.”

  Brick stood. “I’ll come.”

  Kiesha waved her hand. “You’re not on duty anymore, bodyguard boy. I got this. I can help her pee.”

  Kiesha weaved them through the crowd to the toilet. She got that feeling of being watched but shrugged it off. Juliet peed and came out of the cubicle before Kiesha, who was muttering something about her jeans not fitting because she’d eaten too much dinner. Juliet smiled as she washed her hands. She didn’t pay much attention to the door opening.

  Then turning, she froze as she saw who walked in.

  “Always got to win, don’t you?” Gladys said in a snarky voice. “Perfect, precious Juliet. Who everyone has to take care of. Everyone has to coddle and protect. Including your brother. What kind of sick relationship do you have with him, anyway?”

  What the hell? What was Gladys talking about?

  “You’re the reason Reuben broke up with me, you know.”

  Um, what? When had Reuben ever been with her? Juliet was careful not to look over at the cubicle where Kiesha was. She didn’t want to clue Gladys in, just in case she didn’t know they weren’t alone.

  “We were going places. He loved me. And then he got a phone call and had to go rushing off to save you. Poor little Juliet was all broken and needed her brother to fix her. We were supposed to go to college together. But he broke up with me because he needed time for you.”

  Was that true? Reuben never said anything. They must have started dating during senior year when Reuben moved to Wishingbone while his mother dated some rich party boy and was overseas a lot.

  “It was always about Juliet. It was your fault that he left me. It was your fault I didn’t get that promotion at work.”

  Now she was delusional because Juliet had nothing to do with that.

  “He knew you didn’t like me. He made sure I didn’t get that promotion. You and I have never gotten along, but you didn’t have to get Darin and I fired!”

  Wait. She’d been fired? And Darin too?

  Uh-oh. She could guess who had done that.

  “I know it was you. Can’t you take some criticism? Apparently not. Jesus, you can’t even just die quickly, can you?”

  Wait. What?

  “That’s right. I tampered with your food at the diner. I’m working there now. Washing dishes. I saw you enter, and I knew about your allergy. I’d been watching you when I could, waiting for the perfect opportunity to get revenge. So I chopped up some shrimp into tiny pieces and put it in your sandwich. But you just wouldn’t die!”

  “Kiesha!” she cried in her broken voice. But it was enough. The door to the toilet opened and Kiesha came out with a yell. She had a stun gun in her hand, which she pressed to Gladys’ arm, then she shocked her. The other woman collapsed onto the floor with a pained cry and Kiesha stood there, staring down at her. Then she grinned wildly.

  “Oh my God! I’m a total badass!”

  The door suddenly opened, and a huge man stepped inside. Bigger than Brick, he had an olive complexion and short, black hair.

  He turned his gaze to her. His eyes were dark. Cold. Emotionless.

  Oh, shit.

  “Hey, who are you?” Kiesha demanded.

  Juliet moved closer to Kiesha, prepared to step in front of the other woman and defend her. Because she had a bad idea that she knew who this guy was.

  “Hey, Goliath.” Kiesha waved her hand in front of his face. Bad idea. “You’re in the wrong bathroom, Big Foot. See? No pee boxes.”

  Okay, under other circumstances, she might have laughed at that. But this was not the time to laugh.

  “Who are you?” she managed to ask.

  Kiesha shot her a look, tensing. No doubt she could see the stark fear on Juliet’s face.

  “I was hired to send a message. To your brother. He thinks he’s clever, but he should always remember there’s someone smarter, stronger, and more deadly.”

  The guy started reaching under his jacket.

  “Shit! Wait! I have a taser in here,” Kiesha cried, reaching into her handbag. “Just wait. Don’t worry, bestie, Kiesha is here!”

  This guy wasn’t going to wait. Fear flooded her as he drew out a gun, right as Kiesha pulled out a pink, bedazzled taser.

  Too late. She was going to be too late.

  Then the door slammed open, hitting the guy in the back and knocking him forward. Kiesha pressed the trigger on the taser, and the prongs latched onto his chest.

  He groaned, tumbling to the floor, his big body twitching.

  “Oh my God!” Kiesha cried as Brick raced into the room, gun in hand, his eyes focused, deadly. Ed came next, his gaze eating up the room, his gun drawn. Xavier followed. He looked pale, terrified.

  “Do they hand out awards for being a badass?” Kiesha asked. “Because, boss man, I totally deserve one.”

  “Juliet, sweetheart, are you all right?” Xavier was suddenly in front of her. He ran his hands over her, as though searching for injury. She was vaguely aware of people gathering in the hallway outside the bathroom door.

  Ed was securing the big guy on the floor, while Noah was talking to Gladys. Georgie was hugging Kiesha.

