Page 71 of Badd Ass
I leaned over her and kissed her lips softly. “You should rest.”
She nodded. “I haven’t really slept much the last couple days.”
I curled around her as she faded into sleep. When she was snoring softly—that fucking ridiculously adorable snore of hers that made my heart melt and pitter-patter all at once, her mouth open slightly, the cute little button nose, her long eyelashes dark against her cheek, her thick blonde hair sweeping over her face.
I brushed her hair away from her eyes and mouth with my index finger, feeling a deep, sharp, intense protectiveness toward her, a fierce need to never let her out of my sight again. To keep her safe. To make sure she never felt such fear again, to make sure she knew she was take care of.
Loved.
I slid off the bed and crept out of the room, closing the door behind me, finding literally all of my brothers in the apartment, nonchalantly sipping coffee. Xavier was in the kitchen, scrambling a giant pan of eggs and tending to a giant skillet of bacon, using his left and right hands at the same time to do totally separate things. The twins were playing Xbox, of course, and Lucian was reading a paperback book as thick as a dictionary; Brock was on the loveseat with Claire—Mara’s diminutive but stunning blonde best friend—on his lap, chatting in low tones to each other; Bax was standing behind the couch watching the twins play a first person shooter game, and Bast had Dru on his lap on the couch beside the twins, watching them play as well.
When I entered the living room, clad in nothing but a pair of shorts, everything stopped. Corin paused their game, and all eyes turned to me.
I looked from brother to brother in turn, and then to Dru and then Claire—Brock obviously knew what was going on, judging by the wary but hopeful expression on his face, and Claire just looked unreadable, fearful if nothing else.
“What?” I demanded.
“So? What’s going on?” Brock asked.
I scrubbed my hand over my scalp in irritation. “Can I get a cup of fucking coffee before we start the interrogation?”
“Where’s Mara?” Claire asked.
“Sleeping.” I gestured at my room. “She was exhausted.”
Claire sighed. “She was a mess. She’s barely slept in days.”
Dru appeared in front of me with a huge mug of coffee in one hand and a plate heaped high with bacon and eggs in the other.
“Thanks, Dru,” I said, and sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, digging into the food.
The room was silent then except for the clink of forks on plates and the occasional slurp of coffee. Finally finished, I leaned back against the couch between Bast’s and Dru’s legs.
“So, um. Brock and Claire, I’m guessing you two already know, but, uh, Mara—” I swallowed hard, because saying it like this, in this setting, was a lot harder than I thought it’d be. “Mara’s pregnant.”
There was a stunned silence.
“Holy shit,” Bax said, eying me. “So…is this a congratulations thing, or is this a disaster mitigation planning thing?”
“I think it’s a congratulations thing,” I answered. “I think I’m still sort of—”
“In shock?” Canaan suggested.
“Stupefied?” Corin said at the same time.
“Gobsmacked?” Canaan.
“Stunned stupid?” Corin.
“Blindsided?” Canaan.
“Flabbergasted?” Corin.
“Enough, you two!” I shouted. “Yes, it’s safe to say I’m a little surprised.”
Dru set her feet on the coffee table, ankles crossed, her calves resting against my shoulder. “Does this mean I get a sister?”
“I’m not sure what it means, yet.” I patted her legs. “But I’m hoping so, yes.”