Although this guy looked uneasy, he also appeared resolved to try to take them on if he had to. The guy had stones. He respected that. He’d be a good match for Maggie.
Brandon pushed past his mother’s legs and ran into Kyle’s open arms, “Kyle!” The fact that an abused kid trusted this big guy said everything really.
“Hey buddy.” He pulled Brandon up, resting him on his hip. “You know these men?” He questioned Brandon, while shooting them an untrusting look.
“Sure do,” he replied enthusiastically. “That’s my Uncle Bones, Uncle Digger and Uncle King.” Brandon pointed at each of them as he said their name. They couldn’t help but smile back at him. He was a fucking cute kid.
“Three uncles, eh.” He moved through them with Brandon in his arms, knowing they wouldn’t touch him while he was holding the boy. He pecked Maggie on the cheek when he got close. She blushed and sent him a small embarrassed smile. “I thought you only had one sister,” he questioned her.
“Well…you see…” Maggie stuttered, struggling to know how to explain their relationship.
When bold as fucking brass, their old lady came through the door, shoulders back, eyes on fire and stood in front of them.
“She has only got one sister and they’re all mine,” she said, loudly, clearly and while throwing her thumbs over her shoulders.
Digger felt his chest swell with pride that Bianca had claimed them so fervently and was eye-balling the sheriff, as if daring him to say something negative. He wanted to take her to the ground and fuck her right there and then. He could tell Bones and King felt the same. He reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist and Bones and Digger made sure they had a hand on her too.
The sheriff looked completely shocked. They waited for the shock to turn into offence and then they’d kick his ass. Surprisingly, a new resolve showed on the sheriff’s face and he could see his internal investigator coming forward.
“Bones, Digger and King? Happen to have any legal names?” He plainly wanted to do a search on them.
Bones threw him a cocky smirk and simply answered, “Nope,” popping the ‘p’. Bianca giggled at that and Bones pressed a kiss to the side of her neck.
The sheriff eyed their cuts, bikes, tattoos and their size before correctly deciding not to press the issue. Maggie pulled on his hand diverting his attention back to her, and then spoke to Brandon.
“You wanna stay here with your uncles and Aunt Bee while I have a quick talk with Kyle?”
Brandon arched to get out of the sheriff’s arms and beaming, scrambled over to him, lifting his hands up on the way. Digger picked up his small weight and held him tight. Bones reached over and ruffled Brandon’s hair. This fucking kid was going to get a fucking mountain of Christmas presents.
*****
Over the next two days they kitted out Maggie’s house as much as she’d allow after she insisted to Bianca that she wasn’t coming back with them. She had settled where she was and was seeing it as a fresh start. They’d gotten to know Maggie a lot better too. She was slowly getting her confidence back and was an excellent mother to Brandon. He could tell by the time they visited again, that she would be a completely new version of herself.
They sat together as Maggie made an official report to the sheriff on everything that happened with Dane and how she and Brandon had gotten away. Although she didn’t officially report it, Bianca told them both what had happened to her. It wouldn’t do any good for the cops to get involved. Also, everyone they’d want to question from Riot and Dane were dead – they left the part out about how it happened. The sheriff looked conflicted until he looked at Maggie. They’d all noticed her shoulders relax and tension disappear from her eyes when she heard Dane’s fate.
Maggie had broken down with guilt at what Bianca had been through. That was expected and they were glad that Maggie recognised the horrors Bianca lived and persevered through so that Maggie and Brandon could be safe. Bianca had shot up and embraced her sister, then clutched her hands and looked her dead in the eye. He’d never forget what she said to Maggie;
“I’d go through it all again ten times over if it meant that I’d end up here, exactly as we are now. You and Brandon are safe and away from that monster, with a decent man watching over you and me having found the loves of my life. We wouldn’t be here if all this hadn’t happened and I know that we’ll both be so much happier than we would have been if it hadn’t. I adore my life now and knowing you are finally happy means that I can enjoy it as much as you will.”