Chapter 31 #2
Bailey dragged me back inside before Axel could start telling stories about hot hookups with Dalton.
The chaos had shifted into a sort of organized hustle now.
Side dishes sat on the table, wafting delicious, mouthwatering scents through the house.
I spotted green bean casserole—my personal favorite—along with yams topped with marshmallows, mac and cheese, which was apparently Axel’s favorite, and the traditional staples like mashed potatoes and stuffing.
Holden had transferred the turkey onto a baking sheet and was slicing and transferring cuts of meat onto the platter.
The doorbell rang.
“Oh, that might be my brother,” I said.
“Or Knight,” Emory said.
I headed to the door, Bailey behind me. When I opened it, Aiden and Knight were both on the porch. I’d interrupted some sort of conversation.
Aiden whipped his head forward with a smile. “Hey, Flynn!” He swayed forward to hug me. “And Bailey. Good to see you again. Are you keeping this guy out of trouble?”
“Please, he’s the one keeping me out of trouble.”
Aiden stepped into the house and hugged Bailey, too. “Yeah, my brother’s a good guy. He’s too hard on himself.”
“That’s the truth,” Bailey said. “But don’t worry. I’m working on that.”
Aiden grinned. “I knew I liked you.”
As they headed into the house, Knight stepped inside. “That’s your brother, huh?”
He had a strange expression on his face. “Yeah. Sorry. I should have done introductions, but you seemed like you’d met?”
“Oh, not officially,” he said. “Just got here at the same time. Said hello. You know how it is.”
“Uh-huh. Well, let’s go make the formal introductions with everyone.”
I led him to the large eat-in kitchen, where everyone was gathering around the table.
“Hey, everyone, this is Aiden, Flynn’s brother,” Bailey said. “He’s studying to become a doctor, so he’s way smarter than all of us.”
There were a few chuckles.
Bailey introduced each of his brothers, then turned to me and Knight. “And Knight is in the Redemption Road program with Flynn, so you’ve probably met him.”
“Flynn has told me a lot about you,” Aiden said, his tone almost challenging. “I thought you’d be older.”
“Thanks,” Knight said dryly. “He told me about you too. I thought you’d be younger. Or maybe less blond.”
Everyone laughed. Aiden shrugged. “Different fathers.”
His gaze shot to me, regret in his eyes. I gave a small headshake to assure him it was okay. We had to live with our history, but we didn’t have to dwell on it. We also couldn’t avoid mentioning our parentage in every conversation.
“Let’s sit down,” Holden suggested as he sat the platter of turkey in the center of the table. “I’m starving.”
Knight’s eyes landed on the dish full of jalapenos. “Ooh, what are those?”
“Appetizers. Help yourself as we all get situated.”
Knight grabbed two, and I snagged one as I rounded the table with Bailey because I didn’t want to miss out on what he’d made. I popped it into my mouth as we took our seats.
The sweetness of the cream cheese muted the spice of the jalapenos, and the savory bacon balanced it all out. It was deliciously gooey in my mouth.
“Goddamn,” Knight said. “That’s good.”
Aiden watched him pop another one into his mouth and lick his lips. When he caught me looking, he turned to me with a smile.
“So, Bailey made those?”
Ah, that’s why he was watching. He was curious about my boyfriend. Understandably. “He did. I knew I’d bagged a hot mechanic, but I had no idea he was good in the kitchen too.”
Bailey snorted. “My brothers and I all took turns making dinner.”
“Get ready for a lot of garbage plates,” Gray said. “That’s his favorite thing to make.”
Bailey shrugged. “One-pot meal, hot and tasty. What’s not to love?”
“Amen, brother,” Axel said. “Your burger-bacon-noodles concoction is delish.”
“Not as good as all this looks, though,” Bailey said, glancing around the table. “Thanks for making all this food.”
“Everyone contributed,” Holden said. “For which I’m thankful. How about we go around the table and all share something we’re thankful for this year before we eat?”
