Chapter 11 #2
My heart pounded so hard I was sure she could hear it when she turned back around.
“It’s not a hard line for me,” I whispered.
“I’ve always leaned toward not having children.
I have some hereditary temper issues that I’d rather not pass on.
My sisters have kids, and likely will have more.
That’s good enough for me. And heck, if I got the urge to raise a child, there are plenty who need to be adopted or fostered.
” That was true enough. So many kids grew up without parents.
I didn’t begrudge anyone who wanted to procreate, but it wasn’t something I needed in my life.
Bianca sighed. “I couldn’t agree more,” she said.
“It’s nice to meet someone so totally on the same page.
I couldn’t have said that better myself.
” She snuggled closer, and I couldn’t stop myself from squeezing her tighter against me.
“I always thought some Prince Charming would sweep me off my feet, but there was always some big discrepancy between us, and usually it was the kid thing. When they found out I didn’t want to carry a child, they always found a reason to leave. ”
“You’d be surprised about fairy tales being real,” I whispered, my head bent close to hers.
She twisted to look up at me again. “What do you mean?”
I chuckled and tucked her in more fully with the blanket. “I’ll tell you when we know each other better. I promise.”
The day wore on far too fast as we roasted hot dogs, then marshmallows. We talked about little bits of nonsense, important things that were totally irrelevant like favorite colors, childhood dreams, and fears.
In the middle of the afternoon, Briana sat up. “I have got to pee.”
“You just went,” Jace said as he helped her out of the chair.
“Yes, well, your child is on my bladder.” She chuckled and turned toward the house. “What the fuck?” she spat in a nasty tone of voice. “Why is he here?”
Pretty much everyone in the vicinity turned to see who she was looking at.
Bianca stiffened in my lap. “What the hell?”
“Who is that?” Jace asked, but as soon as I laid eyes on the fucker, I recognized him. It was her ex-boyfriend, the one from her event at the club, and he looked like he’d been crying.
Bianca sprang to her feet and hurried across the yard, weaving around bonfires and chairs. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”
The sniveling man sobbed and threw his arms around Bee.
Jace put one hand on my arm, gripping me tight. Porter appeared out of nowhere and grabbed my other arm. “Let’s see what he says,” Jace said in a low voice.
The entire clearing was full of dragons. The fucker didn’t know what a bad choice he’d made in picking this party to crash. “I’m going to shred him,” I growled.
“Man, work on that temper,” Jace said. “He’s not hurting her.”
When the guy composed himself, Bee pulled away from him. “What in the world is wrong?” she asked.
“I had a death in the family,” he said. “And I just needed to see you.”
She sighed and nodded. “Okay, we can take a walk.” Turning back toward us, she noticed them restraining me and arched one eyebrow in disapproval. Then she held up one finger, indicating she’d be back in a minute.
The fuck.
Every dragon in the yard heard the conversation, and it took all I had not to tell the fucker to leave her the hell alone. Or maybe just throw him over the cliff into the ocean.
The man started talking about some aunt that died, really milking the tears and grief. I paced in front of the fire. They’d walked out of sight, but I still heard them clearly.
Bianca made me proud as hell. “Andre, why did you come to talk to me about this? We’re broken up. And that’s not changing. I’m so sorry for your loss, but why are you here?”
“I just needed a friend,” Andre replied pitifully.
She didn’t fall for it. “We aren’t friends, Andre.
And I don’t know how else to say this. We never will be.
” She sighed. “You and your family will be in my thoughts. I really should get back.” I heard the crunch of some leaves as she began to walk, but then she stopped. “How did you know I was here, anyway?”
I was already moving their way. Her heart had skipped a beat, and every dragon in the yard was on his or her feet, looking through the trees to the area they’d disappeared.
“I went by your place and your parents told me you were probably at your sister’s.”
Bianca sighed. “Would you have driven around the whole town until you found me?” she asked. I stopped. Her heart beat steadily. She wasn’t scared. I didn’t want to barge in and try to handle something she could deal with.
“Why do you sound surprised?” Andre asked.
That was it. “It’s called stalking,” I said as I broke through the clearing. She was still in his arm’s reach. I put myself slightly in front of Bianca and put my arm around her. “Leave. Now. While you can still walk out of here.”
Andre opened his mouth to argue, but then his gaze strayed behind me. I didn’t have to look to know Jace, Anthony, and Porter were at my back.
Andre looked at Bee and opened his mouth to speak. I couldn’t stop the growl that erupted from my throat.
That did the trick. He backed away and hurried back through the clearing, where no doubt he met the rest of my clan. A few seconds later, I heard the sound of a car starting and pulling quickly out of the driveway.
“Are you okay?” I whispered. She shook against me, then wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tight.
And that was all it took. I knew then that I’d fight tooth and nail to keep her safe. Anything it took.