Midlife Dragon Brothers (Midlife Shifters Book 11)

by J. L. Wilder

  Even though her feelings were raw and her soul felt like it was ripping, she made herself get up and get cleaned up. She had to face the world. She had to face the clan. For Milo. For Sasha.

  For her men, who deserved better.

  22.

  ***Maverick***

  He knew something was wrong the second Maggie stepped into the room. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked as if she was barely holding on to her control, like she could cry at any moment. He lost track of what he’d been reciting and stepped towards her. “Mags?”

  She looked up at him and swallowed. When she tried to speak, her voice broke. Just when he thought she was going to break down, she cleared her throat and forced a smile. “Hey. I’m not late picking up Milo, am I?”

  Wyatt moved towards her as well. “What’s going on, Maggie?”

  Sawyer closed the distance between them and gently put his hand on her shoulder. “What is it? Did something happen?”

  She straightened her shoulders and looked down at where Milo had made his way over and wrapped himself around her legs. “I’m good. Just here to grab Milo and get back home. Did you need more for practice?”

  Uncle Jonah stepped forward. “Maggie? Why don’t you let me and Saul watch over Milo this afternoon? Maybe you four could spend some time together.”

  All of them turned to look at Uncle Jonah like he’d lost his mind. Maverick frowned and looked back at Maggie to see her reaction. She looked so defeated that he wasn’t sure what to expect from her.

  She took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly before nodding. “Okay. You don’t have to watch him, though. I could take him home to Sasha. The girls love watching him.”

  Uncle Jonah held his arms out to Milo and Milo ran to the older man, giggling the whole time. “Nonsense. We’ll hang out together and spoil him today. And then we’ll take him home a little later and visit with Sasha.”

  Maggie nodded again and then looked around at them. The light in her eyes had dimmed, and she seemed so lost in that moment. “Okay.”

  Wyatt reacted first. “Why don’t we all go to the ranch and spend some time out there? We could stop and get the dogs if you want, Maggie.”

  She blinked a few times and then shrugged. “Sure.”

  Maverick had to stop himself from grabbing her and making her tell him what was hurting her. He felt sick at the idea of something happening to her that he hadn’t been there to stop. He forced himself to stay calm as he looked to his brothers. “Why don’t I swing by and get the dogs and then meet you there?”

  Wyatt nodded. “Sure. We’ll be at the barn.”

  Sawyer took Maggie’s arm and led her out of the room, a concerned look on his face. He even glanced back at his brothers as he went, the question clear on his face as well. What was going on with Maggie?

  Wyatt hung back and moved closer to Maverick. “Will you just listen in for a bit in town and see if you hear anything? Just for a moment?”

  Maverick agreed and ran his fingers through his beard. “Something had to have happened. I’ll try to figure it out.”

  Wyatt patted his arm and then headed out, leaving Maverick with the uncles and Milo. Looking down at Milo, he held out his arms and smiled, happy when his son ran into his embrace. He wrapped his little arms around Maverick’s neck and laughed, happy as always.

  “I’ll be back, okay? Have fun with Uncle Jonah and Uncle Saul. Give them hell.”

  Uncle Jonah scoffed. “Don’t teach the boy bad words, Maverick!”

  With a snort, he handed Milo off to his uncle. “This boy knows more bad words than the both of you combined. You’ve met his mother; you should understand.”

  Uncle Jonah stared out at the space Maggie had just been in. “Turmoil is rolling off of her. Help her. She’s very important to us.”

  Maverick stared at his uncle in confusion but just nodded and went along with it. “We’ll take care of her.”

  It didn’t take him long in town to figure out what’d happened. Fury boiled his blood as he drove to Sasha’s to get the dogs. He wanted to rip into Jessi Flint and her lackeys. Of course, it was them who upset Maggie.

  He stopped in Sasha’s driveway and knocked on the door, just for her to yell at him to come in. He walked in and found her sitting on the couch with Jack, both dogs at their feet. It was a cozy picture and he got an idea. “How would you all like to go hang out at the ranch?”

