“Aideen!” Kane cut me off with a shout. “I get it! I know there is a lot of things that we will need to buy and a lot of things that need to be done, but I’ll make sure it gets done. Okay? Just trust that I can take care of you.”
I wasn’t convinced. I shook my head and turned to look out the window of the car.
“Why are you shaking your head?”
I huffed, “Because you sayin’ ‘trust me, I’ve got this’ doesn’t make me feel better at all. I work a full-time job five days a week, and I live in a tiny apartment. Granted it’s bigger than Keela’s old place, but it’s not ideal for everythin’ I’m goin’ to need. I’m worried, okay? I’ve never had another being dependin’ solely on me before.”
Kane was silent for a moment before he said, “You could move in with me. That’s an option.”
I hurt my neck when I snapped my head to look at Kane. “That was a joke, right?”
Kane set his jaw. “No.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, “We aren’t in a relationship and you think livin’ together is the way to go?”
He ground his teeth together before saying, “Living in the same space doesn’t mean anything has to happen, or that anything will happen between us. Believe it or not, my focus is one hundred percent on our baby inside of you. I can’t even think of sex or anything else right now.”
I snorted, “Yeah, well that makes two of us.”
Kane sighed, “I don’t want to fight, not about this. When you—I mean when we have time to process things we can talk about this further, okay?”
I saw no point in arguing against that right now, so I nodded my head and remained silent for the final few minutes of the drive. We got to my father’s house quicker than I would have liked. Before I knew it, I was standing outside staring at the front door, hesitant to knock.
“Do you want me to—”
“No,” I cut Kane off. “I can do this. You just tell your brothers to stay across the road.”
Kane mumbled something. I didn’t know what it was, but I took it as an okay. I stepped towards the front door of my father’s house and just as I lifted my hand to knock, the door swung open.
“Hey, what took you so long? We got here five minutes ago.”
Five minutes ago?
“What the hell do you drive? A rocket?”
My eldest brother, James, laughed at me, but when his eyes drifted past me and landed on the soul to the right of me, they instantly narrowed.
“Slater,” James snarled.
I jumped in front of Kane.
“Please, don’t,” I begged my brother. “What I’ve to say is too important.”
James stepped forward then backwards as veins bulged in his arms and neck. He took a final step back as he fully stepped inside our father’s house.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
James looked past me. “Step foot in here and I’ll knock you out.”
With that said, James turned and stormed off down the hallway and into the kitchen.
I groaned, “That couldn’t have gone worse.”
Kane snickered, “Actually it could have.”
I ignored him as I entered. “I’ll be five minutes. Do you mind waitin’ here?” I asked without turning around. I wanted to keep an eye on the kitchen door in case my brothers suddenly burst through it in a bid to kill Kane.
“Are you sure you want to tell them on your own?” Kane asked.
“I told everyone else on me own, this will be easy... the tellin’ part at least. It’s the reactions about you that I’m worried about.”
“It will be—”
“Don’t say okay.”
“Fine,” Kane finished.
I stepped inside. “I won’t be long.”
I closed the front door with the heel of my right foot and slowly walked down the hallway. I paused in front of the kitchen then entered it with my head held high and my chin stuck out.
Showing fear would only cause them to attack.
“I can’t believe you brought a Slater here!” the voice of my second eldest brother, Harley, bellowed.
I gently closed the kitchen door behind me.
“Nice to see you too, big brother.”
“Cut the bullshit,” Dante, my third eldest brother, hissed. “Why is he here?”
I avoided eye contact. “He is here because he is involved in what I have to tell you all.”
“If you say you’re goin’ out with him, I’ll kill him and lock you upstairs,” Harley said to me, his tone venomous.
Who was I? Rapunzel?
“Can you just sit down, please?” I asked as nicely as I could.
Harley silently regarded me but did as I asked.
“What’s goin’ on, baby?” my father, who was already seated at the kitchen table, asked me.
I opened my mouth, and then closed it when I noticed one of my brothers was missing. “Where is Gavin?”
Dante held up a finger then turned his head and shouted, “Gavin! Get your arse down here?”
I winced at the volume of Dante’s shout.
“One second!” Gavin hollered down the stairs.
“What’s so important that you called us here?” Harley asked, curiously.
His patience was wearing thin, but I wasn’t breaking. I wanted all my brothers in the room before I let on any information.
“Hush for a minute and wait for Gavin.”
“Gav!” my father and brothers bellowed in unison.
No patience.
“I’m bloody comin’!” Gavin snapped back.
I heard his footsteps on the stairs as he descended them. He entered the kitchen a few moments later wearing just a pair of boxer shorts.
I rolled my eyes. “Really? You couldn’t have put trousers on?”
“They called for me, here I am. You’re lucky I put boxers on.” He shrugged and sat on a chair next to our father. “What’s up?”
I looked at James. “Sit down.”
He didn’t move from the counter. “I’d rather stand.”
I glared at him. “James.”
He didn’t bat an eyelid. “Aideen.”
I growled, “Why are you being difficult?”
James shrugged. “I know I’m not goin’ to like whatever it is you have to say, so I’d rather be standin’ up when I hear it. Deal with it.”
Arsehole.
“Fine. Okay,” I grunted.
I heard a rap on the front door and I groaned. “One more minute, Kane!” I shouted.