“Good idea,” Shiloh said with a soft smile. “I’m incredibly thankful to have met Holden and to be welcomed into this family.” He pressed a hand over his chest. “No one has made me feel more loved in my life.”
“Aw,” Emory said. “Ditto. Except, you know, meeting Gray.”
There was some laughter.
“You can’t just copycat Shiloh,” Gray protested.
“Okay, I’m grateful for all of Gray’s sexy tattoos,” Emory said teasingly.
“Otherwise, I might not have figured out I wanted to be a tattoo artist.” He reached out and fingered the Bro Code tattoo on Gray’s inner wrist. The man wore plenty more ink under his clothes, but this was a family dinner, so Emory wasn’t going to feel him up.
Not publicly, anyway. I’d seen them get pretty handsy when they thought no one was looking.
“I could say a lot more,” Emory admitted. “About how I’ve become my real self because of meeting you all. Learned to really embrace what makes me happy.” He glanced at me. “Flynn, I hope you’ll do the same, because this family is all about the unconditional love.”
One by one, everyone shared what they were thankful for.
“I’m thankful Bailey is here with us,” Holden said, “and Flynn too. I know it hasn’t been easy between us, Bails, and we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I’m so damn glad to have you here, and I want nothing but happiness for you.
You have a job back at the shop as soon as finals are over.
And Flynn, your job is more than safe. With the county contract, we can cover two mechanics.
I hope you’ll feel more secure knowing that we want you here.
You’re not just an employee or Bailey’s boyfriend. You’re family.”
My throat grew tight, and I nodded, unable to find the words.
“Actually, would it be okay if I worked only part-time?” Bailey asked.
“I’ve been looking into that program that Nova mentioned at my birthday.
Auto body restoration. I was thinking about enrolling.
With those new skills, we could expand the shop even more.
” He hesitated. “Uh, if you think that would be a good idea, I mean? I just really want to make this business everything it can be. That’s what I’ve always wanted. ”
“That’s a great idea,” Holden said. “I was so focused on you getting out there and experiencing what the world had to offer, I never considered what you could offer us. I was shortsighted about that.”
“I did get out there in the world and learn things,” Bailey said. “I learned my place is here with my family.” He grasped my hand. “With everyone I love.”
“A good choice,” Emory said with a smile.
“I’m grateful you’ve all given me this chance to prove myself to you,” I said gruffly.
“Nope,” Axel said. “None of that. No more proving yourself.”
Everyone else added their agreement, and soon after, we dug into the food, eating with relish. Aiden was quiet, not knowing everyone as well, but Bailey made a point to draw him into conversation.
My chest tightened as I watched my brother and my boyfriend mesh so effortlessly.
Knight leaned in and nudged me. “You’ve got a good thing here. Don’t fuck it up.”
“That’s the truth,” I said. “They know everything, and they didn’t tell me to take a hike.”
“It’s almost like a man is more than one mistake, huh?” Knight said.
His gaze slid to Aiden, and he said seriously, “Not that saving your brother is a mistake, Flynn. You did the best you could. And look around—you’ve got a whole new family to share with Aiden. I’d say it all worked out okay.”
I took in the group of guys at the table, so loyal and loving—who’d looked past my prison record to see the real guy beneath—and knew that I didn’t need to count my blessings.
They were all right here at the table with me.
Especially the beautiful man who’d chosen to build a life with me. Without him, the rest would be meaningless.
I reached out and squeezed Bailey’s hand. He sent me a smile that made my heart skip.
“Are you good?” he asked, leaning in closer.
“Yeah.” I brushed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ve never been better.”
Bailey loved me. His family accepted me. Aiden was thriving, healthy and whole.
I could ask for nothing more, and yet, as I sat there with the men who’d become my new family, I was blessed a little more.
Because a piece of the guilt I carried broke off and drifted away.
Not all of it. Not even half. But some.
I’d never be happy about what I’d done, or what I’d had to become to survive prison, but I wasn’t sorry to be here, now.
Maybe that meant I could finally make peace with my past. Because it had led me to this future. To Bailey.
To family and love and…happiness, at last.