Chapter 10 #2
His mouth curves in a humorless little smile. “No, Princess. I’m lying here fully aware that it’s happening, and choosing not to act on it.”
“That sounds miserable.”
A quiet, rough laugh slips out of him. “Yeah. It kind of is.” His hand moves up to my hair, fingers threading through it slowly, grounding instead of grabbing. “But I’d rather be miserable than be someone you wake up tomorrow and wonder if you regret trusting.”
That… that breaks something open in me. I press my face into his chest, breathing him in, and his arm comes around me instantly, pulling me close again, protective and solid and very much not neutral. “Stay with me,” I whisper.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Promise?”
He doesn’t hesitate. “I promise.”
We lie there like that, my body tucked into his, his hand moving slow and steady over my back, and even though there’s heat and tension and so much unsaid between us, there’s also something else. Something that feels like it’s been building long before tonight ever happened.
His lips brush my hair again, softer this time, and he murmurs, almost to himself, “Anybody ever touches you like that again, they won’t live long enough to regret it.”
That shouldn’t make me feel better. It absolutely does. I cling to him a little tighter, and this time he doesn’t even pretend he’s not holding me like I belong there. And maybe I do.
I wake up to voices.
Not loud, not arguing, just… familiar. Low and steady, the kind of sounds that tell me I’m not alone in the house anymore. For a second I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, heart doing that stupid fluttery thing like it’s not sure if this is real or if I’m still half dreaming.
Then I recognize them.
Blade’s deep voice.
Bri’s laugh.
Switch saying something I can’t quite make out.
Yeah. My family’s here.
Which means I can’t hide under the covers forever, no matter how tempting that is.
I drag myself out of bed and head for the bathroom, splash water on my face, brush my teeth, and try to make myself look at least a little human. I pull on leggings and one of my softer sweaters, then shove my hair into a messy bun and slide my glasses on.
Am I my usual put-together, boss-lady self? Absolutely not.
But that’s okay.
These people have seen me in pajamas, in tears, in stress spirals, in full goblin mode after a long workday. If there’s anywhere I don’t have to pretend, it’s here. With them.
I take a breath, then open my bedroom door and step into the hallway.
The smell of food hits me first.
Like… a lot of food.
When I reach the kitchen, Blade and Bri are standing by the counter, talking quietly. There are bags everywhere. Bakery boxes. Grocery bags. Tupperware. It looks like a small catering situation exploded on my countertops.
In the living room, Bella is sitting on the floor with Jax, helping him stack colorful plastic blocks while he squeals like it’s the best day of his tiny life.
Switch and Rev are standing near the doorway, talking in low voices.
And then I notice it.
Rev is fully dressed. Jeans, boots, shirt, cut back into that familiar shape of him I’m used to seeing. No messy hair. No soft, half-asleep edges.
Just… Rev.
The man who protects, who jokes, who stands guard.
Not the one who held me while I cried in the middle of the night.
And just like that, the little bubble I woke up in pops.
Reality slides back into place.
Before I can overthink it, Bri spots me.
“Brooke.”
And then I’m being swarmed.
Bella is on her feet in a second, Jax forgotten as he happily crawls toward one of his blocks. Bri’s already crossing the room, and suddenly I’m in the middle of a full-on sister sandwich, arms around me, faces pressed into my shoulders.
“Oh my God, we were trying not to wake you,” Bella says, hugging me tight. “But also we were totally about to come check if you were still breathing.”
Bri squeezes me like she’s afraid I might disappear. “Don’t ever scare us like that again. Ever.”
My throat tightens, and I laugh a little because crying first thing in the morning feels like a lot. “Good morning to you too.”
Bella pulls back just enough to cup my face, eyes scanning me like she’s doing a medical assessment. “How are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m okay. I just needed some sleep. But I’m good now.”
Bri’s eyes shine, and she pulls me back into another hug. “We love you so much.”
“Yeah,” Bella adds fiercely. “Like, aggressively.”
My chest does that warm, achey thing and I hug them back, just as tight. “I love you guys too.”
Switch clears his throat behind them. “Okay, okay, break it up before she suffocates.”
They finally let me go, and that’s when I really take in the disaster zone that is my kitchen counter. “What… is all this?” I ask.
Bri grins. “Comfort food.”
Bella gestures at the spread. “Muffins, donuts, fruit, and I think that casserole is some kind of breakfast thing with eggs and cheese and maybe hash browns? Switch said it was important.”
Switch shrugs like this is very serious business. “You gotta eat.”
“I also brought coffee,” Bella adds quickly. “Real coffee, not whatever fancy stuff you usually drink.”
“I feel extremely loved and mildly attacked,” I say.
Rev’s lips twitch, but he doesn’t say anything.
I grab a mug and let Bella pour my coffee while Bri starts opening containers like she’s setting up a brunch buffet. “We figured,” Bri says softly, “you probably weren’t going to want to cook or think about anything today.”
“Or make decisions,” Bella adds.
“Or be alone,” Switch finishes.
My eyes sting a little, and I focus very hard on not crying into my coffee. “I really appreciate you guys,” I say quietly.
Blade finally speaks, voice low and steady. “That’s what family does.”
Jax chooses that moment to crawl over and latch onto my leg, peering up at me like I’m his personal jungle gym. “Well, hey there, little man,” I laugh, crouching to scoop him up, and he immediately goes for my glasses.
Bella snorts. “Yeah, he’s getting very grabby lately.”
“I can tell,” I say, laughing as I gently wrestle them out of his surprisingly determined little fists and set them safely on the counter.
“Sir, these are not teething rings.” He responds by smacking my cheek with an open palm and grinning like he’s very proud of himself.
I bury my face in his adorably chunky cheeks and plant way too many kisses on him until he squeals.
Holding him makes everything feel lighter somehow, like the world shrinks down to soft baby giggles and warm weight in my arms instead of bruises and bad memories.
I glance up and catch Rev watching me. Our eyes meet for half a second, and there’s a whole lot unspoken there, but neither of us says anything.
Bri bumps her hip into mine. “Okay, time to eat. We’re not taking no for an answer.”
I let myself be guided to a chair by Bri who takes Jax and a minute later Switch arrives with a plate loaded up with way too much food. I feel something close to normal settling into my chest.