After that amazing, bone-melting kiss—the first kiss I should have had and not the one Dax had forced on me years before—he’d helped me zip up my dress then taken my hand. Kissing my knuckles, he’d opened the door he’d just had me pressed up against and walked me downstairs.
My legs had still been shaky, so I was glad to have him to guide me because I knew I never would have made it down on my own. My family and loved ones surrounded us the instant we reached the first floor, and he stayed beside me over the next two hours. Putting drink after drink in my hand, feeding me from the plate Mom pushed into his hands at one point, loaded with all my favorite finger foods.
I heard every word people said to me, but then I would look into Braxton’s hungry eyes, and I would forget what we were talking about. Sly grins were tossed our way, but I didn’t see a single one of them. My focus was drawn over and over again to the man at my side, and I couldn’t bring myself to care that everyone in my parents’ house was there to wish me a happy birthday.
All I wanted was to be alone with Brax. I wished we were back in Virginia, just the two of us alone in the house, and that he would do more than just kiss me breathless. I wanted to know what the rest of him tasted like, not just his delicious mouth.
And then Daddy put his arm around my shoulders, and I was pulled back into reality. I’d seen him walking around talking to all our guests, laughing and joking with everyone, and every time, a feeling of the most acute sadness would make me feel like I was drowning in unshed tears. Every time, Braxton would see them and rub his thumb over my bottom lip, whisper, “Kitten,” and make me forget about the pain wanting to consume me.
But with Daddy now holding me against his side as he lifted his glass of clear soda to toast me, his firstborn and his second angel, the tears won out. Not even Braxton’s soothing touch could stop them from flooding down my face or the sob that was already bubbling in my chest from escaping.
I turned my face into Daddy’s chest and inhaled deeply, memorizing his scent, what it felt like to have his arms around me, how safe and loved I was when he was this close, and I made a birthday wish for the first time since I was a little girl and still believed in wishes.
I wish for thirty, forty… No! I wish for fifty more years of this.
The sob finally escaped, and I amended my wish because I knew I was being too greedy.
Please. Just one more year of this. That’s all I want. Just one more birthday of getting my daddy’s hugs and him whispering how proud he is of me and how much he loves me. One. More. Year.
I felt his lips brushing over the top of my head and heard him begging me not to cry, and I quickly swallowed the rest of the sob trying to destroy this perfect night with him and the rest of my family. While I tried to control myself, I heard him whispering something to Braxton. Through my tears, I saw Brax nod.
The next thing I knew, I was outside, the cool air kissing my skin and making the tears on my cheeks feel like ice as Braxton carried me to Aunt Emmie’s SUV. I was deposited in the back seat while Barrick and Mia got into the front, and Barrick started the vehicle.
“I-I’m sorry,” I told them. “D-did I ruin the party?”
“No, Kitten,” Braxton said as he pressed his lips to my temple and stroked his fingers through my tangled hair. “Your dad just wanted you to get some fresh air.”
“But…” I glanced out the window of the SUV and felt my heart clench painfully as we drove away from my parents’ house. “Why are we leaving, then?”
“It was either leave or start hiding bodies,” Barrick said from the driver’s seat as he carefully drove through my old neighborhood and then past Uncle Shane’s and Uncle Axton’s houses.
I furrowed my brow, confused, and Mia, who was turned in the front passenger seat watching me with pained eyes, gave me a tiny smile. “Braxton was about to piss on you to mark his territory. Jagger and Cannon were being their normal selves, flirting with you. Nothing serious, but I feared for my brother’s life. Then Jordan was making comments about how hot you were now that you’re legal. And when you started crying, all three were trying to hug you. It was when Brax started literally growling that we figured it was time to put some distance between you and every other non-blood-related male in a fifty-mile radius. Momma agreed and threw Barrick the keys.”
“Oh,” I murmured, sniffling indelicately.
Even after our kiss earlier, it was hard to wrap my head around the change in Braxton’s and my relationship. I’d spent the past two years wanting him in a way I still didn’t fully understand, thinking he wouldn’t ever want me with the same desperation I felt. Now he was sitting in the back seat of a darkened SUV with me on his lap, his hands in my hair, and his nose pressed to my neck as he inhaled my scent like he’d been denied oxygen and I was the life-giving air he needed to survive.
I’d been so happy and lost in the feeling of having Braxton’s complete attention that I hadn’t given anyone else much mind. Jagger and Cannon flirting with me was nothing unusual. I was used to the two of them making asses of themselves over Arella and me. I took Jordan about as seriously as I did those two clowns, which was not at all.
Admittedly, I’d had a good time with Jordan that afternoon. He was funny, and when he wasn’t being a horndog, salivating over anything with a vagina and breasts, he was kind of sweet. He didn’t even blink when I bought an entire basket full of books in the bookstore, and he carried the three bags to his car like I hadn’t just made him spend three hundred dollars on books he would never have thought would make for enjoyable entertainment. But he didn’t call me a freak for liking to read things no one else would ever want to.
But even as I was laughing with him while we drank milk shakes near the beach not far from my house, I’d been missing Braxton.
“Where am I going, firecracker?” I heard Barrick ask Mia quietly.
“Nevaeh, honey, do you want to go anywhere?” Reaching back, she clasped my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Or we could just drive around for a little while until you feel better and Brax has calmed down.”
My skin erupted in goose bumps when Braxton gave my shoulder an openmouthed kiss. I arched my neck, giving him better access. I wanted more of those kinds of kisses all over my body. “Just drive,” I told her, and she quickly turned around, telling Barrick which way to turn so we could get on PCH.
Pushing my hair out of his way, Braxton kissed a hot trail down my shoulder then over the part of my back that was exposed by my dress. I bit my lip, but it didn’t keep the mewling sounds I was helpless to hold in from escaping.
“You’re killing me, Kitten,” he murmured against the shell of my ear. “Feel what you do to me?”
I squirmed on his lap, feeling the hard evidence of his need for me pulsing against my thigh. I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid my head on his shoulder, looking up at him through my lashes, and I shifted my hips until he was nestled against my ass through his jeans.
“Fuck,” he groaned, and I watched his beautiful, masculine mouth form the word.
Suddenly, the music was turned on, the volume up as loud as it would go. The bass of the song vibrated through the entire vehicle, making the windows shake, but I was thankful for the loudness to drown out the sounds that came from my throat when Braxton turned me on his lap so I was straddling him. When I sat on his lap like that, my dress rode up, exposing my panties to him as he cupped my ass and pressed my core down onto his hard-on.
Neither of us moved, just stared at each other as I sat there, my panties soaked through as he let me feel his reaction to me. I should have been embarrassed, letting him look at me, feel how wet I was for him while Mia and Barrick sat so close. But it wasn’t like they’d never made out in front of me before.
His fingers clenched and released, massaging my flesh through my panties and making me so wet, my thighs became saturated with it.
I began to tremble with all the suppressed need that had been building deep inside me, and my fingers shook as I started unbuttoning his shirt, needing to touch his skin. He groaned when I had it undone and pulled free from his jeans, his chest and hard stomach on full display to my gaze. It was dark out and the moon was hiding behind a bank of clouds, but streetlights and oncoming cars’ headlights gave me plenty of light to see him.
I memorized the feel of his skin, the sharp ridges and angles of his tight abs. His body heat burned my fingertips. I’d seen the ink on his chest so often, I knew exactly where every piece of artwork was, and I traced each one with my fingernails.
One of his hands left my ass and caught mine, guiding it down to the buckle of his belt. Our gazes locked as I undid it along with the snap of his jeans. I carefully lowered the zipper. But when my fingers found the band of his boxer briefs, I hesitated, nervousness hitting me for the first time.
I wanted to touch that part of him, wanted to know what it felt like—what it would taste like. This was one of those many, many firsts I’d been dreaming of having with Braxton.
Sensing my hesitation, he cupped my face in both his hands, rubbing his thumbs over my lips as his dark eyes asked me what was wrong. Swallowing hard, I shook my head, unable to find the words to tell him what was in my head. And my heart.
Pulling my head down to his, he brushed his lips over my neck on his way to my ear. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m rushing you, and there’s no need for that,” he said just loud enough for me to hear him over the music. “We have all the time in the world, Kitten. Forever.”
I closed my eyes as I let that one word float over my entire body, soothing something I didn’t know needed to be soothed. With one hand, he cupped the back of my head, the other rubbing down my spine. It didn’t calm the raging need pulsing through me, making my panties and thighs wetter and wetter with every breath I took. It only made my heart ache more because in that moment, I felt cherished and precious to him.
Nevaeh
It was late by the time Barrick pulled Aunt Emmie’s SUV into my parents’ driveway. Braxton opened the door and stepped out before reaching in to help me down. As soon as my feet were on the ground, I wrapped my arms around his waist and breathed in deeply.
Combing his fingers through my hair, he tilted my head back and kissed the tip of my nose. “I’ll meet you at the airport.”
“Okay,” I whispered, already missing him. PopPop’s jet had an early takeoff time scheduled, so it was only going to be a few hours until I saw him again, but I didn’t want to leave him.
With another kiss, he walked me up to the porch and waited until I unlocked the door before turning to go. Swallowing hard, I slowly walked through the house to the kitchen to get a bottle of water before going to bed.
Pushing open the door, I stopped when I saw Daddy sitting at the kitchen table. I stopped mid-step and sucked in a deep breath. His long, dark hair was sprinkled with strands of gray, his blue-gray eyes full of worry.
Giving me a grim smile, he lifted his mug of tea. “Want some? It’s ginger to help with my nausea.”
I tried to smile back, but from the way his lips pressed together, I didn’t think I pulled it off. “Sure,” I choked out.
Standing, he walked to the stove where the teakettle was resting. Placing a tea bag in a mug, he added the hot water and grabbed the honey and a spoon on his way back to the table where I’d sat down.
Placing everything in front of me, he retook his seat. I added the honey, keeping my gaze on my mug so I didn’t have to look at him, knowing if I did, I would start crying all over again.
“It’s okay to be scared, Nevaeh. It’s even okay to be angry.”
I lifted startled eyes and finally looked at him. “Who would I be angry at?”
“Me,” he said with a shrug. “I did this. It’s my fault I’m sick right now. You’re allowed to be pissed at me for doing this to you and your mom.”
Reaching out, I wrapped my fingers around his hand, shivering when I felt how cold it was. “Daddy, I’m not mad. Not at you, never you. I know you had a drinking problem before you met Mom. You never talk about why you became an alcoholic, and I won’t make you tell me, but I realize it must have been bad.”
His jaw clenched, and I saw his Adam’s apple bob several times before he nodded. “Yeah, sweetheart. It was bad. I won’t put those nightmares in your head, but the booze kept me numb. I liked that feeling a hell of a lot. Until the drinking cost me your mom. She’s why I stopped, why I haven’t picked up a bottle in over twenty years.” He closed his eyes and lowered his head. “And now, the consequences of all that heavy drinking could take everything away.”
“Daddy—”
His eyes snapped open, and when I saw the tears in his eyes, my own burned and filled. “It’s okay to be scared and angry, because I’m terrified and so fucking pissed at myself, I can’t breathe at times. I’m sorry, honey. So damn sorry that I might be taken away from you and your mother. I love you. More than anything, I love you.”
“I-I love you too, Daddy,” I told him around the lump that was choking me. “And you’re right, I am scared. Nothing has ever scared me as much as the thought of losing you.”
