Page 46 of Brandishing Betrayals (Devil’s Psychos MC #2)

Marcos

I walked around the empty house in bit of a haze of disbelief. Everything was almost exactly the same as it had been when we moved out ten years ago, minus some odd color choices, but still almost the same.

I couldn’t believe we were able to get this house.

I couldn’t believe I owned a house.

The three of us had bought a home together.

Our home.

The last place we had all been together and truly happy.

I had been the first to leave—after Maya. I couldn’t bear the idea of being in the house without her here. Nico had been the last of the three of us to leave, holding on hope that she would return.

Now here we all were, moving back in, without Maya.

Only this time, even I was slightly hopeful that Maya might return, though I’d never admit that out loud.

I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I had only agreed to buying a house because I needed to for Luke, because if things went sideways, I would need a home for him.

Thankfully, Jason had handled everything we needed regarding the lawyer, the realtor, and the loan officer, because I hadn’t had a clue. Jason had scheduled everything and moved money around to make all of this work. All I had to do was show up to closing and sign my name.

Walking around the house now that it was officially ours felt completely surreal.

“Do you have specific paint colors you want?” Jason asked as I walked into the kitchen. He was standing at the counter with a legal pad in front of him, a list already in process.

“Nah.” I shook my head. “Neutral colors, earth tones maybe? I don’t fucking know, just get rid of this shit.” I twirled my finger around, pointing to the room at large.

Jason snorted a laugh and nodded. “Yep. I’m gonna hire someone to paint the whole house in one go, the kitchen cabinets included. I figure the cabinets are in good shape, we can upgrade the counters to granite.”

“Sounds good,” I agreed.

Nico came in from the back door, a smile on his face. “Garage looks the same.”

“What else do we want to be done before move in?” Jason asked. “I’m assuming we want in as soon as possible?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Throw the bathroom cabinets in for the painter and counters. The bathrooms are relatively decent; paint and new counters will help a lot.”

Jason made a note on his list. “Which room are you giving Luke?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Can we leave the master bedroom open?” Nico asked.

Jason tensed immediately and I paused. “Why?”

“Please. Just for a while. Can we just move back in like how it was before? We all had our own rooms upstairs and Maya’s was the master. Can we just leave it empty for now?” Nico said tentatively.

I sighed and rubbed a hand over my head. “Bro.”

“Please, just for a while,” Nico pleaded. He looked so damn earnest, that I immediately wanted to cave.

I turned to Jason who was still tense. “I don’t see the harm.”

Jason shook his head. “I don’t see the point.”

“Please?”

“Where would Luke sleep?” Jason asked.

“He can have my old room. I’ll take the bedroom down here that used to be Kara’s,” Nico said.

I nodded thoughtfully. Nico was thinking that Maya would move back in. I could see the hope in Nico’s eyes. I didn’t want to be the one to crush that. “I’m fine with it.”

“Fine,” Jason said. He shook his head slightly. “What color do you want his room?”

“I’ll ask him when I tell him about the house. I want him to have a say,” Marcos explained.

“And when do you plan on telling him?” Jason asked.

“Tomorrow at the funeral.”

The three of us grew silent while we thought about tomorrow’s plans.

Maya had never said anything regarding being served the papers for paternity.

Granted, she had a lot going on right now, but it would be the first time we’ve seen her since Saturday—at least closer than we had when she picked up Luke from football practice without getting out of the car.

Her father’s funeral was going to be hard on her.

I had thought about reaching out to her several times regarding everything, but it hadn’t felt right.

I’d seen her when I brought Luke home, but we hadn’t really spoken much.

I did give her my condolences about her father, but that had been about it.

Maya had kept up a stone-cold wall that even Jason couldn’t beat.

“Do we say anything tomorrow to Maya?” Nico asked.

I shook my head. “Nah, she’ll probably be busy. We’ll talk to Luke about it. I’m sure he’ll tell his mom at some point. Otherwise, I’ll tell her when I have him for the weekend again.”

Jason hummed noncommittedly while Nico nodded absently.

I sighed. We finally had the house of our dreams, but it was obvious it would be missing the key person that would make it a home.