Page 92 of This Reckless Home

SMACK.

My hand connects with the back of his head, not hard, but correcting, as there are little fucking kids at the table.

“Watch how you speak about her, Jus. And mind your mouth around the little ones.”

The shit just grins, rubbing the back of his head and I go to take my seat next in between him and Bloom. “You definitely ‘bumped uglies’ with her.” He air quotes bumped uglies, then takes off running when I lunge at him, laughing like a fucking lunatic.

I give chase, but he’s small and fast and soon all the kids are cheering while I’m laughing along with him.

“Little shit,” I murmur, shaking my head and taking my seat as he dances away singing that stupid kissing song again.

Tina bustles over, handing Blossom a mug of her favorite tea.

“You’re glowing this morning, dearie.”

Blossom blushes beautifully, and I take a sip of my black coffee to hide my smirk.

“Tina, I⁠—”

“A good man will do that to a woman. Three good men? Well.” Then she leaves, poor Bloom mouth open, while I try not to laugh.

There’s also something hot in my chest, something growing at the fact Tina called us good men, despite our background. Despite how we look or that before we came here we had fucking nothing to our names apart from a shitty studio apartment.

“Ant?” Jus’s voice breaks me from my thoughts, and I glance over at him, finding his lower lip sucked in. My brows dip.

“Yeah?”

“Are we staying forever now?”

There’s so much goddamn hope in his eyes that I can’t breathe for a second. How did I ever imagine taking him away from this? Leaving all this behind?

“Yeah, bro. We’re staying.”

We’re just cleaning up after everyone has finished when the sound of the front door opening makes Blossom’s head snap up and my heart fucking stutter in my chest.

Steele moves closer to Blossom as we hear clipped footsteps come down the hall, but our woman has gone white as a ghost.

In walks her father, Wilson Devonshire, not that the asshole bothered to introduce himself last night. He takes in the scene, the kids laughing unaware of the monster that just walked in, and his face twists with contempt.

“So this is what you've done with your mother's house,” he states with a sneer, and I stand taller, bracing myself. “Turned it into a halfway house for castaways and criminals. And now you're fucking the strays too?”

My teeth grind and anger fills my veins. There’s a sharp intake of breath round us, one of the kids whimpering. I don’t take my eyes off the snake, but see how Jus puts his arm around Noah.

“Do not use that kind of language in front of the children.” Her voice is tight, controlled and so angry pride swells in my chest. She may not defend herself, but woe fucking betide anyone threatens her kids. Our family. She turns to Tina. “Please take everyone outside in the garden.”

Tina glares at Wilson, and I would applaud her if the room wasn’t so full of tension. “Come on, my loves, Let’s go see if the tomatoes are ready.”

She starts herding the kids out, but Jus looks back at me, face creased with worry. I give him a nod. Go.

Turning back, I see that Steele is still beside Blossom, Nox at her back and I take steps so that I’m closer, crossing my arms and staring at her cunt of a father. We are united and won’t let her face him alone.

“I want them out.” His finger comes up and points at us. “This is completely inappropriate. You're supposed to be providing a safe home for children, not running some kind of... commune.”

“This is my house,” Blossom answers, voice shaky but firm and I’m so fucking proud of her. “Mother left it to me. You have no say in who stays here.” She takes a deep inhale. “And these men are perfectly safe.”

His upper lip curls. “Your mother. Always your mother. She poisoned you against me before she even died, useless whore.”

I feel the stuttered inhale Blossom takes. “It's not my fault she died. It's not my fault she left everything to me instead of you. I didn't ask for any of it — I just wanted a father who could look at me without hating what he saw!”