Once I arrived at Jaron and Piper’s place, I saw Sammy sitting on the front patio bench.
Killing the engine, I pulled off my helmet and hung it over the handlebar. “What’s going on?”
“They’re busy.” Sammy picked up a bottle of beer off the patio floor. “Jaron said to give them thirty.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Must be nice.” I went up to Sammy and joined him on the bench before taking the bottle from him.
Jealousy coursed through me. Not that they were having sex. I could get that anytime I wanted. But to have that partner, a companion to come home to. That was what I wanted. I had wanted it for years. A part of me blamed my brother’s active lifestyle for my lack of settling down. Another part, the real part, blamed myself, fearing that it wasn’t something I deserved.
“What’s Red’s real name?” I heard myself ask, taking a swig of the beer.
“Amber.”
My head whipped around, not expecting in the least for Sammy to tell me that.
His eyes met mine. “What?”
“I wasn’t expecting you to actually answer me.”
He shrugged. “It’s not a secret.”
“It kind of is, Sammy. No one calls her by her real name.” It was like our father. No one called him John except for our mother. She had been the only one to get away with it. Everyone else got a fist to the head.
Before I could ask any more about this mysterious woman I had only seen in passing at Rouge, the front door opened.
“Is it safe now?” Sammy asked, rising to his feet.
“It was always safe.” Jaron chuckled.
“We weren’t doing anything,” Piper called out from the kitchen.
“If you weren’t doing anything, then why the hell did you make me wait outside?” Sammy picked up the six-pack of beer off the porch and headed into the house.
“Because even though you’re a grumpy ass, you’re talkative and we needed a moment alone.” Jaron smacked his arm. “Not that I have to explain anything to you.”
“Right.” Sammy grunted. “You should really learn to respect your elders.”
I only shook my head, following them into the house. Closing the door behind me, I clicked the lock into place. I went to join Jaron and Sammy in the living room when I was stopped short by Piper.
“Hey,” I said, because I didn’t know what else to say. She was staring at me like I had stolen a cookie before dinner.
“Hey yourself.” She rubbed her stomach, blowing out a slow breath. “I just wanted to talk to you about something.”
The hackles on the back of my neck rose. “You do?”
“I do,” she murmured, her eyes meeting mine. “I saw you talking to Ainsley and calming her down after her panic attack.”
“You saw that?”
She nodded. “She gets them often and can usually talk herself down.” She paused. “She’s had a hard life, Cyrus.” She scowled, shaking her head. “It’s not my place to say but just don’t be shocked if she wants nothing to do with you or...” She waved her hand between us. “...this.”
“I just met her today, Piper.” I wasn’t sure what she was getting at, but I didn’t like it.
“I know. I’m not warning you against dating her, but I do suggest taking it slow. I also don’t want you getting hurt. That’s all.”
I went up to her and kissed the top of her head. “I appreciate that but I’m a big boy. I can handle it.” And one day, I would love to be able to handle Ainsley. Even just her name could bring me to my knees.
“What’s going on?” Jaron asked, heading to the kitchen.
“Nothing.” I shot Piper a look. I didn’t need them in my business over a woman I had only just met and found hot as fuck. That was all it was. She was beautiful. It wasn’t like I was in love with her or anything. I knew her name and that she didn’t speak. That was it.
Piper sighed, patted my arm, and followed her fiancé into the kitchen.
“Careful, C,” Sammy said from the dining room table. “You might walk in on them doing something.”
“For the last time, we weren’t doing anything.” Piper rolled her eyes. “My back was hurting, so Jaron gave me a massage. It’s cooler out here, so I was sitting on the couch. We didn’t want you to see me topless, if you must know.”
“Does it still hurt?” Sammy asked, concern evident in his voice.
She sighed.
Jaron chuckled.
For someone who didn’t want a relationship or a family of his own, my brother had a big heart. He had spent years building up walls around himself and it would take a strong woman to break them down.
“Not at the moment.” Piper went up to Sammy and grabbed his hand. “But he’s kicking.”
“He?” Sammy and I asked at the same time.
“We don’t know. We want to be surprised, but something’s telling us it’s a boy. Either way, I don’t care.” Jaron clapped my shoulder.
“Here.” Piper placed Sammy’s hand on her swollen stomach. “Feel that?”
Sammy nodded, staring at her abdomen. “Jaron, I’m not going to have to sleep with one eye open for touching your girl’s stomach, am I?”
“No.” Jaron laughed. “I know whose cock Piper’s riding at night.”
“Just at night?” Piper threw at him.
“Touché.” Jaron went back to the kitchen and joined me a moment later. “Here,” he said, handing me another beer.
I clinked it against his before taking a long swig. “You happy?”
“Fucking finally,” he muttered, pulling back his beer.
I only grunted because what the hell could I say? Jaron and Piper had struggled in the beginning. Hard. He asked us to protect her after he was thrown in jail for saving her from a monster. That monster was dead and gone, but the fucker got off too easy if you asked me.
Add to the fact that Jaron and Piper almost lost their daughter in the process. None of it was fair.
“Listen, I never thanked you.”
My back stiffened. “Thank me,” I repeated. “For what?”
“For protecting her.” He nodded toward Piper and Sammy. “For taking care of her and our daughter.”
My chest tightened. “You don’t have to thank us for that shit, Jaron. You’re family, which automatically makes her family as well.”
“That’s the truth,” Sammy chimed in.
“Either way.” Jaron went up to Piper and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her head before looking at both of us. “We almost lost our daughter. I can’t...we can’t thank you enough for helping us through that.”
“Fuck,” Sammy muttered.
The air in the room suddenly became thick. It was suffocating as the mood went from light and humorous, to heavy as hell.
“You don’t have to thank us,” I insisted. “For anything.”
While Piper got supper ready, we had laughs, talked, and laughed some more. It was needed after all of the months of heartache Piper and Jaron endured. Even though he wasn’t there in the beginning to witness it all, he knew about it. Because both Sammy and I made sure to tell him. There wasn’t a day that went by where we didn’t tell him. He needed to know that Piper, his girl and the mother of his daughter, needed him. She lived. For him. He had to be strong to get back to them. The love they shared was something I strived for. Something I needed. Ever since I was a little boy, I never believed that girls had cooties. I wanted what my parents had. I wanted that unconditional love I knew I could get with the right person. I just had to find her.