by G. Bailey
“I have some time to decide,” I mutter, and Izzy laughs.
“Come on, you must have some idea for a name,” she tells me.
“Okay, there was this one name-“ I get cut off when Izzy’s phone starts buzzing, and she answers the call.
“Oh my god, congratulations, Seb, that’s amazing. Yes, I will tell them. Love you, bro, and I will be at the hospital in the morning. Jake is fine, I promise. Bye,” Izzy says all this so quickly that neither Luke nor I can say a word until she puts the phone down.
“A girl, she’s perfect, and Maisy is doing well. They decided to call her Isabelle,” Izzy says, and there are grins from all of us as we look at each other. Izzy’s phone starts ringing and she moves quickly to answer it.
“It’s Blake, he is at the hospital as he drove Seb and Elliot.” She tells us before walking out.
“Here, pass her to me. I’m taking her back to bed, and I will check Jake before I go to sleep, myself,” I say to Luke who offers me my baby girl, and I hold her close to my chest. I look down at her, seeing how her curly, red hair is growing already, and I love the little snores she makes as she sleeps. Harley makes a small, groaning noise, and I look over at him. I hate seeing him like this, in so much pain, but I’m happy it’s over. This is the first and only time I will have to see him suffer like this.
“I’m watching him for the night,” Luke tells me, seeing where I’m staring.
I look over at the youngest King brother. The tattoos he has lining his arms, the scruffy hair, and slight beard make him look older than all his brothers. I would say he is the more playful one out of them all, but there are still those shadows in his eyes. The same shadows they all have, but Harley has them the worst from what I know. His shadows are the most difficult to erase.
“I’m still going to check he is okay in a few hours, you don’t have to stay up all night,” I reply to Luke. I know I won’t be able to sleep well tonight, knowing Harley isn’t completely okay.
“He’s my brother, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him, and that includes watching movies on my phone down here until he wakes up in the morning,” he says.
“He feels the same about you and all your brothers. I know because I’ve always been protective of my brothers, too,” I say and mentally chuckle to myself about all the times I’ve helped them get out of trouble. There’s something about having close siblings, it has a way of making you feel loved and knowing you have someone protecting your back.
“It’s what Kings do, apparently Foxes are just the same,” he says, and I wink at him.
“You have that right.”
“Can I ask you something?” Luke asks, nervously moving on the sofa. I’ve never seen him nervous before.
“Sure,” I say, sitting on the edge of the sofa and moving my baby onto my shoulder. I pat her back gently as she stirs a little. I’m lucky she loves her sleep and is happy whenever someone is holding her.
“Okay, so there’s this girl . . .” he starts off, “that sounded more rehearsed than I wanted it to.”
“I’m listening,” I say with a little chuckle, and he groans.
“She is complicated as fuck, messes with my head, but I can’t stop thinking about her. We had a one-night stand and afterward, she just . . . .”
“Just?”
“I don’t know. Let’s just say I know she is hiding something from me, but I don’t know what it is. I can’t figure her out, but no other girl compares to her. Nothing compares to her,” Luke says, and I nod, looking at Harley.
“Then don’t give up, no matter how messed-up things are, how hard they get, you fight. That’s what your brother taught me, and it’s what he would tell you if you asked him. If you can’t stop thinking about her, there’s a reason for that,” I say, knowing that there’s a reason I can’t stop thinking about Harley.
“Thanks. Just . . . part of me wants to give up on her sometimes, but then even thinking of doing that . . . yeah, I can’t,” Luke says, looking down at his hands.
“Then she is worth it,” I say gently, and he smiles up at me.
“Thanks, Tills,” Luke smiles, looking down at his phone as he slips it in his hand.
“No problem. Night, Luke,” I reply.
“Night.” He waves a hand.
I gently shut the door behind me as I leave the room and go upstairs. When I get to my room, I put my baby in her cot and kiss her head. I check on Jake before getting into bed, and then I close my eyes, letting the small sound of my baby’s little snores lure me to sleep.
