CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Justice
“I sure am gonna miss ya, Papa,” Hannah says, her face pinched with sadness as she sits on my father’s lap in the living room.
“Awe, Hannah J., I’ll miss you too but we’ll still see each other. I’ll come visit real soon, I promise.”
Despite his assurance, you can tell this is killing him. I know the feeling. It’s killing me too but I also know it’s for the best. The last five days have been hard on everyone, especially Ryanne. I want to get her out of here and away from it all. She’s been hurt enough and I refuse to add to it by making her stay in a town where there is nothing but bad memories for her.
As least I will be able to leave with the peace of mind that justice has been served. Thanks to Gwen, the evidence Agent Jameson was able to collect has exposed the founding families for the ruthless bastards they are, not that it came as a surprise to the citizens of Winchester. There was even enough circumstantial evidence for the arrest of August and Vivian Lockwood for the death of Ryanne’s real mother, Abigail.
We have every intention of giving her the proper burial she deserves. Hopefully that will also give Ryanne some closure and she can put the bad memories of her upbringing behind her so she can start focusing on the much happier future I intend to give her.
The town blew up over the news of Toder’s and Derek’s deaths. In the end, Craig came through for us and chalked it up to one of Derek’s shady dealings gone bad with Toder showing up at the wrong time. I assume most know it’s bullshit and probably even know who did it. A good reminder why to never fuck with our family.
Jameson was among the skeptics but never pressed the matter. By the time he saw the amount of shit those corrupt assholes had done he knew the world was better off without them. He ended up being a good guy and someone we can trust if we ever need the help again.
Craig has been appointed sheriff temporarily until the next election. I have no doubt he will come out on top and remain where he is now. He deserves it and Winchester will be a hell of a lot better off with him in charge.
Leaving the kitchen, I give my father and Hannah some time alone and head out onto the front porch where Knox sits alone, smoking a cigarette, looking like he’s about to come out of his skin. Guilt slams into me knowing I’m the cause of it.
I light up a cigarette of my own and take the spot next to him, close enough that our shoulders touch, a small sense of comfort washing over me. Brax and I always try to make it a point since we know it’s the only form of contact he gets.
“All packed up?” he asks, his gaze remaining on the flat land before us.
“Yeah.” The one word is all I can manage at the moment, the tightness in my chest restricting my throat.
“I get it, you know.” He takes a long drag of his cigarette, his eyes continuing to avoid mine. “I didn’t before but I do now. I saw it in the way you were with her that night. Ryanne is good for you and your family has to come first.”
“You’re my family, too,” I tell him. “Nothing will ever change that.”
He finally looks at me, revealing just how hard this is for him, the demons he fights daily exposed and punching me in the gut.
I hook a hand behind his neck, reeling him in close. “I’m here for you, man. You hear me? We might not be fighting those demons the same way anymore but it doesn’t change the fact that I love you and I’m here for you. Always, Knox. Brothers forever. Got it?”
He nods, expression solemn. “Yeah, I got it.”
Braxten steps out the front door just then, wearing nothing but his boxers, stretching and yawning. “What are you pansies up to out here?”
“Where the fuck are your clothes?” I ask. “My kid is inside.”
He smirks, lifting a brow. “Scared she’s gonna find out I have more muscles than you?”
I grunt, unamused by his smart ass, but have to admit I’ll miss him, the both of them, a lot.
He takes the spot beside me. “So you’re really leaving us, huh?”
“I’m not leaving you. I’ll be back to visit and you guys can come see us. I think you’ll like it there,” I say, though I’m not sure whom I’m trying to convince more, them or myself.
“Maybe but it’s not home.”
The word hangs between us, a reminder of just how much everything has changed. My brothers will always be my family and this my first home, but I have another family now and my home is wherever they are. I’ve never been more certain about that but it doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye.
“I wanted it to work here,” I tell them, “I really did, but I can’t put Ryanne through any more. Everything changed after that fucker…” My words trail off as I find myself unable to say it, unable to think about it. If I could kill the bastard all over again I would.
“Hey, man, we understand,” Brax says. “It sucks but we get it and we want her to be happy, too. I’m just glad that fucker is burning in hell somewhere.”
“Along with Toder,” Knox grits. “I wish I could have made him suffer before driving that bullet into his skull.”
He and I both. If we had any idea those bastards were the ones responsible for the scars my father bears, bullets would have flown long ago, which is probably why he never told us. Over the years we asked, especially the first time we saw him without his shirt on and realized just how deep those scars ran. He was always tight-lipped about it. In the end we figured they came from the short time he was in the military, something he rarely spoke about.
