walk inside, I hope I can keep from crying. I’ve been so emotional lately, but it’s time to face the music. Brick and I were wrong in the beginning.
I find King sitting on the couch in his office with his long legs stretched out in front of him and his arms stretched across the back. He pats the seat beside him.
I walk over and sit in the place he gestured to. He wraps an arm around me and gives me a little squeeze. I snuggle into him the way I used to when I was little and we’d watch scary movies with Misty tucked into his other side.
“I remember when my father moved you guys in. He took me to the side and told me it was my job to watch over you girls. I was a big brother. If you girls got hurt, it hurt us all. I took that shit seriously.” He pauses and blows out a breath.
“I tried my best after we thought we lost them. I know I fucked up somewhere with Sal. That shit has eaten at me because I didn’t know how. Then you both go and fall in love with brothers.” He snorts and shakes his head.
“Not just any brothers. Squad members,” I tease.
“Exactly.” He draws a hand down his face. “We’re the worst kind of motherfuckers. I fought my feelings for Misty for so long because I know she can do so much better, but I’ll be damned if anyone else ever puts a hand on her.
“What I’m trying to say is. Look around you, Eva. We’re not normal. I wanted you to have normal. This ain’t it.” He frowns.
I tilt my head back and look up at him. “What’s normal? Would any of us know what that looked like if we saw it?”
“Probably not,” he says and laughs. He gets serious again and his blue eyes soften. “I want you to know, I was dealing with my own shit when it came to you and Brick. It had nothing to do with the two of you. Same with Sal.”
“Yeah, I figured that.” I lift a shoulder.
“I failed by not going to Mix with our shit and that caused my head to be all fucked up—”
“King, for as long as I’ve known you, you have come running to protect me and make sure I’m all right. Owen and I knew what we were doing. We knew you would be upset,” I say.
“But love is a motherfucker and none of that mattered.” He chuckles. “Owen. He’d knock the rest of our heads off for calling him that.”
“Yup. Makes me feel special.”
“You are special. If you can get his crazy ass to fall in love, you’re more than special.”
“Yeah, um, I didn’t know what I was really dealing with until Troy,” I say and bite my lip.
King roars with laughter. He gives me a gentle squeeze. “Yeah, well, you know that was minor.”
I groan. “But I still love him, so I’ll take it.”
King laughs louder and harder. I can’t help smiling. This talk wasn’t so bad. I love my brother for always being there for me. I can’t be mad at him for it.
Owen
“We’ve come a long way in such a short time,” Eva muses aloud as I rub circles on her belly.
“Yeah, a hell of a long way. I swear, you would think you could read my mind. I was just thinking the same thing.”
“Great mind,” she sings with a smile in for voice.
We’ve been sitting in the back of the clubhouse on a lounger for the last hour. The party hasn’t even begun to die down. She's nestled between my legs with her back to my front. I can’t bring myself to move an inch. I’m beyond content.
It’s been a long day. We’re married. I keep saying it, but it’s still surreal.
“It felt good to get away from the bullshit for a day,” I mutter into her neck as I nuzzle her skin.
She reaches back to massage my beard. “Yeah, you’re right.”
I think over the day and my heart swells. King stood beside me as we took our vows. I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to be my best man.
Although, I think it was the look on Cage’s face when he walked Eva down the aisle that made the ceremony for me. I saw with my own eyes how much love he has for his girls, the club, and his wife. I’ve seen it before, but something about it was different today.
I