  Where was Brick? Then suddenly, he was in front of her as well. They were both here. They sandwiched her between them.

  “I think she’s just in shock,” Xavier said. “She doesn’t appear to be injured.”

  “Thank fuck,” Brick said, drawing her close and kissing the top of her head.

  “Kiesha, what happened?” Ed asked.

  “Gladys came in, she was talking about how Juliet had ruined her life,” Kiesha told them. “It was all bullshit stuff about how she used to date Reuben and he’d dumped her because of Juliet. She blames Juliet for losing her job. And she tried to kill her by cutting up shrimp and sticking it into her sandwich at the diner. Actually, it kind of sounded like she’d been stalking her or something. Then this big guy comes in and says he’s sending a message to Reuben. He was a real looney.” She sneered down at the man.

  Juli
et looked from the big guy who was still twitching, to Gladys who looked to be in shock then up at her men. “Reuben is going to be so pissed.”

  They were coddling her.

  She had a feeling they weren’t going to let her out of their sight after this for a long, long time.

  They’d called Reuben on the way home. That hadn’t gone well. He’d exploded. Then he’d told them that he would make certain nothing like that happened again. Apparently, this guy hadn’t been called off like he should have been or had gone rogue. She wasn’t sure exactly which. Reuben was being his usual vague self.

  Now Brick was carrying her into the house. She was wrapped around his front like a monkey, unable to let go.

  “I’ll check the house is secure,” Xavier told them. “And get her a drink so she can sleep. You want it in your baby bottle?”

  She nodded. She liked the baby bottle when she was extra anxious.

  Brick grabbed her some pajamas, but she shook her head. “Skin.”

  “All right, baby girl,” he soothed. He stripped them both off, then they brushed their teeth together. As soon as they were in bed, she started scooting down.

  “Please, can I have your cock, Daddy?” she asked.

  “Take whatever you need.”

  She took his dick into her mouth. For the first time, it wasn’t at least semi-erect. She guessed that everything that had happened had dampened his arousal as well.

  Surprisingly, her eyelids soon started drooping. She’d been certain that it would take her forever to fall asleep.

  “She’s under the covers?” Xavier asked as he walked into the bedroom.

  Brick gave him a tired nod. “Pretty sure she’s fallen asleep. Help me move her and we’ll talk outside, yeah?”

  Xavier nodded, setting the baby bottle down on the bedside table next to her pacifier. Brick managed to slide free from her mouth, with only a small murmur of complaint from her. Xavier carefully moved her, tucking her in while Brick put some pajama pants on.

  Xavier picked up her pacifier, pushing it against her lips. She immediately took it into her mouth, sucking on it.

  They stepped out into the hallway, leaving the door open.

  “Fuck,” Brick said. “Fuck, I can’t believe we nearly lost her tonight.” He started pacing up and down the hallway, while Xavier leaned against the wall.

  “I know. I’m going to have nightmares, thinking about what could have happened.”

  “He had a fucking gun. How could I have let down my guard like that?”

  “You couldn’t have known, man. We all thought the threat was gone. Sounds like this guy went rogue.”

  “And that bitch from the library? How did I not know she was a threat? She nearly killed Juliet. The sheriff messed that investigation up.” Truthfully, he was more angry at him himself than the sheriff.

  “Ed will be beating himself up,” Xavier told him.

  “I want one of us close to her at all times,” Brick stated. “If I can’t be with her, then you have to be.”

  “Guess that’s the beauty of a relationship like ours, huh?” Xavier mused.

  Brick stilled, then turned to face him. “Yeah, it is. I’m glad you’re in this with me, man. There’s no one I trust more to take care of her than you.”

  Xavier nodded. “Same.” He straightened. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. We both feel guilty, but we thought she was safe.”

  He’d try, but his gut still felt sick. When a woman had raced up to the sheriff to tell him she’d seen a large, shady-looking man enter the woman’s bathrooms, he’d just known she was in trouble. He’d nearly lost his mind.

  But they’d gotten there in time. She was fine. She was safe.

  “She’s the very best part of me. She saved me from a life of bitterness and misery. I can’t lose her.”

  “I get it. I feel—”

  A chilling scream interrupted Xavier. They both rushed into the bedroom. Brick’s heart pounded with terror.

  Juliet was sitting up in bed, her eyes wide and unseeing. She appeared terrified.

  “Juliet! Baby!”

  She didn’t reply. Instead, she climbed off the bed, her movements surprisingly forceful.

  “Fuck! Night terror,” Xavier said.

  “Where is she going?”

  “Don’t know, but don’t grab her. She might become aggressive.”

  Her body shook with trembles, her breathing was labored.

  “Sweetheart, Juliet, why don’t you get back into bed,” Xavier said in a soothing voice as she stood there. She reached up to tug painfully at her hair.