“I’m going to do everything I can not to let that happen, Nev.” Tugging on my hand, he pulled me up and onto his lap. Like this, I felt like I was a little girl again, but having Daddy hold me and press a kiss to my temple was the best feeling in the world. My tears spilled over my lashes, and he wiped them away. “Leaving you and our family behind is the last thing I want to do. But…” I fought back a sob, already knowing what he was going to say. “But we have to face reality, sweetheart. This operation might not work. I could reject the liver, or it could fail, or any number of things could go wrong.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“If any of those things happens and I’m no longer here, I need you to know how much I love you and your brother and sisters. How proud you’ve made me.” Tears were pouring out of his eyes now, but he gave me a brave smile. “Nothing has made me happier than getting to be your dad. You and your mom have given me an amazing life. The things that came before you and her…they no longer matter. I’ve had perfection with my family, and I’ll never take any of those years for granted.”
“Daddy, you’re talking like you expect to die.” I threw my arms around him, my shoulders shaking as I fought not to break down completely. I needed to be strong—for him, if no other reason. “You can’t die, Daddy. You can’t! Please, please don’t leave me.”
“I can’t promise that, Nev. I wish I could, but I won’t lie to you.” He wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me gently. “All I can promise is that you will be okay. None of you will ever have to worry about anything. Ever.”
“I don’t care about that!” I couldn’t hold on a second longer. The sobs left me, making my entire body quake and ache from the force of them. “Money means nothing. Having material things is useless to me. None of it matters if you’re not here.”
“I know, sweetheart.” He rocked me in his arms, kissing the top of my head. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
I could only hope he was right.
--
My eyes still felt swollen when I got on the plane the next morning. I’d cried all night until my throat was aching and my voice was hoarse.
I didn’t want to go back to Virginia, wanting to stay so I could have as much time with Daddy as possible before his surgery, which had been scheduled for the week before Christmas, but he wouldn’t let me. The semester was almost over, with only finals to deal with before I came back for the holiday break, and he refused to let me put my education on hold.
Sunglasses perched on my nose instead of my normal prescription glasses, I didn’t look at anyone as I dropped down into one of the seats and fastened the belt. The flight attendant asked me if I wanted anything to drink, but I just turned my gaze out the window, unable to answer her without crying again.
Braxton’s warm hand covered mine, and I sucked in a shuddery breath, fighting the tears that wanted to be released. “What can I do?” he asked quietly, his thumb stroking over my knuckles.
My chin trembled, but I kept my eyes trained on the window without seeing anything outside. “Just hold me,” I whispered brokenly.
“Always, Kitten,” he said reverently as he unfastened my belt and pulled me onto his lap. I laid my head on his chest and let the tears leak from my eyes the entire flight back to Virginia.
Braxton
With Nevaeh’s head pressed against my chest, I carried her into her room and laid her on her bed. The whole flight home, she’d done nothing but cry silently, then on the drive from the airport, she’d fallen asleep against me.
Pulling back the covers, I took off her shoes then tucked the thick comforter around her, taking off her glasses and putting them on the nightstand. She sighed softly and folded her hands under her cheek as she turned onto her side. As I looked down at her, my heart clenched painfully, seeing the tear tracks on her beautiful face that was pale from exhaustion and grief.
Bending, I brushed my lips over her cheek and would have left her to rest, but when I straightened, she caught my fingers with her hand. Surprised, I looked down to find her wide awake, her swollen eyes blinking up at me. For the longest time, we just gazed at each other, and then she gave a weak tug on my fingers.
“Don’t go,” she pleaded in a voice that sounded painfully hoarse from all the crying she’d done.
“Are you sure?” I asked, even though my first instinct was to give her exactly what she wanted and crawl into bed beside her. “You need to rest, Kitten.”
“I need you to hold me,” she said weakly, her chin trembling. “P-please?”
“Ah, baby, you don’t have to beg. I’ll give you anything you want, no matter what it is.” Kicking off my shoes, I carefully climbed in beside her, positioning us so I was lying on the side with my good leg.
As soon as I was beside her, she wrapped herself around me. It was so natural, it was like she’d been doing it forever. She fit so perfectly against me it was as if we’d both been created to fit each other.
With her head on my shoulder and her arms around my waist, I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
“What about Sasha?” she whispered after a few minutes passed.
“She’s staying with Lyla and Howler. She will be okay for another night. We can pick her up in the morning.” Brushing her hair back from her face, I rubbed my thumb over her cheek. “You should sleep, baby. You need to rest.”
“I can’t,” she murmured. “All I can think about is Daddy. I wish I were back there with him right now, Brax. What… What if something happens to him and I’m here?”
The thought of her back in California without me made my heart pound. I didn’t want to be away from her. But I knew she needed to be closer with how sick her dad was. “Don’t think about the negative,” I told her, trying to hide the fact that I was already clawing at the walls of my sanity just thinking of her being so far away without me. “Mia’s mom said he has the best doctors, and we’ll be back in a few weeks for Christmas and winter break. Once he has his surgery, he will be good as new.”
“Y-you think so?” There was so much hope in her voice, it broke my heart.
“Yeah, Kitten. I really do.” I lifted her chin with my thumb. “Would I ever lie to you?”
She shook her head. “Never.”
“And I never will,” I promised. “Your dad is going to be okay, baby.”
“You have more faith in that than he seems to,” she said sadly. “He wants me to prepare myself in case something does happen to him. I don’t know what I’ll do if we lose him, Brax. I can’t picture my life without him in it. Just thinking about it, I feel like there’s this gaping hole in the middle of my chest, trying to suck all the happiness out of the world and into some black void where I can’t smile. I can’t breathe for the pressure it puts on my lungs.”
“Don’t think about that. For now, just concentrate on your finals and Christmas shopping.” I rubbed one hand down her back before cupping her ass. Giving it a firm squeeze, I pressed my lower half into her. “Think about this, Kitten. And how good I’m going to make you feel.”
She let out a little mewling sound that went straight to my cock, making it twitch against her. “Brax.”
“Now that you’re eighteen, we don’t have to hold back. I can kiss you and touch you and hold you as much as you’ll let me.” I kissed the corner of her mouth, causing her to gasp in pleasure.
“I never wanted you to hold back,” she moaned. “I’ve craved you, Braxton. Your kisses, your touch, your arms around me every night. But I thought you didn’t want me.”
I skimmed my nose down her neck, inhaling her scent and causing her to shiver. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean for you to think I didn’t want you. I was just trying to keep myself in check so I didn’t fuck this up for us.”
Her fingers combed through the short hair at the back of my neck, holding me to her. “I want you so much right now…but, could I have a shower first?” she asked shyly.
I lifted my head. Seeing how pink her cheeks were, guilt filled me. “If I’m going too fast for you, let me know. I’ll slow down for you, Nev. Just say the word, and I’ll give you whatever you need.”
“You’re not going too fast,” she said with a tiny smile. “If anything, I think this is long overdue. But I need a girl moment. Give me half an hour, tops. I want everything to be perfect.”
“Then take all the time you need.” Sitting up in her bed, I leaned back against the headboard. She jumped to her feet then paused on her walk to her bathroom, glancing at me over her shoulder. “You’ll still be here when I get back, right?”
“I’m going to grab a quick shower in my room, but I’ll be right here when you come out,” I promised with a grin. “Go, Nev, before I decide to join you in there. I’m not sure you’re ready for that yet.”
With a yelp, she ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Laughing softly to myself, I waited until I heard the shower turn on before getting to my feet. I walked out of her room just as Mia was coming down the hall toward her and Barrick’s room.
“She okay?” Mia asked, her face pinched with concern for her cousin.
“She’s showering now,” I told her evasively.
“I called her parents to let them know we made it back okay.” She grimaced, turning green. It was a color that was becoming a normal shade for her face. “I think I’m going to go take a nap. Don’t wake me up for dinner.”
“Got it. Get some rest. I’ll take care of Nevaeh,” I assured her.
A sly grin teased at her lips. “I bet you will.” But then the grin turned serious. “You need to tell her about the whole Darcy thing.”
“I will,” I muttered, not wanting to get into the whole situation with my parents and ex yet.
“Soon, Brax,” she warned.
“I said I will, Mia,” I told her frustratedly, scrubbing a hand over my face. I needed to shave the scruff off my jaw so I didn’t scratch Nevaeh.
“I just don’t want you to leave it too long. Nev is really vulnerable right now. This crap with your family and that Darcy bitch could end badly. I don’t want Nev to get hurt when she doesn’t have to be.”
I blew out a tired sigh, knowing she was right. “I’ll do it soon, I promise. Just not today, okay? We have other things we need to figure out before I bring up that bullshit.”
She nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’ll let you figure it out on your own.” Walking around me, she opened her bedroom door, and moments later, I thought I heard her moan of contentment.
This pregnancy was wearing her down already, and I hoped the whole morning sickness thing didn’t last long. I hated seeing her unwell. It made me feel helpless because there was nothing I could do to make it better for her. Just like I couldn’t do anything to take away the pain and heartache Nevaeh was feeling over her dad.
Groaning, I went to my room. After shaving, I took a quick shower and was back in Nevaeh’s room before she even turned off her own shower. Sitting on the edge of her bed, I sat there waiting as nervousness swamped me for the first time.
I hadn’t had sex since the accident that had cost me my leg. Fuck, until I saw Nevaeh, it was like my dick didn’t care if it ever saw any action again. From the first moment I set eyes on her, however, it had been paying just as much attention to her as my damn heart had.
Now that I was about to get the girl I’d been craving for over two years, my hands were sweating like it was my first time. Part of me wished it were. That this moment with Nevaeh was my first experience, because I fucking knew she was the one for me.
From the bathroom, I heard the water turn off, and my cock throbbed, tenting the material of the basketball shorts I’d pulled on after my shower. A short time later, the door opened, and she walked out, wrapped in nothing but a damp towel she clutched to her body like a shield.
All my nervousness evaporated, replaced by all the need and hunger I’d been unable to release because I wanted to make sure this thing between us was done right. Her long dark hair was still slightly wet and hung down her back in sexy waves. Her blue-gray eyes blinked at me, reminding me yet again of a curious little kitten as her gaze went straight to my bare chest and skimmed over my ink.
Standing, I walked toward her, not in the least bit self-conscious about the prosthesis showing under the shorts I was wearing. Nevaeh had never made me feel less for having lost my leg. It was like she didn’t even see my disability, and that was only one of the thousands of things I loved about her.
As I neared, I saw the pink in her cheeks travel down her neck, across her chest, and over the tops of her breasts that were barely contained by the towel. “You are so damn beautiful, Kitten,” I rasped, reaching her.
Tilting her chin up with my thumb, I let everything I was feeling for her shine out of my eyes as I lowered my head to brush my lips over hers. I felt her tremble against me for a moment before she released the hold she had on the towel and kissed me back.
She tasted of mint and something addictively sweet, and I ravished her mouth until we were both gasping for our next breaths. Dazedly, she clung to my shoulders as I lifted my head to gaze down at her nakedness. I’d never thought of any one person as perfect, but everything about Nevaeh was just that. She was pure perfection, every single inch of her calling to me to caress, kiss, and brand her as mine.
Stepping back, I offered her my hand. Biting her lip, she placed hers in mine, and I backed toward her bed, pulling her with me. “Are you sure this is what you want?” I asked her.
“More than anything,” she whispered. “I want you so much, Brax. I need you.”
I jerked her against me, unable to stand the distance between us a second longer. “Baby, I need you too. So fucking much, I can’t think straight.”
She smiled as she stroked the backs of her fingers down my jaw. “Then stop thinking, Braxton. Make me yours.”
Nevaeh
Rough hands caught me by the hips and lifted me off my feet. On instinct, my legs wrapped around his waist, and I held on as he dropped down on the edge of the bed. “You are mine, Kitten. You always have been. From the first time I saw you blinking back at me on that damn Skype call.”
I pressed my hips down harder on his, only to have my breath catch when I felt his cock flex against my core. “Have you been mine too?”
His brow furrowed at my shy question. “You doubt it?”
“I…don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Please, just tell me.”
“Every second, baby. I have belonged to you in every way.” He cupped my face in hands that openly trembled, his callused thumbs rubbing over my cheeks tenderly. “I love you, Nevaeh Joy Stevenson.”
