Wells peers over at me with so much pride in his eyes that my glands feel heavy, which is only augmented by Gage’s encouraging head bob. It’s gratifying to please them, much like it is with my brothers.
“Fine.” Axel blows out a heavy breath and follows me to the kitchen.
Everyone crowds around the twelve-person table—a perfect fit. It’s poetic. Ryker grunts when Ty snags the seat beside me, but thankfully, he doesn’t make it a huge ordeal.
The space is so charged, so staticky with explosive angst, thatas Wells pours scotch for all the guys and Celeste passes Ivy and me wine, not a word is spoken. It’s as though we all sense that simple speech could trigger a no-turning-back decimation.
So, with Axel, the man who raised me, on one side and Ty, the man I married, on the other, I grab each of their hands and study the gathering of people who mean the world to me. “I won’t do this fighting. You all think you can control me, but we’ve seen how far that got you. So, this is how things are going to work with us. I will not choose. I love you all. Ty is my husband. That’s done. You’re all my family. And you all care about and respect each other, so get over it.”
“It’s not that simple,” Axel barks, more venom seeping into his words than he traditionally permits. “Do you have any idea what they’ve gotten you mixed up in?”
Although Ty told me KORT intel was a death-sentence secret, Axel has alluded to the fact that he’s knowledgeable about the organization.
But I don’t think all my brothers are, so I simply say, “Yes, I’m aware. I knew before our vows.”
No sense in sharing that the vows were merely fluff after the paperwork was already finalized.
If I had any doubt about Ryker’s awareness, it’s eradicated by his jagged exhale. It would appear that he’s privy to the death-sentence part of this union as well.
But Cash? Not so much. “I’d like to be fucking clued in here,” he snipes.
“I second that,” Maddox chimes. “What the hell—”
“Leave it,” Ryker commands, and both back down, so I hitch a ride on that train.
“Let’s move on. What’s done is done,” I say as I glance at Jax. “Do you know about …”
He flicks his unruly blue hair from his eyes, grasping the unspoken of my question. “I found out after you left.”
That instantly softens the reality of my heritage because Jax and I are in it together.
“Okay,” I sigh. “So …”
Suddenly, it occurs to me that I do need to talk to Axel alone because while Ty’s family is mine now, they are also bound by KORT, which means their allegiance could have restraints.
“You know, I think I would like a moment alone with Axel,” I announce, pumping Ty’s hand a few times before rising, but he doesn’t let go.
His eyes bounce between Axel, Wells, and me until he finally settles on something. “A few minutes.”
I’m not sure what that means, but it reads like an extension of this KORT business, and as I flit my eyes to Ivy and Celeste, it’s clear that is what’s going on. Ivy is biting her lip, like she’s preventing herself from intervening. And Celeste has an eyebrow arched, her glass dangling from her fingers, as though she’s all too familiar and toasting my quandary.
Leaning down, I plant a quick kiss on Ty’s lips. He doesn’t shy away from returning the gesture, but he also doesn’t overdo it like he did with his family this morning. Wisdom. Other than Jax, who I catch smiling in my peripheral vision, my brothers aren’t ready.
The instinct to assure Ty with a kiss was so natural that it startles me.
“I didn’t even think about it,” I whisper, resting my forehead against his.
He palms my head, and his grin could illuminate the darkest night. “That’s another thing married people do, Little Moon.”
Yep. We’re freaking married. And doing married-people shit.
Determining not to make eye contact with any of my brothers, I lead the way to the lanai so Axel and I can address the various issues between us, a small smile still twitching on my lips from that sweet encounter. It’s no surprise when I turn to find Ryker has followed us too. I don’t even bother to tell him to go. He’d just dig his heels in.
Before I can get a word in, Axel surveys my face. “What’s that faint bruise on your cheek from?”
“One of the guys that Ty took out,” I supply, knowing full well that answer will garner some immediate accolades for my husband.
Axel swallows, his eyes glued to mine, conveying exactly what I anticipated—gratefulness for Ty protecting me. “Do you love him? Or—”
