Say You’re Ours (Why Choose Duet #2)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER

ONE

ISLA

“Stop it!” I ordered, barely hanging on by a thread. “Nothing will get worked out if you two get into it again!”

Julius was too far gone. He didn’t give a shit. He moved me aside and got right in Kraven’s face.

“You shameless fuck! I trusted you! I don’t know you at all, do I? Because the brother I thought I knew would’ve never betrayed me!”

“The second you left, she became fair game.”

Ugh…

This wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Julius roared, “You took advantage of the situation, you shit!”

It was obvious this was becoming Julius’s breaking point. And mine too.

Kraven held his head up higher, maintaining his sturdy composure and not surrendering for even a second. At that moment, they were no longer brothers, and I hated that more than anything.

Especially when Kraven bit out, “Love doesn’t leave, Kitty. At least I’d never leave you. Not when I’m in love with you, too.”

I grimaced, and so did Julius.

Hearing him confess those words wasn’t something I ever expected from the brother who once hated me.

How did we get here?

Maybe this was always a part of our destiny. It was never about loving one more than the other. It was about realizing I never had a choice in the matter. Our fates were entwined long before I truly understood what that meant for us and the future that awaited.

“Kraven,” Julius snapped, his tone implying something more sinister. “You just want what’s mine.”

I jerked back while Kraven didn’t hesitate to shove him. “Fuck you!”

“Please stop!” My hands flew to my head as I backed away, crying. I was losing my shit now. “I can’t do this.”

I spun to leave, defaulting to flight. It was what I knew, but they both grabbed my arms and held me in place.

Julius warned, “You don’t get to run from this.” With a growl from deep within his chest, he refused to back down. “I’m only going to say this once, so you better fucking listen. If you think another man will raise my kid, then you have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

Kraven glared at him. “Ditto.”

“Don’t fuck with me,” Julius threatened.

Kraven went toe-to-toe. “The truth hurts, doesn’t it?”

Cocking his head to the side, Julius vowed, “She was never yours to claim, little brother.”

This was when all hell broke loose.

“I wasn’t your little brother when I was fucking her doggy style on the stairs.”

Which was all it took for me to instantly place myself between them with my hands on their chests. “NO!”

Julius fisted his hands at his sides. He couldn’t look at Kraven anymore. Though when his heated glare quickly shifted toward me, he was unable to look at me either.

Slowly, he retrieved, muttering, “I can’t believe this. How is this happening?”

“Julius—”

He raised his hand, stopping me. “I’m so sorry, Isla. This is all my fault.”

But it wasn’t all his fault. It was mine too, and even Kraven was to blame. We all played our part in this baby growing inside me. As if he read my mind, Julius pressed his hand over my stomach, and I sucked in a breath.

Little by little, he backed away. He had to, or he’d kill his own brother. I could see it in his menacing stare.

With one last intimidating regard, Julius scoffed, “This isn’t over, Kraven.”

Following Julius’s lead, I backed away as well, simply expressing, “I’m so sorry,” to both of them.

Life was all about moments, and this was one of them.

Our lives had spun full circle when Julius announced, “Nothing hurts more than the woman we love…”

Kraven adds, “Loving someone else in the same way she loves you, too.”

Tears streamed down my face. They were inevitable, and I wore them proudly.

Together, they confirmed war when they both stated, “We’re yours.” In seconds, they pleaded in a breathless tone, “Now say you’re mine.”

I cried out, stumbling back. It was just too overwhelming. Before I could consider the consequences of their words, Julius stood up and left. I just stood there in a state of shock, unsure of what to say, what to do, how to feel.

Kraven broke the silence between us, confidently acknowledging, “You know it’s my baby.”

Talk about a shot to my heart.

I locked eyes with him. “Actually, no, I don’t, and neither do you.”

In one stride, he completely disarmed me by placing his hand on my stomach.

“It’s not about knowing,” he coaxed. “It’s about feeling, and I can feel my baby growing inside you.”

The only armor I had to defend myself was my words. I stepped back. “Stop it.”

“Stop what exactly? Telling you the truth?” Out of nowhere, he spoke with conviction, “I don’t regret it. Not for a second.”

“Kraven—”

“You’re the first girl I’ve ever given a damn about, Isla, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.” He allowed his confession to linger for a second. “Let me remind you that Julius left us for weeks. Is that the kind of father you want for our baby?”

“Stop saying it’s yours, Kraven.”

“Then let me prove it to you and get blood work.”

“You think I didn’t request that? The doctor suggested I wait until ten weeks.”

“How far along are you?”