“Tilly,” I hear whispered gently, and I blink my eyes open to see Harley lying next to me on the bed, our faces inches apart. Harley doesn’t look any better this morning, his eye is still swollen shut, and his face is a muted colour of bruises. His lip has a long cut on the left side, but the swelling has gone down a little.
“Harley?” I ask in a little bit of a daze.
“Shh, baby girl is still sleeping,” Harley says, putting his finger to my lips. I look over my shoulder to see it’s still dark outside, and I can see my baby sleeping in her cot.
“How are you feeling?” I ask Harley quietly, placing my hand on his chest.
“Better, although I’m not accepting drinks from Luke anymore. I should have known he would do that,” he says, and I smile.
“I kind of like that he did, you needed your rest,” I say, and he grins.
“Any news on Maisy and Isabelle?” I ask him, and he pulls his phone out of his jean pocket. I wait as he unlocks it and then shows me photos of Maisy and Sebastian holding a little baby with black hair. I look closer and see she looks just like Maisy and Jake. Jake and Isabelle have the same black hair. Above the photo is a message saying ‘she has my green eyes,’ and I know she is going to be the image of her brother.
“They look so happy,” I say as I hand him his phone back, and he puts it in his jeans.
“They do,” he says. I pause when he leans closer, our mouths only inches away from each other, and he reaches over, tucking some of my hair behind my ear.
“Tilly, I want a date on Friday. Five days away. I’ve been planning it for a while,” he says, and I love that he has been planning a date for us. For the future we can now have.
“We go on dates already,” I whisper back, and he chuckles.
“Nothing like this one. This one is the start of us, Tilly. You’d best be ready,” he teases me.
“So should you, Mr. King,” I whisper back and brush my lips against his.
He responds by kissing me again harder, an almost desperate kiss as he rolls himself over me. The sound of the baby crying only moments later makes us break apart. “Friday, Tilly,” Harley says, getting off of me and standing up and walking over to my baby. He picks her up, and she instantly stops crying.
“I can sort her, you only just had that fight and I know you must be sore,” I comment, but he kisses her forehead and rests her in his arms.
“Let me, please. Everyone in this room is what I survived for,” he tells me, and I nod, emotion filling me. “I’m going to feed her some milk while you wake up.”
“Trust me, every part of me is awake,” I mutter, and he grins at me before walking out.
105
Harley
“What did you say?” I repeat to the doctor, trying to sit up, but Elliot puts a hand on my chest, making me lie back down.
The strong smell of medicine and the ticking of the heart monitor are annoying me as I try to process what he is telling me. Every part of my body hurts as I try to sit up, my voice croaks from my dry throat.
“You just woke from a coma, a three-day fucking coma. Please rest,” Elliot begs me, and I look at my fourteen-year- old brother and nod. I dread to know what our father has been putting him through in the last few days, but the bruises on his face tell me enough. I hate being away from them, not there to take the hits and divert my father’s attention.
“You cannot have children, Mr. King. The operation we had to do . .
.” he keeps talking, but I don’t hear anything else he says.
I knew it was bad when the man I was fighting pulled that knife out and stabbed me, right under my cock. I knew when I punched him and he passed out that my brothers would get me to the hospital, that the damage would be severe. But I never expected this.
“Mr. King, are you listening to me?” the doctor asks, and I ignore him as the door opens.
Luke and Sebastian walk in, bruises on their faces, and I know that I might never be able to have children, but my brothers need my protection now. There are worse things that can happen in life, and I could always adopt a child who has shitty parents like mine one day.
“I heard you and I understand. Now leave, I want to talk to my brothers,” I tell the doctor, who gives me a worried look but walks out.
“Harley–” Elliot starts to say, and I shake my head at him. I don’t want anyone else to know. As far as I’m concerned, I already have a family who needs me.
