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Zeke glances at Luke, who shrugs. I’m not sure what that means, but my brothers seem to understand each other.
Sariah pushes up. “Why don’t we see if I’ve got a pair of jogging bottoms for you to put on?”
I don’t want to leave Ryan, but when I glance back at him, he nods, telling me to go with her.
I turn to Ryan and press a kiss to the side of his face, which is already swelling and starting to bruise. Zeke growls a curse under his breath, which I ignore. Reluctantly, I push to my feet and follow after my sister-in-law, with a quick glance back to see if Ryan is okay. He’s starting to look a little brighter now, a little more with it, though there is still a glassy edge to his eyes.
Sariah leads me into the bedroom she shares with my brother and heads straight for the closet, flicking the light on. She grabs both of my hands in hers as I approach.
“Are you all right?” she asks.
“I’m scared,” I admit. “How did she know I was here? Why did she attack in the middle of the night like that? She had to know how terrified I would be.”
Sariah’s mouth pulls down at the corners. “Charlotte isn’t the kind of woman who has maternal instincts, Aurelia. She probably wasn’t thinking about you at all.”
Those words should hurt—she is my mother, after all—but they don’t. I long ago disassociated myself from my parents. “What did Luke say about me and Ryan?”
Sariah’s nose wrinkles. “He’s not thrilled with the idea, but of all your brothers, he is the one who is the least angry about it. I think he actually quite likes Malone. There is certainly a respect there.”
“I really do love him,” I say.
She smiles. “Anyone with eyes can see that.”
“He didn’t force me or make me do anything I didn’t want to do. We just fell in love. We were together every day and getting to know each other made feelings grow. He makes me happy, and I hope I make him happy too. I won’t give him up for my brothers.”
“I think they are starting to realise that.”
“That sounds so ungrateful, doesn’t it? My brothers have done so much for me. I should be on their side, shouldn’t I?”
“The only side you should be on is your own. If you want Malone, then your brothers are going to have to get on board with that.”
She rummages through one of the drawers and pulls out a pair of sweatpants. “These should fit you.”
She hands them to me, and I open them out to step into them. They are a little loose, but they fit well enough that I no longer feel exposed. “Thank you.”
“We are family, and this is what family does for each other. I never understood that when I was with Declan. But now, with my own baby on the way, I finally realise what family is. It’s brothers who are willing to stand between you and your demons. It’s parents who love you unconditionally. It is not being forced into marriages you neither want nor desire. Our lives have never been normal, Aurelia. But we have an opportunity to change that for the next generation. I will never force my child to marry against their will. I will never use my child as a pawn in my family’s politicking.”
“Neither will I,” I say softly. “If Ryan and I have kids anyway. We haven’t discussed that.”
Sariah considers me for a moment. “You make a good couple. And it’s clear he absolutely dotes on you. That’s all your brothers want for you. Someone who is going to love you unconditionally.”
“He does.”
“We’d best get back out there. We don’t want to leave him too long with Luke and Zeke.”
When I get back into the living room, I expect fists to have flown, but everyone is calm. It’s clear they have spoken, just by the lingering tension in the air, but there is no blood. I take that as a positive sign.
I go straight to Ryan and sit next to him again, grabbing his hand. He gives me a warm smile that makes me feel like everything will be all right.
“We need to talk about how we’re going to keep Aurelia safe,” Ryan says. His voice is stern, unyielding.
“It’s in hand,” Zeke says, his tone a little brash. I doubt he likes being questioned.
“We don’t have time for you to work on your little solutions. Aurelia is in danger now. Charlotte isn’t going to stop coming for her. We need action to protect her.”
“You let us worry about our sister.”
Ryan gives Zeke a look that tells me he has no intention of letting this slide. “I’m not going to sit by and do nothing.”