“Somewhere between six and eight weeks. The doctor could only give me an estimate because my cycles are all over the place.”

“Isla—”

“Kraven…” I softly spoke, needing to make myself crystal clear. My tone may have been low, but my emotions were high as I made my own confession to him, admitting, “I don’t know if I want to keep this baby.”

His gaze went wide. He was willingly showing me his turmoil without booze or drugs, having to lower his guard for me. I guess you could say I finally got through his icy demeanor.

He firmly shook his head. “You don’t mean that.”

I answered with all the certainty in my heart. “I’ve never meant something more in all my life.”

“Isla—”

“I’m eighteen, Kraven. I can barely take care of myself. I have no job, and I barely have a place to live. A baby needs a home… and I don’t have that for them. Do you understand me?”

“Isla, this is your home.”

“Interesting, considering it seems to be your brother’s and your hell.”

“Yeah, well,” he challenged with assurance. “I guess you’ve turned it into heaven for us.”

It was my turn to stand my ground. “I can’t do this right now.” With that, I did what Julius and I had in common.

I fled.

Kraven didn’t try to stop me. He let me go.

For the rest of the day, I couldn’t help but think about my mom, contemplating whether this was the situation she found herself in at my age.

Is this why she gave up on me? Was she young like me? Terrified like me? Did she think I’d have a better life without her?

The irony in that…

I wanted to drift away and pretend this wasn’t happening.

How could I let this happen in the first place?

I was smarter than this.

Now I was just another statistic.

How foolish am I…

I never considered becoming a mother or having a family. It simply wasn’t in my deck of cards. I hated myself for doing this because I knew better. The disappointment I felt in myself wasn’t anything I had ever experienced. Despite my upbringing, I always tried to do the right thing.

I sighed, feeling the weight of my actions piling on top of me. It was when I noticed my hand rubbing my stomach. I sought comfort from the child I didn’t know whether I wanted to keep.

Nightfall came all too quickly. I must have been in a daze or dissociating to the extreme because I spent most of the day staring at the ceiling in Julius’s bedroom.

I swear the next thing I knew, it was dark out, and I was still aimlessly looking at the ceiling as if it were caving in on me.

All of a sudden, the nightmare I’d been waiting for occurred in the blink of an eye. Police sirens blared down the street, reminding me of the train that tore through town.

I hate that fucking train.

Everything happened so fast.

A swarm of cops invaded my safe space, searching for what I assumed was me.

I thought the police had finally found me, and the second they stormed through the door, Kraven shielded me behind him like he thought they were there for me, too.

I almost confessed right then and there, ready to beg for mercy and explain it was an accident.

However, it became evident they weren’t there for me at all.

“Police! We have a warrant to search the property.”

All too soon, we figured out it was a drug raid in the only home I’d ever known.

“We’re looking for Julius Knightly,” one of the officers announced. “Does he live here?”

We nodded as the other officers started ransacking the house.

The same cop asked, “Is he here right now?”

Kraven answered, “No.”

“When’s the last time you saw him?”

“Earlier today,” Kraven replied.

I seemed to have lost my voice again. I’d been in this situation before, but this time, it was much different.

This time, it was personal.

Finally, the proof of how Julius was making so much money came to light.

And it was catastrophic.

I watched them invade our haven like it meant nothing. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours, until we heard Julius from the driveway, shouting, “What the fuck did he do now? Goddammit, Kraven!” We knew this moment would change everything between us.

As soon as Julius got out of his car, officers ran toward him. I watched it all unfold through the living room window, unable to move. My feet were glued to the floor beneath me.

“What did Kraven do now?” Julius yelled.

One of the officers grabbed Julius’s hands and pulled them behind his back.

“Julius Knightly,” he confirmed, and the rest played out in slow motion. “You’re under arrest for possession with intent to sell.”

My blood ran cold as my legs carried me outside, Kraven beside me.

The officer continued, though Julius paid the cop no mind, too consumed by me.

I was bawling my eyes out. The boy I loved, the one who saved me, the possible father of my baby, was being arrested in front of me like he was one of the monsters of the houses I was placed in. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

Julius?

I immediately felt guilty for the simple fact that I knew he was selling to provide for us.

Shutting my eyes, I turned around, seeking some sort of comfort from Kraven, or I’d crumple to the ground. I couldn’t remain upright. I had to use him for support. He held me up in his arms, hugging me so tightly against his chest, aware I was ready to break…

Or maybe I already was.

Especially once I realized I was in the arms of the guy who called the cops on his very own flesh and blood.

His brother.