  Sasha grinned immediately. “Breaking free from my prison? I thought you’d never ask!”

  Jack shrugged. “Can Bash and Bully come?”

  “I could take them before I’d take your mom, kid.”

  Jack grinned. “Me too.”

  Sasha pushed Jack off the couch and stuck her tongue out at them both. “Both of you can stuff it.”

  “Are the girls here? They can come, too.”

  From the stairs, Aubrey let out a happy squeal. “Can we drive?”

  Sasha rolled her eyes. “Sure.”

  The kids all disappeared to get ready and Maverick sat down across from Sasha. “Maggie’s not having a good day.”

  “What do you mean? I could tell she’d been in earlier, but I had a doctor’s appointment today so I missed her. Did something happen?”

  “She came back to practice really upset but she wouldn’t say anything. The uncles suggested they watch Milo and the four of us go spend some time together. Wyatt and Sawyer are already at the ranch with her. I came to pick up the dogs, but now I think it might help if everyone was there for her.”

  “What upset her?”

  “Jessi Flint.” Maverick growled and rubbed at his eyes. “They caught her in the middle of the town square and apparently badgered her until she got angry and shifted. People overheard what Jessi was saying, and no one is surprised or worried about Maggie shifting. They said Jessi and her minions deserved it.”

  “But Maggie isn’t going to think of it that way.” Sasha swore. “Those assholes. How dare they hurt her.”

  Nodding, Maverick scowled and balled his hands into fists. “And then she shifted back and ran naked through town. So, she’s had a great day.”

  Sasha slapped her hand over her mouth, but a laugh still escaped. “Oh, god. My poor, unfortunate sister.”

  “It won her points with the clan. Apparently, your sister’s bare ass in full sprint is a thing of wonder.” Maverick glared at Sasha when she laughed again. “I almost killed a sixty-year-old man over it.”

  She stood up and patted the top of his head as she moved past him. “It’s cute that you’re jealous, but it’s cuter that you’re bringing her family to her. You’re a good one, Maverick Walker.”

  “We’re going to make a detour and pick up Milo, too.” He sighed. “If we’re lucky, the uncles won’t insist on coming.”

  Sasha clapped her hands. “This is going to be the best day.”

  Maverick was thinking that he’d gotten the idea wrong when he arrived at the ranch with two vehicles and seven extra people, beside himself. Aubrey had driven Sasha’s car with Gabbi, Jack, and the dogs while Maverick had driven Sasha, Milo, and both uncles. Aubrey had bumped into his truck while trying to park and they all piled out, arguing. Even the uncles.

  Maverick got out and considered plugging his ears. Then he looked over and saw Maggie watching with a giant smile on her face, her eyes full of tears. She hurried over and threw herself into his arms, giving him a giant hug.

  “Thank you! You brought everyone. That was so nice.” Maggie wiped at her eyes and laughed. “This was a nice surprise.”

  Wyatt and Sawyer joined them and stood with him while they watched the family argue. Sawyer slapped Maverick on the back and grinned. “You made her smile. I was starting to wonder if I needed to shove Wyatt into a pile of horseshit to get a laugh. I don’t normally revert to slapstick humor, but I was getting desperate.”

  Wyatt just rolled his eyes. “This was a great idea, Mav. A loud, headache-inducing great idea.”

  Maverick watched as Maggie le
aned into her sister and got a huge hug from Sasha. Sasha took advantage of the situation and, in front of everyone, reached into Maggie’s pants and pulled up her underwear, giving her a wedgie. Maggie screamed and danced away while Sasha fell into a fit of laughter.

  He looked at his brothers and raised his eyebrows. “How are they worse than us?”

  Wyatt had a big grin on his face as he watched Maggie. “I don’t know, but I’m going to go offer to help.”

  Sawyer shoved him away and laughed. “Not if I get there first.”

  Watching his brothers shove each other as they went to offer Maggie help, he felt like his heart was full. It was an odd feeling, because he knew nothing was settled with Maggie and they still had to have the talk, but being there with his family and her family, it felt right.

