Cassie laughed. “Did it?”
“Yep. But now you love me.”
“That I do,” she whispered.
“And are stuck with me.”
Her face twisted. “I guess I am.”
“Don’t act like you don’t like takin’ my dick.”
“Meh.” She shrugged. “It’s alright.”
“You beg for it.”
“Let’s not get carried away.”
He dropped his head. “Love you, baby,” he said against her lips, then brushed his lightly over hers. They didn’t have time for him to claim her mouth like he wanted to.
“And I love you.” She patted his chest. “Now let’s go get your son to love you, too.”
He grunted. “Shouldn’t be hard since I’m so fuckin’ lovable. Like a giant fuckin’ teddy bear.”
“Speaking of teddy bears, last night Jury ate the eyes off Daisy’s.”
He guided his woman out of the apartment and began the long journey of getting to know his son.
Their story was only just beginning.
And he looked forward to discovering how it all played out.
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.” ~ Thomas Edison
Want more Judge, Cassie and Daisy? They attend the Manning Grove Christmas parade in
Brothers in Blue: A Bryson Family Christmas
Turn the page for a sneak peek at book four of the Blood Fury MC series:
Blood & Bones: Deacon
Sneak peek of Blood & Bones: Deacon
Turn the page for a sneak peek of
Blood & Bones: Deacon
Blood Fury MC, book 4
Blood & Bones: Deacon (Unedited)
Prologue
Nothing Stays the Same
Deacon stood on the porch, watching the plain tan four-door sedan pull into the driveway. Without a word, his father and mother left him there as they went out to meet the dressed-up woman climbing out of the driver’s side.
They exchanged words that Deke couldn’t hear. Though he wanted to. He wanted to know what was being said between the three of them and how it was going to affect him.
His mom had said his Aunt Trixie and Uncle Ox had gotten into trouble and were in jail so his cousins now had nothing and no one.
Deke didn’t know much about his aunt and uncle because his mother didn’t want anything to do with her brother and his wife. He had heard his parents talking about them in the past, and the word “trouble” always came up. Along with some other words Deke wasn’t allowed to say unless he wanted to be grounded.
So, he didn’t really know his cousins, the ones who no longer had parents to take care of them, even though they hadn’t lived far away at all.
He was only told this morning, while he was eating his Corn Pops, that his cousins, Judd and Jemma, were coming to stay with them.
People, who were practically strangers, were coming to stay in their house.
When his mother told him that, he dropped his spoon in his cereal bowl and splashed milk onto the kitchen table. He quickly used his napkin to clean it up before his father saw it. But Deacon said nothing until he was told he’d have to share his bedroom with Judd.
“What? Why?” How was that fair?
His mother had narrowed her brown eyes on him. “Because they have nowhere else to go except into the system. And we only have three bedrooms in this house. One of them needs to be for Jemma so you’ll have to share yours with Judd.”
“Why can’t they go into the system?” He didn’t want to share his room with anyone else. He didn’t want to share his parents with other kids.
He was happy the way things were.
And, anyway, Judd wasn’t even his age. He was like a million years older. Why would the teenager want to share a bedroom with a ten-year-old?
“Because despite the way my brother lived his life, they are family,” his mother said. “They didn’t choose this, they are victims of circumstance.” Whatever that meant.
Deacon jutted out his jaw and pounded his fist on the table, making the bowl jump. “But I don’t want to share my room!”
Deacon’s heart began to race as his father took three long strides over to him and cuffed him alongside the head. “Boy, you have everything. They have nothing. You will share your room, your toys and everything else you have with your cousins. And I don’t want to hear a word about it. They’ve already been through enough and they don’t need to hear you whining like a damn crybaby.”
“But Dad—”
“Not another damn word about it, boy. They’re coming here because we’re all they got. What if it was you, huh? What if something happened to me and your mother and no one gave a shit enough about you to take you in? You’d end up in some foster home and probably spend the rest of your life in and out of the system. They’ve had no guidance in their life. They need that and a roof over their heads. And we’re going to provide it.”
Deacon’s bottom lip had trembled as he stared at the sweetened yellow puffed corn which was now floating in lukewarm milk.
But now, not even an hour after choking down the last of that cereal, he stood on the porch and watched as his cousins got out of the back of the car and, when the woman popped the trunk open, his father grabbed two small garbage bags from it.
They didn’t have suitcases? That was all they had?
As his mother reached to pick up a five-year-old Jemma, Judd pushed past her, grabbed his sister and lifted her up instead. Jemma clung to her sixteen-year-old brother with her tear-stained face buried in his neck.
Why was she crying? She getting her own damn room. Unlike Deacon. And his room wasn’t even big enough for two beds.
His father, carrying the black plastic bags, headed toward the house.
Judd stood in the driveway, his sister in his arms, staring at Deacon’s father’s back, then his gaze landed on Deacon. He couldn’t tell if Judd was mad or sad, or what, because the kid’s expression didn’t change.
It remained blank.
Deacon’s mother wrapped an arm around Judd’s shoulders and steered him toward the house. She said something to him but Judd didn’t respond. He just walked, holding on tightly to Jemma. Like he was afraid someone would steal her from him.
Just like he was about to steal Deacon’s room. Deacon’s life.
As his father walked up the porch steps and passed him, he muttered, “You better drop the attitude, boy. I see it in your face and so can they. You might not have asked for this but neither did they. I’m sure they would’ve been happier staying where they were, not getting uprooted like this. So, you better think twice before you say something stupid to either of your cousins, you hear me?”
Deacon couldn’t unglue his gaze from those two cousins, who were approaching his house. Neither of them would even be fun to hang out with. Judd was too old. Jemma too young.
“You hear me, boy?”
“Yes,” he forced out.
His dad gave a sharp nod and went inside, the springs on the wooden screen door squeaking as it slammed and bounced against the frame behind him.