As they rode through town and passed the one fucking stop light, every head turned and stared, mouths hanging open. He didn’t know whether to wave or flip them off, either seemed like it would piss them off. He settled with ignoring them. He was glad so many people had witnessed their arrival, it’d do good for them to know that Maggie and Brandon had protectors. Their presence for a few days should dissuade anyone from fucking with them in the future.
They pulled into the yard of a small ranch style home on a quiet street. The front door was flung open before they’d rolled to a stop. A tall blonde appeared, with a lithe body and a face that was similar enough to Bianca’s to be undisputable that they were sisters. A hand was clasped over her mouth and tears were clearly wetting her face. She ran out and down the steps, arms spread wide as she got nearer to Bianca.
Bianca nearly fell off Bones’ bike in her attempt to scramble off quickly. Her feet had barely touched the ground and they fell into each other’s arms. He couldn’t tell what was being said through the happy tears, but they seemed to be able to understand each other. All he could make out was high pitched squeaking and nods, interspersed with laugh-crying. He looked at King and Bones and saw they looked equally puzzled. He had no clue how women could have a conversation like this.
“Mama,” a small voice called out.
He moved his attention from the women to see a little kid clinging to the porch rail, trying to hide and see what was going on at the same time.
He studied the little boy, who was obviously Brandon, and saw the similarities to Dane. He’d wondered earlier whether he would feel guilty for killing the fucker when he was faced with the guy’s son. Yet, as he stood still and took in the happy innocence of that little face, he knew they’d done the right thing. They hadn’t deprived Brandon of a father; they’d simply eliminated a monster from his world.
“Brandon,” Bianca called out and let her sister go. The little guy squealed and ran into her arms. “My big boy! You’ve grown so much.”
Brandon stepped back and stood to his full height straining to show his aunt how much bigger he was, making him laugh. Quickly dismissing his aunt, he inched closer towards them, chewing on his thumb like he was hesitant about something. He watched, fascinated as this little boy sured his confidence and came even closer.
“Can I have a go on the bikes?” he asked, pointing at Bones’ bike and hitting them in the heart with his big, pleading eyes.
How could they say no to that little face? He was just about to answer when Bianca spoke.
“Well, I suppose you could but you’ll have to ask your new uncles very nicely first,” Bianca turned, beaming at all of them.
Digger couldn’t believe she’d introduced them as his uncles right off the bat and with no hesitation. He was touched and felt a lump form in his throat. He knew how protective Bianca was of Brandon and the fact that she instantly linked them as family showed how much she trusted them with him and how confident she was that they’d always be in his life. He could tell that Maggie wasn’t as sure. She hadn’t looked him, King or Bones in the eye yet and her hands were wringing together in worry for her son.
He knew Bianca had told Maggie about them and she was probably had no idea how to approach the situation. Not many people did, so he couldn’t hold that against her. She’d need time to see how right this was for all of them and her sister.
Taking charge, Bianca ushered them all inside the house. The space was fairly small with a few pieces of worn, clearly second-hand furniture and an old TV in the family room. He could see through to the kitchen and saw a small table with two chairs. They didn’t have much so they’d make sure to change that before they left, they were family now and they had more than enough money to make sure they lived in comfort.
Plus, he knew Bianca would be grateful and more willing to leave if she could see that they were well taken care of. And if her gratefulness led to some hot sex then all the better, he thought fighting a smirk. He was about to check out the rest of the rooms when a small tug to his pants leg drew his attention. He looked down into the crystal blue eyes of Brandon.
“Do you wanna come see my new room?”
“Oh…honey…I’m not sure if…” Maggie flapped her hands around at him as if to say ‘you don’t have to.’