Now that we know the truth, we’re left wondering why he never killed them from the start. It’s a conversation we will eventually broach with him, but for now, the last week has been enough on us all, including my father.
The front door swings open and out runs Hannah. Both Knox and I hurry to put out our cigarettes as she jumps on Braxten’s back, arms wrapping around his neck. “Uncle Brax, why are you naked?”
He flips her over his shoulder, making her cry out in laughter as he lays her across his lap. “Why are you so pretty?”
“It’s just the way I was born,” she says, making us all chuckle before turning her face my way. “Daddy, can I go with Papa to say goodbye to all the animals before we leave?”
“Yeah, baby. Go ahead.”
“Thanks.” She sits up and lays a loud smacking kiss on my cheek then kisses her hand and places it on the side of Knox’s face before climbing off Braxten. “See ya later, alligators.” The words float behind her as she runs over to my dad, taking his hand and heading for the cows.
“Man, I’m really going to miss her,” Braxten says, his mouth set in a grim line.
I look over at Knox to see him touching the spot where Hannah’s hand just was, the emotions on his face as powerful as if she wrapped her arms around him, something she hasn’t done since that first night. It’s as if she senses his boundaries on her own, ones she’s been testing daily. It’s been good for him, but then again, she’s good for everyone.
Unable to sit here and wallow any longer, I clap Brax on the shoulder and stand. “I’ll be back, I’m going to check on Ryanne.” I leave them in silence, my feet taking me across the yard. As much as I would love to prolong the inevitable it will only make it harder.
Entering the house, I call out for her.
“I’m in the bathroom,” she answers, her voice muffled beyond the door. When she opens it, revealing herself, the heaviness that’s been weighing on me vanishes, everything righting in my world.
She’s all I need. Her and Hannah, and everything else will fall into place.
“You ready?” I ask.
She shakes her head, and it’s then I notice her troubled expression.
Concern has me pushing forward. “What is it? What’s wrong?” I cup the side of her face, careful of the bruise that mars her cheek. Her split lip is almost healed but the fading wound still has rage coursing through me every time I see it. We haven’t spoken a lot about what that bastard did to her. She hasn’t wanted to talk about it and I’ve respected that. Instead, we’ve been focusing on ourselves and getting things back to the way they were.
“I don’t want to leave,” she reveals, gazing up at me softly. “I want to stay and make this work, and I know you do, too.”
If I knew her quietly spoken words weren’t for my sake, I’d be happy right now but I know better. I know exactly why she’s doing this. “We talked about this and the decision has been made. I’m not going to force you to stay here any longer.”
“You’re not. I mean it, Justice, I really want to stay. I’ve been thinking a lot about it the last few days,” she says. “Hannah is happy here. She’s already made a friend in Amelia and I have one in Jessica. Something I haven’t had in years. And your family—our family,” she corrects herself, “I don’t want to leave them behind.”
I search her face, her honesty staring back at me. “Where’s this coming from? What changed your mind?”
Biting her lip nervously, she grabs something off the counter and hands it to me. A white stick with two pink lines appearing in a small window.
“What’s this?” I ask, staring down at it in confusion.
“A pregnancy test.”
My eyes snap to hers, every muscle in my body stilling with hope. “What did you say?” Unsure if I heard her right.
A small smile claims her lips, the most genuine one I’ve seen on her in days. “I’m pregnant.”
It takes a moment for what she says to register, but once it does I sink to my knees before her, my hand slipping under her tank top and smoothing over her flat stomach. “My baby is in here?” The question barely makes it past my throat.
She nods, tears forming in her eyes.
I lean in, pressing my lips to her soft skin. I’ve never wanted to worship and cherish a part of her body more than I do in this moment.
“This is why I want to stay,” she says, fingers sifting through my hair. “I want to raise our family here. I want our children growing up with their uncles and grandfather close by. I want to erase the bad memories of this town and create beautiful ones…with you.”
Every word conveys exactly what I want too, it’s all I’ve ever wanted. For my family to be in one place. There is only one more thing that would make this perfect…
“Marry me,” I say without hesitation, quickly pushing on before she can deny me again. “Marry me because I love you and I want to spend my life with you. I want you to walk around this town with my last name, wearing my ring, and carrying my babies. I want every person to look at you and know you’re mine.”
Tears fall down her cheeks as she rests her hand on the side of my face. “I’ve always been yours,” she whispers, eyes sincere.
“Then say it.” My fingers grip her hips. “Tell me you’ll marry me.”
I wait with an imprisoned breath, praying she finally says what I’ve been wanting to hear—what I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for her to say.
