Chapter Twelve #3
Floored by how quickly he’d thought this all through, she watched him go to the door and pull it open.
He didn’t step outside to greet his brothers.
He stood in the doorway, his arms crossed, his piercing blue eyes darting back to her, then to the hallway.
She didn’t know about his brothers, but she couldn’t imagine anyone making her feel safer than Zander did.
As he and his brothers talked in hushed voices, she quickly tried to pick up the rest of the mess and hoped Brian hadn’t gotten himself tangled up with people who were that dangerous. But she knew she had to get him help before it was too late. No matter what the cost.
She was doing dishes when she heard Zander and his brothers come inside.
“Hey, Angel,” Zander said.
She closed her eyes briefly against the nickname.
She’d gotten used to it. She even liked it, but she worried his brothers might think it meant something other than the girl who had saved his life.
But that was insignificant compared to what they were up against. She shut off the faucet and tried to calm her racing heart as she turned to greet them.
Zander stood between two big, ridiculously handsome, dark-haired men wearing black leather vests over T-shirts and jeans.
“Hi,” she said, hoping they couldn’t hear how nervous she was.
“Shauna, this is Blaine.” Zander hiked a thumb at the guy to his right, who looked like a tough version of James Marsden.
Blaine nodded curtly. “Nice to meet you.”
He was the one who’d been shot. He looked like he wasn’t afraid of anything. “You, too.”
“And this is Zeke.” Zander motioned to the other guy.
The mother hen could have been Zander’s twin, but with shorter, darker hair and more-serious eyes.
Zeke smiled, and that was different, too.
It was a nice, friendly smile, but it lacked the edginess of Zander’s.
“It’s nice to finally meet the woman who saved our brother.
” He glanced at Zander for only a few seconds, but the affection lingered in his voice as he turned back to her and said, “Thank you for helping him.”
“I’m glad I was there to help.”
“And we’re glad to have a chance to return the favor,” Zeke said. “We’ll take good care of your friend.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry Zander roped you into this, and I’m sorry I brought trouble to his doorstep.”
“He didn’t have to rope us in. That’s what family is for,” Blaine said.
Zeke nodded in agreement and clapped a hand on Zander’s shoulder. “It’s a refreshing change from this guy bringing the trouble.”
Zander shrugged him off and said, “You didn’t bring trouble, darlin’. That’s not your burden to carry.”
He and his brothers asked about the people she and Brian used to hang out with, none of whom lived nearby, and the places Brian used to go for drugs. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since then. His brothers were kind and concerned and, thankfully, not judgmental.
Afterward, Zander said, “Why don’t you grab enough clothes for a few days so we have time to figure this out, and then we’ll take off.”
She didn’t argue. They obviously had a plan, and she was grateful as she headed into her bedroom to pack.
She grabbed her uniforms, workout clothes, and a few other outfits.
When she grabbed a handful of underwear out of her dresser drawer, she uncovered the certified letter.
Her stomach twisted. She didn’t want to bring Zander further into her mess, but she felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff with Brian, and if she didn’t do something fast, she was going to lose him.
She stuffed the letter into her bag and finished packing.
On the way back to Zander’s cottage, he stopped and bought a big bottle of her favorite French vanilla creamer, while she struggled with the decision she thought she’d already made.
Their friendship felt like a miracle, a gift that was almost too good to be true.
She didn’t want to jeopardize it by asking for more, but if ever there was a time to ask for help, it was now.
“How are you holding up?” he asked as they drove away from the convenience store.
“I don’t know. I’m overwhelmed, confused about what to do, and relieved that you and your brothers are willing to help, but I’m sorry for interrupting your lives.”
“You didn’t interrupt our lives. You’re a welcome addition to them.”
“Yeah, right,” she said sarcastically. “It’s okay to say I’m a pain in the ass. I feel like a freeloader.”
“You’re not a pain in the ass. You’re going through some shit, and we’re happy to help. Besides, there’s not going to be any freeloading going on at my place. If you think you’re just going to walk around looking pretty, you’ve got another thing coming.”
“What does that mean? I told you I’m not having sex with you,” she said flatly.