Tears instantly filled my eyes. I knew he wanted me, could feel just how much pulsing against my core right then, but to have him confess he loved me… It was surreal and earthshaking. “Brax,” I choked out, unable to hold back telling him exactly how I felt in return. “I love you too.”
“Baby,” he groaned, tipping my head back to meet his kiss.
The kiss didn’t last more than a few seconds before his lips released mine. Need blazed out of his dark eyes as he cupped both of my breasts in his hands, his thumbs rubbing back and forth over my diamond-hard nipples.
“I’ve dreamed of these,” he muttered. “I should be shot for all the things I’ve wanted to do to them.”
“Tell me.”
But he shook his head. “Not yet, baby. Soon, I’ll show you. But right now, I’m going to make love to you, not fuck you like an animal.”
Something deep inside me clenched, hard, and I felt my core gush. He must have felt the rush of wetness too, because he cursed almost violently, and suddenly, I was on my back and his face was buried between my breasts. “You’re perfect, you know that? So fucking perfect—and mine.”
I wanted to tell him no one could ever possibly be perfect, but his mouth engulfed my left nipple, sucking it against the roof of his mouth. I lost my entire train of thought, combing my fingers through his hair and holding him against me.
Whatever he was doing with his mouth, it felt so fucking good. I didn’t know my nipples were so sensitive, or that he could make me fall apart just by sucking and scraping his teeth over the engorged points. He moved from one nipple to the other, devouring them each in turn until I was mindless and incoherent, needing relief so badly from the pressure building deep between my thighs that I would have sold my soul for just a taste of it.
When he moved farther down my body, I whimpered my protest, but his lips left a damp trail in his wake until he reached my pelvic bone. Dark eyes looked up at me, silently asking me if this was what I wanted.
“Please,” I panted, feeling like I might pass out if he didn’t kiss me where I ached the most. “I hurt so bad, Braxton. Make it stop.”
“Ah, Kitten,” he groaned, his breath fanning over my wet folds. “You should have said you were in pain.”
“I… Oh God!” I cried out as he brushed his tongue over my pulsing clit and then sucked it between his lips. Stars flashed before my eyes, and I quickly clenched them closed, but they continued to burst behind my lids. I pushed my hips up, grinding against his face in search of fulfillment that was just beyond my reach.
Braxton thrust two fingers inside me, barely going deep enough to press against the barrier that proclaimed me as an innocent. That was all I needed before I was screaming his name. Everything inside me exploded and fused back together in a single instant, shattering and melding into place so rapidly I was sure I lost consciousness for a few seconds before reality set back in.
Gasping for breath, I opened my eyes to find Braxton pushing his basketball shorts down his legs.
Holy hell.
I had no idea how he was going to fit inside me without splitting me in half. He was so thick and long, I was sure he would spear right through me and pierce my heart.
He wrapped his fingers around his shaft, pumping himself up and down as he stood over me, the tip leaking thick, creamy liquid I suddenly had the urge to taste.
“I know you’re on the pill, and I’m clean, baby. There’s been no one since I lost my leg. But if you aren’t comfortable with me going bare—”
“I want to feel you,” I interrupted him, and his eyes became hooded.
Braxton climbed over me, supporting himself with one hand while he guided his cock to my entrance. The tip skimmed over my swollen clit, making me jerk in renewed pleasure, a weak moan leaving me as I spread my legs wider in an attempt to accommodate him.
We both gasped when the head of his cock pushed inside me. I felt him begin to shake as he thrust into me until he broke that thin barrier. Remorse filled his eyes when our gazes locked. “I’m sorry, baby,” he gritted out before pushing his hips forward and tearing through.
I bit my lip to keep from crying out in pain, but it quickly faded, followed by the most intense feeling of…fullness. I squirmed underneath him, but I couldn’t escape the feeling no matter how I shifted.
The entire time, Braxton remained completely still above me, letting me take as long to adjust to his invasion as I needed. I could tell it cost him. His jaw was clenched hard, sweat dripping down his face and chest, his breathing labored.
Lifting my hand, I cupped the side of his face. “It’s okay,” I assured him. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to cause you pain, Kitten.”
I shifted under him again, moaning at the delicious fullness now. “You feel so good, Brax. Please move.”
“Baby,” he growled. “You feel so fucking good. Nothing has ever been this good.”
I felt myself glowing under his words even as my body began to quicken with every thrust of his hips. I’d dreamed of this—one more first with the only man I’d ever wanted to have every first with—and reality was a million times better than any fantasy I’d had over the years.
He rocked his hips against me, his thrusts becoming harder, more demanding. I liked that he was losing control. That he couldn’t hold on to that superhero-like willpower of his that he must have been exerting for so damn long.
“Baby,” he growled. “I’m gonna come. Want you with me.” His thumb grazed over my clit, and suddenly I was hanging right on the edge again.
“Braxton!” I cried, my nails biting into his sides. “Harder, please. I’m almost… I’m going to… Oh fuck!”
His hips stopped as soon as my orgasm hit me, and he just held himself over me, watching as I fell apart for him while he was deep inside me. Panting, I looked up at him through my lashes, barely able to keep my eyes open after two powerful releases.
“Kitten,” he growled, his hips suddenly pistoning into me as if he had no control over his own body.
His cock became even harder and more engorged inside me, and with the next thrust, his entire body stiffened. Braxton threw his head back, a look of pure agony on his face as he bellowed, “Goddamn, Kitten,” and exploded inside me.
I felt him going off inside me, the liquid proof of his release filling me. It was hot and thick, and it felt so good, my entire body trembled with a mini orgasm.
Exhausted, he fell on top of me, his delicious weight pressing me deeper into the mattress. I stroked my fingers up and down his muscular back while he tried to catch his breath. But only a minute later, he was lifting his head, cursing himself for crushing me.
“Sorry, Kitten,” he murmured, turning onto his side and pulling me in close. Our naked bodies were still covered in sweat, and I shivered because the heat wasn’t enough to warm me after having his warmth blanket me moments before.
Reaching down, he grabbed the comforter and pulled it up over us. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly, kissing me tenderly. “Did I…hurt you?”
I quickly shook my head. “I loved everything you did to me,” I told him honestly, and I felt the tension release from his muscles.
Kissing me again, he tucked my head under his chin and let out a heavy exhale. “Which room do you want to make ours? This one is a little smaller than mine, but I’m okay with whichever one you want to stay in.”
I gasped in surprise. “You want us to share a room?”
I felt the vibrations of his deep laugh all the way to the tips of my toes, my nipples hardening instantly. “Kitten, you are mine now. I’m not sleeping anywhere but beside you from here on out.”
Everything inside me melted. A content smile lifted my lips, and I closed my eyes, welcoming sleep.
Nevaeh
I didn’t have a Monday class, so I slept in the next morning and then vegged out around the house all day. Having traveled so much my entire life, my body was used to it, so jet lag wasn’t something I suffered from. But after the weekend I’d just had, I was slow-moving and just wanted to curl up into a ball on the couch while eating comfort food.
Braxton stayed with me the whole time, and while it didn’t make the heartache I felt over my dad go away, it did make it easier to handle. I didn’t cry, but when it seemed like I was going to, he would distract me in ways that left me mewling like the kitten he called me.
By the time I left for my first class on Tuesday, I no longer felt like I was going to crumble at every single thought of Daddy and his illness. Like always, Braxton walked me to campus, and we stopped for coffee at the café. In the beginning, Braxton walking me to class had annoyed the hell out of me. It was as if he thought I was a little kid who needed a big, strong man to hold my hand and fight all my battles. But over time, I’d gotten used to it, and if I was honest, I’d grown to like it. Now that we were together, I was all too happy to let him be his normal alpha self and hold my hand while we walked to my classes.
With his hand at the small of my back, we approached the counter. “You want a muffin, baby?” he asked as he gave the guy behind the register our drink orders. Braxton knew my favorite, and I hadn’t even had to tell him what I wanted.
“Do they have any double chocolate?” I asked hopefully. I felt like I’d gained a good ten pounds from all the carbs I’d gorged on the day before, but I didn’t even care.
“There are two left,” the barista told him.
“We’ll take both to go,” Braxton told him and handed over his card.
I’d given up trying to pay for my own things a long time ago. In the past two years, I’d rarely had to use the cards my parents had given me because no matter what it was or how much it cost, Braxton always paid for my stuff. I’d felt bad about him spending money on me until he told me to just let him take care of me.
When he’d turned eighteen, he’d gotten his trust fund, and while I didn’t know how much that was, I knew he never had to work again if he didn’t want to. But he still worked for Seller Security, and he and Barrick had big plans for the company when Barrick finally took over from his stepfather. The cousins were going to become business partners, and I had faith the two of them would make a formidable duo in the world of security.
While he was getting our drinks and food, I walked over to an empty table and sat to wait. I didn’t check my social media feed often, but I’d ignored it for over five days, so I opened the app to see if there was anything going on with Arella or one of my many cousins. I didn’t expect them to keep me constantly up-to-date with what was going on in their lives, so I just let their social media tell me what was happening with them.
I wasn’t surprised to see the first picture in my feed was of my sister. It was who she was with that gave me pause. That along with the moon eyes she was giving Jordan Moreitti, who had his arm around her, grinning at the camera as they took a selfie on the beach.
Arella wasn’t boy crazy, which I had to give her credit for. Boys were the ones who got crazy over her. As beautiful and talented as she was, I didn’t blame them. But Jordan was older than her and, more to the point, a total player. Given that my sister was only sixteen and I knew Moreitti didn’t go for jailbait, Arella was only going to break her heart if she thought she had a future with Mia’s best friend.
Next in my feed, I saw the twins. I knew which one was Lyric from the way he grinned—it was more easygoing, whereas Luca’s was always full of mischief. Luca was sweaty, his hair plastered to his skull and forehead, obviously having just finished football practice.
He was on the defense; that was all I understood of his position on the team, and I really didn’t care to learn more about it. But he’d been offered a full ride to some college in Texas and several in the SEC. He hadn’t picked which one he was going to attend yet, but no matter what he chose, it was going to cause issues for him.
Lyric, however, wasn’t into sports. He was more artistic, and given his obsession with ink lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if he became a tattoo artist and opened his own shop one day.
In the background, I saw a group of cheerleaders eyeballing my twin cousins like they were pieces of meat, and I nearly rolled my eyes. It was Lyric’s post, and the caption was short: Feeling cute, might bang the whole cheer squad later. IDK.
Seeing the reactions below it, I wasn’t surprised at the eye-roll emoji my cousin Violet had commented with. Sighing, I kept scrolling until something caught my attention. My eyes scanned over the post, reading everything—twice—before it all clicked in my head.
It wasn’t Braxton’s post, but because he was tagged in it, I was seeing it in my feed. There was a picture of him in a tux, standing on some grand staircase with an older couple—his parents, from what I’d read. And beside them stood a beautiful blonde in a dress that would have rivaled any celebrity on the red carpet at the Grammys, diamonds dripping down her neck like melting ice.
She had dark blond hair that was pulled to the side in an elegant twist, her makeup expertly applied and showcasing her bone structure. Her brown eyes looked up at Braxton like he hung the moon, and I had to read the post again to make sure I hadn’t read it wrong.
Collins and Hamilton wedding scheduled for the post-Christmas season as the two families prepare for their new grandchild.
With the birth of Braxton Collins and Darcy Hamilton’s first child, the two dynastical families will become one formidable business empire. Braxton and Darcy are both only children and met in high school. The two have been engaged since their graduation four years ago, but plans were put on hold due to Braxton’s injury while serving in the Marines. Belinda Hamilton has hinted that her son’s upcoming nuptials will rival any royal wedding in history.