  Jack ran by with a chicken chasing him that definitely shouldn’t have been free. It seemed that it only took mere minutes for even Wyatt’s well-run ranch to turn into chaos around Maggie’s family. He couldn’t say he didn’t like it as he joined his brothers in trying to get the chicken, who’d caught the eyes of Maggie’s dogs. Pure chaos, but the smile on Maggie’s face was worth it.

  23.

  ***Maggie***

  Maggie still had an impressive amount of guilt and shame sitting heavily on her shoulders, but the evening spent with her family and all of the Walker men, including the uncles, had helped. None of them thought the worst of her. They didn’t look at her differently because of what she’d done, even if maybe they should have. She felt like maybe the uncles, especially, should chastise her lack of control and dangerous behavior, but they didn’t. Instead, they were warm and loving to her the entire time.

  Being with everyone had eased the ache she’d been feeling. She’d closed off that wall of communication between her and her dragon, snapped it shut so tight that nothing could get through. Her dragon couldn’t be trusted, but she missed the warmth that had formed between them. That ache was for that loss of connection, the loss of warmth. It was strange how much she’d grown accustomed to the other being inside of her in such a short period of time.

  She did her best not to think of any of it while her family was there. Seeing Sasha feeling better and having fun made a world of difference. The kids seemed happier, too. Milo had the time of his life, hanging out with the uncles, who seemed to become large toddlers away from the responsibilities of the clan. Everyone was great. She could almost forget that she’d attacked someone earlier that day.

  The guys had been amazing. They each took turns teasing her, keeping her smiling, and looking after her. It was odd how easy it seemed. They were attentive and ever-present, but she never felt overwhelmed with the pressure to give each of them an equal amount of attention. It just happened naturally.

  As day turned to night, Wyatt lit a fire and everyone sat around roasting marshmallows. Milo was already asleep from having so much fun, Bash and Bully watching over him as he slept in Maggie’s arms. The dogs were just as exhausted from chasing animals and playing all day, so their version of watching over Milo involved snoring. Jack and the girls were listening to Sasha and the uncles tell stories about how the clan had been when Sasha and Maggie were just girls.

  Maverick and Wyatt were on each side of Maggie, thighs pressed into hers, with Sawyer sitting across from her. They all seemed happy, but there was something else bubbling under the surface. She didn’t know what it was, but she was nervous. Had she done something wrong? Besides the obvious. There they were, all hanging out like she wasn’t sleeping with each of them. Had they talked? She worried about the decision they’d come to. Would they walk away from her completely because of what she was doing with all of them?

  Just as the guilt came back twice as heavy as before, Sasha looked over at them and smiled. “I think it’s time we headed home. Some of us are asleep on our feet.”

  Saul jerked his head up and blinked a few times. “What? What’d you say?”

  Wyatt laughed and patted Maggie’s knee before standing up. “All right, let’s call it a night. I’ll get the fire if you two get the uncles.”

  Maverick kissed the side of her head and got up. “Uncle Jonah, Uncle Saul, you two want to spend the night here tonight?”

  Sawyer laughed at Wyatt’s expression. “I’ll drive them home. It’s on the way.”

  Sasha looked at her kids and nodded. “Come on, kiddos. And, before you even ask, no, you are not driving home. Either of you girls. It’s going to be a long time before I forget how you hit Maverick’s truck, Aubrey.”

  “Mom! I didn’t hit his truck. Why am I getting punished because Aubrey can’t drive?” Gabbi pouted as she glared at her sister. “We’re not identical in skills, you know.”

  Aubrey glared back. “You’re no better than me. Remember when you hit that mailbox?”

  Sasha shook her head. “Neither of you are driving again until you take some classes. You hit a mailbox? What the hell, Gabbi. Did you stop and see if you broke it?”

  Sawyer cleared his throat. “Oh, it was definitely broken.”

  Gabbi shoved at her sister. “Good job, loser! Now everyone knows I ran over Sawyer’s mailbox.”

  Maggie laughed as she watched Sasha’s eyes go big. Of all the mailboxes for Gabbi to hit, it had to be Sawyer’s. “This is good.”

