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Right?
Christopher
“Mate is scared,” Orion roars, trying to get me to let him be the one in control of the body so he can comfort her. Her fear is a stench I can’t ignore, the bitterness of the orange causing my stomach to churn and my throat to burn.
She should never be afraid. Not when I’m around to protect her.
“I know. And I’m doing what I can to keep her calm,” I say, keeping my annoyance tapered down. It’s not Orion’s fault that she’s distressed, but he’s not making things easier on me. “But she’s probably not going to settle until this appointment is over and done with, so we just need to deal with it.”
Maia’s in the passenger seat of my car, biting her nails, as she watches out of the window. Her curly black hair is tossed over one shoulder, hiding most of her face from me, probably in an attempt to hide her feelings. Phoebe is in her car seat in the back wearing a pastel pink dress but is fast asleep and blissfully unaware of her mother’s stress.
We had a situation last week where Maia was out with Phoebe, and she only had the pram with her but was exhausted. We couldn’t grab her car seat since it was in Maia’s car, and only Maia had the keys. Now, all of the vehicles we own have a car seat in them just in case we need them.
Excessive, maybe, but it’s best to be prepared.
“Distract mate,” Orion demands, his voice sounding like scratches against my skull. “She’s scared, and since we can’t stop the car and cuddle with her until the panic fades, and there’s nobody here for us to kill, let’s distract her.”
“We have a child now. We cannot kill whoever we want,” I mutter, indicating to turn left. The roads are busy right now, and it’s agitating me that much further. Not that I expect for us to be attacked, but in my line of work, you don’t enjoy putting yourself into situations you can’t control without clear exit strategies.
“Oh, yes, that’s the reason we shouldn’t break the law. Not because we’ve got good morals or care about human life.”
“Your sarcasm is not welcome,” I snarl, reaching over to turn the music down. It’s a soft classical piece, but the violins are a little scratchy, and they’re annoying me.
Maia’s biting stills, and I gently reach over to place my hand on her thigh. I don’t go as high as Orion’s begging for but just squeeze her softly so she knows she’s not alone.
My brothers and I have been arguing for the last few days about the right time to open up about who Ryan is to us, about the connection we share with Phoebe’s biological father, with the man she loves. The deeper we connect with her, the bigger this omission will taint our relationship.
I’ve refused, arguing that she’s not ready, that she’d leave us if she found out now.
And I stand by that. Maia’s not ready for this. No amount of preparation would change that. But I’ve got some faith that she might not immediately run… and we need to be on even footings.
“It’s you who has not been ready,” Orion hisses.
“Yeah, well, I’ve changed my mind,” I argue back. It’s time for Maia to know the truth. Or... at least as much as I can bear to tell her. I already know that I’m going to take all of the blame so that any anger she feels is directed towards me.
“Towards us,” Orion says, softly. It’s the first time he’s not been a dick today, and I’m glad it’s in defence of our brothers.
“For our discussion tonight, we’ll talk about the importance of scents in infants,” I say, and Maia’s frown only adds to her allure.
She’s wearing a gorgeous, tight-fitting red dress that clings to her upper body but has a skirt that flares out when she spins. It makes her skin look more tan, and she has a radiant glow surrounding her.
She has a bright red lipstick painted over her plump lips, and her eyes are much darker than normal. Her lashes are longer or maybe thicker. I don’t know. They’re just sultry, and beautiful, making her eyes pop.
Her curls are soft and bouncy because it was a wash day yesterday, and they complete her striking look.
My mate is hot.
“So fucking beautiful,” Orion chimes in. “Luscious. Sexy.”
“Your prowess with adverbs doesn’t impress me,” I counter as I indicate to go left. The car turns smoothly, and I maintain the cautious speed so I don’t panic Maia more. I’m a very good driver, but it’s terrifying to drive with my child in the car, even more so when my mate scrutinises every move I make.
“What do you mean?” Maia asks, her brows furrowing together. “Is there a difference between baby scents and adult scents?”
“There are, yes. A child’s scent goes through many stages, and I think you’ll find learning about them really interesting,” I say.
“What’s so important about scents?” she asks. There’s a deep V in her forehead that I’m desperate to lean forward and kiss. I hold myself back, knowing that no matter how much progress we’ve made in the last few weeks, she’s still not ours.
In fact, I’m waiting for the upcoming fight about her moving back out in a few days, once the month is up. We all are, and that’s been the biggest reason for Alex and Seb wanting to open up about Ryan’s true identity.
