33. Micah
33
MICAH
" S ay again?" I order as I pat my son's tiny back. He wiggles at the rumble of my voice but doesn't wake. He's used to our loud family, so none of the raised voices in the room are bothering him.
Nick rakes his hand through his hair and trades glances with Maverick. I don't like that they've been keeping secrets.
At all.
"What part don't you get?" Nick asks.
Kade, sitting on the arm of the sofa, snorts. "Try fucking all of it, asshole. You're telling me you knew about this the whole time and didn't fill us in?"
"It wasn't our place. He asked us to keep it quiet, and we were trying to respect his wishes. That's all."
"Good for you. But now you're telling me he's taken off to this town and isn't coming back?"
There's panic on a few faces in the room, mainly my brothers' faces. The women seem less worried. I slap Kade's shoulder and sign, "Why aren't the women worried? They look weird."
Kade scowls and scans all the faces in Declan and Cara's living room. We're all here. When an SOS goes out, we fucking come. But not all of us seem to be as worried about this situation.
"Micah's right. Why the fuck do you women seem happy about this shit? What the fuck are we missing?"
Cara, Janey, and Cadence, all sitting on the floor, resting their backs on their men's knees, trade glances and smile again. "Annoying!" I say, glaring at them. They just laugh, but thankfully, Cadence speaks up.
"I don't see the problem, to be honest. You're telling us Ransom's been obsessed with a woman he has history with, and finally left to go see her. And now he's decided to stay a little longer. That's a good thing."
"It's good he's gone?" Colton asks, scowling.
"It's good that he's staying. That means there's something there worth staying for. And this woman…Blair?" Nick nods, and Cadence grins again. "Well, Blair must be something else. The way you've described her, I'm half in love with her. So yeah, I'm excited for Ransom. This is good."
I watch my brothers process this information, their faces a mix of confusion and concern. Noah shifts in my arms, and I adjust him carefully.
"It's not that simple," Jonas mutters, his fingers tangled with Janey's. "He is our brother."
"And?" Janey tilts her head back to look at him. "Don't you want him to be happy?"
"They're scared," I sign one-handed. "Change."
"Damn straight we're scared," Kade barks. "Twenty-five fucking years he's known this woman? And none of us knew?"
Cara rolls her eyes. "So he kept one thing private. You're acting like he betrayed you."
"Didn't he?" Colton's voice is subdued. "We're supposed to know everything about each other. That's what family means."
I shake my head. "No. Family is... trust." The words come slow but clear. Holly's hand on my thigh grounds me as I let the words come instead of fighting to get them out. My brothers will wait, no matter how long it takes. "Trust him... to tell us... when ready."
"Micah's right," Nick adds. "And he did tell me and Mav. When he was ready."
"But why now?" Dec asks. "Why's he choosing now to go back?"
Cadence absently taps Maverick’s knee. "Maybe he finally realized what he was missing. Sometimes it takes a while to face what you really want."
"See ourselves?" I ask, bouncing Noah gently. It would be easier to sign, but I'm not putting my son down. I don’t like any of this, and I need eyes on my brother. Until I see him, I won’t know if he’s good. And if he’s not good, he’ll need us.
Kade nods. "Yeah, what Micah said. We need to meet this woman. See what's got Ransom so twisted up he'd leave everything behind."
"He hasn't left anything behind," Cara protests. "He's just expanding his world to include someone else."
Holly's fingers brush my arm, and I turn from the heated discussion. Her eyes meet mine, soft and understanding. The others fade into background noise as I study her face, the gentle curve of her smile, the way she leans into me while gently running her finger down Noah's cheek.
"Here." I shift Noah carefully into her arms. Her face lights up as she takes him, and my chest tightens with emotion. How the fuck did I get so lucky? I won’t ever give her up.
"I keep thinking about how lucky we are," I sign, my hands free now to express everything in my heart. "Look at what we have."
She nods, understanding flowing between us without words. Noah snuggles into her chest, and she strokes his dark hair. "We fought for this happiness, Micah. Just like Ransom's fighting for his now."
"You think that's what he's doing? Fighting for happiness?"
"I do." She catches my hand, pressing it to her chest. "Everyone deserves what we found. Love. Family. Purpose."
"Twenty-five… years?"
"Especially then. Sometimes the heart knows what it wants, even if the mind takes longer to catch up." She lets go of my hand and kisses Noah's forehead. "Look how long it took us to come together. My heart was ready for you long before my mind was."
It took time and patience to bring her to me. There were moments I was afraid I would lose her. But we fought for each other.
My hands move quickly, "But we weren't apart for twenty-five years. We didn't build separate lives."
"No, but we both had to heal. To become ready." She squeezes my knee. "Maybe that's what Ransom needed too. Time to become the person who could love her right."
"Wise,” I say, smiling at her.
She laughs softly. "Not wise. Just happy. And I want that for everyone else too."
I lean in, pressing my forehead to hers, just for a second, needing to feel more of her. Noah makes a small sound between us, and we both chuckle. "Support him?"
"Yes. He needs to know his family stands with him, even if things change."
"Like you stand with me."
Her eyes shine with tears as she nods. "Like we stand with each other."
"Micah's right," Kade says loudly, staring at us. "We need to support Ransom. So how the fuck are we going to do that?"
The room falls quiet as Jonas clears his throat. "I passed my driver's test this morning. The one for large vehicles."
"What is he talking about?" Holly whispers in my ear.
"I can drive a bus now." Jonas straightens his tie. "It seemed prudent given the situation."
Kade's mouth drops open. "The fuck you talking about?"
Nick and Maverick exchange knowing looks. They both need a slap upside the back of their heads for keeping secrets. Assholes.
"What are you planning?" I sign.
"We should go to Badger Falls," Jonas says. "All of us. To meet Blair and support Ransom."
"In a bus?" Dec laughs, an edge of hysteria to it.
Colton perks up. "Actually, I might know some guys. They've got a tour bus sitting idle right now. Really nice setup, bunks and everything."
"You want us to road trip to spy on Ransom?" Cara asks, fighting a smile.
"Not spy," Jonas corrects. "Support. Family supports family."
"He needs time," Janey protests, squeezing Jonas's knee. "Space to figure things out."
"He's had twenty-five years," Kade growls. "Fuck space."
Holly shifts Noah in her arms. "Maybe we should wait?—"
"No." The word comes out clear and strong. Everyone turns to look at me. "He's alone. Need us."
"Micah's right," Colton says. "Remember how fucked in the head we all were? Finding someone? Everything changing so fast?"
The women trade amused glances as my brothers nod emphatically.
"This is ridiculous," Cadence laughs. "You can't just descend on this poor town en masse."
"Watch us," Nick grins.
"When do we leave?" I sign.
"Hold up," Cara raises her hands. "You're seriously considering this?"
"Fuck yeah, we are," Kade says. "Colt, call your friends. Jonas, plan the route."
"This is insane," Bree breathes. "You're all insane."
"Maybe," Dec admits. "But we're family. And family shows up."
Holly catches my eye, shaking her head but smiling. "There's no talking you out of this, is there?"
"Nope," I say, grinning. "Coming?"
She looks down at Noah, then back at me. "Someone has to keep you boys in line."
"Fuck yeah! Let's fucking do this," Kade says, clapping his hands. "We ride at dawn, motherfuckers!"