“Impressive.” Luke whistles when I walk into the kitchen in my tuxedo.
“Do I look all right?” I ask him, worrying about my hair, which I’ve spent ages on, braiding the sides back. The tuxedo is tight but made to fit, so I have to think it looks good.
“Yeah, man, but don’t worry. That girl loves you anyway,” he says, walking past me and patting my shoulder. When did my youngest brother get so grown up?
“Fucking hell,” I whisper to myself when I see Tilly walk into the corridor wearing a tight, black dress that Allie helped me choose for her. The dress is simple, just black, but the long slit up to her thigh just makes her look stunning. Her red hair is half up in a bun, and the rest falls down her back in curls.
“Harley?” she calls, like the damn siren she is. I find myself helpless in doing anything but walking straight over to her. Her eyes widen when she sees me and I can’t help but grin.
“You look so beautiful, Tilly,” I tell her, not knowing what else to say to her. ‘Beautiful’ doesn’t even seem like a strong enough word to describe how she looks. She is just something else.
“Thank you, and thank you for the dress. How did you know my size?” she asks, but it’s Allie who answers for me.
“He called me, and I knew your size from one look,” she says as she walks out of the lounge with Elliot at her side. Allie has the baby monitor in her hand, and she offered to babysit baby girl tonight so I can take Tilly out. Elliot was just dragged along, but he doesn’t seem too bothered.
“Are you sure about having her all night?” Tilly asks Allie. Allie comes over and hugs her gently.
“Positive, now go. If we have any trouble, I will call. You both deserve a night out,” Allie tells her, and she nods.
“I’m here, too, and baby girl loves me,” Luke comments, leaning against the wall.
“Only because you keep watching Minions with her.” Tilly laughs.
“It’s a funny film.” Luke shrugs and walks off.
“Let’s go,” I say to Tilly and take her hand in mine.
We walk out to my car, and I hold the door open. Tilly goes to get in and then changes her mind, turning and leaning up to kiss me gently and making me smile before she turns and gets in. After I get in, we start the ten-minute drive to the place I want to take her.
“Where are you taking me then?” she asks.
“We have to take another means of transport to get there first,” I tell her, just as I pull into the drive of the house I was looking for. I drive down and park outside the giant house, and Tilly gives me a questioning look.
“Trust me?” I ask her, and she laughs.
“More than I want to admit,” she says and then gets out the car. I get out and walk around the car, wrapping my arms around her waist as we walk to the front door. The door opens before we can press the doorbell.
“Harley, you all ready?” Mark asks me as he comes out of the house and shakes my hand.
“Yes, and thank you for doing this for me,” I tell him.
“Don’t thank me, I owe you anyway.” Mark waves a hand. “Let’s go get into the helicopter. My pilot is ready,” he says.
Mark is a good man who used to fight in The Cage and couldn’t pay back the debt he owed Arthur. A debt he owed Arthur for the lifesaving treatment his daughter needed and the transport to America as they couldn’t save her here. That was years ago when I was eighteen, and he wasn’t rich. I paid the debt off for him from my savings because I knew he would end up getting himself killed in The Cage; Mark isn’t a fighter. Mark then took his freedom and set up a very successful truck driving business. He paid me back the money two years ago and insisted on helping me however he could. This is the first thing I’ve asked of him because he is the only one I know who has a helicopter.
“Helicopter?” Tilly gives me a wide-eyed look, and I grin at her. I’m sure she can hear it from here, the noise is loud.
“Yes. The helicopter is going to take us to our date,” I say, and she chuckles.
“Always surprising me with dates I will never forget,” she says.
“I never want you to forget me,” I whisper into her ear as I wrap my arm around her shoulders while we walk toward the helicopter.
“I could never forget you, Harley King,” she tells me, having to basically shout it for me to hear as we get closer to the helicopter.
We lower our heads as we get into the helicopter as it’s already on. After we all have our earphones in and our seatbelts strapped on, the helicopter takes off and Tilly squeezes my hand tight in hers.
