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“I’m just stopping him from attacking anyone or getting hurt. He’s a kid but he’s old enough to know there are consequences for swinging at people.” Mills glared at me over his shoulder. “Go outside. We’ll talk away from my family. My family, which you had no business infiltrating.”

“Jesus, Mills! She was trying to find you three, not spy for foreign leaders. I’m so disgusted by your actions right now!” Vera shoved Mills away from Mason and wrapped her armaround Mason’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry. We think he was dropped on the head a lot as a baby. Or maybe he was one of those babies they experimented on by leaving them in a room with no human contact or comfort? That would explain a lot.”

“Outside, Mason. Please.” I looked at Harley, who was staring down Tate and West, daring them to move a finger towards me or Mason. “Harley, you too. We’re ruining Maxie’s grand opening and I think we should just go home.”

“At least give me your number, Reagan. No matter what our idiot brothers say, we’re not letting you leave thinking you don’t have support here. That’s our nephew and we’re going to help you in whatever way we can.” Nellie glared at her brothers. “And you’re not ruining anything. This town loves a good show and judging by how silent the front of the bakery is, I’m assuming they’re all listening to this with their breaths held so that they don’t miss a single word.”

“Nellie’s right.” Maxie quickly packaged up a box of treats. “Take these with you. Then come to my house tonight for dinner. I’ll write the address on the box for you.”

Tears filled my eyes and I would’ve agreed to anything to get away from Devil’s Den right then.

“Sure. Thank you.”

Tate stepped into my way as I tried to hurry past them. He barely looked at me but his eyes lingered on Lucky, more importantly, they lingered on Lucky’s unusual eyes.

“Shit.”

In a haze of shame and horror, I somehow got outside. Standing on the sidewalk with Mason, Harley, and Lucky, didn’t bring me the relief I was hoping it would. Especially not with Mills, West, and Tate following us out and standing in front of us. I felt like I was trapped in a nightmare. Of all the ways I’d imagined the baby reveal going, I’d never considered the guys accusing me of being some sort of whore. Why were they beingso judgmental about me going to the club when they’d been there, too?

Mason glared at Mills and shifted so he was standing slightly in front of me.

“If you’re going to keep talking to my sister like that, we’re leaving. She doesn’t need any of you. She’s got me. She just wanted to do the right thing and tell you. I told her this was a stupid plan and y’all proved I was right. We would’ve been better off staying at home.”

Harley finished the wall separating me from the guys by standing shoulder to shoulder with Mason.

“Let’s just pretend we were never here. Lucky isn’t your kid so you have no reason to let this be more than a bump in your road to buffoonery. We’ll go our way, you go yours.”

I bounced Lucky on my hip as the warm sun started to annoy him. I didn’t even know what to say anymore. I felt shell-shocked. I also felt a whole lot of regret, like maybe I’d opened a door better left closed and locked tight. The men in front of us weren’t anything like what I’d imagined they’d be. They were cruel and hard, nothing at all like what I wanted for Lucky.

“He’s really ours, isn’t he?” West tried to step closer but Mason and Harley didn’t budge.

“Yes.” I grunted when Lucky screamed in my ear. “We’ll go. Just…forget it.”

“That’s not going to be possible, sweetheart.” West looked at his brothers and then back at me. “How about we all take the rest of the day to calm down and try this again tomorrow?”

“We’re leaving.” Harley looked at me over her shoulder. “Don’t even think about giving these assholes a chance to treat you like dirt again.”

“That’s not going to be possible. If that’s our son, we have rights and responsibilities. Meet with us at the diner tomorrowaround lunch and we can sort everything out with calm heads.” West looked back at his brothers. “Right?”

Tate nodded. “Yeah.”

Mills still looked at me as if I’d shown up and murdered his family.

“Fine.”

“Rea?” Harley shot me another look.

“One more chance tomorrow.” I knew I’d disappointed my best friend but I still felt like Lucky deserved a father, or three, in his life. I’d caught them off guard so maybe they weren’t at their best. Maybe after some cooling down time they’d be better.

“I don’t think you should be going to dinner or hanging out with our sisters.” Mills studied Lucky and shook his head. “Even if he is ours, that doesn’t mean you need to invite yourself into our family.”

I’d hit my maximum capacity for the day. Embarrassing tears streaked down my cheeks. Mason noticed and led me to Harley’s car. I let him help me into the backseat but I struggled to bite back my emotions as I buckled Lucky into his car seat.

Harley flipped the guys off before getting behind the wheel and turning to face me.

“You don’t have to meet them. You don’t owe them anything.”

“Let’s just go back to the motel. I need some time to build up my defenses.” I glanced out the window and saw the three men staring at me, each of them with their feet spread wide and their arms crossed. In boots and cowboy hats they looked like a dream, but that was a lie. They were a nightmare.