Heart pounding, I skimmed my eyes over the picture again. The ring on Darcy Hamilton’s finger was huge and flashy, something that made a statement and screamed for attention. I thought it was ugly and made her fingers look pudgy, but she didn’t seem to care as she gazed adoringly at her fiancé. Mr. and Mrs. Collins were beaming proudly at their son and future daughter-in-law.
I stood so quickly, my chair fell back with a loud crash, tears blinding me. Grabbing my backpack, I hurried toward the door.
“Kitten?” Braxton was still standing at the counter, waiting for our drinks.
I shot him a glare through my tears and continued toward the exit. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
Shaking my head, I pushed open the door without looking back. I couldn’t believe what I’d just read. There was no way Braxton was engaged to someone else. No, he just wouldn’t do that. He fucking wouldn’t. No way he would ask someone to marry him and then fly across the country to celebrate my birthday with me. Any more than he would cheat by making love to me.
Yet the picture spoke volumes. He looked remarkably like his father, but he had his mother’s eyes. And there was that ring and the blonde who couldn’t keep the stars out of her eyes. All of it posted by a legitimate news channel.
My heart was breaking. I couldn’t suck in a deep enough breath.
It couldn’t be true. Braxton wouldn’t do that to me. He knew how much I cared about him, how much I loved him, and how long I’d waited for us to be together. He would not break my heart like that.
Would he?
The fact that I even had to question it pissed me off. This on top of getting the news about my dad was too much, damn it. My heart couldn’t take any more of this shit.
Strong hands caught me around the waist from behind, stopping me in my tracks. Keeping one hand on my side, Braxton walked in front of me, his face tense as he met my gaze. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you storm out like that?”
Lifting my phone, I shoved the picture of him with his parents and fiancée in his face. “What the fuck is this?” I demanded, going on the offensive and watching his face as he looked at the screen.
His jaw clenched as he took my phone from me and groaned. “Fuck. I should have known it would get out like that. My parents don’t have social media, though, so I didn’t consider it.”
“Is it true?” I cringed when I heard the catch in my voice, hating that I didn’t sound stronger. My anger was already dying down, and the heartbreak was winning.
He cupped each side of my face in his hands. “No, baby. No. Of course it’s not true.”
“Then why is this a big story on a reputable news site? This isn’t fake news, Brax. It’s a legit site.”
Muttering a curse, he touched his lips to the corner of my mouth before pulling back so our eyes locked. “Because my parents want it to be true. They’re delusional if they actually think I’m going to marry Darcy, though.”
“Just who is Darcy to you anyway?”
His lips twisted in a pained grimace. “She was my high school girlfriend. And before you ask, yes, I did ask her to marry me back then. But I regretted it almost as soon as I did.”
“You loved her?” He shrugged, and jealousy twisted in my gut. “Do you still?”
“Fuck no!” he exclaimed, his hands dropping to my waist and pulling me closer. “I love you, Nevaeh. Listen to me. I don’t even think I ever loved Darcy back then. It was more infatuation and the fact that she was good in bed.”
My jealousy wasn’t getting any better with his explanation. If anything, I only wanted to rip Darcy’s hair out more and more with every word out of his mouth.
“When I lost my leg, she didn’t want anything to do with me, and I was relieved to be finished with her without having to break it off myself. I swear to you, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—going on between the two of us.”
His vehement denial calmed some of my doubts, but I was still hurt he hadn’t told me this had gone on at the party his parents had forced him to attend. Yet I understood why he hadn’t. I’d been a mess all weekend, so of course, he wasn’t going to unload all of that on me when I was dealing with Daddy’s illness.
“No secrets,” I told him, forcing myself to relax against him. “Promise me we won’t keep anything from each other. No matter how big or small.”
“No secrets,” he vowed, brushing his lips softly over mine. “I’ll tell you everything. Now, let’s go get our stuff so I can walk your fine ass to your math class.”
“Only if you tell me you love me again,” I murmured.
He brushed my hair back from my face, his dark eyes full of need and adoration. “I love you, Kitten. Always.”
Braxton
After leaving Nevaeh at the door to her class, I met Lyla on the edge of campus. She was helping me shop for Christmas because I sucked so royally at it.
She sat in the back of the town car, the driver one of the many guards her brother had hired from Seller’s after one of his other men had kidnapped Lyla and her stepdaughter, Josie. Getting in beside her, I tossed her the list of names I needed to buy for and leaned my head back against the seat with a groan.
“Saw the picture of you and that slore Darcy with Aunt Belinda and Uncle Miles,” she commented casually. “What kind of acid were those three on over the weekend? I mean, shit, do they actually think they can play with your life like that?”
“They need professional help, that’s for fucking sure. They are seriously delusional if they think I’m going to play along and marry that bitch. It’s already messing with Nevaeh and me. I hadn’t told her what happened at the party yet because of everything going on with her dad, and then she saw the picture in her social media.”
I’d nearly lost my mind when I’d seen her run out of the café with tears in her eyes. She’d shot me a glare, and I’d suddenly felt like I was gasping for air. When she’d shoved her phone in my face, I’d wanted to tear my parents and Darcy apart with my bare hands.
“That sucks. But she’s cool now, right? You two are okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, we’re good. She knows I wouldn’t marry Darcy even if they paid me a billion dollars.”
Lyla turned in her seat to face me. “I’m not worried about the wedding thing. It’s that she was talking about a baby. I mean, she knows better than to say shit like that if it’s not true. Yeah, okay, sure, she could say she had a miscarriage if it really came down to it. But what if she’s not making it up?” She frowned, pressing her lips into a hard line. “Maybe she really is pregnant and wants you to play baby daddy to this kid?”
I sat up straight, tension filling every muscle. “Ah fuck, Ly. What if you’re right?”
“I suggest you find out one way or the other, little cuz.”
“How the hell do I do that?” I asked with a groan. “It’s not like she’s going to tell me the truth if I point-blank ask her if she’s knocked up.”
“Well, I doubt any doctor’s office would tell you if she was a patient there or not because of HIPAA, so that’s out.”
“Fuck,” I muttered, scrubbing my hands over my face.
“Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out. I have an idea…” She trailed off, a devious grin lifting at her lips as she picked up her phone lying on the seat between us. “I’m going to need Mia’s help, though.”
Ten minutes later, we were picking up Mia and driving toward my parents’ house instead of the mall. Christmas shopping could wait, but finding out if Darcy was actually pregnant or not wouldn’t.
Mia was looking green as usual as she sat on the other side of Lyla. “This baby is really working you over,” Lyla murmured sympathetically.
“I’m never getting pregnant again,” she said with a moan. “I haven’t eaten in days. I’m lucky if I can keep down fluids.”
“Well, we will find you the best doctor and get you taken care of, my friend.” Lyla patted her on the shoulder as the driver pulled up in front of my parents’ mansion.
I didn’t particularly like Lyla’s idea, but it was the only one we had at the moment, so I had little choice but to follow along. Stepping out of the car, I walked around to help Mia out and kept close to her in case she tripped as we walked up the steps to the front door.
Lyla was already ringing the doorbell, and moments later, the housekeeper pulled the heavy door open with a welcoming smile. My father was at work, but my mother was always at home during the week. The housekeeper led us down to the library, where my mother was sitting with Julia Hamilton. On the table between them were wedding invitation samples and other things that made no sense to me, but they looked like they had to do with wedding preparation.
The housekeeper announced us, then left the room to retrieve refreshments while my mother stood, shock on her face as she crossed the room to greet us. “Darling,” she murmured. “What a wonderful surprise.”
I barely refrained from rolling my eyes, and I kissed her cheek. “Lyla and Mia couldn’t come to the party Friday night, and they wondered if you needed any help planning the wedding.”
I had to force myself not to spit the word “wedding” at her, instead giving her a tight smile.
“How wonderful, darling.” Turning with a beaming smile, she embraced Lyla then shook Mia’s hand. “It’s so good to see you again, dear.” Her eyes widened when she took in Mia’s sickly appearance and the sweat beading her forehead and upper lip. “Are you feeling well?”
Mia swallowed and gave my mother a grim smile. “Morning sickness is the devil,” she said with a weak laugh. “It’s not contained to just the morning, so I have it all day long.”
“Oh goodness,” Julia Hamilton exclaimed as she came over to join us. “Darcy had it for weeks until we got her in to see her OB/GYN. Isn’t that right, Braxton?”
My eyes widened at her asking me about her daughter’s morning sickness. How the fuck would I know when I hadn’t even seen her daughter in years up until a few days ago?
But it confirmed one thing.
Darcy was pregnant.
And apparently her mother thought I was the father.
What the actual fuck?
“I just found out that I’m pregnant,” Mia told her. “So I haven’t found a doctor yet. Would you mind suggesting your daughter’s?”
“Not at all.” Walking back over to the table, she picked up her phone and came back to us. “Here it is, dear. Tell them Julia Hamilton recommended you, and they will fit you in immediately.”
“Auntie Belinda,” Lyla said, putting her arm through my mother’s. “What can we help you with? I want to make sure Braxton’s wedding is perfect, and since he doesn’t have any sisters, Mia and I want to step in and help you with all the details.”
“That is so kind of you two, darling. Come and look at these beautiful invitations Julia and I are considering…”
For the next hour, the four of them talked about the wedding, and I had to grit my teeth and bite my tongue to keep from yelling at my mother that there wasn’t going to be a fucking wedding. Instead, I texted Barrick to ask him to pick up Nevaeh from her class and make sure she got to her next one safely.
By the time the girls made an excuse to leave, I was silently seething.
Darcy really was pregnant and using this wedding to push her unborn baby off on me. Did she really think she could get away with that and I would just fall in line with her plans?
Fuck that shit.
“We need to find out who the father is,” Lyla said as we rode back to the house. “I think we should put a tail on her.”
“Whatever. Just do it. I want to know everything she does ASAP before I confront her.”
Mia leaned forward to look at me over my cousin. “What do we tell Nevaeh?”
“Fuck,” I groaned, remembering my promise not to keep anything from her. But I doubted she would be happy to go along with Lyla’s plan for me to play excited groom for my mother and Julia Hamilton until I figured out the rest of Darcy’s game. With finals only a week away and her dad’s illness and upcoming surgery, I didn’t want to add more stress to her already heavy load. “Mia, what do I do?”
Her brow scrunched up for a moment before she blew out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t think we should tell her about any of this yet. She seems so fragile right now. I hate keeping her in the dark about anything, but after seeing how she was on the flight home and then yesterday…”
“Yeah,” I muttered, my gut twisting in dread. “After next week, we will be back in California until the holidays are over. I can tell her everything once she’s done with finals and has had time to chill for a few days.”
Both Mia and Lyla agreed it was the best plan for the moment, but even though it was mine, I wasn’t sure if it was actually the right thing to do. If Nevaeh found out I was keeping this from her, she was going to be pissed—and maybe hurt. Which I couldn’t fucking stand. No matter what kind of pain my kitten experienced, it drove me crazy. And if I was the one to cause that pain…
It would kill me.
Nevaeh
Mom taught me to cook from a young age. She loved it when my sisters and brother and I helped her in the kitchen. Of everyone in our extended family, I liked to think my parents and siblings were the closest unit. When I was a kid, they would take me everywhere with them, and even though Daddy had a crazy-busy schedule and they could have easily afforded a dozen nannies, they never used one.
Cooking was one of my favorite things to do, especially when I was missing Mom. Mia and the guys loved that I could and would cook for them. Otherwise, it was breakfast foods or takeout for every meal.
Pulling out the freshly baked cookies from the oven was like starting a stampede. I heard Braxton’s and Barrick’s feet stomping as they sprinted into the kitchen and grabbed themselves one before I’d even placed the tray of cookies on top of the stove.
“Fuck, if I didn’t love Mia so much, I would marry you, Nevaeh,” Barrick told me around his huge bite of scalding-hot cookie.
