Tarek wrapped his arms around her when she told him her fears and promised that Llir wouldn’t leave them. She just wished she could be as confident as Tar seemed about the whole thing. He told her to be patient and give their guy some time, but each passing minute put her more and more on edge. She hated doubting Llir, but what if she was right? Losing him didn’t seem like something she could emotionally handle. After everything that happened to her, Elira was sure that her life was over. She didn’t want to find happiness again because she didn’t believe that she deserved it, but here she was with two men that she loved with every fiber of her being and who seemed to be just as in love with her. And, they were going to have a baby together. They were going to be a family and that was more than she could have ever hoped for.
She heard a car pull into the driveway and jumped up from the sofa. “That must be him now,” she said. She went to answer the door and when she found Altin standing on the porch instead of Llir, her stomach dropped. “Where is he?” she asked. “What’s happened?”
“He’s not home yet?” Altin asked.
“No,” she sobbed. Tarek was behind her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
“He’s fine, Baby,” he promised. “All this worry can’t be good for you or our little one. Llir wouldn’t want you to be so upset.”
“He’s right,” Altin said. “May I come in?”
“Of course,” Tarek said, holding the door open for him. Altin stepped into the house and shoved his hands in his jacket pocket, suddenly looking very unsure of himself.
“Llir met our father. I set it up,” he admitted.
“Oh God,” Elira cried.
“What the hell, Altin?” Tarek hissed.
Altin held up his hand, “Let me explain.” Before he could get another word out, Llir came barreling into the side door, arms loaded with grocery bags. He set them on the table and crossed the room to pull his brother into his arms.
“You took my place,” Llir whispered. “Why would you do that?” Elira suddenly felt like a spectator in her own home. Tarek pulled her into his side and she wrapped her arms around him, giving Llir a few minutes with his brother.
“It was the right thing to do,” Altin said. “You have a family now, Llir.” He looked back at Elira and Tarek and smiled. “They need you. You’re going to have a baby and if our father found that out, he’d never let you go. This way, you can walk away now, no strings attached. You’re free to have the life you want—the life you deserve.”
“What about you, Altin?” Llir asked. “Don’t you deserve a life? Don’t you deserve happiness?”
“I’ll find happiness,” Altin promised. “It will look different than yours does and I’m fine with that—really,” he quickly added.
“What happens now?” Llir asked.
“Now, you go and find your future with your family. I’ll take over as head of the Tirana syndicate when father is ready to hand over the reins and figure things out from there,” Altin said.
“Will I be able to see you?” Llir asked. Elira could hear the emotion in his voice and her heart broke for him. He was walking away from everything he had ever known for her and Tarek.
“No,” Altin breathed. “Not at first. Father will have me watched now, to make sure that I’m not fucking up. He can’t know that Elira is pregnant or that you left the syndicate knowing that you were going to be a father. We need to keep the baby a secret from him for as long as possible. It’s the only way to keep you and your family safe.”
Llir nodded, “I’ll never be able to repay you,” he whispered.
“Just tell my niece or nephew about his Uncle Altin—that will be enough for now. I’ll be in touch as soon as it’s safe,” Altin promised. He pulled Llir in for another quick hug. “Take care of my brother, guys,” he said to her and Tarek. Elira wiped at her tears and crossed the kitchen to hug Llir’s brother.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”
“Anytime,” Altin promised. He shook Tarek’s hand and turned to leave, not bothering to look back. She could tell that Llir was holding back his tears and that was just his way—her tough guy until the bitter end, but she knew that this had to be tearing him apart.
“So that’s it?” Tarek asked. “We’re free?”
“Yes,” Llir breathed. “We’re free.”
“What do we do now?” Elira questioned. It was as if they had been so scared to live up until this point that she didn’t allow herself to dream of a real future with the two men who now held her heart. “How do we find our way forward with everything that we’ve been through?” she whispered.
“One step at a time,” Llir said. He pulled them both into his arms and they stood like that in the middle of the kitchen, wrapped up in each other. “One day at a time—together,” he breathed.
“Together,” Elira agreed. She had finally found everything she had ever been longing for, and never thought she needed, wrapped up in two sexy as sin alpha men. They were her future and now, she could get over her past, with them both by her side—together.
The End
I hope you enjoyed Llir, Elira, and Tarek’s story. Now, buckle up for your inside sneak peek at K.L. Ramsey’s second Tirana Brother! Altin: The Tirana Brothers (The Social Rejects Syndicate Book 2)—coming soon!
Altin
Altin Tirana walked into the deli on Broadway that he loved. Living in New York City was always a dream and the main reason why he had chosen to attend college just outside of the city. After he graduated from university, he convinced his father to let him stay in America and head up his businesses there. His father didn’t need much convincing since he needed someone he could trust and Altin was the most level headed out of his sons. As the middle son of Alek Tirana, he could have sunk into the shadows and no one would have noticed, but he didn’t. Altin worked harder to be the best. He had to prove that he was smarter than his older brother, Llir, and funnier than his younger brother, Veton. It was a tall order to live up to the Tirana name, but he did.
He bailed his little brother out of jams when he came to America and got himself into trouble. He also helped his older brother, Llir out when he showed up in America with some woman who he bought at one of their father’s auctions, and some guy named Tarek. Sure, he was all set to turn his brother, his slut, and Tarek into their father, but then, he got to know Elira and that just didn’t feel right. Now, Elira was his sister-in-law and someone that he’d protect to his last breath. Finding out that Llir was also with Tarek threw him for a loop, but when Llir, Elira, and Tarek pledged themselves together in their commitment ceremony, he saw that his brother was truly happy for the first time in his life. Altin wondered if he’d ever find that kind of happiness for himself. When Llir came to him, begging for his help to find a way out of the syndicate, he came up with a solution—he’d step up and take his older brother’s place. It was a job that he never wanted but he’d do it all again if it meant keeping Llir and his family safe. Elira was pregnant and if his father knew about the baby, he would have never let Llir walk away from the family. He was essentially losing two Tirana’s and that would have been considered a betrayal to Alek Tirana. Sooner or later, his father was bound to find out what he did to betray him and his trust, but for now, he had no clue and Altin planned on keeping it that way.