“Yes,” she rushes out quietly, another smile spreading across her lips. “Yes, I will marry you.”
The air releases from my chest in one swift motion, relief flooding me. “It’s about fucking time.”
Her laughter drifts through the air but is effectively cut off when I climb to my feet and claim her mouth, the taste of her seeping into my heated blood and rushing through my system like the sweetest drug.
“I love you so much,” she cries as I lift her off her feet.
“I love you too, baby.”
She wraps her legs around my waist, her hot center coming in direct contact with my growing cock.
Groaning, I slip my hands under her skirt, cupping her ass to bring her closer. “I want you so fucking bad right now. It makes me hard to know my baby is growing inside this beautiful body of yours.”
“Then take me,” she breathes, granting me permission. “Right here.”
A growl works its way up my throat as I walk a few steps into the bathroom, kicking the door shut behind us before setting her down on the counter. Her sharp breath fans across my face, her need fueling the potent one I have roaring in my veins.
Her hands are eager and frantic, removing my shirt before mine slip up her skirt to tear her satin panties from her hips. My fingers delve through her wet heat, testing her readiness, and finding her fucking soaked. Her head drops back on a fiery moan, my greedy lips consuming the exposed skin on her neck, tasting, biting…marking, all while she fumbles with my belt.
The moment my cock is released, I waste no time lining up to her entrance, but like always I pause, waiting for permission.
Now more than ever before.
Her soft gaze holds mine, hands framing my face. “I want you, Justice. I always want you.”
It was all I needed to hear before sliding right into fucking heaven.
Slow.
Deep.
Mine.
My head swims with pleasure, warmth exploding through every cell of my body.
“I love feeling you inside of me,” she moans, wrapping her arms around my neck, bringing us skin to skin, the scent of her shampoo filling my senses. “It’s always so good. So right.”
“Yeah, baby. We’re fucking perfect together.”
Every drive of my hips is slow and precise, just like they have been the last few nights I’ve taken her. She’s with me every second, our bodies moving together, creating a raging inferno, our heated breaths fogging up the mirror.
It’s always like this between us, the need, the urgency; it’s always there, consuming us both. It could set this whole fucking place up in flames. I will never get enough of it, never have enough of her. Even more so now that I know she’s going to give me another baby.
“We’re going to have lots of kids, Ryanne,” I tell her, the words coming out on a growl. “I want you constantly pregnant.” The thought drives me fucking wild, pushing my cock deeper.
“I want that, too,” she admits breathlessly. “I want a big family.”
Grasping her hair, I pull her head back gently, needing to look into her pretty face, my lips hovering only an inch from hers. “Forever.”
“Forever,” she repeats back.
I pick up speed, my fingers gripping her hips while hers bite into my shoulders. It sends a trickle of heat to lick down my spine.
“Justice.” My name floating past her lips like warm silk is the only warning I get before she’s coming apart, her face soft and sweet as pleasure takes over.
I claim her mouth once more, inhaling her cries, and let them take me with her, my cock driving in one last time before I empty myself in her warm body.
She drops her forehead on my shoulder, our damp skin colliding, hearts pounding against the other as we fight to catch our breaths.
My head turns, lips pressing to her temple. “I promise to make you happy, Ryanne. I’ll take good care of our family.”
She leans back, bringing her warm eyes before mine and frames my face between her slender hands. “You already do.” Leaning in, she presses her smiling lips to mine in the briefest contact. “Come on, let’s clean up and tell the others.”
Within minutes we’re walking across the yard, hand in hand. Hannah’s laughter greets us, drifting through the air as Braxten tosses her above his head and catches her. Thankfully, the fucker finally went and put some clothes on.
The sound of her laughter carries a promise for the future. A future I will never take for granted as long as I live.
All eyes swing to us at our approach, their smiles fading.
“Time to go?” Hannah asks sadly, clinging to my brother.
“Actually, there’s been a change of plans.” I look at each one of them as they all remain silent. “Ryanne and I have decided to stay.”
Their excitement explodes through the air; Hannah’s being the loudest of all as she hugs Braxten’s neck.
“Well now, that’s great news, son. Really great news,” my dad says, coming over to pull me in for a hard hug before doing the same with Ryanne.
“What changed your minds?” Braxten asks.
“We wanted to stay close to you guys.” I look down at Ryanne, unsure of how much she wants to announce just yet. At her smile and nod, I relay the rest. “Ryanne is pregnant and has agreed to marry me.”
Another round of cheers sound throughout, my father growing emotional as he pulls Ryanne in for another hug. Braxten places Hannah down on the ground, he and Knox following behind as she races into my arms. “I’m really going to be a big sister?”
