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I couldn’t stop the burst of laughter that broke the tension, and I rolled my eyes at Royal before crossing the room to step into his hug. He held me in a brotherly embrace, and my words were muffled in his shirt. “I hate you.”
“I love you too.” He held me out as I met his gaze. “We all do.” Royal looked around at my brothers, who had the good sense to look properly chastised. “I think I speak for the group when I say that we’re all sorry. Things got out of hand.”
Abel pushed Royal aside. “Speak for yourself.” He pulled me into a hug so tightly my breath whooshed out with anoofsound. “I am sorry, though. I should have spoken up and stepped in to stop it.”
I stared up at my surly, stoic brother. He’d gone through so much,lostso much that it often felt like we’d lost him, too, but he was in there. Big heart and all. I squeezed him again.
Whip sauntered up. “I’d been dying to pop Lee Sullivan in the mouth for a while now. Can’t say I’m sorry for that, but I am sorry it caused you grief.”
I laughed as he hugged me. “That is the worst older-brother apology I’ve ever heard.”
Finally I turned to JP. He stood, watching the rest of our brothers make amends and take ownership for their hand in the fight with the Sullivans. My chest tightened. JP was so much like our father—secretive and commanding, never able to justrelax. The boy I used to stomp around in puddles with was long gone, but for a split second, I thought I saw him in there. A smile hooked at the corner of JP’s mouth, and he examined theknuckle that was cracked from the fight. He raised his chin. “I’m sorry, Syl. We shouldn’t have brought this to your doorstep.”
I swallowed hard. That was about the extent of an apology I could ever hope for from JP King. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
JP cleared his throat and stepped forward as I turned. “You know... he tried to stop it.”
I looked at him, a thousand questions fighting to break free.
“Duke,” JP continued. “He was there to make peace. He stood up for you. Not just with us, but with his own brothers too.”
Whip smiled and nodded. “I heard the ass-chewing he gave them too.” Whip shook his head. “He was fucking scary, practically foaming at the mouth.”
JP sighed. “A man like that, one that will honor his relationship above his own blood, that’s someone I could grow to respect.”
A smile bloomed across my face. For the first time ever, I had hope that my child with Duke could be born into a life that was, well, maybe not totally normal, but loving. Duke had stood up for me and tried to stop the fight. He was thinking of me and how it would impact our relationship.
My heart ached for him.
“One last question...” Royal’s face was dancing with mirth. “Are you going to hate me when I tell you Imayhave orchestrated a delivery of Wyatt’s favorite cookies but swapped the sugar for salt... ?”
“I’m out of here.” On a laugh, I turned and raised my hand above my head and sailed out the front door.
THIRTY-TWO
SYLVIE
Every year in the Midwest,there was one day in March where the sun warmed and you got irrationally hopeful that spring had finally arrived. Unfortunately for all of us, and despite the fact we knew this happened every single year, winter clung to our bones for a few weeks longer. But by mid-April, the first signs of spring stuck around for more than a few days in Outtatowner.
I stood in the middle of the sidewalk with my face tipped to the warm afternoon sun and breathed in the crisp April air. I could smell the Lake Michigan water on the breeze, and I hummed to myself as I sighed. My black leggings were pulled high over my belly, and two side slits in my cozy camel-colored sweater allowed ample room for moving through the Sugar Bowl while not overheating. Despite Huck constantly hounding me to sit down, my white sneakers were comfy, and I had fully leaned into loving what pregnancy had done to my body.
Duke had loved it too.
A racy thrill danced through me as I thought of the new and creative positions Duke had dreamed up. Earlier in the morning, he’d stripped down these very leggings and taken me from behind just as I was sipping the hot tea he made me every morning. The way his rough hands glided up the back ofmy thighs nearly made my knees buckle. Whether it was the hormones or not, I was insatiable when it came to that man, and Duke didn’t seem to mind it one bit. He couldn’t keep his hands off me.
Birds were calling in the trees that lined the main thoroughfare through town, and it was our yearly reminder that soon our quiet streets would be crawling with tourists looking to escape to our cozy coastal town.
“How is it that you look so cute?” Sloane’s voice cut through my daydreams of ravishing Duke when I peeked open one eye to look at her.
I grinned at my friend.
“Seriously.” She rolled her eyes. “When I was as far along as you, I looked like a house. There was no glowing, only profusely sweating.”
“Aren’t the twins’ birthdays in August?”
“Exactly. My armpits soaked through three outfits a day, and here you are looking allcoastal granny chic.”
I laughed, and Sloane wrapped me in a hug.
