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Katy blinked, unbelieving of what she’d just heard. “What?” she spat back, her voice rising indignantly.
“Jonathan, why don’t you calm down,” Emma spoke from behind, always the peacekeeper. “You don’t know what’s going on here, and I think you need to leave judgement out of it. Let them explain.”
“Butt out, Emma. This is between us. Family. Not you.”
“Emma is my family,” Con said stubbornly, his arms crossed over his chest, looking deadly. Unsuccessfully trying to pull him back, Levi wrapped an arm around Con’s middle and used his bodyweight to shift him. Even outside of Jonathan’s personal space, Con was imposing. “Watch how you speak to her.”
Stepping closer to Con, Emma squeezed his forearm, smiling at him, before turning her attention back to Katy’s brother. “You’re right, Jonathan. This is something you should speak with these guys about, but first I think you need to leave. You can come back and talk once you’ve had a chance to calm down.”
“You think you can kick me out when my sister is here?” Jonathan’s eyes flashed angrily. He was like a raging bull, ready to charge. “I’m not leaving her so she can be taken advantage of.”
“My wife asked you to leave,” Nick snarled, suddenly standing beside Katy. “Now do it.”
“Nick, you have no idea what’s happening here.” Jonathan’s tone morphed instantly from angry and aggressive to placating, then again forceful when he continued. “I’m not in the wrong. I just walked in on those two”—he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at Con and Levi—“half naked in the bathroom. They’re cheating on her. Together.” Jonathan paused his accusations and faced Con. “You’re a disgrace to this country. Terrorists shoulda killed you when they had the chance.”
Katy watched everything like it was in slow motion: Levi wheeling around, his hand curling into a fist, the other reaching for Jonathan’s shirt, murderous intent darkening his face, Con throwing himself at Levi, wrestling him back and away from her brother, Katy herself instinctively moving forward, the roar she let rip drowning out the animalistic growl coming from Levi. And suddenly she stopped moving, hauled back again by strong arms, pinning her against a thick body. Powerless, frustration welled in her as Con wrestled Levi back, pulling him away from the piece-of-shit-for-a-human former brother. Katy twisted, trying to break free, but the arms pinning her tightened, holding her fast. “No, Katy,” Ford whispered in her ear. “He’s not worth it. Trust me, he’s not.”
No one was holding Nick back. He’d pinned Jonathan to the wall with fists balled in his shirt. The always smiling, always laughing Nick was gone, and in his place a dominating and downright scary man stood. Her brother visibly withered when, in a deathly calm tone, Nick spoke. “You have no idea how fucking wrong you are, Jonathan. Get the fuck out before you say something else you’ll regret. You’re no longer welcome here.” Nick pulled him away from the wall then immediately slammed him back against it before letting Jonathan go. He didn’t move though, still towering over her much shorter brother. With barely a couple of inches between their chests, it was a picture of opposites—Nick’s long body hard from the workout regime Mike had him on and Jonathan standing half a head shorter, his middle rounder.
Elsie gasped in horror at Nick’s move, while Katy silently dared Jonathan to push his luck again. One more crack and she wasn’t sure Con would be able to hold Levi back. One more crack and he’d probably find himself on the receiving end of her fist too.
But Jonathan wasn’t entirely stupid. Unfortunately. Straightening his shirt and stepping out of Nick’s immediate reach he shook his head. “Come on Elsie, Kaitlin, we’re leaving.” Turning to Nick he added, “I don’t believe you’d side with them.”
Ford’s arms around her didn’t loosen, and Reef was shielding her with his body too, putting as much distance as possible between her and her sibling. For that, Katy was grateful. But it wasn’t necessary, she wasn’t leaving with him. “I’m not going anywhere, Jonathan. I’m staying here withmyfamily.Myguys.”
“You knew about this?” Elsie asked, shocked and completely appalled. When understanding dawned, she added incredulously, “You’re fucking both of them. You slut.”
