by E. C. Land
Two weeks ago, I left Breaker, taking our son with us and the one I carry within me. Instead of going straight home, I decided to take a trip to the Outer Banks. Levi, Dash, and Flynn keep a place down in Buxton for getaways when they need it. I called Levi and asked him if I could use it for a few days and with it being the beginning of summer, peak season is just starting.
Levi said we could stay as long as we wanted. Which was great, in my opinion. I love the beach and the house has its own access walkway.
After the long drive, I’ve taken my brother’s offer to stay here as long as I wanted, enjoying time with Owen. He seems to really love the beach, but I can tell he misses his daddy.
Breaker’s talked to him several times and texted about him as well. He’s tried to talk to me, but I told him that I needed space right now. The fact he didn’t seem to put up a fight about wanting me to come home or even talk to me at all is heartbreaking.
Today my brothers are coming down to spend a few days with Owen and me here and I’m sure they’ll have questions. They always do.
Being the only girl and their baby sister makes them overly protective. The three of them have tried to be regular visitors down to Louisiana so they can be a part of their nephew’s life, but I get with the job they do, it’s not always easy.
Sighing, I grab the baby monitor, snag my decaf coffee, and go sit on the back deck and let the sounds of the waves soothe me while I pull out my phone to check the messages I’m waking up to.
Breaker: I hope you’re okay.
Breaker: Let me know when you get up tomorrow. I’d like to talk to you.
Breaker: Good morning, ma chou. I miss seeing you both—FaceTime me when you call.
My heart clenches in my chest at his words.
Does he miss us or just being able to see Owen all the time?
Damnit.
Rubbing a hand across my stomach, I feel our other little boy kicking. This isn’t the way I wanted this all to go. No, I didn’t plan for our second child to come into a world that involves a broken home. It’s bad enough Owen’s having to go through it right now.
The ringing of my phone causes me to jump, and I look at the screen to see Lyrica calling.
I’ve ignored everyone’s calls. When I say everyone, that includes all the members of the club too.
All of them except for Breaker’s, but that’s only so he can talk to his son.
Inwardly groaning, I shake my head and slide my finger across the screen before pulling the phone up to my ear.
“Hey,” I say apprehensively.
“Hey,” Lyrica whispers in return. With them being an hour behind, I know she’s up early right now. “Are you okay?” Tears prick my eyes at her question.
Am I?
“I don’t know,” I murmur honestly.
“I’m sorry about all this. I knew you were struggling and yet I couldn’t help you.”
“What do you mean?” I’m confused by her statement.
“The night of the party. He was coming to talk to you. I pretty much told him he was being stupid and needed to get his head out of his ass before it was too late. And in the end, it was. I wanted to help. As he was going to leave, someone walked into the clubhouse that kept him from going because of who it was.”
Oh, God. Was it another woman?
No. No. No.
Do not go there.
“I found out I have a brother and that’s who showed. To say meeting Dillon, or as I should say Wire, has been interesting,” Lyrica says, calming my fears.
“You have a brother?” I ask, baffled.
“Yeah, it’s crazy everything that’s occurred.” Lyrica goes on to catch me up on what’s happened over the last two weeks, and I find I do miss being home around everyone. We do some small talk and by the time I get off with her, I promise to answer when she calls again. I’ll talk to her, but I don’t want to talk to anyone else.
Not yet, at least.
I don’t want them to see me as weak for not being able to handle my life as an ol’ lady.
Putting my phone down, I go inside to make breakfast for Owen and myself. The sound of a truck pulling into the front causes me to frown.
Who the hell would that be?
My brothers weren’t coming down until this afternoon. Unless they decided to come earlier and surprise me.
That’s got to be what it is.
Owen makes a noise letting me know he’s awake, so I put the whisk down from whisking the pancake mix and go get him. He’s sleeping in a playpen while we’re here. I’m not taking a chance of him rolling out of one of the beds.