I laughed, because that was what he said every time I baked something decadent. Transferring the rest of the cookies to the cooling rack, I turned to find Braxton leaning against the sink beside the refrigerator. He was eating his cookie a lot slower than his cousin, which made me stop and take better notice of him.
By this point, he should have been working on his second or third cookie, despite their being so hot he would burn his tongue on the melted chocolate chips. He didn’t care, though, because he would wash them down with ice-cold milk and keep eating until either the cookies ran out or I took them away from him. Instead, he just stood there, barely nibbling on the first cookie that was rapidly cooking in his hand, a deep frown between his brows, almost as if he were in pain.
Concerned, I crossed to him and touched his forehead. “Are you feeling okay?” He didn’t feel hot, and his skin wasn’t pale. Yet I got the feeling something was seriously off with him.
He caught my hand and pulled it down so he could press my palm to the center of his chest. “I love you.”
Everything inside me melted. Stepping closer to him, I wrapped my free arm around his waist. Since the first “I love you,” he’d been saying it often, and every single time felt just as good as that first one. I was never going to get tired of him saying those three words. “I love you back,” I told him. “But that doesn’t explain why you are barely eating your favorite cookie.”
“Kitten, you’re my favorite cookie, and I would rather eat you than anything else.” With a heated, wicked gleam in his eyes, he stuffed the rest of his cookie into his mouth and swept me up into his arms. I barely had time to realize Barrick had left the kitchen before Braxton was carrying me to my room.
Our room, now that Braxton had moved his things in there. Sasha lifted her head off the bed when we walked in. “Sasha, out,” he commanded gently, and she slowly climbed off our bed and trotted out of the room.
Shutting the door with his foot, he carried me to the bed and set me down carefully. It was as if he thought I might break, and that made me smile even as he was lowering his head to devour my mouth.
“Love you so fucking much, Kitten,” he said with a groan as he started pulling off my clothes. “Never going to let you go.”
“Good.” That single word turned into a moan when he pushed my legs apart roughly and lowered his head. His lips latched on to my clit, and for a long, long while, he didn’t treat me like I was fragile at all.
Hours later, I lifted my head from his chest. He didn’t look like he was in pain any longer, but there was a pensiveness to him that told me he wasn’t completely with me in the postcoital blissfulness I was currently enjoying while he rubbed his callused fingers up and down my naked back.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, worried about him. Braxton didn’t go dark often, but when he did, he drew into himself. I hated the distance I felt him putting between himself and everyone else.
“Hmm?” Blinking a few times, he finally focused his eyes on me, and whatever he was thinking was shoved into a box, locked away from me. I didn’t want anything between us, but I would let him keep those deep thoughts to himself until he was ready to talk to me about it. I knew he didn’t like to talk about the accident that had cost him his leg, and I wouldn’t force him to relive it if he didn’t want to.
“Fuck,” he muttered, pushing my hair back from my face. “You are so beautiful, Nevaeh. Inside and out. Waiting for you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do but worth every second now that I get to hold you like this.”
“The hardest? Really? Even more so than your accident?”
He nodded. “Losing my leg was bad, baby. But the last two years, sitting beside you without getting to touch you the way I wanted, seeing your smiling face without being able to kiss these perfect lips, that was the worst kind of torture. In my heart, we have been together from the moment I saw you. We just had to wait before telling the world.”
Smiling happily, I dropped my head back onto his chest. “You keep calling me perfect, but I’m not. No one is.”
“You are,” he argued stubbornly. “And you’ll never convince me otherwise.”
Laughing, I snuggled against him more, wanting to burrow into him completely so that we were always connected. “Okay, I’m not going to try to change your mind anymore. I like that I’m perfect in your eyes.”
We stayed like that for several more minutes until I heard his stomach growl. Looking up at him, I grinned. “You’re probably all out of luck with the cookies. We left them unsupervised hours ago. Barrick no doubt finished them off long before Mia even had to go to work.” I stood up unashamedly, loving the way his breath hitched when he watched me walk to the closet to find something to wear. “Do you want me to make dinner or go out for something?”
“All I want is standing right in front of me,” he said, and I glanced at him over my shoulder. His dark eyes were on my ass, and I gave it a little shake, causing him to groan like he was in pure agony. “Kitten, come back to bed.”
Laughing happily, I pulled on a bra and then one of his shirts that was hanging beside mine. “No way. I’m starving. But after we eat, you can have all the dessert you want,” I promised with a wink.
“Compromise,” he said, sitting up. “I order pizza and whatever else you want. And you come back to bed until it gets here. Then, we eat in bed, and after, I get to enjoy as much of my dessert as I want all night long.”
My body turned hot with renewed desire at his suggestion. Glancing down at the T-shirt I’d pulled on, I shrugged and pulled it back over my head. Tossing the bra on the floor of the closet, I walked back to him and crawled up the end of the bed toward him.
His hungry gaze devoured me as I took my time until I was straddling his hips. “You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Collins. One I simply cannot refuse.”
Nevaeh
I walked out of my last final of the semester with a throbbing headache and an intense need for coffee and something decadent. Tests were normally nothing for me, but with all that was going on with Daddy, it took everything I had to focus on the exams.
My fingers felt chilled when I touched them to my temples as I stepped out into the snowy late afternoon. Braxton wasn’t waiting on me since he had his own finals to finish, so I headed straight for the campus café without glancing around for him. As I walked, I turned on my phone and thought about everything I still needed to pack for the trip home the following day.
PopPop was supposed to meet me at the airport since Mia wasn’t flying home until closer to Christmas. Luckily, she’d gotten an appointment with a reputable local OB/GYN the week before, and after a few days of following his advice, her morning sickness was starting to become manageable. I’d been worried about her, because for a few days, she hadn’t even been able to keep down liquids for long. Barrick took her to the emergency room at one point the day before she saw her doctor just for IV fluids.
After stopping at the café for a large cup of my favorite coffee, I walked home. It felt strange being without Braxton, lonely. I missed him even though I’d just seen him a little over two hours before, and I knew I would see him again by dinner. Thankfully, he was going to fly with me to California the next day, but he would be at Mia’s parents’ house instead of mine.
Mom knew I was with Braxton now, but neither of us had mentioned it to Daddy yet. I didn’t want to know his reaction to our new relationship, and I figured he would freak the hell out if I asked him if my boyfriend could stay with us—or actually sleep in my room.
By the time I got to the house, I already had my keys out. I was freezing despite the thick winter coat I was wearing and the hot coffee I was still sipping. Putting the key in the lock, I started to open the door when a car I didn’t recognize pulled up in the driveway.
Frowning, I watched as a blonde got out of the driver’s side. Her eyes skimmed dispassionately over the house before landing on me. Dressed in a black designer jumpsuit that showcased her willowy body and an open wool trench coat, she walked with grace in her gold heels despite the ice that was forming on the concrete walkway. I knew exactly who she was from the picture of Braxton and his parents taken the week before.
Darcy Hamilton.
Something darkened in her eyes as she came up the walkway toward me. “Hi, is Brax home, by any chance? I was supposed to meet him for coffee earlier, but he was a no-show.”
Pushing the door open, I dropped my backpack inside the house and turned to face her. “No, he’s taking his Communications final. Would you like me to give him a message?”
She stopped only a few feet from me, thrusting her hands into her coat and glancing over my shoulder like she expected Braxton to pop up behind me at any moment. “Yeah, you can tell him to call me. We have a lot to sort out before the wedding next month.”
“You’re delusional,” I told her, my anger spiking rapidly. “There is no way in hell he is going to marry you. He’s with me.” My phone started ringing, and I pulled it out of my pocket. Seeing it was my mom, I answered it. “Hey, Mom—”
“Did you finish your final?” she asked, her voice sounding strained.
“Yes. About thirty minutes ago.” Darcy shifted, distracting me. “You should leave,” I told her, pulling my mouth away from the phone. “Before I call the cops. Although having your crazy ass committed sounds appealing as hell right now.”
“Nevaeh, I need to tell you something,” Mom was saying in my ear while Darcy pulled an elegant envelope out of her pocket and thrust it toward me.
“Here, since you don’t believe me about the wedding, take a look for yourself.” She pushed it against my chest when I just glared down at it.
“Nevi, honey, something happened this morning. Daddy…” I suddenly realized Mom’s voice was full of tears even as my fingers folded around the envelope.
Feeling as if I was having a weird out-of-body experience, I listened to Mom telling me that Daddy was in the hospital and that his surgery was being moved up. That as soon as they got him and Uncle Shane prepped, they would be doing the transplant.
While I heard it all, I felt the tears start to flow because I wasn’t there to tell Daddy I loved him before he went into surgery. I opened the envelope with fingers that trembled and pulled out a wedding invitation.
“Braxton and his cousin Lyla picked out that invitation with my mother and his last week. I think Mother even said his cousin’s pregnant fiancée was with them and agreed this was the perfect invitation for our wedding.” She smiled coldly, making me want to scratch up her pretty face. “You can keep that, sweetie. Brax and I would just love it if you could make it.” She turned to walk back to her car but paused at the end of the walkway. “And no worries about you being with him. I don’t mind sharing him. All guys have a mistress these days, right?”
Lifting her hand, she gave me a small wave and, still laughing, walked to her car.
“Nevaeh, sweetheart.” Mom’s voice penetrated my mind as Darcy pulled out of the driveway. Her voice was so full of emotion, I doubted she’d heard or even realized I’d had company. “Aunt Emmie has sent a car for you, and it will be there soon. Don’t worry about packing anything. Mia will bring your things when she comes. Just grab your ID. You’re on the first flight home, and it leaves in less than an hour. Someone from security will meet you at the entrance to the airport and escort you to the gate so you don’t have to worry about missing your plane.”
Closing my eyes, I sucked in a deep breath and tried to pull myself together mentally. There would be plenty of time later to digest what Darcy had just told me. For now, I had to get to the airport and home. I didn’t remember half of what Mom said, so I didn’t know why Daddy was having emergency surgery, but I did know my family needed me a hell of a lot more than Braxton did.
“Baby, please say something. You’re starting to scare me,” Mom cried.
“Tell Daddy I love him,” I choked out, each word feeling like it was being torn from my throat. “Give him a kiss for me. Tell him…”
What? Not to die?
Tears poured from my eyes at that horrible thought, and I choked back a sob. “Tell Uncle Shane I love him too.”
“I will, honey. And you know they both love you. Just be strong, my baby. Everything will be okay.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Mom,” I told her and hung up before I completely broke down. She didn’t need to hear me sobbing like a shattered little girl when she already had so many other things to worry about.
Crumpling the wedding invitation in my fist, I reached back into the house for my backpack. It had my wallet in it, and apparently, that was all I needed. As I shut and locked the front door again, a black sedan pulled up at the end of the driveway. A man in a suit stepped out, sympathy on his face when he saw my tears.
“Miss Nevaeh Stevenson?” I nodded numbly as I quickly walked toward him, and he opened the back door for me. “I’ll get you to the airport, Miss Stevenson. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
Nodding mutely, I climbed into the back seat and shoved the wedding invitation into the backpack with my books. Scrubbing a hand over my damp cheeks, I texted Mom that I was on my way to the airport and I would see her as soon as I could.
Braxton
As soon as the plane touched down and they let everyone disembark, I was running. It hurt like fucking hell because I didn’t have my running blade on, but I didn’t care about the physical pain.
All I could think about was that my kitten had had to make the flight to California all on her own while worrying about her dad. She must have been scared out of her mind, and I wasn’t there to hold her, to tell her it was all going to be okay. She was so upset about everything going on that she hadn’t even texted or called me.
I’d gotten out of my final earlier and turned on my phone, to find Mia had blown up my messages, telling me what was going on.
