Chapter Seventeen
Dre
M y nerves are at an all-time high, and I know they’re only going to get worse as time goes on.
Right now, I’m about to meet Rex’s brothers for the first time, and I really want to make a good impression.
I want them to like me. I need them to like me.
I know this thing between Rex and me could never work out if his brothers don’t like me.
They mean far too much to him for him to be in a relationship with someone who causes tension between them.
Their opinions are going to mean more to him now than ever after the whole Megan debacle.
I really need this meeting to go well. It will destroy something inside me if I have to give up what I’m starting with Rex.
Even if everything does go well when meeting them, I know my nerves aren’t going to go anywhere anytime soon because my next step after this is seeing Wreck, and that’s going to be a minefield of epic proportions.
He’s going to lose his shit when he finds out the truth about what really happened to me.
I can’t be thinking about reuniting with Wreck and what his reactions will be to everything I have to tell him; I need to focus on meeting the Knightlyes.
First impressions have never been more important than they are right now.
I’ve been so preoccupied with my thoughts, I haven’t even realized we’ve arrived at Rex’s home.
Not until he taps me on my shoulder to get my attention.
The look he gives me as I turn to face him is filled with reassurance.
It’s like he knows what I’m thinking and why.
Maybe he does; he’s been pretty in tune with me so far. Why would it be any different now?
“Are you ready?” He asks as he moves his hand from my shoulder to grab my own and give it a quick squeeze.
“As I’ll ever be. I really hope they like me.”
“Of course they will. What’s not to like? You’re a fantastic person, Dre, and they’ll see it just as quickly as I did.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I know I am. Now come on. The quicker we get inside, the quicker you’ll stop stressing. I’ll grab Immy if you want to grab her bag.”
“Is there a reason you’re the one grabbing my daughter?” I ask curiously.
“There are two actually. There’s going to be someone inside who you know, and there’s no way he’s not going to want to hug the shit out of you.
Also, I have to tell my brothers some stuff, and they’re going to be understandably pissed at me.
If having hold of Immy means they won’t lose their heads, then I’m all for it. ”
“It’s a good job that I like you so much, Rex Knightlye, or there’d be no chance in hell I’d let you use my daughter in such a way. Also, who’s going to be here?”
“Flash. He lives here with Jake and his younger brother Micah. He got guardianship over him recently.”
“Oh wow. I know there’s a story there; you can tell me all about it later. Come on, knowing there’s a familiar face inside makes this a little less daunting.”
“I thought it might.”
I hop out of the car, heading to the trunk to grab Immy’s bag with a lot more pep in my steps than I ever imagined I’d have at this moment.
Knowing there’s a familiar face inside goes a long way to ease my nerves about everything.
By the time I’m shutting the trunk, Rex has Immy’s car seat unstrapped and in his hand.
He’s standing there with a massive heartstopping smile on his face, just waiting patiently for me to head towards him before going into the house.
The moment I’m standing next to Rex, he reaches out for my hand with his that isn’t holding Immy.
Hand in hand we walk towards his front door.
He briefly lets go of my hand to type in a code on the panel next to the door, but the minute the code is accepted and a click sounds, he grabs hold of my hand once more.
“It’s unlocked now. Just push it open and we’ll go find my crazy family.”
Doing as he asks, I push open the door and walk with him side by side into his massive home.
I might have been a little distracted when we pulled up here, but that doesn’t mean it escaped my notice that his home is the size of a mansion.
No wonder he lives here with all three of his brothers.
They’ve certainly got an abundance of space.
Rex heads towards the sound of voices coming from deeper inside the house.
When we reach where the sound is coming from, we pause in a doorway.
Our presence goes unnoticed for a few moments, all the occupants distracted with talking to each other.
That is until Immy decides it’s time to make her presence known.
She lets out a very loud cry from her carrier, which immediately has every set of eyes turning towards us.
Flash’s eyes lock with mine, a massive smile crossing his face before he rushes across the room towards me.
Rex releases his hold on me just in time for Flash to engulf me in a tight embrace.
I can’t see Rex from where I am; like always, I’m surrounded by fucking giants.
I might not be able to see him, but I can hear him getting Immy out of her carrier and comforting her.
It doesn’t take long for her to settle down in his arms. Her cries soon quiet down to little whimpers.
Flash releases me from his embrace, holding me by the shoulders as he checks me over. I have a feeling I’m going to experience this very thing a lot with most of the members of Devil’s Inferno.
“It’s good to see you alive and in one piece, Dre. We’ve all been worried about you. Does Wreck know you’re back?”
“He doesn’t yet. We wanted to get settled first before heading over to see him.”
“You’re staying here?” He asks curiously.
“Yep.”
“You do know Wreck isn’t going to like that plan, right? He’s going to want you close and where he can keep an eye on you.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes at his words. He can’t seriously believe I’d choose to stay with the lovebirds, can he?
“Flash, if you were in my shoes, would you choose to stay with Wreck and Shadow, knowing they’ve just figured out their shit? Can you imagine how they must be behind closed doors? Do you think now they’ve acted on their feelings that they can really keep their hands off each other?”
Flash winces at my words, and I know I’ve got my point across.
“Okay. Point taken. They’re bad enough when they aren’t behind closed doors. God only knows what you’d see if you stayed with them.”
“Exactly. Plus, I want to stay with Rex, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Tipping his head to the side Flash studies me for a moment before a smirk breaks out across his lips.
“I see. I don’t blame you, Dre; these Knightlyes are something else.”
Before I can say anything back to Flash, Rex interrupts us. Part of me is really thankful for that. I’m not ready to be having these sorts of conversations with Flash yet. Things between Rex and me are just so new.
“Dre, can you pass me Immy’s bottle from the bag? I think she’s getting hungry.”
“Sure.” I reply as I reach into the bag and pull out one of the premade bottles, handing it over to Rex.
As soon as he has hold of it, he moves further into the room.
Taking a seat on one of the empty armchairs.
He positions Immy so she’s lying in his arms, then places the nipple of the bottle at her lips.
Within seconds she latched on, and the sounds of her slurping away now fill the once again quiet room.
Glancing around, I see everyone watching Rex with wide, shocked eyes. Did they not know how good he was with kids? Or is the shock purely from the fact we came home with a baby?
“Okay, I’ll be the one to ask. Why did you come home with a baby as well as Dre?” The one who has dark hair to match Rex’s asks.
“There’s a lot I need to fill you all in on, Seth, but Immy here is Dre’s daughter. I pulled some strings so he could adopt her without having to deal with all the red tape.”
“We’re going to need more details than that, Rex. Clearly you found more than you bargained for when you went looking for Dre.” Seth says.
“You have no idea, Seth. Go get your laptop; you’re going to want it on hand when I tell you everything I uncovered.”