“Hey, my little monster,” I murmur, seeing his smiling face when I call him my little monster. The book he loves to hear all the time is one about a monster and his socks. It’s cute and Breaker always makes funny noises when he reads it to him.
God, there’s another pang in my chest at the thought of Breaker. He’s a wonderful dad to our son, and I hate I took Owen so far away from his daddy.
I lift Owen out of his playpen, and he goes straight to the bathroom. We’ve been working on potty training. My little monster is a quick learner, picking up on what we teach him. Once I get him ready, I take him into the living room to play with his toys while I finish breakfast.
I stop in my tracks when we’re at the mouth of the hall at the sight in front of me. The beach house has an open floor plan for the kitchen and living space, so I can see those in the room.
Not only are my brothers sitting at the table with a box of donuts from a local place here, but Breaker, Tyres, and Brake are standing in the kitchen fixing coffee.
Breaker lifts his eyes to meet my shocked ones. “Hey, Spitfire,” he says in greeting, and my knees go weak before I feel myself going fuzzy.
Chapter Two
Breaker
After Nora left two weeks ago, I’ve lived in hell not seeing her and my boy. I’ve spoken to him on the phone every day, but never her. She made sure of that.
I knew I needed to figure out a game plan and that would have to involve her brothers’ assistance as much as I hate to admit it.
Tyres and Brake decided to come with me. This meant we had to take a truck, so Wren, Tyres’ daughter, could come with us. I didn’t mind her coming along because Owen loved his little cousin.
It took more days than I like to get everything in order for my plan to take place. I wanted to surprise Nora by showing her when I get her home how much she does mean to me. First, I got the ol’ ladies to plan something special for my ol’ lady and me. I’d give them the go-ahead after I know without a doubt I’m bringing her home.
Granted, there’s no way I’m not getting her back. It’s just a matter of how long it takes me.
The call to Nora’s brothers is where things got tricky. They knew she left and were ready to gut me. I explained some shit with the help of Lyrica and Angelina. Once Levi, Dash, and Flynn realized what was going on with their sister, they got on board.
We met up with them on the way to the beach house. They told me Nora was staying at the one they owned and showed us where to go. Evidently, they weren’t going to miss the show of my ol’ lady handing me my ass. Whatever that meant.
What I didn’t expect was when we got to the beach house to find my woman, who is usually strong and fierce, ready to take on anyone and everyone, looking exhausted.
The moment she stepped into the room with our son next to her, my heart rate settled finally.
“Hey, Spitfire,” I say gently and start in her direction. When I notice her step falter and her body start to go down, I jumped for her to keep her from falling to the floor as she faints.
“Fuck,” one of her brothers growls.
“Get her some juice,” another one orders.
“Shit, she hasn’t done that in years,” Levi states, moving to the other side of her and snagging Owen into his arms. “Come on, munchkin, let’s get you breakfast while Daddy helps Mommy.”
I nod in gratitude and lift No
ra completely into my arms and take her to the room at the farthest end of the house. I know the place has like five bedrooms, a game room, a pool, and all that fun shit, but Nora says when she’d come, she always stayed in the master suite on the main floor.
We hadn’t had the chance to come here together due to all the bullshit we had going on back home. It’s fucked up. This is how we have to get here now. Maybe if I’d taken the time to bring her here, to spend more time together without the club involved, she wouldn’t have left the way she did. And she wouldn’t have thought I didn’t want her.
Fuck me. This is all my own motherfuckin’ fault.
I lay her on the bed just as Dash comes in with a cup of orange juice. “When she was younger and got herself all worked up, she’d do this when something happened she didn’t expect. Give her this and be with her when she wakes up. We got Owen.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” I rasp, taking the glass from his hand.
“If it wasn’t for the fact we knew deep down you’d die for our sister, you’d be dead right now rather than us helping you win her back,” Dash proclaims and leaves the room.
I grunt and sit next to my ol’ lady as she starts to stir. Leaning over her with an arm braced over her side, caging her in, I brush a loose strand of hair from her face.