Drake Stevenson had woken up in agony and vomiting uncontrollably. Lana rushed him to the hospital, where the doctors said they needed to do the surgery immediately, not to wait for the date they had originally planned. Nevaeh’s Uncle Shane was told to go straight to the hospital so they could prep him. Thankfully, it was so early he hadn’t had breakfast or even coffee yet. Otherwise, they would have had to wait. The surgery would take anywhere from four to eight hours, depending on complications, and by the time I’d gotten Mia’s messages, both men had already been in the operating room for over an hour.
Once I knew what was going on and that Nevaeh was already on her way, nothing could have stopped me from getting to California. Luckily for me, Mia’s mom was some kind of miracle worker who predicted everything, and she already had a car service waiting for me just off campus to take me to the airport. A ticket had been sent to my phone, and I was escorted straight to my gate when I got there. I had an hour wait, but at least there were no connections for my flight, so I got there as quickly as possible with no delays.
Running out of the airport, I saw a driver holding up a sign with my name on it, and I sprinted toward him. The man had the back door of the town car already open by the time I got to him, and I jumped in, telling him to move his ass.
As I wiped sweat off my brow, I pulled out my phone and tried to call Nevaeh again. Her phone had been off earlier, so I’d left a message telling her I loved her and would be there as soon as I could.
Now, her phone rang and rang, but she didn’t answer. Figuring she was with her mom and the rest of her family and not paying attention to her phone, I sat back and closed my eyes. My leg was already throbbing, but I blocked out that pain, hoping both Drake and Shane made it through this.
Traffic was total hell, and it felt like it took hours to get to the hospital. I texted Emmie when the driver said we were only ten minutes away, and there was someone waiting for me when he pulled up at the back entrance. There had been flashing cameras and news vans in the front parking lot when the driver passed it. It was one of Seller’s men and Harris Cutter, who greeted me with a handshake when I stepped out of the car.
“How are they?” I asked as we hurried inside before any stray vulturous paps pounced on us.
“We got news when they took part of Shane’s liver that he came through it easily. He’s still in recovery right now, though, and they will only let Harper back to see him, but everything seems to be good on his end. We haven’t had any news about Drake yet, though.” He pushed the elevator button, and it opened immediately.
“And Nevaeh? How is she holding up?”
He pressed his lips together for a moment before he blew out a heavy sigh. “I’ll have to let you determine that for yourself, man. She seems…off.”
Off? I didn’t know what the fuck that meant, but I kept my mouth shut as we rode up. When the elevator opened a few moments later, there were four more of Seller’s men standing at attention. One moved forward, asking for my ID.
Knowing the drill, I produced it and got a chin lift in acknowledgment when he realized who I was. One day, I was going to be this guy’s boss, but that day wasn’t this one.
Harris led me down a short corridor to a waiting room where two more security men were standing. Inside, the room was almost full to capacity yet eerily quiet, almost as if everyone was afraid to speak.
I scanned the room until I found Nevaeh. She was sitting with all three of her sisters, her little brother sitting on her lap. The two youngest sisters each had their heads on Nevaeh’s shoulders, while Arella clutched at one of her hands. None of them were crying, although there was proof they had done plenty of that from their swollen, red eyes and tear tracks down their cheeks.
I moved toward them. As I approached, the younger four all lifted their heads, giving me grim smiles, but Nevaeh didn’t move so much as an eyelash. Her gaze was trained straight ahead, her face completely devoid of…everything. There was no emotion, no signs of life in her eyes. If she hadn’t been breathing, I would have thought she was a beautiful mannequin.
“Braxton,” Lana stopped me before I could reach my kitten, with a chilled hand to my arm.
Seeing the tears that still filled her eyes and the lack of color in her face, I hugged her.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered when I pulled back. “Something is wrong with Nevaeh. All she’s done since she got here is sit there. Like she is now. She hasn’t moved. She hasn’t spoken, not one word. I don’t know if it’s shock or what, but this isn’t good for her. I can’t get her to drink anything or to eat.”
I glanced over Lana’s head. Nevaeh’s sisters were all whispering something to her, but she didn’t seem to hear them.
“Take her for a walk. She needs to cry or scream or hit something.” Lana grimaced. “She just needs to come back to us because I can’t breathe right now, thinking I might lose her on top of everything else…”
Hearing the hitch in her voice cracked my heart open, and I gave her another hug, promising I would take care of her daughter.
Crouching down in front of the five siblings, I gave Damien a tight smile. “Hey, little dude.” I bumped fists with the eight-year-old. “Maybe you can sit on Arella’s lap for a little while so I can take your sister for a walk?”
He nodded and jumped down. The movement didn’t even budge Nevaeh. She still sat there, staring at nothing, her eyes unblinking behind her glasses. Heavenleigh and Bliss shook their heads at me.
“It’s like she’s a statue,” Bliss murmured quietly. “She’s seriously starting to freak me out.”
I took both of Nevaeh’s hands in mine. Feeling how cold her fingers were, I started rubbing them. “Hey there, Kitten.”
She jerked at my special name for her. Her head moved, and she finally blinked, focusing on her surroundings. Shifting her gaze from left to right, she took in the room and all her relatives. Then she looked down at me, and heat filled those blue-gray depths.
“No,” she bit out between clenched teeth, and my heart dropped into my stomach. “I don’t want you here.”
It was my turn to jerk, her words like a physical blow directly to my solar plexus. When she tried to pull her hands from mine, I tightened my hold. “Kitten—”
“I said no!” she screamed and jumped to her feet, forcing her hands from mine. “Get the hell out of here. I don’t want to see your lying face. Not now, not ever.”
Everyone in the room seemed to move in around us, but they didn’t intervene. I stood, trying to reach for her, but she slapped my hands away as two huge tears fell from her eyes. Seeing her tears, I felt my own eyes begin to sting. “Baby, I’m so sorry you had to fly here on your own. If I’d known what was going on, I would have been with you, I swear.”
“I’m glad you weren’t with me,” she spat, pure venom in her words. “Why would I want a cheater like you anywhere near me?”
“What are you talking about?” I demanded, reaching for her again. “You’re out of it, Nev. Baby, you’re just in shock. Come here. Let me hold you.”
“Stay the hell away from me,” she raged. “Don’t touch me. Don’t even speak to me. Ever.”
She shoved me, and I was so surprised, I actually took a step back just as she moved away from me and ran toward the door. But before she could open it, a man in sweat-soaked scrubs and a surgical cap walked in. She stopped when he glanced around the room. Her eyes were huge and full of fear when she looked at him, as if she thought he was the grim reaper or something.
“Mrs. Stevenson?” the doctor called out, and Lana practically sprinted to him.
He took her hands in both of his and gave her a reassuring smile. “Everything went beautifully. I couldn’t have asked for a better surgery. He came through it with no complications. And as long as he remains stable, you can see him in about an hour.”
Everyone in the room collectively released their held breaths. I saw Nevaeh begin to sway, and I rushed toward her, my arms going around her as her eyes completely lost focus and she fell against me, unconscious. I lifted her into my arms easily.
Lana and Emmie appeared on either side of me while the doctor checked the pulse at her wrist. “She’s okay,” he said after a tense moment. “I think the relief of getting good news just messed with her blood pressure a bit.”
Even as he spoke, Nevaeh moaned in my arms. I kissed her brow, and she opened her eyes. For a fraction of a second, she frowned. “What happened?” she whispered.
“Honey, you passed out.” Lana tenderly brushed her daughter’s hair back from her face. “But we got good news. Daddy is going to be okay.”
Her face lit up, then crumpled when she looked at me. “Let go of me,” she seethed.
“Not happening,” I told her calmly.
“Wanna bet?” She lifted her head and looked for someone over my shoulder. “Luca. Lyric. Make him put me down.”
The two identical beast-like eighteen-year-olds stood without question and marched toward me. I only tightened my hold on Nevaeh. I didn’t want to fight anyone during this emotional family moment, but I would kick both their asses if they tried to take her from me.
“Whoa there, killers,” Emmie said, cutting off the twins before they could get to me. I wasn’t surprised they stopped in their tracks. I was pretty sure she could have told a charging bull to stop and it would listen to her. “Back to your seats,” she commanded. “And, Luca? Try to get Violet to drink something. She hasn’t had anything since Harper went to sit with Shane.”
He nodded as the two of them both returned to their seats. Picking up Violet’s hand, he murmured something to her, and she gave a weak nod. He passed her a bottle of water, which she put to her lips and took a small sip.
Emmie turned her focus on Nevaeh next. “Sweetheart, you have been like a zombie from the moment you got here. We all understand that, but you aren’t making any sense right now. If something is wrong, you have to tell me so I can make it all better. Okay?”
“What’s there not to make sense of?” she demanded, her beautiful face a mask of anger and hurt, making it impossible for me to draw a deep enough breath. When she hurt, I hurt. I wanted to make it all go away, but she was pissed as hell at me. “Braxton’s fiancée showed up at the house with their wedding invitation. An invitation your daughter helped him pick out.”
Ah fuck.
I didn’t know how or when she’d found out about the invitation, but I knew I needed to start explaining. If she would listen. My promise not to keep anything from her was broken, but I had to get her to hear me out.
“Kitten,” I began. “It’s not what you think. I’m not marrying her.”
She snorted and struggled in my arms, but I held on to her easily, refusing to let her go, terrified if she did get out of my arms somehow, I would never get her back into them. “Maybe you should tell that to Darcy, then.”
“He isn’t,” Emmie tried to tell her. “I’ve been helping him sort out the publicity side of everything for the past few weeks. I promise you, Nevaeh, he is not marrying Darcy Hamilton.”
The fight suddenly drained out of her, and that scared me more than when she was struggling to get away. She was giving up, blocking me out. I could practically feel the walls slamming down between us, blocking me from her and her heart. “Whatever. I don’t even care right now. I just want to be away from him.”
Nevaeh
The numbness I’d felt since getting on the plane earlier was gone now. I wanted it back. All the emotions that were running riot through me were causing the mother of all headaches, and I wanted to turn them off.
I wanted to feel nothing, think nothing…be nothing.
It was too much. Daddy’s emergency surgery and finding out my boyfriend planned on marrying someone else, that he’d even picked out their damn wedding invitations, broke something in me. I lost Braxton, and then there was the very large possibility that I could lose my dad…and it hurt so damn badly that I couldn’t think. The moment Darcy handed me that wedding invitation, part of me shattered.
I blocked out everything. My senses shut off, and for a while, I couldn’t hear, see, feel, taste, or even smell anything. I was just floating somewhere in my head. It was dark there, but quiet and oddly peaceful. There was no lying, cheating boyfriend. My dad wasn’t sick or possibly dying. Nothing could touch or hurt me.
Then I heard it.
Kitten.
So tenderly spoken, with love and kindness. The complete opposite of the man he’d been hiding from me—along with his fiancée and all the other lies he’d fed me. How could I have been so wrong about him? How could I have been so stupid as to trust him?
Whatever spell I’d cast over myself broke, and it all came flooding back with a vengeance.
Feeling someone shift beside me, I slowly turned my head. It was only Arella readjusting Damien on her lap. He was eight and already getting tall, but we all babied him and he didn’t mind letting us. On the other side of Arella sat Jordan Moreitti, and I honestly didn’t know when he’d arrived. I didn’t know when anyone had shown up or if they had been there already when I’d gotten there. I didn’t remember anything after taking my seat on the plane earlier.
On my other side, sat Bliss and Heavenleigh. I was thankful they surrounded me. That meant Braxton couldn’t get close.
He hadn’t left. I could feel his eyes on me, and despite refusing to look his way, I knew exactly where he was in the room. He was sitting in a chair in a corner, Mia’s brother Jagger beside him. That was where he’d been since Aunt Emmie had told him to put me down. Something he hadn’t done right away. It took her using her fire-breather voice before he carried me to the chair I was in presently and then took his current seat on the opposite side of the room from me.