Katy smiled. She couldn’t help it. She wanted to cackle insanely and sing “nah nah nah nah nah.” Dance a jig even. She might have been going slightly insane. Elsie huffed disbelievingly and turned on her heels, following Jonathan out the house. The front door slammed and Katy flinched, the sound ricocheting in the silence. The smile slipped off her face and her bravado from a moment earlier left her in a rush. Ford was no longer hugging her, but she didn’t want that anyway. She wanted her guys. Nick was between them, and he stopped her before she could rush into their arms. “Go upstairs into our bedroom if you want. You can talk up there and no one will interrupt you. Stay as long as you need.” He squeezed her arm and Emma smiled, nodding in encouragement as they followed the others out into the late afternoon sunshine, leaving her alone with Levi and Con.
“Sugar, I’m sorry—” Levi started.
“Don’t,” she replied, resting her face on his chest and wrapping an arm around his waist. His furiously beating heart was a testament to the anger boiling inside him, the tenseness in his body not having dissipated. She laid a kiss on his chest, grateful that he hadn’t hurt himself knocking Jonathan’s block off. “Don’t ever apologize to me for loving each other. That arsehole…” Katy blew out a breath, trying to calm herself down. It was done now. She was done with him. No matter what he said or did, she no longer had a brother. There was no way she’d stand for him treating either—all—of them the way he had. “His opinion means nothing. I don’t give a fuck about what either of them said.” Katy reached up and cupped Con’s cheek. “They’re meaningless. But you? You’re everything to us.” She dropped her hand, wrapping both arms around their waists and stepped in close to them, tears welling in her eyes. The anger and frustration, the sorrow for the words spoken to Con were overwhelming. She wanted to protect them, to wrap them in her arms and hold on tight. She wanted nothing more than to make this right. Through a half sob, half laugh she added, “But seriously, lock the fucking door.” Connor huffed out a humourless laugh and held her tighter, Levi doing the same while she regathered herself. Their touch—as simple as stroking her hair and kissing her temple was—was comfort. It was home.
“I’m sorry. God, they were so mean,” she whispered, biting back a fresh wave of tears. They’d tried to hide it, tried to keep what they had between them and now it was out there in front of a whole party of people. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”
“Now we go outside and fess up, I s’pose.” Levi shrugged, trying but failing to hide his nerves. “Maybe eat some cake?”
Katy tilted her face to look at him, and Levi captured her lips in the most innocent of kisses. Squeezing him tightly, she turned to Con, waiting for his opinion, “I’ll do whatever you want, Cupcake.”
She nodded, a smile stretching her lips. “I could do cake. And beer.”
“Cake and beer it is.” Taking their hands in hers, Katy led them through the house and out back.
Ford held out a beer, Reef handing them two more. Katy took one and smiled at him before turning her gaze to the rest of the group sitting down around the fire pit. “I guess we, um, have some explaining to do.”
“No. You don’t,” Nick replied, standing up and moving over to her. “You don’t need to justify yourselves to us. All you need to know is that we love you guys. You’re our family, and we’ll stand by you no matter what.” Hearing those heartfelt words filled her heart with happiness and love—for Nick and Emma who were more family to her than Jonathan ever was, or would be. She hugged Nick hard. His acceptance of them, and the knowledge that at least one person in her family didn’t judge them, meant the world.
“We need a toast,” Cam called out. “To love and threesomes… And Nicky’s birthday. Happy birthday, mate.”
A chorus of, “Here, here,” and, “Cheers,” rang out around the crowd.
There was a bit of shuffling and a space large enough for them opened up. Con dropped her hand and stepped away. Confused, she turned to follow him, realizing what he was going for—his guitar. It was never far away from him.
Levi sat down and pulled her onto his lap while Con made himself comfortable next to them. Joining hands with Con, Katy smiled and snuggled into Levi’s broad chest. Warmth and love surrounded her, her heart full to overflowing. “How did I get so damn lucky?” she murmured. “I love you.”
Con pressed his lips against hers and Levi kissed her temple softly, his stubble brushing against her cheek, before he turned his face and pressed his mouth to Con’s. “And we love you.” Con smiled at her, the crooked grin lighting up his face, his eyes sparkling. It had the butterflies in Katy’s belly fluttering.
After settling back, sitting cross legged on the cushions surrounding the fire pit, Con repositioned his guitar on his lap and started strumming.
