Chapter Eleven #2
“I’ll always respect and owe everything to Rowan.
He doesn’t see it like that, but I do. He took in kids he could have easily thrown to the system because he was twenty-five and a single guy just trying to live his life.
Kieran’s been my best friend since birth.
He’s one of the best men I’ve ever known.
However, Declan? Declan is everything I want to be as a person.
He’s brave, intelligent, strong, and caring.
He has his shit together, and he loves so deeply.
Just to be in his orbit is overwhelming in the best way.
If I turn out to be a quarter of the man he is, then I’ll be just fine. ”
I feel vulnerable as I wait for her to respond.
The love I have for my brothers and the way I just spoke about Declan isn’t something the majority of people see.
In fact, unless your last name is Byrne, this side of me is off limits.
My heart almost fell out of my ass when she refused to answer my questions.
I’ll let her think that we’ve moved on, but I’ll be fucked if I don’t figure out what’s going on with her.
She’s been quiet so long that the sound of her voice catches me off guard. Another thing that never happens.
“That’s beautiful, Quill.” She smiles up at me. The nickname seems to have taken her by surprise, like it just slipped out. I love it, but even if I didn’t, anything’s better than fucking Mac-Attack.
“I like when you call me Quill. It’s what my Ma used to call me.” I smile fondly. My Ma was the best person to ever grace this world. She instilled just enough of her goodness into my brothers and me so that we aren’t the no morals menaces so many made men are.
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just your name at work, so I figured… I won’t call you that anymore.”
She’s so goddamn cute. “Didn’t you hear me, Beautiful? I like it, I like you. Don’t stop.”
“Okay.” She starts walking backward so she can stay facing me but stumbles a few steps in. My hand reaches out with lightning speed to catch her.
“Careful, Lelonie.” I mock glare at her.
“People fall sometimes, Quill. What are you going to do about it? Follow me?”
“I’ll follow you anywhere.” I tell her in a matter-of-fact tone.
Her devastatingly gorgeous smile stops me in my tracks. “I don’t need you to follow me. I just need your truths.”
Her words knock the wind out of me, but it’s still not enough to wipe the smile off my face.
I’m too happy just being with her for that.
I’d do anything to just be in her presence for five more minutes.
I’m not that lucky, though. I spin her around and walk with my arms wrapped around her from behind as we make our way to the front of her apartment complex, where we find Jakob standing at the door.
His arms are crossed, and the look of pure hatred on his face I’m sure would make a lesser man piss himself. Too bad for him, I’m not a lesser man.
“Byrne, get your fucking hands off my sister.” Jakob storms over to us. On instinct I move Lee behind my back so smoothly she doesn’t even put up a fight. I doubt she even realized the move until it was already done.
“You’ve got to be fucking joking. That’s my sister, and you’re trying to protect her from me? Check a mirror, Byrne. You’re a danger for her, and you’re a selfish fuck for insisting on being around her knowing that.”
“I’d never put her in danger. Just because you have your ass chapped over Natasha and Declan doesn’t mean you can shit on my character and integrity like you didn’t help instill those things in me yourself.
It’s funny actually, you being pissed at our whole family over a woman, but you lied to us all about the existence of two.
Pot meet fucking kettle.” And because I can be a disrespectful fuck sometimes, I really drive my point home by spitting at his feet.
Jakob’s face turns red with rage, but before he can go any further than that, Lee moves cautiously around me.
She places her hand on my forearm. “It’s fine, Quill.
I’ll text you, okay?” Lifting up onto her toes, she presses her lips to mine.
I’m shocked, so I can only imagine how taken aback her brother is.
Lee just drew her line in the sand and made sure she was standing directly on top of it.
She isn’t taking either side, but she’s making sure he knows she wants to get to know me more all the same.
I cup the side of her face with one hand while I kiss her back with fervor, then all too quickly she pulls away.
My hand gently strokes her face as I smile down at her, our eyes locked. “I’ll text you as soon as I get home, baby. Lock the door behind you, okay?”
“Okay, you’ll text me?” Her smile is almost as gentle as my touch. Taking another moment to memorize everything about her, I move my hand so she can drop back down to the balls of her feet.
“I’ll text you.” I nod at her. “Goodnight, Lelonie.”
“Goodnight, MacQuillian.” She gives me a small smile before turning to her brother and robbing me from her angelic face.
“You’re annoying. I don’t need a bodyguard, and I can make my way inside by myself, Jakob.” She pushes her finger into his chest.
He ushers her inside before loudly answering as the door shuts so he knows I hear him, “Yeah, well I thought you could bring yourself home without picking up trash too; alas, here we are.”
Honestly, fuck him. He’s such a little bitch.
Jakob’s so fucking pissed about Declan that he’s pretty much written all of us off.
It’s so stupid, because he and Declan were attached at the hip most of their lives.
But one woman changed it all, and they’re both too stubborn to reach out to each other.
Pulling my phone out, I navigate to my text screen with Kieran.
Kie: Dude, where are you?
Mac: I’ll be home later. I’m good. Don’t wait up.
Kie: Got it. I’m taking my wife home.
Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I turn and head towards Z13.
I need a drink or ten to slow my brain down from the spiraling through all the possibilities of what could be going on with Lee.
She said not to worry about it, and she’s okay.
At the same time, she doesn’t seem like the type of person to tell me if it was something I should worry about.
It’s all too much right now, and I need that burn to calm down my thoughts.