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MJ snuggled closer. “You’re not dumb. You’re in love.”
A sarcastic, congested laugh burst from my chest as I wiped my sleeve across my runny nose. “That’s the dumbest part of all.” Loving Duke was the ultimate King betrayal. “It just feels like too much. Everything is falling apart, and I am supposed to bring a baby into that chaos? You know there’s zero chance the boys are ever going to let this go. Once Dad finds out, he’ll be on a warpath.”
“Dad sucks.”
I laughed. It was rare MJ ever spoke her opinion about our intense, intimidating father. He adored MJ, but her admission made me wonder if his attention wasn’t just added pressure—pressure that my invisibility helped me escape.
“Shit...” MJ frowned as she looked down at her phone. I adjusted to look at her as her fingers flew over the screen.
“What is it?”
MJ toyed with her lip. “Dad knows.” Dread roiled in my stomach as I swallowed back the urge to throw up. “He’s pissed about the storefront.”
The storefront. Not that his pregnant daughter was injured.Awesome.
MJ’s fingertips hammered out another text, and she lifted the phone to her ear. Her pitying eyes moved to mine. “JP.”
Through the speaker I couldn’t make out what my brother was saying, but the shouts on the other end were clear.
“JP, calm down. It was an accident.” MJ turned her back to me, but I continued to listen. “She’s fine... a few butterfly bandages and a thorough checkup. Yeah, the baby is good.” Her hand beat a nervous rhythm against the outside of her thigh. “Don’t do anything—fine. Okay, but I still think you’re a bunch of idiots.”
“Give me the phone.” I held my good hand out as MJ turned to look at me. “Let me talk to him.”
MJ glanced at her phone. “Hang on, Sylvie wants to say something.”
When she got close enough, I snatched the phone from her and pressed it to my ear. “JP, what’s going on?”
My older brother’s smooth voice was steady on the other end. “I don’t want you to worry about anything. We’re just making this right.”
“Making it right or getting even?” I demanded.
JP scoffed in my ear. “Same difference.”
“Please don’t. I’m begging you?—”
“Royal, Whip, and I are just going to have a little chat.” I didn’t miss the malice that wove between his words.
“A chat? What does that even mean? And where’s Abel?”
I waited for JP to respond, and he finally admitted with a sigh, “Abel has a record. He can’t be involved.”
“JP . . . please!”
“Look, we’ve been holding back because of the situation you’re in, but that’s over now. Things changed, and we have our marching orders. I’m sorry, Syl.” The line went dead as my heart rattled against my ribs.
“That jerk hung up on me!” I tossed MJ’s phone onto the bed and flipped the bedsheet off my legs before sitting upright. “We have to go. I need to go.” Panic squeezed my throat tighter.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Duke stared down at me, a small Styrofoam cup clutched in his hands. “Not until the doctors give us the okay.”
“I’ll go.” MJ’s eyes communicated clearly that she would go and attempt to run interference before my brothers did something epically stupid in retaliation for the broken window. She dropped a kiss on my head. MJ gave Duke’s biceps a squeeze before grabbing her coat. She was furiously texting again and I hoped it was to stop whatever my brothers were planning.
I was tired. Bone tired of not being seen. Or heard. Tired of everyone around me making decisionsin my best interest.
Fuck. That.
I took in my huge belly and bandaged arm, helplessness washing over me. I sank into the bed as the tears rolled out of me. Duke sat next to me, and the weight of his body had me leaning into him. One muscular arm wrapped around me.
“Who was on the phone?” Duke’s voice was soft, but insistent.
