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“Maybe?” I shrug.
“Maybe? Of course he is, Jessie. He finds himself in massive debt and all of a sudden he finds his rich long-lost sister?” Liam snaps.
“I’m not rich,” I remind him, earning me a scowl from the rest of his brothers too. “And you know, so what if that was his motive for finding me? There are far worse reasons he could be looking for help. If he even is looking for any. It’s not like he’s in debt because he partied his inheritance away or owes money to some nasty people. He couldn’t pay his dying mom’s medical bills. I mean it’s freaking awful that people even have to pay to die,” I shout, fidgeting on Mikey’s lap in frustration, but he keeps his arms firmly wrapped around me.
“I don’t trust him,” Liam adds, his arms folded across his chest like a moody teenager.
“Well, I want to speak to him. If he is my half-brother then I want to know.”
“Why?” Liam snaps. “Why do you need a half-brother?”
I shake my head in annoyance. “I don’t need one, Liam, but I might have one and that means something. How can you not see that?”
“Red…” Mikey starts to say but Liam interrupts him.
“And what if he is your brother, what then? You expect us to let a complete stranger into our home? Have him over for dinner once a week? Sleepovers?”
“Yes!” I reply.
“Don’t be ridiculous, bro,” Mikey says at the same time.
I turn to him and frown. “Why is that ridiculous?”
“What?” He blinks at me. I know he was probably only trying to help me out, but why is the prospect of my family being here so unthinkable?
I untangle myself from his arms and stand up. “So, I’m supposed to call this place home but it’s not really my home is it?” I shout as the four Ryan brothers stare at me. “There would be no question of your family coming for dinner or sleepovers, but when it’s mine then it’s ridiculous?”
My hands are balled into fists at my sides as I wait for them to tell me that I’m wrong.
“That’s not what he meant, Angel. Calm down, and—” Conor says.
“Don’t tell me to calm down,” I interrupt him. I mean in the history of the world, has actually saying that to someone ever had the desired effect?
Conor frowns at me. “We have no idea who this guy is yet and you’re getting pissed about something that might never be an issue.”
“And that’s the problem. This will never be an issue for any of you because this is your home and if you invited somebody here nobody would give a shiny rat’s ass. But I have to ask permission like a child? Like I’m just renting a room here with you guys until…” I swallow because I’ve gone too far and I don’t even know how to finish that sentence.
“Jessie Ryan!” Shane snarls in that quiet, animalistic growl he has that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “Sit your ass back down.”
I swallow hard, not daring to turn and look at him. Instead I look at the three faces of his brothers who stare at me, willing me to do as I’m told before their oldest brother’s temper explodes and ruins movie night for good.
“Now!” Shane barks.
Mikey holds out his arms and I sit back on his lap.
“Look at me,” Shane commands and I turn my head and stare into his fiery green eyes.
“Until he proves otherwise, Hayden will not be trusted by any of us. Not in our homes. Not with you. Not with anything.”
I open my mouth to reply but he shoots me a warning glare that makes me close it again. “But this is your home. In case you haven’t noticed, we rarely have any visitors here. We do not like strangers here.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“But,” he licks his lips and glares at his brothers and me, “if Hayden is your half-brother, and if he proves himself trustworthy, of course he can come here whenever you want him to.”
“And how would he prove himself?” I ask.
“Only with time, sweetheart,” he says softly. “Until then, you’re just going to have to run his coming here by us.”
