frowned face. “Sorry. I was really freaking out the other night, plus I was a little drunk.”
She pulls her feet up under herself on the couch. “So what are you going to do about the other situation?”
“I’m gonna talk to the guys. I don’t need this to blow back on them. They’ve worked too hard to have the careers and the families they have. They don’t need old bullshit from my past to mess it up.” Fuck, they’re probably already watching all of us. I have to protect my Firecracker.
She nods. “Okay, what do you say we call the guys over here? Better yet, let’s go to Huck’s and call everyone there. I need to get some baby snuggles.”
I stand up from the couch. “All right, let’s go.”
I’m going to get her back, I’m gonna prove to her that I’m worth it. But it concerns me that they came to her in the first place. That means they have people watching my every move already. I have to convince her to stay with me, to be with me, for more than just her safety.
CHAPTER 20
JADE
Sitting in Huck’s living room with everyone staring at us isn’t exactly how I intended to spend my evening. My sister is actually crying because Clay just told them about his parents’ murders. I could tell it really bothered him to share the details. He’s never been one to talk about it, but it was almost like he removed himself from the conversation. He just seemed so far away when he was speaking. It makes my heart hurt for him and it hurts that his parents never got to see the man he’s become. Everyone knew that his parents were dead, they just didn’t know how they got that way. Then when he told them about the guy approaching me, everyone’s facial expressions went stiff, like guard dogs on alert.
Lox shakes his head. “Damn, man. I’m-. I-. Fuck. I don’t know what to say. That’s some crazy shit. I know we need to do something, I’m just not sure what that is yet.”
Sloan just stands up and hugs him. They all left Krista, Lincoln and Slick with Elaine and I’m currently holding a sleeping Harm. He’s such a good baby.
Finally, my sister looks across the room to me with a smirk. I knew she was going to say something. She never has been one to hold her tongue. “Well, is there something else you need to share with us? You’ve been avoiding all of us like the damn plague.”
I swallow hard. “Um. Well.” I wipe a tear from the edge of my eye while I look down at Harm.
Gibbs sticks his hand up, rushing to defend me. “It’s not what you guys are thinking. I know because of my big mouth everyone thinks she’s pregnant. She’s not, I jumped to some conclusions due to the fucked up mess that I was going through. When she gets ready to share, she will. I’m sorry that I even put her in this situation.”
I smile at him with tears in my eyes. That’s Clay for you, always trying to protect me. “It’s okay, Clay. I’ll try to explain everything to them.”
He speaks softly, “Firecracker, you don’t have to. Not if you aren’t ready.”
I shake my head again. “No, I need to.” I quietly try to communicate what I’ve been going through over the past few weeks. My sister is once again crying.
The guys look at me with a sadness. For these guys to be macho MMA fighters, they love babies, so the idea that someone may have to go without having one upsets them.
Huck rubs his hands over his face, then quickly sits forward, clapping his hands. The sound causes Harm to flinch in my arms. “Okay, this is all some heavy shit. We need to figure out what to do about the assholes from Mike’s.”
Lox nods, looking at Clay. “Yeah, we had dealings with those assholes a few years ago when we first got started. They were involved with a really big drug group around Pensacola. We almost got our asses shot in a bar over the shit. Not cool.”
Huck and Sly give each other a look and then Lox. He glares at them. “Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”
Those two start laughing and Sloan looks at
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