“Yeah, what do you think about that?” I ask, even though I already have a pretty good idea.
“I think it’s amazin’. I promise to be the best big sister ever.”
“I have no doubt, baby.”
She reaches for Ryanne next who accepts her eagerly. “Our wish came true, Mama,” her voice is a gentle whisper in Ryanne’s ear.
“I told you, never stop wishing.”
Braxten congratulates me, his fist knocking with mine. “You leave for ten minutes and manage to knock her up and get her to marry you. Now that’s some skill, brother.”
We share a laugh while Ryanne rolls her eyes.
He moves to her next, curling an arm around her shoulders since my father now has Hannah. “If it’s a boy you’re going to name him after me, right?”
She gives him a playful elbow. “Not likely. The last thing we need is any more rumors in this town, Braxten Creed.”
She’s got that right. Though, rumors are nothing my brothers and I aren’t accustom to.
Knox extends his hand to me next, approval on his face. “I’m happy for you, man.”
Taking his offered hand, I pull him in for a hard hug.
“I’m glad you’re staying,” he murmurs for my ears only.
“Me too.”
He directs his attention to Ryanne after, congratulating her as well.
“Thanks,” she whispers, her smile indicating how much his words mean to her.
“This calls for a celebration,” my father says. “Why don’t we head inside for a big breakfast. Hannah J. and I can make our famous chocolate chip pancakes.”
“With whip cream and strawberries,” Hannah adds.
We all agree and are about to head inside when the sound of a car coming down the long gravel driveway stops us short. The vehicle rolls to a stop and a moment later Gwen steps out holding a plate of cookies.
“Gwen,” my father greets her, looking as surprised as the rest of us. Apart from the other night, I am pretty sure she has never been here before, definitely never for any social calls.
“Hello,” she greets us, looking more than a little nervous.
My father hands Hannah off to me and walks over to her.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she says quietly, “but I made these for you and wanted to bring them by.”
“Gingersnaps,” he says, taking the plate from her. “You remembered my favorite.”
“Of course. I’ve never forgotten any of your favorites.” She blushes at the admission, awkward silence filling the space between them. My father shuffles his feet, sharing a smile with her.
“Jesus,” Braxten mutters, leaning in close. “This is fucking brutal to watch. We need to teach Dad some moves.”
I grunt, having no desire to do that. I’m not used to seeing my father like this, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I respect Gwen, even more now that she helped bring down the founding families, but when it comes to my father we are as protective over him as he is us and the last thing I want is him getting hurt.
“Well,” Gwen says. “I’ll let y’all get back to your day now.” She turns to leave but my father stops her with a hand to her slender shoulder.
“Would you like to stay and celebrate with us?”
“Celebrate?” she asks.
My father gestures over to the group of us. “Ryanne and Justice are getting married and giving me another grandbaby.”
“Oh how wonderful,” she gushes, genuine happiness radiating from her. “Congratulations to you both.”
“Thank you,” Ryanne says with a smile.
“Come and eat with us,” my father insists. “We were just about to make some brunch.”
“My and Papa’s famous pancakes,” Hannah interjects proudly.
“That sounds lovely but…I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“Nonsense.” My father wraps an arm around her shoulders, giving her no choice but to follow. “We’ll sit out on the porch after and you can hear how good my granddaughter is at singing the blues.”
“Well, I’d like that very much.”
The rest of us follow, all gathering in the kitchen. It doesn’t take long before the meal is prepared and we’re taking our seats around the table, laughter filling the room while my father’s favorite music plays from the radio. Hannah sits on his lap with Gwen next to them, hanging on every word they say.
I glance over at my brothers, all three of us sharing a look, a silent exchange in this one moment, and something my father said long ago emerges: “Family is what we make it and whom we make it with. They aren’t always blood or the people who brought us into this world, but they are always loyal, true and love without fault.”
I’m pulled from the thought when Ryanne reaches for my hand beneath the table, giving it a gentle squeeze before gifting me with her radiant smile.
A feeling of contentment settles over me, stronger and deeper than ever before. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to have this. I thought I’d be alone forever until Knox and Braxten came into my life. Then we figured it would always just be the three of us, fighting to survive in a world that gave up on us, until Thatcher Creed changed it all, taking in what no one else wanted and making us a family.
I didn’t think it could get any better, but then the woman next to me changed it in ways far greater than I could have ever imagined. She broke through my defenses, turning my world upside down, and made me a father to a little girl I love in ways I never thought I was capable. A love and devotion I will continue to give them for as long as I live.
*
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