Chapter 18
Reece
Could I possibly pick a fight with anyone else today?
I stare across the kitchen and sunroom—which currently lacks any sun, thanks to the thick plastic covering the accordion doors—and contemplate my texts with Jax.
For five seconds, we got along, not just tolerated each other. I haven’t spent quality time with my parents, a term I use loosely, in nearly a decade. Do I want to jeopardize my future family for a family that’s dead to me? Other than my sisters?
Still, my sister, Sadie, deserves a perfect wedding. Any woman does.
“Were the twins here?” If there’s anyone who can pull me out of this sullen mood, it’s Aurora in candy cane flannel pajamas and her hair in a messy bun. “I thought I heard their voices.”
“Yeah.” I stand to intercept her before she reaches the coffeemaker. “You’re going to have some stories for Gram.”
She encircles my waist and narrows her sleepy eyes. “Are you blocking my once-daily dose of caffeine?”
I cup her nape and drop a kiss on her lips. “No, I’m blocking your sugar rush. Can I make you tea with honey instead?”
“Ugh,” she groans dramatically, a playful lilt in her tone. “Fine. I’ll have the cinnamon, but only because I know you’ll worry about me.”
Her choice doesn’t surprise me. The cinnamon tea has the most caffeine, though far less than coffee and without all that fake, sugary creamer.
While I prepare the kettle on the gas stove, she perches on a stool at the island.
“What were you saying about the twins?” She yawns.
Facing her, I rest my forearm on the granite surface. “They’re infatuated with Charlie—both of them.”
She sucks in a soft gasp, and her eyes widen. “For real? I thought Desi might be, with how he teases him, but Dante too?”
I’m not into chitchat, but I love the way her face lights up when she’s enthusiastic about something, so I keep it going. “Yep. Charlie—well, his real name is Lucas—did the walk of shame this morning. Came in here with hickeys,” I raise my brows and pause for dramatic effect, “all over his neck.”
“Oh my God!” she gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. “This is so awesome, and I love the name Lucas. Did they all come over together?”
“No. Lucas snuck out to meet Bennett. The twins were here in a panic, demanding to know his whereabouts. I’m guessing possessiveness runs in the family.”
The whistle of the kettle drowns out her laughter, and a lull comes over us as I prepare her tea.
I set the mug in front of her, cautious not to spill it. My muscles are sore, and my balance is off from using only one arm.
“Thank you,” she singsongs with a happy little wiggle.
“We have to get groceries. There’s not much to eat unless you want leftover pizza.”
She scrunches her nose, shakes her head, and takes a careful sip. “I’ll order food. How about a movie marathon? You need to rest.”
“I ain’t gonna lie. The peace and quiet here is nice. I’ve missed this place.”
“We’re boring, aren’t we?” A tender smile curves her lips. “Like an old married couple. Gossiping, drinking tea and coffee.”
“I’ve had enough action to last a lifetime. I don’t mind.”
“Jax and Ethan will be traveling the world, and you and I’ll be on the couch, binging true crime docs with Gram.”
She lets out an infectious laugh, and I can’t help but join in.
“I’d have it no other way, angel. I love our life.” Decision made, I draw a deep, steadying breath. “Your husband is not happy about the wedding.”
She furrows her brows and sets down her mug. “Why?”
“He’s worried you’ll be hurt when I don’t claim you as mine.
” I reach up to twirl my earring, only to find, with a familiar pang of regret, that it’s gone.
“If I do, my father will either kick us out or spend the day preaching how I’m living a life of sin, along with Ethan and Jax.
We both know that’ll set him off, and I’m not ruining my sister’s wedding. ”
“Oh.” Her head bows, and that single sound speaks volumes.
I hate it. I hate her disappointment, especially in me. “But my sister, Sadie, is ecstatic to meet you, although she doesn’t believe we’re dating or whatever.”
Large, golden-brown eyes, hesitant and questioning, peer up at me. “Why not?”
I scoff at her utter lack of self-awareness. “Because you’re you—a Sports Illustrated model—and I’m their chunky jock brother.”
“You are not chunky!” she insists, but her voice is laced with a chuckle.
“I was. Wait until you see the pictures. I’m sure they’ll show you.”
She hops off the stool, stumbling and nearly giving me a heart attack. Pregnancy hasn’t helped her clumsiness.
Arm outstretched, I round the island. “Where are you going? Jesus, you make me nervous.”
She scans my outfit. “Is that all you have to wear?”
I look down at my T-shirt and athletic shorts. “Yeah… I need to wash some clothes. Why?”
“That’ll do. We’ll go out to the beach.” She dismisses me with a wave of her hand. “We’re doing a photoshoot for your sisters.”
“What? No, that’s not needed.” I am not photogenic. I do not fake a smile well.
Ignoring me, she turns toward the bedroom, presumably to change. “Grab your baseball cap. I like it.”
I stand there, dumbfounded. What the fuck just happened? What about my parents and the wedding? “Aurora!” I chase after her.
“Was it a hoop or a diamond?” she calls over her shoulder.
“What?”
“In your ear, Viking. Is the hole still there?”
“What?” I repeat. I swear, I’m more intelligent than this. “Yes, it’s still pierced. Why?”
Undeterred, she rifles through drawers in her mammoth closet. “I have a lot of jewelry given to me that I never wear or only wore once for a photo.” She hands me a stack of small boxes. “Here you go. Diamonds.”
I thrust them at her and shake my head. “No. I’m not taking these.”