That had been over an hour ago. Mom had been escorted back to see Daddy just a few minutes before, promising us all that she would tell him we loved him. I understood why only one person was allowed back to see him for now, but I wanted to go with her. Needed to see with my own eyes that the doctor hadn’t been lying. That he was really okay. Breathing.
Someone crouched down in front of me, and it took me a moment before my eyes finally focused on Lyric. Grasping one of my chilled hands in his much bigger one, he pressed a cup of something hot into it then guided my other hand up so I was holding it with both. “It’s hot chocolate. It’s all I could find in the cafeteria that I figured you would drink. There isn’t a coffee shop in the building, and Aunt Emmie has declared martial law, so we’re kind of trapped and can’t go across the street to Starbucks.”
“Thanks,” I told him weakly and lifted the cup to my lips. It tasted slightly bitter yet overly sweet, but the heat dethawed my insides a little, making me shiver. “Why is it so sweet?”
“I added a few extra packets of sweetener,” he said sheepishly. “Figured you needed a sugar rush.”
“Um, yeah. Thanks.” I took another sip, grimacing at how sweet it was, then shrugged and tossed back the rest of the contents. It was hot as hell and burned my mouth, but I welcomed the pain.
Lyric’s mouth fell open when I handed him the empty cup. “Are you okay?”
“That’s debatable,” I told him honestly. “But I’ll live.”
Leaning forward, he lowered his voice. “Give me the word, and Luca and I will fuck him over, Nevi.”
Knowing he and his twin would burn the whole place down if I asked, I shook my head. “No. It’s not worth it. But thanks anyway.”
“Mia and Barrick are downstairs,” I heard Jordan saying to Arella.
Stiffening, I stood. “I need the bathroom,” I told Lyric. “Where is it?”
“I’ll show you,” he offered. He put his arm over my shoulders, guiding me out of the room and down the hall to the bathrooms.
I forced myself to take my time, needing to be away from Braxton’s pleading eyes—and yes, hiding from Mia for a little while. I couldn’t believe she would betray me like she did, yet for some reason, I didn’t doubt what Darcy said about Mia helping Braxton and Lyla pick out the wedding invitations with his mom.
I stayed in the bathroom so long, Lyric opened the door enough so he could ask if I was okay. Grimacing, I washed my hands and walked out, knowing he wouldn’t let me hide in there any longer.
But when I stepped out of the bathroom, Braxton was standing there with Lyric, Barrick and Mia right beside him.
I glared at my cousin when she started to step forward to hug me. “Don’t even talk to me, Mia. I’m not in the mood to hear your excuses.”
She gasped as if I’d hurt her, but I couldn’t have cared less. She’d broken my heart just as easily as Braxton had. I thought we were close, family. And if nothing else, I knew family was always supposed to have your back. I didn’t want to see her or even hear her voice.
“Nevaeh,” she pleaded. “I didn’t tell you because of your dad. You’ve been so upset that I was afraid—”
“Yeah. Great excuse. Use Daddy’s illness to hide the fact that you were helping my boyfriend plan his fucking wedding.” My laugh was cold, without an ounce of humor. “Thanks for that. Good to know where your loyalties lie.” Walking around them, I headed for the waiting room.
“Nev, I’m so sorry,” she called after me, tears thickening her voice.
I jerked around to face her. “Take your apology and go fuck yourself, Mia. You and me? We are no longer family. From here on out, stay the hell away from me.”
“Nev—” she sobbed, holding out her hands toward me.
I stepped back. “You cry so prettily, Mia. But your tears don’t affect me. I’m done with you.” I looked at Braxton. His jaw was clenched hard, his face tense and pale. In that moment, I loved and hated him. But I hated myself more. I’d let him break my heart. I’d given him that power over me. And when he gave me that bullshit explanation about the picture of him, Darcy, and his parents, I’d believed him without question. Really, I had no one else to blame but myself. “Both of you.”
Lyric stepped between us, his hands raised like a referee calling for a time-out. “Okay, let’s all just calm down for a second here. You two are hard to keep up with at times. So, Mia helped Braxton here pick out his wedding invitations? But Braxton is Nevaeh’s boyfriend?”
“Don’t act cute, Lyric,” Mia snapped at him. “Yes, to both. We had to find out if Darcy was actually pregnant or not…”
I felt all the blood drain from my face at the same time Mia trailed off and then pressed her lips together. Barrick muttered something to her I didn’t hear, but I was more focused on his cousin.
“You’re going to be a father?” I choked out, turning eyes that burned to Braxton.
“No!” He lifted his hands pleadingly as he took a step toward me, but I quickly backed up, putting more distance between us. “Kitten, I swear to you, I’m not the father.”
Shaking my head, I kept walking backward, my tears blinding me. “I don’t believe you. How could you keep any of this from me? I thought you loved me.”
“I do,” he rasped. “Baby, I love you more than anyone. You are my other half, the fucking reason I even get out of bed in the mornings. Please, just listen to me. I can explain everything if you will give me five minutes.”
“Why?” I cried. “So you can lie to me more? Feed me more bullshit? You promised no secrets, that we would tell each other everything, and yet you kept something as major as this from me. You lied.”
“Kitten, you were so distraught over your dad, I didn’t want to add more stress on you. I was never going to marry Darcy. It was just an idea Lyla came up with to find out if Darcy was pregnant like she was telling everyone.” I made a distressed sound, causing Lyric to move closer to me protectively. “She is, but it’s not mine. I swear on everything I love and hold dear, I’m not the father of her child. Fuck, baby, I hadn’t even seen her in years until the night of my parents’ party.”
“Then who the hell is the father?” I demanded, unsure if I believed him or not.
“I don’t know yet. I’ve had a tail on her for the past week to see what he can find out about her.” He moved closer, but I grabbed Lyric’s arm and used him as a human shield to keep Braxton away. I could barely see him over my cousin’s shoulder, but I was sure everyone in the hospital heard his feral growl, and for a moment, I actually worried about Lyric’s safety. “Goddamn it, Nevaeh, let me touch you. I can’t stand this distance between us. I’m not marrying Darcy. I’m not the father of her baby. You are the only woman I love, and right now, you are ripping my fucking heart out.”
The pain in his voice only made what I was feeling that much more intense, but I refused to give in.
“Having Darcy show up at our door, finding out you were keeping shit from me, that tore my heart out, Braxton!” I yelled at him over Lyric.
“Hey, hey, hey!” I stiffened at the sound of Mom’s voice and clutched even tighter at my shield. “Why are you screaming out here?”
I turned to face her. When I saw her ashen face and the tears on her cheeks, my knees went weak. “How is he?” I asked, my breath coming out in gasps.
Her eyes went to everyone before they landed on me, and something softened in her tense face. “He’s in pain but good. He told me to tell you how much he loves you.” Then she looked at everyone else again. “Mia, I think you should take your friends back to your house. This isn’t the time for whatever is going on with you guys, and I won’t have Nevaeh more upset than she already is. That is only going to stress Drake out more.”
“I agree,” Uncle Nik announced, coming out of the men’s room. The look on his face told me he must have heard everything. There was something dark in his expression as he looked at his daughter. “After the hell you’ve put me through for keeping everything from you two years ago, I’m surprised you would keep secrets from anyone, Mia. Least of all from Nevaeh.”
“This isn’t like that at all,” she told him with a stubborn lift of her chin. “I just wanted to protect Nevaeh.”
“Yeah, and that was what I was doing with you, but that whole situation ruined our entire relationship, didn’t it?” He walked around Braxton and Lyric and put his arm around my shoulders. “Now, whatever you have to say to each other can and will wait until later, Mia. For now, take your ass home and stay there.”
Nevaeh
No one but Mom was allowed to see Daddy for the rest of the night. The doctor wanted him to rest, and depending on his pain level the next day, we would get to see him then.
Mom and Aunt Harper both decided to stay, but they wanted us kids to go home and get some rest. Luca took Violet and Mason home, and one of Aunt Emmie’s security team drove me home with Bliss, Heavenleigh, and Damien. But it was Jordan who drove Arella home. I didn’t even want to know what was going on there. She was too young, and he was nothing but a player. My sister was going to get her heart broken by him, but I didn’t have the energy to argue with her over it.
At home, I made a snack for everyone and then went to take a shower. I felt drained, but when I lay down a short while later, I couldn’t get my brain to turn off, so I just stared sightlessly at my ceiling in my darkened bedroom. The house felt too quiet, empty without Mom and Daddy there.
My phone went off, and I reached out blindly to grab it off the side table. Lifting it, I saw it was a text from Braxton and debated the pros and cons of throwing my phone against the wall. But in the end, I just dropped the damn thing back onto the nightstand because it was my only method of immediate contact with Mom. If something happened to Daddy in the middle of the night and she couldn’t reach me…
I heard the door open, and I lifted my head off my pillow to find four shadows sneaking in. “Come on,” I told them and pulled back my comforter. Patting the bed beside me, I waited until all four of my siblings climbed in before covering us all up.
Damien was the one snuggled up against me, with my three sisters squished up behind him. It was only a queen bed, not made for five people, least of all my squirmy as hell siblings. The mattress protested when Bliss and Heavenleigh twisted and turned until they found a comfortable position.
Despite feeling like hell, I found myself smiling and kissed my baby brother’s brow.
“Daddy’s really going to be okay…right, Nevi?” I wasn’t surprised by the question, but that it was Arella asking it made my heart ache. She was always so confident, so strong like Mom, that I sometimes forgot she could be just as vulnerable as me.
Reaching across the other three, I caught her hand and linked our fingers together. “Yeah, he’s going to be fine,” I told her. The truth was I didn’t know, but my heart wouldn’t let me tell her anything but what she—what we all—really needed to hear.
“PopPop said Dad loves Mom so much, there was no way he’d die,” Damien said, then yawned loudly. “PopPop said Dad would just make a deal with the man on the other side to come back, and if that didn’t work, he’d fight his way back to Mom. Because nothing can keep them apart. Not even death.”
“Sounds like something Daddy would do,” Heavenleigh said with a choked laugh.
“I want that,” Arella said wistfully in the dark.
“What?” Bliss asked, sounding confused.
“Someone who loves me so much, he’d fight anything to hold on to me. Even death or God or whatever else stands in his way.” She sighed heavily, and I heard her shifting. “I want someone to love me like Daddy loves Mom. Endlessly. Deathlessly.”
“Me too,” I whispered.
I’d thought for an all too brief time I’d found someone who loved me just like that. Someone who would put me above everything and everyone else. Who might spend his life cherishing me and our love. Someone who actually needed me.
But then he showed me differently.
A stray tear leaked from the corner of my eye, and I quickly scrubbed it away. I’d thought I was all cried out, but two more tears fell over my lashes. My heart ached, wanting something I knew I would probably never get.
Beside me, Damien began to snore, making my sisters and me laugh quietly. He could sleep anywhere, during anything, and for that, I was kind of jealous of the little brat.
One by one, the others followed Damien into slumber until it was just me awake. Feeling restless, I carefully untangled myself from my brother and tiptoed to the door. Downstairs, I made a pot of coffee and then opened the fridge. It was stocked full of groceries, and I started taking out the fresh herbs and vegetables I would need for homemade chicken noodle soup.
I wasn’t sure what Daddy’s diet would consist of the next few days, but I did know he loved the soup Mom made. She’d taught my sisters and me how to make it when we were little. I would make a big pot of it and then take some to the hospital later for both Daddy and Uncle Shane.
After putting a pot full of a whole chicken with garlic and herbs on the stove to start to simmer, I began chopping carrots and celery to go in it. I was so focused on what I was doing that when I heard a firm tap on the back door, I squealed in fright and nicked my thumb with the knife.
“Sonofabitch,” I cried, grabbing for a paper towel even before walking over to the back door.
