Through the Fire by Serenity King

didn’t have explanation as to why she
    went into pre-term labor. It just happened.”
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    131
    Brandon felt something being placed in
    his hand. Sinjin had poured him a scotch. He
    hadn’t seen his brother leave the sofa. Brandon
    downed it in one gulp. “Thanks.”
    “Not necessary,” Sinjin responded. “So
    how did Dominique hide being six months
    pregnant?”
    “She wore bigger clothes, and she wasn’t
    showing much at all. That part always
    concerned me. I thought she should have been
    showing more. The obstetrician informed us
    that a lot of women don’t start showing until
    later in the pregnancy. Some not until they’re
    seven or eight months along.
    “And most of Dominique’s weight gain
    was in her breasts and hips. If you saw her with
    her clothes off, you could definitely tell she was
    pregnant. She thought her mom suspected, but
    she never said anything. Probably because she
    was too busy taking care of Mr. Shaw. Or
    maybe she just didn’t want to know. Anyway,
    Dominique has lost a lot of weight now. I know
    she hasn’t been taking proper care of herself.
    That concerns me, too.”
    “So all those times you had us thinking
    that you were sleeping around, you were
    actually grieving,” Tristan said slowly.
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    “Yes. Oh, I played hard before
    Dominique. It’s just that she was different. She
    wasn’t what I was used to, and I loved it. At
    first nothing was serious. Then just like that—”
    he snapped his fingers “—we had a baby on the
    way and I was asking her to marry me. Now I
    don’t think I can live without her. I love her
    that much.”
    “And how does she feel about you?”
    Sinjin asked. Brandon looked quickly at his
    brother to see if Sinjin was being a smartass,
    but Sinjin looked back at him seriously.
    He thought for a moment. “Before this
    weekend, I would have said I didn’t know. But
    now I’m sure that she loves me just as much as
    I love her.” Brandon smiled for the first time
    since their conversation had started. “I’m glad I
    confronted her after the wedding. We still have
    a lot to work through, but I’m confident we’ll be
    okay.”
    “Do you think maybe you both need some
    counseling to deal with this?” Tristan asked.
    Brandon grimaced. He’d never liked the
    idea of telling some stranger his innermost
    secrets. But if it would help bring him and
    Dominique together again…“I’m not sure. I’ll
    be able to tell more in the coming weeks.”
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    133
    “Can she have more children?” Sinjin
    asked.
    “Yes. The doctor didn’t see why not.
    There was nothing medically wrong with her.
    Her obstetrician thought that she’d been too
    stressed. Honestly, me and Dominique have
    made love so much this weekend she could
    already be pregnant with triplets,” Brandon
    grunted.
    Tristan and Sinjin both laughed. They
    were all quiet for a moment. Brandon broke the
    silence.
    “Thanks, guys, for listening. I really
    needed to tell someone before I exploded.”
    “I wish you had told us sooner. We’re
    family, Brandon. We could have been there for
    you. That was too much for you to handle on
    your own,” Tristan said. “You’re a better man
    than I am.”
    Brandon lifted his brow. “Why do you say
    that?” he asked.
    “Because there’s no way in hell I’d have
    let my wife be away from me that long.
    Especially not after we’d just lost a child we’d
    created
    together.
    I’m
    just
    not
    that
    understanding, I guess,” Tristan grimaced.
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    “I agree with the old man. I hope you
    don’t let my sister-in-law get away again
    Brandon,” Sinjin said. “Even the old G-man
    over here had sense enough to hold onto his
    woman. He damn near kidnapped her himself
    in the process.”
    “Who the hell are you calling old man?
    And, I did not kidnap Alisha. We came to a
    mutual understanding,” Tristan glowered at
    Sinjin.
    It was Brandon and Sinjin’s turn to laugh.
    “From the way I