“Who said anything about sex? I’ve seen what you can do with tiles. I’m going to put your sexy ass to work.”
Sexy ass? Nobody had ever called her sexy.
She tried to ignore the flutter that flattery caused.
They were quiet the rest of the way to his place.
When he turned onto his gravel road, she was hit with an unexpected wave of relief.
The kind of relief she’d once found coming home to her and Brian’s rental cottage, when it had been the one place she could let down her guard and relax.
As they neared the house, a man came into view leaning against a post on the porch, and she gasped.
“It’s okay,” Zander said. “That’s my brother Maverick, and that mountainous man coming around the side of the cottage is my cousin Tank. They go by their road names. They were keeping an eye on the place.”
She exhaled with relief as he parked. “When did you have time to coordinate all of this?”
“I was texting Zeke when you got to Brian’s. I told him what was up, and then he put the word out. We’re used to this. It’s what we do.”
“Like the Mafia?” She’d never seen anything like this.
“No, darlin’. We’re better than the Mafia.” He grinned. “We’re Dark Knights.” He threw his door open. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to two of the greatest men you’ll ever meet.”
As they climbed out of the truck, she saw two motorcycles parked by the trees on the other side of the house.
Zander put a hand on her back as his brother and cousin met them halfway to the front door.
They were rougher-looking than Blaine and Zeke.
Maverick had a mop of dark hair, a trim beard, and ice-blue eyes.
He could definitely pass as a blood relative of Zander’s, while Tank had Shauna’s nerves pinging.
She thought Zander and his brothers were big, but Tank was enormous, with coal-black eyes and matching hair and beard.
Every visible inch of him was tattooed, and he had piercings in his nostril and his ears.
“Hey, Mav,” Zander said, and they gave each other a quick one-armed embrace. Then he and Tank did the same. “Thanks for watching out for the place.”
“No problem,” Maverick said, tossing a smile and a nod to Shauna.
“Gunner and Colonel are set to relieve Zeke and Blaine tomorrow afternoon if you need them,” Tank said in a deep, gruff voice.
“Thanks, man.” Zander turned to Shauna and pressed his hand to her lower back, settling her nerves a little as she processed how much they were doing for them. “Guys, this is Shauna.”
“Hi. I’m sorry for all of the trouble tonight,” she said.
“It’s no trouble, sweetheart,” Tank said. “Keeping you and your friend safe is all that matters.”
“It’s in our blood. Hang around Zan enough, and you’ll realize he shows up for us and anyone else who needs it, too,” Maverick said. “In any case, it’s nice to meet you, Shauna. Thanks for dragging this guy’s ugly ass out of his burning car. We’d’ve been lost without him.”
“No truer words,” Tank said.
It was nice to see they admired Zander as much as he did them.
“You guys can take off,” Zander said. “I’ve got it from here.”
“You sure?” Tank asked. “You want to get some rest? We can take shifts out here, and I can cover you tomorrow, too, if you have to work.”
“I appreciate it, but we’re good. Go home to your wives and babies.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Maverick glanced at Shauna and said, “Let me give you a reason to smile. I’ll show you my little girl.” He whipped out his phone so fast, she didn’t have time to respond.
As Maverick showed her pictures, gushing about Marybelle, his adorable chubby-cheeked, blue-eyed, almost-two-year-old daughter with wispy brown hair and a smile that melted Shauna’s heart, Zander said, “Dude, Shauna’s had a rough night. Give her a break.”
“Let’s go, braggy daddy.” Tank grabbed Maverick’s sleeve, dragging him away, and Maverick tried to get Tank to look at the pictures.
“Sorry about that,” Zander said.
“It’s okay. He’s obviously proud of her, and it was nice to see something happy tonight. I still can’t believe all of those guys showed up just because you asked them to.”
“Really? From what I’ve seen, you’ve been doing the same for Brian forever,” he said as they headed inside.
“I guess I do.” Gathering her courage like a cloak, she said, “I’m scared for him. I’m afraid he’s going to end up lying in a ditch somewhere or overdosing again.”
