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She nodded, relaxing slightly.
“Did you guys not like your breakfast? I could make you something else. I make some delicious crepes, don’t I, Victor?”
“You sure do, baby.” Victor drew her to him and kissed the top of her head. “Why don’t you take Aston downstairs with you? Get her some coffee and something to eat.”
Gracen frowned slightly. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing for you to worry about,” Regent told her.
Gracen bit her lip, looking worried, but she nodded.
However, he should have known Aston wouldn’t let them brush her off with that. It was undeniable something was going on. Victor wanted to shield Gracen as much as he could from the bad things that happened.
He understood that sentiment because he felt the same with Aston. He wanted her life filled with happiness, not worry and fear.
Only problem with that was Aston. She sat up, staring at his brothers with a frown. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing for you to worry about,” Regent repeated.
Uh-oh.
He and Victor shared a look. Regent was protective and was used to getting his way. He’d guarded Lottie and cared for her like she was the finest of china. And Lottie had needed that for a time. But now that she was gone . . . well, Maxim thought his oldest brother needed someone else to coddle and look after.
“If it’s anything to do with Dayton or Maxim, then I want to know,” Aston said.
“You might want to know, but that doesn’t mean it’s in your best interests to know.”
She turned to Maxim, looking confused by Regent’s words.
“He’s being protective,” he explained. “He has something to say and he’s worried that you’ll be upset.”
“Which is why I’ll tell Maxim first and he can decide whether to tell you,” Regent said.
“Uh, no. I don’t think that’s the way it should go. I want to know. I’ve been through a lot of crappy things in my life so I’m not going to collapse. And you owe me the truth. Don’t hide things from me to protect me.” She turned to Maxim, glaring at him.
Maxim studied her. He was in two minds over this. He knew how strong she was. But he also knew how fragile she could be. And he wanted to be there for her. To give her everything she’d never had.
“Maxim?” she whispered, staring at him with confusion.
“You don’t have to do it all on your own anymore, baby.”
Her eyes flared, understanding filling them.
“You have me now. All of us. You don’t have to do it all yourself. I know you’re tough, you’re strong. But it’s okay to be weak sometimes too. You can go to sleep with both eyes shut, because I’ll be here, watching over you. Keeping you safe so you can rest.”
“Damn it, Maxim. Stop saying nice stuff to me.” A tear slid down her cheek and he reached up to brush it away.
“Never. You’re not alone. You’ve got a family. A proper one. We’re fucked up in our own ways, but we look after one another. Always. And you’ve got me. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Do you promise?”
“I promise.”
She wiped at her cheeks.
“I want to stand between you and all the bad things in the world, my baby. I know I won’t always be able to do that. But it’s something I need to do. It’s what I want. I want to be that for you. Can you let me?”
“I . . . I don’t know. I can try. It will take some getting used to, though.”
“I get that.”
“Do you get, though, that you could have died? And that I’m tied up in this in ways that you might not like, but that means I might be able to help. And I know you’re protective of me, but I’m protective of you as well. So let me help. Or, at the very least, don’t push me out. Because thinking and worrying is worse than not knowing.”
Shit. Aston had him there.
He knew that she’d probably build whatever this was into something bigger than it actually was.
“What she said,” Gracen piped up. “I wished I’d recorded that.”
“Don’t get ideas, baby,” Victor rumbled.
Gracen reached up and kissed his cheek. But she only managed this because Victor leaned down for her.
“All right, you can stay. That does not mean you have permission to help beyond offering any insights. From the safety of this room,” he warned.
She nodded, looking obedient.
Maxim wasn’t fooled for a second. He drew her against him, ignoring the way his side burned. This morning, he’d refused to take any pain killers that might make him sleepy or cloud his mind. Which meant he was in more pain, but he needed to remain vigilant.
He was worried that Aston would sneak off and try to take down Leeds all on her own. He definitely wouldn’t put it past her.
Maxim was sitting up, resting against the headboard with his girl under his arm. Victor sat in an armchair, which wasn’t like him. He usually liked to stand. But it was clear why he’d decided to sit as soon as he drew Gracen onto his lap.