Nora blinks, her eyes opening to look at me. “Hey, beauté,” I whisper, running my thumb across her lips.
“What happened? And what are you doing here?” she asks apprehensively.
Instead of answering right away, I help her sit up and give her the juice to drink. “Drink this, Spitfire.”
Thankfully, she doesn’t argue with me and does as I tell her. Nora gulps the juice down before handing me the glass back.
“You didn’t answer my questions,” she murmurs while I place the glass on the nightstand.
“It should be obvious as to why I’m here, beauté,” I rasp, cupping the side of her face causing her to suck in a ragged breath. “I’m fighting for what I want and that’s you, Nora. You and our son are my fuckin’ world and I’m not about to lose you to anything.”
Tears spill down Nora’s cheeks and she diverts her gaze. “Don’t lie to me,” she whispers inaudibly.
“Nora, look at me, Spitfire,” I command, keeping my cool. I will not lose my patience when it comes to her. Never will I lose it with my ol’ lady. She’s the one person who can soothe the fire inside me even as she throws her attitude in my direction.
At this moment, I realize just how much I’ve missed her giving me her attitude.
When she finally gives me her eyes, I lean in and press my forehead to hers. “I’m not lying to you. I couldn’t do that to you, ever. You’re mine. I’ve been an asshole in not seeing your pain, but not having you home these past two weeks is more than I want to ever go again.”
Nora’s breath hitches and she shakes her head. “But I’m not enough for you. I’m fat and ugly. I’m nowhere near the woman you married.”
Fuck me.
I’ve seriously fucked up when it comes to her. I thought I gave her everything she needed, but it seems I didn’t.
Lifting my head, I meet her gaze dead-on. “Ma chou, I can’t tell you how sorry I am for not being a better man for you. But I’m not giving up on us. We’ve got too much invested. Our sons need us both. More than them needing us together, you’re the other half of my soul and I need you. I need the fuse that keeps me seeing straight and not blowing when I need to keep my calm.”
More tears spill and I lean in, taking the chance by capturing her lips with mine, needing her to feel the truth behind my words.
No other compares to her and knowing now the inner outrage she’s been dealing with guts me, but I’ll stop at nothing to make it right. To bring the life back into her that I helped tarnish.
Chapter Three
Nora
Breaker’s here. He came for me and not just our son.
Could this be real?
Emotions overflow within my heart and soul while my body reacts to my man’s lips on mine, sending me into overdrive. Breaker has a way of lighting a fire within my body that the only thing to soothe it is him. His kiss, his touch, his body. All of him.
Opening to give him entrance, he deepens the kiss further than ever before. I wrap my hands around him, curling my fingers of one hand in his hair and the other around his shoulders. He groans into my mouth as I moan into his.
My body hums to life, wanting him to take the kiss further, but when he breaks his lips from mine, leaving me breathless for more, I meet his gaze.
“Fuckin’ love you, woman. You have no clue how much it guts me to know I’ve hurt you so badly you felt you had to leave me,” he mutters gravely. “I’ll do everything in my power to make it up to you if you give me a chance.”
Do I want to give him a chance?
Of course, I wanted to give him a chance. I would give him anything because he’s Breaker, my Orion, my husband, and ol’ man. He’s my everything and I’ve hated not being near him. Even though it killed me to see him laughing with the strays and spending most of his time in the clubhouse rather than with our family.
“Yes, Orion, but things need to change. I can’t do this if things are going to go back to the way they were,” I whisper.
“Spitfire, I can promise you now, nothing is gonna go back to the way it had been. I give you my word. We’ll work on us and I intend to prove my word to you each and every day,” Breaker mutters. “Now, let’s get you into the kitchen so I can feed you and our little boy you’re carrying.”
I smile as he lays a hand on my stomach where our little one is resting. My bump has gotten bigger in the last few weeks and I’ve had to buy a few things to wear here that fit.