“It’s amazing up here,” Tilly comments as we fly across the countryside and toward London, where we are staying for the night.
I had bags with some clothes sent there yesterday, and everything we need to stay the night is already waiting for us. I know the flight is only forty-five minutes to get into London. Tilly comments about all the beautiful views there are; the city lights, the towns. All I can think of is how beautiful she is. I spend the whole trip watching her, the way her eyes widen and the happy smile she gives me sometimes.
“Landing,” I hear in our headphones from Mark, and the pilot nods.
“Thank you for this, it’s just amazing,” Tilly tells me, leaning into my side as the helicopter lands. We have to keep our heads low as we move away from the helicopter, and we watch from the door as Mark and the pilot fly away.
“London?” she asks me as she looks around the view of the city from the rooftop we are standing on.
“Have you ever been?”
“No, I’ve always wanted to see it.”
“Well, after tonight, we can spend the morning looking around the tourist parts before we have to fly back. Your mum and dad are coming over to look after baby girl.”
“I would love that. You have planned everything, haven’t you?” she asks, and I chuckle.
“I’ve been planning this date for months, from the first time I kissed you,” I tell her, and she tilts her head to the side.
“Mr. King?” a man asks from the door to the roof, and I take Tilly’s hand in mine as we walk over.
“Yes, and this is Miss Fox,” I say, introducing Tilly while shaking his hand.
“I’m your driver to the theatre tonight, and I will drive you to the hotel afterward,” he tells her, as I already know this.
“Thank you,” Tilly responds.
“We should be going; the show starts in an hour, and the traffic is difficult to get through at this time of night. There are refreshments in the limo,” he tells us.
“Theatre, limo, and a hotel in London?” Tilly whispers as the man opens the door and we follow him to the lift. We wait for the lift to come up after he presses the button.
“You’re worth every second of it,” I whisper back, sliding my fingers up her spine and making her shiver.
“I don’t need fancy things, Harley, I only need you,” she whispers back, and I lean down, kissing her gently.
“I know, but I want this for you. Trust me,” I tell her gently, an
d she kisses me once more before leaning away. I keep my hand in the middle of her back, not ready to let her step away from me yet.
“Always,” she says, and the lift beeps as it opens. I find myself struggling to look away from her eyes.
“Mr. King?” the man says, and Tilly walks forward into the lift, with me following.
The lift opens up into the entrance hall of the hotel we will be staying at later. We go outside to the limo parked, waiting for us, and the man opens the door. Tilly gets in, and I follow her, waiting for the door to be shut.
“What are we seeing at the theatre?” she asks.
“You remember when I brought roses to your room, and you told me that story about your favourite, childhood story?” I remind her.
“The Princess and the Pea?” she asks in a whisper.
“Well, I found this theatre performance and knew you might like it,” I tell her, watching as her eyes light up, and she has the biggest smile on her face.
“Oh my god. I’ve wanted to see this performance since it was advertised, but the tickets were impossible to get a hold of unless you pay . . .” her voice drifts off.
“It took about a week to find tickets but you're worth it,” I say, and she blushes as she looks down.
“I never thought I’d see the day when your cheeks match your hair,” I say, and she gently hits me on the arm.
“This is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me, Harley,” she says gently, and I pick her hand up, kissing the back as gently as her words.
“Then every man before me was an idiot. You should have always been treated like this, and if you let me . . . I want to be yours. I never wanted anything serious before I met you, I didn’t even think of it as an option. But then you stormed into my life, and I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I’m a messed-up man, with a bad past, but I swear I will do anything to give you a perfect future,” I tell her, and her breath catches as a stray tear falls from her eyes. I wipe it away, and she leans her head into my hand.
“I don’t need a perfect future, but I need you at my side; only you, Harley,” she says, and then I lean down and kiss her. The kiss is broken when the limo stops and the door opens a few moments later.