  “Xavier,” Brick said in a low voice. He couldn’t take this. It was killing him.

  “I know, man. We’ll help her. She’ll probably come out of it soon, we just have to keep her safe.”

  She headed towards the door, but Brick blocked the way. She came to a stop in front of him.

  Fuck. Fuck. He really needed to touch her.

  “Juliet, come back to bed,” Xavier said in a low voice.

  Another pain-filled cry left her. Brick’s heart broke. Then she blinked and looked up at him. “Daddy?”

  “Baby girl.” He reached out and touched her arms. She let out a sob, and he drew her close, holding her against his chest. Xavier moved up behind her, sandwiching her between them.

  “Papa,” she cried. “Daddy.”

  “We’re here, sweetheart,” Xavier soothed. “You’re safe. Nothing is going to happen to you. We’ll keep you safe.”

  Brick wasn’t capable of saying anything. All he could do was hold on to her and reassure himself that she was safe.

  She should have guessed that something like this would happen.

  She’d been so terrified when that man had drawn a gun on them. Scared that he’d harm Kiesha, that he’d kill her.

  Now, pressed between her two men, she let them soothe away that terror. Xavier continued to whisper to her, while Brick held her like he thought she might slip away from him.

  “Come on, why don’t we get you back into bed,” Xavier said.

  “Don’t leave me,” she told him as Brick picked her up and carried her to the bed, setting her down in the middle.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Xavier told her. “I just need to get ready for bed. You want my skin?”

  She nodded as Brick climbed into the bed.

  Xavier used the bathroom. Then he stripped down to his boxers and got in on her other side. He grabbed the baby bottle from the bedside table, then raised his arm.

  “Come here.”

  She settled into his chest and he held the nipple to her mouth so she could drink the chocolate milk it held. That was a treat.

  Yum.

  When the bottle was empty, she rolled over to face Brick. Xavier curved around her back. Brick held out his fingers and she sucked on them for a while until she’d calmed down.

  “I don’t understand how Gladys hated me that much. I mean, I was bullied by people who hated me, but at least they never tried to kill me. It’s scarier than having that other guy come after me, because I knew her. I spent every working day with her and I never realized how insane she was.”

  “That was all on her,” Xavier reassured her. “She’ll get a psych evaluation.”

  “None of it had anything to do with you,” Brick added.

  She knew that. But still, she wished people would just leave her be.

  “They were likely jealous of you, you know,” Xavier told her. “Those kids that bullied you. Even then, you were gorgeous. All legs and eyes. So sweet. You’ve always been so sweet.”

  “She is. Our sweet, darling girl,” Brick murmured. “You realize you’re not allowed to go anywhere without us.”

  “For how long?” she asked.

  “The rest of your life ought to suffice, what do you say, Brick?” Xavier asked.

  “Yeah. That will do it.”

  Suited her just fine. She didn’t want to be without the two of them. Ever.

  They were
her family.

  Her happy ever after.

  And she’d never let them go.

  Epilogue

  Xavier felt his exhaustion fade away as he turned into the driveway that led to home.

  His home. Their home.

  Never in a million years had he thought he would end up in this sort of relationship. With his best friend.

  And his best friend’s boyfriend.

  He snickered. That sounded like it belonged in one of those romance novels that Brick liked reading to Juliet before she had a nap. Of course, then he usually ended up having to eat her out because she’d get so worked up that she couldn’t sleep.

  Xavier was pretty sure Brick did that on purpose.

  He pulled into the garage and got out to stretch. It had been a long few days. But he was off for a few days now, and he intended to spend them all with his girl. Brick was due to leave for a job tomorrow for JSI. He’d be gone for about a fortnight, and Xavier knew Juliet was feeling anxious about it.

  So it shouldn’t have surprised him to walk into the living room and find her on her knees in front of Brick, who was naked from the waist down.

  “You spoil her,” he said, while Brick ran his fingers through her hair. He had the news on the TV and was scrolling through his phone with his free hand.

  “Like you can talk,” Brick countered.

  It had taken some getting used to, the three of them living together. They were different personalities. Xavier liked everything in its place. He tended to be more reserved in some ways and more open in others. Brick was blunt, but found it hard to talk about anything that had to do with his feelings.

  But they were making it work. Because there was no other option. They both wanted Juliet more than they wanted to breathe.

  For her, Xavier would do anything. Because there was no living without her.

  Juliet turned at his voice with a smile. “Papa!”

  “Hey, Twink,” he said to her, sitting on his favorite recliner. It was pretty much the only thing he’d brought from his house and didn’t really go with her furniture, but Juliet didn’t seem to care.

  He kept his gaze on her face, trying to avoid looking at Brick’s cock.