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“How about, I take you downstairs to make pancakes and we leave your mommy sleep?” Dawson beams at me and nods eagerly. I slip out of the bed and grab a pair of sweats, pull them on and quietly help Dawson from the bed and creep from the room. When we make it downstairs, I find Darius and Corvin both in the kitchen. Corv is sipping a coffee and D is making a protein shake. At the sight of Dawson, they both beam at my kid.
“I make pancake with Becky.” Corvin and Darius both clap and smile, the more I hear him call meBeckythe more pissed I get. He should be calling me dad or daddy not calling me by my fucking name.
By the time Saint and Crue clamber into the kitchen, Dawson and I have already finished the first batch. “Well, look who got lucky last night,” Saint teases as he slides on to the stool beside Corv. Crue slips up behind Saint and rests his arms over his shoulders, while I pin them both with a warning look.
“If you didn’t want us saying anything, then maybe you should have worn a shirt, duh.” I frown at Crue after helping Dawson pour another batch of batter on the skillet.
“What?” The three assholes begin to laugh. Darius comes up beside me and claps me on the shoulder drawing my attention to him.
“I’m guessing Valance is a scratcher,” he says as he wiggles his brows. That’s when it hits me, she clawed the shit out of my back last night. The laughter that bubbles out of me is that infectious even Darius joins in.
“Shut your pie holes,” I say as I go back to helping my boy finish making the pancakes.
“Has anyone seen my phone charger?” Crue asks.
“Yeah, you left it in my car the other day,” Corvin answers. Crue ambles out of the room to go grab his charger as the rest of us discuss the upcoming season. “I’m so ready, man, DCU isn’t shit now without their bitch of a captain.” At the mention of Gary, Darius grows tense.
“I’m worried about what he’s up to, I haven’t heard shit from Troy,” D grits out.
“I know he has visited your dad a few times, but as for school and what the hell he is doing for cash, I have no idea,” I answer.
“I haven’t heard shit from my dad either,” Saint says solemnly. Corv reaches over and clasps our boy on the shoulder offering his support. Devon is still a thorn in our side we need to take down. With everything that has been happening with Valance, I haven’t really thought about any of the business side of things.
“We’ll deal with him—” Darius is cut off the moment Crue walks back in carrying another fucking flower and a white folded piece of paper.
“We have a problem.” The somber tone of his voice has me stiffening. Darius pushes me out of the way so he can take over helping Dawson finish the last of the pancakes. I hold my hand out for him to pass me the paper. Crue shakes his head earning a glare from me. “I don’t think you want to see this.”
“Give it to me now, Crue,” I demand. Crue cuts a look at Saint who nods for him to do as I asked. He takes a step forward and places the paper in my hand, I unfold it and read the fucking letter.
You thought you could leave and I wouldn’t know?
Have you learned nothing in our time together? You can try to run, try to hide but watching you at the beach the other day I could see the look in your eyes, you miss me. Say the word my love and I will get rid of that handsy self-righteous bastard who claims to be our boy’s father.
I’ll see you real soon, V.
All my love and more.
I crumple the letter in my hand just as Valance and Leah walk into the kitchen. Val’s hair is wild and untamed, her eyes are bright and filled with happiness. She smiles at the others but that smile drops off her face the moment she sees the flower in Crue’s hand.
“Where did you get that?” she whispers, I hate the hint of fear I hear in her tone. Crue looks to me and Val follows his gaze, that’s when I notice she is wearing my shirt and fuck me if I don’t love the sight of that shit. “What’s that?” she asks, pointing to the crumbled paper in my hand.
“Nothing,” I grit out. She pinches her lips to the side as she closes the space between us and pries the paper from my fist, she unfolds it and reads the letter aloud. Once she is finished, she crumples it again and tosses it in the trash, then turns to me with a look of hopelessness in her blue eyes.
“I’m sorry.” My brows pull in, confused at why she is sorry. Leah wraps an arm around Val’s shoulders and pulls her into her side.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, none of this is your fault, Val.”
Val nods, acknowledging Leah’s words but says nothing for a moment as she gets lost in her own thoughts. Darius helps Dawson plate the last of the pancakes before sitting him on the counter in the middle of Corv and Saint so he can eat the fruits of his labor. I fucking love my brothers for how well they have adapted and accepted my son as their own. “Where did you find the flower and note?” Val asks as she looks to Crue.
“Uh, on the windscreen of Beck’s car.” That surprises the shit out of me. Val nods and slowly lifts her gaze to mine.
“He knows who you are, Beckett, he’s been watching me since I arrived at CHU. I’m so sorry I brought this on you guys. If… if you want me to go, I get it.”
Fuck that!
I close the space between us, pull her out of Leah’s hold and crush her against me. She wraps her arms around me and buries her face in my chest. Leah shoots me a knowing smirk before rounding the counter and going to Darius. I know Valance and I still have a shit load of stuff to work out, we may have fucked but we’re both still harboring anger toward each other, which will take a shit load of time to work through.
“You’re not going anywhere, nor is Dawson. We’ll figure this shit out,” I say. She pulls back and stares up at me.