Breaker helps me to my feet and walks with me out of the room. He places a hand at the center of my back and guides me into the kitchen. The smell of bacon cooking causes my stomach to growl in hunger.
Owen’s giggles come from the living room area of the house, and I turn my attention to him to see Levi on the floor holding my son up like he’s an airplane. Wren, Tyres’ daughter, is beating on his stomach, squealing in delight.
Glancing around the room, I take in my other two brothers sitting at the kitchen table. Dash is texting someone and Flynn is drinking his coffee.
At the stove is Tyres cooking the said bacon while Brake is pouring himself a coffee.
All eyes turn in our direction when we step fully into the room.
“Hi,” I say sheepishly, kind of embarrassed.
“How are you feeling?” Flynn asks, brows furrowed, causing a crease in his forehead.
“Okay,” I mutter.
“That’s good, but just so you know, Circe is coming to give you a checkup,” Flynn announces.
I groan at the mention of my cousin, who’s eccentric in herself. Circe’s mom named her because she claims to have had visions of my cousin doing great things. Circe is also a midwife that lives here at the beach year-round. She only leaves when they evacuate the island.
“I’m fine,” I grumble.
“You say that, Spitfire, but you fainted. If I didn’t catch you, our baby could have been hurt. Just let her check you out,” Breaker says calmly.
Sighing, I take a seat at the counter and look at the plate Tyres places in front of me. “Eat,” he grumbles and goes about finishing up everything else.
I do as I’m told, but only because I’m starving and need to eat. Otherwise, I’ll end up biting someone’s head off out of hanger.
Orion kisses the side of my head, and I turn slightly in my seat to watch him as he walks through the room and lifts Owen into his arms, causing his laughter to grow when he tickles our son.
Wren toddles through the room and comes to me with her arms up, wanting to be held. She’s grown so much in the past two weeks it’s nerve-wracking. Brake rounds the counter and lifts his niece into his arms.
“Hey, princess, you want some pancakes?” Brake asks, placing the little
girl into his lap as he sits down on the seat next to me. “Tell your daddy you demand yummy food.”
Wren makes babbling noises making everyone chuckle.
“So . . . what’re everyone’s plans?” I ask.
“Figured once Circe checks you out, we could head down to the beach for the day. Dash, Flynn, and I need to head back tonight. We’ve got a job to handle and need to focus on it,” Levi mutters, coming to stand at the counter.
Breaker comes to join us and throws his free arm around my shoulders and presses his lips to the side of my head. “A beach day sounds good. Any chance to see my woman in a bikini,” he murmurs quietly.
I tilt my head to meet his gaze. “Sorry, don’t have a bikini. Besides, no one wants to see this body in something so revealing.”
“Spitfire, bikinis on you are hot no matter what,” he growls. “I need swim trunks. Why don’t we eat, get you checked out, then maybe go have some fun on the beach? We’re here for however long you want to stay.”
Blinking at him, I’m astounded by his words. “We’re here for however long you want to stay.”
Does this mean we’re going to be okay?
God, I hope so. I don’t think I can survive him not wanting me. Not really. He’s the other half of my soul. Without him, I’m nothing but a shell of who I should be.
Chapter Four
Breaker
Nora’s cousin Circe showed up several hours ago and after giving my woman an exam, she stated all was well. But she recommended that Nora take it easy and try to relax rather than stress. It’s because of her stress and worry that caused her to faint in shock when she saw me in the kitchen.
Now, after going to one of the stores with Tyres and Brake to get some swim shorts for us and a little rash guard to put on Tyres’ daughter Wren, we’re heading down to the beach.
Instead of walking, though, we take the trucks out for some fun in the sand.
Finding a spot for all of us, we park the trucks, hop out, and set up chairs and a canopy to keep the kids from being directly in the sun. I help Owen and get Nora straight. She didn’t wear a bikini like I would have liked, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t wear something sexy as hell and has my cock throbbing, demanding entrance between her legs.