He closed and locked the door behind them and said, “I know you are, darlin’.”
“Earlier, when I asked if your offer still stood, I didn’t mean your offer for me to stay with you. I meant, are you still willing to lend me the money for Brian’s rehab and marry me so I can pay you back?”
“Oh,” he said, his brow furrowing.
“If you’d rather not, I understand,” she added quickly. “I know it’s a crazy idea, and you’ve done so much already.” Now she felt stupid for thinking he meant it. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll find another way.” She headed for the guest room.
“It’s not a crazy idea,” he said.
She turned around to see if he was kidding, but he looked dead serious. “It kind of is.”
“Not to me,” he said as he closed the distance between them. “I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out how to convince you to let me help, and I keep coming back to the same damn answer. If you won’t let me lend you the money, then the only hope Brian has is if we get hitched.”
“Really?” She could barely breathe. “What about your family? They’ll think you’re nuts.”
“They already think I’m nuts.”
“But after everything they did to help us tonight, you’d risk upsetting them to help me?”
“This isn’t about them. I want to help you, and I want to do this.
I think it’s what I was meant to do. I could’ve died in that accident.
What are the chances that you’d pull me, the guy who drove you home and said something that changed your life years earlier, out of a burning car?
” He took her hand, lifting it between them, his gaze lingering on the tattoo.
He brushed his thumb over the number four, and then his eyes found hers, and he said, “Think about it. My accident was on the thirty-first. Three plus one is four. I don’t believe in fate, or at least I didn’t, but do you know what today is? ”
“Thursday?”
“It’s Friday morning, Angel. April fourth.”
“And April is the fourth month of the year,” she said incredulously. “You’d really do this for me?”
“Without a second’s hesitation.”
“Thank you.” Overflowing with gratitude, she threw her arms around him, tears stinging her eyes.
His arms circled her carefully, holding her below the spot where she’d hit that frame on the wall. “I told you I’d always have your back, bestie.”
She smiled as she stepped out of his arms. “You’re one hundred percent sure? Because I think we need to move fast. I don’t know how long it will take to find a rehab center to take him, and I want to pay you back as quickly as possible, so we probably need to tie the knot quickly, too.”
“We’ll figure it out. If we can’t find one on our own, we’ve got some connections through the club I can reach out to.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that. Your family has done enough. But you have to promise that if you wake up tomorrow and change your mind, you’ll tell me. I won’t blame you or be mad. I’ll figure something else out.”
“I’m not changing my mind.” He cocked a grin. “I’ve got no problem being your sugar daddy.”
She smiled. “You are not going to be my sugar daddy.”
“Is that offensive? Sorry. You can call me your trophy husband.”
She crossed her arms, staring him down, but it was hard to keep a straight face when he was flashing that coy smile. “More like a temporary pretend husband I’m hiring to help me out of a bind.”
He cocked a brow. “Are we talking silk bindings?”
“Zander, I’m being serious.” A laugh slipped out despite herself.
“So am I. If I’m going to be your husband, I want to make sure I fulfill all of my husbandly duties.”
She planted a hand on her hip. “We’re not having sex, so get that thought out of your head.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind—”
“I won’t.”
“Hey, I’m just giving you a hard time. I’m happy to help, and I don’t expect you to sleep with me.”
She sighed. “I know you don’t.”
“But I’ve got to be honest. I knew what you meant when you asked if my offer was still good back at your place.”
“You did? Why didn’t you say so?”
He cocked a grin. “I wanted to hear you ask me to marry you.”
“Zander.” She smacked his chest, but she had to laugh, because she’d already learned that that was Zander. He had a way of making the heaviest times feel lighter. “Do you have any idea how hard that was for me to ask you?”
“Yes, but now you’re smiling, so it was worth it.” He narrowed his eyes. “Even if your smile is a little diabolical, like you’re considering hitting me for real.”
“I should hit you.”
“You’re a feisty one.” He waggled his brows. “I like it.”
“Good night, Zander.” She headed for the guest room.
“Nighty-night, almost wife.”
She glowered over her shoulder, and he blew her a kiss.
What have I gotten myself into?