It was very early in the morning, just after three, but I wasn’t worried it could be one of the paparazzi or even a deranged fan of my dad’s at the door. For one, we lived in a secure gated community. No one got in without getting by the four guards that manned the gates at all times.
But when I opened the door, I quickly took two steps back when I saw who stood on the other side. “Go away,” I snapped at Braxton.
He crossed his arms over his massive chest, his dark eyes hooded as he glared down at me. “What the hell are you doing answering the door without even asking who it is? It’s three in the morning. I could have been anyone here to hurt you. Damn it, Nevaeh! You have no awareness of your own personal safety.”
“I knew it wasn’t anyone here to hurt me, asshole. I figured it was one of my aunts or uncles checking on us. Or someone from Seller’s security, making sure I was okay since the kitchen light was on.” Pissed, I started to shut the door in his face, but he caught it before it could close and pushed his way into the house.
His gaze went to the stove where I was cooking, then back to the paper towel I had pressed to my thumb. “What happened?” he growled when he saw the blood staining the paper towel. He reached out to grasp my hand, but I quickly moved away, going to the sink to rinse the small wound.
“You scared me, and I cut myself,” I told him over my shoulder.
“Fuck. I’m sorry, Kitten.” I felt his heat right behind me a second before he was clutching my arm and lifting my hand to inspect the injury. It was barely anything and it sure as hell wouldn’t need stitches, but the way he was looking at it would make anyone think I was about to lose an appendage or something. “Does it hurt?”
“It just stings a little. I’m fine, Brax. Stop fussing. I’ll live.” Pulling my hand away, I walked over to the drawer where Mom kept a small first aid box. After putting a smear of antibiotic ointment on the cut, I pulled out a bandage.
Braxton took it from me and opened it, then carefully wrapped my thumb. When he was done, he lifted my hand and kissed the bandage. He closed his eyes, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled and exhaled deeply. I wanted to look away, but my eyes reverted to him every time I tried. His handsome face twisted, making him look like he was in agony, and my heart clenched at the sight.
“Why are you here?” I choked out after nearly a full minute had passed.
“I couldn’t sleep without you,” he murmured, and his eyes finally opened. “I only meant to check the outside of the house to make sure you were safe, but then I saw the kitchen light on and smelled something cooking.”
“I’m making homemade chicken noodle soup for Daddy and Uncle Shane,” I told him and moved back to the stove and chopping board. I finished cutting up the vegetables and tossed them into the pot with the chicken. Returning the lid to the pot, I set a two-hour timer and turned back to face the man who was making Mom’s huge kitchen feel claustrophobic.
“It smells delicious already.”
“Thanks,” I muttered lamely. Walking over to the coffeepot, I pulled down two mugs from the cabinet above it and filled one before handing it to him and then making a cup for myself. I should have been demanding he leave, but even though my heart was aching and I was pissed as hell at him, part of me didn’t want him to go.
He shifted, and I saw him grimace. I knew his leg was hurting him, so I moved to the kitchen table and sat, knowing he wouldn’t unless I did first. As expected, he took the seat beside me, and I heard his relieved exhale.
“Did you bring your pain meds?”
“No, but Mia remembered to pack them when she grabbed my things for me.” I flinched at the sound of her name, and he muttered a curse. “We really were just trying to protect you, baby.”
“By keeping me in the dark about what was going on with you?” Tears filled my eyes, and I tried to blink them back, but they fell anyway. “Do you really have so little respect for me that you don’t even want to tell me major things that happen in your life?”
“Fuck, Nevaeh,” he said with a groan and reached for my hands. Lifting them, he kissed each palm. “Of course I respect you. I love you.”
“I really don’t know what to believe anymore. You swore it was all just in your parents’ heads and that you would never marry Darcy. You promised no secrets. Then she showed up at the house with an actual wedding invitation, saying you and Mia helped her mom and yours pick it out.” I shook my head, causing more tears to spill over my lashes. “I was blindsided, Braxton. I had Mom on the phone, telling me about Daddy. And I still don’t remember what she said because I was so focused on Darcy, who was tearing my heart out of my chest. She said…” I sucked in a deep breath. “She said she didn’t mind if you kept me. That every guy has a mistress.”
He muttered something vicious and cupped my face in both his hands. “Listen to me, baby. Just listen. Yes, Mia and Lyla went with me to my parents’ house. My mom was home and there with Darcy’s mom, Julia. They were looking at wedding invitations and other shit, and my first instinct was to tell them to pack all of it up and toss it in the trash. But I had to find out if Darcy was pregnant.”
Remembering Mia saying Darcy was pregnant hurt all over again. I closed my eyes and tried to pull away from him, but he kept his hands on my cheeks and leaned in closer, brushing his lips over the tip of my nose. “Yes, she is pregnant, but I swear I haven’t touched her. We hadn’t seen each other in years, baby. That’s the God’s honest truth. From the day I first set eyes on you, no one else existed for me. No one.”
I wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t allow myself to trust him. I’d given in easily the last time, and I refused to make the same mistake again.
“I know I broke my promise to you about no secrets, and I’m sorry. But you were so torn up over Drake being sick, and I didn’t want to add more stress to you.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “Once I knew what was going on with Darcy and how I figured into her plans, I was going to tell you everything, baby, I swear.”
Clenching my eyes shut, I sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it. Scooting my chair back, I moved so he wasn’t able to touch me and stood. “If you want to stay, you can take the couch. I would say you could have my bed since there is no way I can sleep, but Arella and the others are sound asleep in my room.”
“Baby, tell me you believe me,” he commanded in a voice raspy with emotion.
“I don’t know what to believe right now,” I told him honestly. “And even if I did believe you, you broke your promise. How do I know you won’t do it again and again? I thought that what we had was special. That you loved me the same way I love you, but you’ve shown me just how wrong I was.”
“No! I’m sorry I broke my promise. So fucking sorry. If I could go back and change it, I would. But I can’t.” He stood and reached for me, but when I flinched, his face paled and he dropped his hands. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, Nevaeh. Baby, please. I need you.”
A sad laugh escaped me, and yet another tear spilled down my cheek. “You don’t need me, Brax. If nothing else, I do know that much.”
“You don’t know anything right now,” he exploded angrily, frustration and devastation pouring off him in waves. Scrubbing his hands over his scruffy jaw, he walked across the kitchen then jerked around to face me. “This whole thing with your dad has gotten your head turned upside down. You’re hurt and pissed, but you’re not thinking straight.”
“Stop using my dad’s illness as an excuse for everything!” I yelled at him. “You fucked up, Braxton. You kept this from me. You broke my heart. None of this has to do with Daddy being sick or having surgery or anything else. It’s on you and no one else.”
“Baby, we can work this out. Just give me a chance. I’ll fix this. P-please, Kitten.”
When his voice cracked, my heart shattered a little more. I wanted to hug him, tell him it was all going to be okay, but we both knew that was a lie. It wasn’t okay. Nothing between us was now, and it never would be again.
Braxton
My eyes burned with unshed tears as I watched the love of my life stumble back and then take off running.
Away from me.
Unsteady on my feet, somehow I made it back to the table and slumped into a chair before putting my head in my hands and letting the tears fall.
I was losing her.
She was right. This was all on me. I’d fucked up royally, and now I had no clue how to fix it. But I needed the chance to try. Because I couldn’t live without her. I didn’t even want to consider the possibility.
The tears kept falling, but I didn’t wipe them away. I couldn’t even move, frozen in place by the fear that I’d lost the only truly good thing I’d ever gotten to call mine. I sat there for a long time, just crying and trying to come up with a solution to fix what I had broken.
The timer on the stove finally stirred me, and I got up on autopilot to turn off the alarm. Behind me, I heard someone coming into the kitchen at the same time my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket as I turned to watch Nevaeh cross toward me.
“This is Braxton.” I answered the phone without checking to see who it was first.
“Brax.” Lyla’s strained voice filled my ear, and I immediately went on alert. A look at the digital clock on the stove said it was after five in the morning Pacific time, which meant it was after eight in Virginia.
“Lyla?” I strained to hear anything in the background, worried about my cousin. Then I realized she would have called Howler before me if she were in danger since she knew both Barrick and I were on the West Coast. “What’s wrong?”
“The tail you put on Darcy just dropped off a file since Barrick told him you were unavailable. I looked at it… I know I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t stop myself. And I kind of wish I hadn’t. I can’t unsee what I just saw.” She was rambling, and that was completely unlike her, so I knew it must be something that had really upset her. “Ah fuck, I wish I could unsee that shit.”
I felt Nevaeh’s gaze and looked at her. Her face was pale, her blue-gray eyes swollen and red-rimmed, telling me she’d been crying for a while. Yet her brows were lifted, concern on her face for my cousin.
Clenching my free hand into a fist to keep myself from reaching for Neveah, I tried to focus on Lyla. “Ly, maybe you should just tell me what you can’t unsee, sweetheart. You’re kind of rambling right now and not making much sense.”
“Yeah, okay.” She sucked in a deep breath then released it slowly. “Okay,” she said again. “So, the guy tailed Darcy for the past two weeks and finally caught her meeting up with the man I’m assuming is her baby daddy. Ugh. It’s so gross, Brax. Like, I seriously want to vomit right now.”
“Lyla!” I snapped. “Just fucking tell me.”
“She met up with your dad, Braxton. There are pictures, lots and lots of pictures of them in compromising positions—although he’s kind of agile for such an old man. Still, gross.”
“Wait…” I muttered, trying to keep up with her. “My dad? As in, Darcy is fucking my father?”
“Fucking. Dominating. Making him her bitch. Whatever you want to call it, it looks like that’s what is happening in these sick pictures.” She made a gagging noise, but I was too stunned to tell her to chill.
Darcy and my father.
Which meant Darcy was pregnant with my little brother or sister.
That was so fucked up.
If Darcy had gotten her way, she could have pretended her lover’s child was mine since my dad and I looked similar. We could have the same blood type, share DNA.
And they were both trying to pass it off as mine. Trying to fuck up my life because they’d screwed around and now Darcy was knocked up.
“Brax? You still there?” Lyla’s voice finally penetrated my rage-filled fog.
“Yeah, Ly. I’m here.” I scrubbed my hands over my face, the lack of sleep and my aching leg finally weighing down on me.
“What do you want me to do with this intel? I can have it overnighted to you, but honestly, you don’t want to see your dad being that flexible.”
I looked at Nevaeh again, and everything inside me just turned off. I didn’t care that my dad was fucking my ex. I didn’t care what they did or how they figured this shit out. Let them deal with their own problems, because the only thing that mattered to me was holding on to Nevaeh. “Burn it. Use it as wallpaper. Do whatever the hell you want with it. I don’t care anymore, Ly. I’m done with this shit. It’s not worth it.”
“Worth what?” she asked curiously. “You sound weird. Is everything okay? Fuck, I just realized the time difference. Did I wake you up?”
“No, I was already awake.” I blew out an exhausted sigh. “Do what you want with the intel, Lyla. I’ve got more important things to deal with.”
“Are you sure I can do anything with this?”
I grimaced. “Yeah. Whatever you want. Just don’t involve me, because I’m done with it all.”
“Okay, then. I’ll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing at fuck-early in the morning on the West Coast. And if you need anything, Brax, anything at all, just call.”
“Thanks. Later, Lyla.”
“Bye, cuz.”
Dropping the phone on the counter, I leaned back and watched Nevaeh as she took the carrots and chicken from the pot. The chicken was left to cool while she put the carrots in a pan and added a little butter to sauté them with some chopped onion.
“Everything okay with Lyla?” she asked over her shoulder as she turned the burner to low heat before starting to shred the chicken. All while not looking at me once.
“I had a tail on Darcy to find out who her baby’s father is,” I told her, and I saw her shoulders stiffen. “Turns out, it