  “Well, Gabbi will be paying for your mailbox, Sawyer.”

  “Oh, and the jail time. The jail time for destroying a mailbox is serious business.” Sawyer shook his head gravely. “It’s a good thing you’re only sixteen, Gabbi, or you’d be looking at a lot longer than just a couple of years.”

  Gabbi looked like she was ready to cry until Sawyer grinned at her. “You’re messing with me!”

  He laughed and pulled her into a quick side hug. “Of course. It’s fine. I agree with your mother, though. You need lessons. Both of you.”

  Sasha pointed at her car and walked over to Maggie. She leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Well, that was mortifying. Are you coming home with us?”

  Wyatt cleared his throat. “Actually, we were hoping that we could talk with Maggie.”

  Her stomach bottomed out and she considered how pathetic she’d look if she climbed onto Sasha and refused to be left alone. Probably pretty pathetic, but she thought it might be worth it.

  “One of us will take you home after.” Maverick’s voice had an almost sad note to it that did nothing to ease the stress threatening to choke Maggie.

  She forced herself to nod and let go of her sister. “Okay. Sure. That’s totally fine. Yep.”

  Sasha laughed and patted her cheek. “See you when you get home.”

  Sawyer stopped by on his way to his truck and hugged Maggie. “I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded and curled up in front of the fire, her heart racing. “Wyatt, could you leave the fire going for a bit?”

  He sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Of course.”

  As everyone left and the ranch went back to its normal state of peacefulness, Maggie tried to stay calm. She listened to the sounds of night and did her best to ignore what might be coming. Was she going to be dumped by all of them? She shook her head as she reminded herself not to think about it.

  “You okay?” Maverick settled on her other side and took her hand in his lap. “You look like you’re getting ready to walk to your death, Mags.”

  She forced a laugh and shrugged. “I’m okay. It was just a long day.”

  Wyatt pulled away so he could shift sideways and face her. “Want to talk about what happened earlier?”

  She frowned. “Not really. Did you already hear somehow?”

  Maverick grunted. “I talked to a few people around town to figure out what had you so upset earlier. You should know that no one that I spoke to thinks you did anything wrong.”

  She shook her head and stared into the fire. She had done something wrong. She’d been doing things wrong since she got to Brady.

  Wyatt took her other hand. “It’s oka
y, Maggie. We don’t have to talk about it.”

  “Instead, we have other things to talk about.” She sighed and stood up. “I think I might take a quick walk until Sawyer gets back.”

  Before either of them could answer, she walked away, heading towards the barn. She fought the urge to cry, fear of what was coming burning her eyes. She had this deep feeling in her stomach that things were about to change. She was going to lose them. It was almost a tangible thing she could feel, like sand slipping through her fingers. She wanted to grab on and never let go, but she couldn’t.

  She got to the barn and sat outside of one of the stalls, listening to the soft breathing of the horse on the other side. She stayed there until she heard the sound of Sawyer’s truck coming back up the driveway and then she forced herself to stand up and walk back. She had to face whatever they said.

  The men were sitting around the fire when she got back to them, a stiffness to them that hadn’t been there before. She tried not to show just how nervous she was as she sat down across from them and wrapped her arms around herself. She deserved whatever they said. She’d been greedy and selfish for far too long.

  “You okay, Mags?” Sawyer’s frown was etched deep into his mouth, the shadows cast by the fire making them look even deeper. She could almost imagine he was a caricature of Sawyer instead of Sawyer.

  She nodded and leaned into the fire, a chill settling in her bones. “What is it that you wanted to talk about?”

  Wyatt let out a deep chuckle, but there was no humor in the sound. “Getting right to it, then?”

  Maverick was sat far enough back that his entire face was in shadow. When he did lean forward, Maggie gasped at the pain she saw there. She’d done that. That was all her fault. She looked away, her heart pounding.

  “We have to sort this out, Maggie.” His voice was pinched as he spoke. “We all feel a lot for you and we’re all struggling to make sense of it.”