“Pick one. You don’t have to keep them—unless you want to.” Stepping back, she unbuttons her top, effectively silencing my argument. “Put it in for today, and we’ll take a bunch of couples photos for your sisters.” Then, a thought hits her, and she gasps. “We can FaceTime them!”
“Aurora, no. What about the wedding? We were having a conversation.”
“I don’t care about pretending—I get you every other day of the year—but did you ask your sister what she wanted?”
My mind goes blank when Aurora’s shirt falls to the floor, then her shorts. “No, and I’d rather not discuss my family while you’re naked.”
“Okay then. It’s settled.”
“You had one here.” She traces a tiny scar below my bottom lip, her finger cold on my heated skin.
We sit facing each other in the sand, the roar of the ocean in the background, her legs over mine, my hand resting on her hip.
We took the obligatory picturesque beach selfies.
I tried to hide my face by kissing her neck or shoulder, but I’m sure out of the hundreds she snapped, there are bound to be a few she deems worthy to send to my sisters.
I suck my lip into my mouth, pinching it between my teeth, a habit born from years of chewing on the missing ring, and nod.
“And here.” She points to a barely visible scar above my brow, the site of another former piercing. “Do you want them back?”
I’m wearing the sizable square diamond earring she insisted on—her favorite one. It has a tint of blue; she says it matches my eyes. Just thinking about it drives me to touch it.
“Yes and no. I miss them, but if they’re there, I’ll play with them.”
“What’s wrong with that?” She gives me that flirtatious smile that gets her whatever she wants. “I wanna play with them.” She wraps her arms around my neck and bites my bottom lip, tugging slightly to emphasize her point.
“You can play with any of them any time you want.” My words come out raspy, my mouth chasing hers. Now that we’ve consummated our relationship, my body is revved up and fiending for her.
“You’re secretly rebellious, aren’t you?” she whispers between kisses.
I cup her ass with one hand and lift her higher on my lap. “Maybe that’s why I like you. You’re naughty.”
She encircles her legs around my waist, and my cock stirs, but just as our tongues intertwine, we’re interrupted by an exaggerated throat clearing.
I raise my head to find the twins staring down at us, the picture of gloom in all black, a stark contrast to the sparkling ocean and bright sunshine.
Do they not own any clothes other than mafia garb?
What am I thinking—I don’t own anything other than tactical gear, save for workout clothes, which is all I’ve been wearing.
“Get a room, will ya?” Dante gripes, lip curled. “Groceries are here.” He’s typically the aloof twin, but today, he’s unusually grumpy. Lucas must not be home yet.
I rise to my feet, help Aurora, and brush the sand off my shorts. “Don’t act so disgusted. Didn’t you both sleep with the same person last night? Together?”
Desi turns to his brother, his eyes wide. “The robot speaks,” he whisper-yells with feigned astonishment.
Dante arches a brow. “What did you do to him, Aurora?”
“Recharge his batteries? Unplug him and plug him back in?” Desi grins.
She gathers her towel and phone, shaking her head at his never-ending jokes. “You’re as bad as Jax.”
I lace our fingers and lead the way through the sand dunes and along the path to the backyard.
“I miss the crazy fucker—wait! I know! You short-circuited his motherboard.”
Desi laughs at his own stupid joke while Dante grumbles about refusing to wear shorts in December.
We go around to the side of the house since the back doors are boarded up—a simple fix if I had two working arms. By the time we enter the kitchen, Aurora is lagging and breathless.
“Sit down,” I tell her. “We’ll put away the groceries.”
She doesn’t rest, nor does she change out of her bikini.
She unpacks and organizes our food orders by household, her cute baby bump and popped-out belly button on full display.
It’s utterly domestic. Some might find it boring, but I find it blissful.
What’s not to love about Aurora walking around half-naked and pregnant?
I can’t wait until it’s mine.
The thought takes me by surprise, although it shouldn’t. The more I consider it, the more I accept our relationship, the more my chest swells with what can only be love and fulfillment.
I swear, I don’t have a pregnancy kink. Maybe a slight hero complex, but I’ve only felt this way, only want this, with her.
And boy, wouldn’t that piss Jax off if she ended up pregnant by me?
Shit, Aurora is right—I am rebellious.
Now that I’m no longer living in survival mode or following orders, I’m discovering a lot about myself.
She once asked me where I wanted to go on a date, what my hobbies were, and I honestly didn’t know how to answer.
I’ve had no time or freedom for leisure activities.
That’s something we’ll have to explore together.
On her toes, she reaches into a bag and pulls out a five-pound sack of dark-roast coffee beans, breathing in its rich aroma with a satisfying sigh.
“Give that to me!” I seize it from her one-handed, aggravating the dull pain in my shoulder in the process.
Only to have Desi snatch it away. “That’s ours.”
I chuckle. “Oh, right. Can’t have your boyfriend going without coffee. He might escape.”
Dante tucks a paper grocery bag under his arm, packed full of chips and sweets. “Speaking of which, where’s your partner? For real? No bullshit.”
“Have you tried—I don’t know—texting him?” I ask, heavy with sarcasm.
“Yep.” Desi bites off a piece of oatmeal cookie. “Only a dozen times.”
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” I shrug, the movement causing sharp pain to shoot down my spine, and I wince. “Or maybe he doesn’t want to see you.”
Aurora tosses me a glare. “That’s what you get for being mean.” She grabs a bag, circles the island, and snags my T-shirt. “Let’s go. You’re going to bed.”
I take the bag from her and peek inside to find fancy water, fruit, cheese, and prosciutto. Looks like we’re having a picnic in bed. “Only if you’re coming with me.”