“Maman,” Micah whispers moving closer to me. Out of both of my boys, though they’re twins, Micah is the one who is the most sensitive. Marcus is protective over his brother, doesn’t matter the three-minute difference between the two of them. He doesn’t like seeing his brother upset and right now he’s hovering even closer to his brother as they huddle into me.
Aware we’re not alone in the kitchen, two of Ryder’s brothers were in here sitting down and enjoying their breakfast when we’d come in. Before he left to check on something, Ryder introduced them to me as Brake and Tyres. They were now watching us with frowns on their faces.
Doing my best to ignore them, I put the coffee cup I’d been holding on the counter and slide down, bracing myself against the cabinet doors as I get to my boys’ eye level. “I’m right here boys. No one is ever going to hurt you. Never. You know I’ll never let that happen. Now the man yelling that’s your uncle Bryan.”
“Why does he sound so mad?” Micah murmurs.
“Probably because I haven’t been completely honest with him about things,” I say, honestly.
“Look, man, all due respect, that’s my fuckin’ sister, I haven’t seen her in years and finding this shit out, I need to set fuckin’ eyes on her and my nephews now,” my brother growls causing my body to jerk as I stand back to my full height and wrap my arms around Marcus and Micah.
“Ryder, let him in,” I call out through the door.
Immediately, Ryder is through the door to the kitchen with my brother and two other men directly behind him. A few others follow suit as well.
“Mini,” Bryan mutters, eyes wide as he stares at me and my boys, taking in the protective hold I have on them. “Fuck.”
“Bryan,” I murmur, cautiously holding his gaze.
“Baby.” I hadn’t even felt Ryder get close and wrap an arm around not just me but the boys as well. What I did feel was the safety I’ve never had the moment he did.
Bryan takes this in as it happens and his brows furrow. “Someone want to start explaining the bullshit to me? Why I’m getting told by my VP my sister was here at his ol’ lady’s brother’s clubhouse and has been stabbed.”
“Whip, brother, you need to cool it. Those boys are shakin’,” the guy standing behind Bryan states.
Bryan’s gaze lowers to my boys. Closing his eyes, he shakes his head and his shoulders slump fists clenched at his sides.
“Go to him, mon bijoux,” Ryder whispers in my ear.
Nodding slightly, I step out from behind my boys and approach my brother cautiously, wrapping my arms around him the moment I’m close enough. Pressing my cheek to his chest, I feel his arms around me holding me to him.
“Careful of her stomach.” I hear Ryder mutter.
“Fuck, Mini. Why didn’t you tell me you had problems?” Bryan asks.
“My problems aren’t yours. You ate enough shit growing up same as me. You got out as soon as you could, I wasn’t going to put more on you,” I mumble as my nose starts to burn from the tears welling in my eyes that I refuse to let fall.
“Don’t give a fuck about that shit, Brielle. Should have told me. Would have killed the fucker a hell of a lot sooner than now.” Tensing at this, I glance up at him.
“And I didn’t want my brother in a state penitentiary for something he didn’t need to do,” I snap.
“Shut it, woman, and let me enjoy the moment seeing as I haven’t seen you in years. More years than I like to admit,” he mutters.
“Not your fault.” And it wasn’t his. I always came up with reasons why I couldn’t meet up with him. I’d simply didn’t want him to find out what I was dealing with.
“Swear to fuckin’ God, Mini, that motherfucker is a dead man walking right now. I get my hands on him he’ll wish he was never born,” Bryan snarls.
“You’ll have to get in line for that,” Tyres mutters.
“Tyres,” Ryder states firmly. “Boys are in here and they’re scared enough as it is.”
“Shit, sorry, little dudes,” Tyres says.
Tilting my head back, I look up at my brother. “Meet your nephews and stop thinking about negative crap.”
“Crap? Seriously, Mini, that shit don’t justify as crap, it’s completely fucked up,” Bryan mutters.
“True, but I try not to use that language around Marcus and Micah, thank you very much,” I say sternly, poking into Bryan’s chest as he and several others begin to chuckle.
“Whatever, Mini. Introduce me to my nephews then sit your ass down and start talkin’,” Bryan commands setting me away from him.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I argue. “You’re not the boss of me.”
“Brielle, I’m you’re big brother and I sure as fuck am. No matter how old you are, plus I practically raised you until I left for boot camp. Now sit your ass down and I’ll introduce myself to my nephews.”
“Whatever,” I huff snarkily as I turn and face my boys and Ryder. “Marcus, Micah, meet your uncle who is a pain in my backside.”
Marcus eyes my brother up and down as if he were sizing him up as Micah merely stares in surprise at the massive size of Bryan.
“Are we going to be as big as you?” Marcus asks causing everyone to chuckle.
That’s my boy always asking questions and not afraid to speak his mind when he knows it’s safe for him.
“Mon bijoux, need you to come into Chains’ office for a minute. Boys will be okay with Bitsy and Nora. Prospects at the gate, no one is getting in,” Ryder states as he steps up behind my chair where I was sitting with Nora and Tiny. Two women who I found out were ol’ ladies to not only members of the club but Ryder’s nephews, Breaker and Chains.
“Okay,” I mutter, dreading this conversation.
After the kitchen drama with my brother, who declared I was not to call him Bryan but by his road name. I’d placed my hands on my hips stared him down and stated I would not. He has always and will until the day I die be Bryan to me. No way in hell was I going to call him Whip.
“You two listen and behave. Do not go anywhere that you’re not supposed to. Am I clear?” I ask glancing between my boys.
“Yes, Maman,” Micah and Marcus say at the same time nodding their heads.
“I’ll be right back,” I murmur as I go to stand, finding Ryder placing an arm on mine to help me. Due to the pain in my stomach, movement still hurts but I refuse to lay around in bed. Not when I have two boys. Doesn’t matter that everyone around here seems nice and not minding helping out with Marcus and Micah. Still I’m their mom and have to look out for them. It’s my job and I won’t let anything happen to them.
With Ryder’s arm wrapped around me, I walk with him to Chains’ office to find not only Chains sitting behind his desk, but Tyres is standing behind him to the right, Breaker to the left with their arms crossed. Off to the side Brake has a knee propped up on the wall. Throughout the rest of the office Bryan, and the two men who’d come with him Venom and Cane stand with him.
Great, this isn’t going to be fun. Not one bit. I wish I were able to just leave. Run, find somewhere else to go; however, nowhere in the world has ever made me feel as safe as I do with Ryder’s arm around me.