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Her chin starts to wobble, and she takes off running to her brother. He has to bend down a little for her to wrap her arms around his neck.
“Thank you, Trouble,” she says against his shoulder. “This is the very best present I’ve ever gotten.”
“Anything to m
ake my little sister happy.”
After a moment, she pulls back slightly and kisses his cheek. She moves to Judge next, hugs him, and kisses his cheek too. She does the same to JW, then giggles when he ruffles her hair.
I tense when she moves to me. I know what she wants. Before I was forced to hurt her last year that first time, I wouldn’t have hesitated in giving her a hug, but now, I struggle with what to do. I look at Trouble, and he gives me a nod, telling me it’s okay. He knows I’m not comfortable with being within touching distance of her, but he’s never held it against me. Even after that first night, when I expected him to hurt me the next day, he never looked at me any differently. I don’t understand it, and I never will.
Seeing the hopeful look on her face, I push aside my own feelings and hold out my arms. Rella is plastered against me not even a second later. Her arms are around my neck, squeezing hard, and her face is in the crook of my neck.
She pulls back, and I close my eyes when I feel her kiss my cheek. When I open my eyes again, she’s still so close I can see tiny freckles on her cheeks and nose.
“Thank you, Aziah.”
“You’re welcome,” I reply gruffly.
She takes a step back and points to the cake. “Who wants the first piece?”
I end up volunteering when no one else does. Unexpectedly, the cake isn’t bad at all. Trouble actually ends up eating two big pieces, pride on his face after every bite.
Once we’re all done, Rella walks around the gazebo, looking awestruck as she runs her fingers over each string of white lights.
“I could never ask for better brothers than you four. I love you all so much. Thank you for doing this for me.”
My heart feels lighter than it has in years, and it’s all because of the girl in front of us.
Unfortunately, my happiness will be short-lived, as the next Hell Night is coming up in a week.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
RELLA
I WALK INTO THE KITCHEN and rinse my plate and glass before putting them in the dishwasher. I can hear raucous laughter coming from the dining room, and it puts a smile on my face.
I was a little reluctant when Trouble first suggested coming to JW and Eden’s place for a big dinner. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to spend time with the other men; in fact, I missed them almost as much as I missed Trouble and Aziah. It also wasn’t that I didn’t want to officially meet their women. It’s just that everything is so overwhelming. There’ve been so many changes in my life over the last few months. I wanted a few more days to acclimate to my new life before even more changes happened.
Now that I’m here though, I’m glad I came. It’s been so nice seeing JW and Judge again. I saw them a couple times at Trouble’s house, but I think they’ve both have kept their distance for fear of upsetting me.
I loved Eden and Ellie within five minutes of meeting them. Both women welcomed me with open arms. Well, not technically. I’m sure Trouble’s warned them about my no-touching issue, but they still made me feel like a part of the family. Throughout dinner, I came to realize they were perfect for JW and Judge.
What really shocked me was meeting JW’s little sister, Thea, and Judge and Ellie’s daughter, Maisy. Maisy is a beautiful little girl who takes after both of her parents. She’s sweet and very outgoing. She reminds me a bit of myself when I was her age, before the horrors of life beat me down. It was stunning to watch her interact with Elijah. That girl adores her little cousin.
Thea, on the other hand, is very quiet and reserved. Every time I look at her, I feel like I’m looking at myself after I left Gabriela and Marco. Although I was happy to be away from them, I still went through a lot of depression. Thea’s been through something horrible, and it’s weighing on her. My immediate instinct is to hug her to my chest and offer comfort. I don’t know her story, but whatever happened to her was bad.
I dry my hands on the hand towel hanging from the stove and go to leave the kitchen. Something long and black scurries across the floor not even five feet from me. I screech and back up, hitting my lower back on the edge of the counter so hard I know it’ll leave a bruise. My eyes dart around the room. I don’t know where the creature went, but it’s way too big to be a mouse.
I’m trying to shimmy my way onto the counter when Aziah comes barreling into the room, followed closely by Trouble, JW, and Judge. Spotting me half sitting on the counter and half hanging off, Aziah comes rushing over. His eyes are frantic as he stops just shy of touching me.
“What happened?” he demands harshly.
I point to where I last saw the black… thing running across the floor. “I don’t know what it was, but it was big and black.”
I look to the others. Judge has his arms stretched across his chest, his shaking head pointed down. Trouble, with his hands propped on his hips, has his head tipped back, and I see a smile pulling up his lips.
JW strides over to the fridge, bends down, and reaches behind it. I look back at Aziah and see his lips twitch. His eyes are still as dark as ever, but if I’m not mistaken, it looks like he’s holding back a smirk.
