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“His name is Mano. I am not cheating on you. I left him over a year ago, and until recently, he hadn’t pursued me. Before I left New York, I visited my friend Sylvia and her grandmother. His brother, Escala, saw me and called Mano. He tried to convince me to hang out, and of course I refused. He somehow got my cell phone number, and so he keeps texting and he called once. That’s it.”
“Murphy.” Waylon said his brother’s name and Murphy moved out of the way and off the bed. Waylon sat down next to her. He reached for her chin and gently brushed his thumb across her skin, below the cut on her lip. “I swear, I would never hit you. I was angry, yes, and all my life I’ve used my fists to express my emotions. But, I would never hit you, Amelia. I promise you. Trust me please.”
“Do you trust me, Waylon? Do you believe that I’m not involved with Mano?”
“If you say that it is over and that this guy is bothering you, then I believe you.”
“I wouldn’t survive it if you or your brothers ever hurt me like he did. I wouldn’t,” she said as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“Never, Amelia. Never.” He leaned forward, and kissed her cheeks, avoiding her lips.
He lay down beside her and placed a hand over her belly as she held his gaze. Brody lifted the ice away and kissed her shoulder.
“Amelia, who was the guy in the picture in that blue bin?” Murphy asked as he and Ricky sat down on the bottom of the bed.
She felt her stomach tighten. She needed to explain everything to them. If they hated her, or thought the worse, then so be it.
“There’s so much to explain.”
“Take your time. We’re not going anywhere, Amelia. We’re here for you, forever,” Ricky said as he caressed her calf. She could feel the warmth of his skin penetrate through the blanket. Her love for him and his brothers couldn’t be smothered or minimized in any way. She had to tell them about her past. She needed to start trusting people again, so why not her lovers?
* * * *
Waylon felt so damn shitty inside right now. He scared Amelia to the point in which she actually thought he would hit her. What the fuck? Who hurt my woman? Who put fear in her like this?
“Start at the beginning,” Murphy whispered.
All of them were touching her and caressing her over the blanket. Waylon was staring right down into her eyes. She was the most beautiful, sexy woman he had ever laid eyes on. The moment he saw her, despite his own fears, he wanted to get to know her better. The fact that he was showing such emotion was completely unlike him. He could also see the changes in his brothers. Murphy, the oldest and most demanding, was softer and calmer around Amelia. Ricky had eased up to her quickly. It was like he was the least resistant to opening up his heart to her. Waylon had never seen his brothers act this way. And Brody, Brody shocked the shit out of him. He hated having scars. He was self-conscious about it. He and Ricky felt comfortable enough to be around Amelia with nothing on, and she didn’t stare at their scars or ask questions or pry.
When Amelia saw Brody, her reaction was sincere. She didn’t look at him in disgust, but instead with compassion. She told him she understood what it felt like and that she had scars of her own. Now they would understand what she meant.
&nbs
p; “I guess I’ll start with telling you guys why I was so resistant accepting your advances.”
“Our advances, huh?” Ricky teased.
She smiled as she lowered her eyes. “The four of you represent everything that I’m afraid of and everything that I’m familiar with. You see, my father and two brothers, Kyle and Edward, were in the military. Edward died in combat. He was captured and killed. When Kyle was discharged, he had problems.”
“What kind of problems?” Brody asked.
“Psychological problems. PTSS, paranoia, and violent behavior.”
“Was he abusive to you, Amelia?” Murphy asked, looking very upset at the possibility. Waylon felt his own chest tighten and rage filled his heart.
She nodded her head. “I tried hard to help them.”
“Them?” Ricky asked.
Amelia lowered her eyes then sat up against the headboard. The blanket fell and the strap of her camisole fell from her shoulder, and she pulled it back into place.
“I had been taking care of my father. My mom died a few years before Kyle’s return and months after Edward was killed. She couldn’t handle it. Plus, my dad was in the military, too. He was a real hard-ass and didn’t accept failure. He was abusive, and he turned to alcohol to ease the pain.”
“Jesus!” Murphy stated.
“What happened to Kyle?”
“He chose the wrong path, Waylon. He thought that fighting and doing drugs eased the pain. He was a fighter, like you. He boxed a lot, but illegally mostly.”
