Page 37 of Brutal Secrets

Lucas’s lips quirk. “Okay.” He slams his laptop shut, places it in his bag, and moves around the table, dropping a kiss on both of our heads before heading toward the door. As soon as the door closes, I lift Mia into my arms. “We’re going to have the best day together, just you and me, sweet pea.” She coos, then shoves her fist in her mouth.

Jace took Harper to school this morning, then joined Cole at the gym. They have a big fight coming up, and the sponsors are people they’re wanting to impress, so both guys have taken to training Stone. They say it’s because he’s built so solid there’s no shifting him. If you touch him, you crumble, and his face is always so stone-faced. That made me giggle coming from someone as serious as Lucas.

But when I saw him for myself, I knew there was so much more to him than the façade he maintains.

The man has scars, deep scars. And each one of them tells a story.

One I’m intrigued to hear.

Mia whines again,and I pick her up to rub her back; she’s been restless all morning, and I swear it’s because she’s a daddy’s girl.

My phone vibrates, and when I reach over the couch to grab it and discover the school calling me, my heart sinks with a feeling of dread as anxiety ripples through me. The last time I received a call about Harper, she had been struck by a car after a disagreement with Mrs. Lancaster.

“Hel-llo?” I hate how panicked I get with anything important to do with Harper. The insecurity is still there, even months aftergaining full custody of her. I feel like at any minute it could all be cruelly taken away.

“Miss Jones?”

“Yes. This is she.” My heart races, and I struggle to breathe as air lodges in my throat.

“Oh, please don’t worry, Miss Jones. I’m just calling to inform you that Harper has been sick during class; is it possible for you to collect her from school?”

I’m already moving around the apartment, gathering the keys and my purse while juggling Mia and slipping my feet into my sneakers.

“Of course. I’ll be right there.” I nod, even though I know she can’t see me.

“Thank you. See you soon.”

Taking a deep breath to collect myself, I end the call and head toward the door while dialing Jace. Opening the door, I gesture for Kem to step inside. His eyebrows furrow as I thrust Mia into his arms. The call rings out, and I sigh before dialing Lucas. With my phone tucked into my neck, I fix the straps to Mia’s baby carrier.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, but I ignore him as I listen for Lucas to pick up.

“Great, no answer,” I grumble while calling Cole.

“They’re in a meeting,” Kem responds. My shoulders drop, but I shake my head; I’m acting irrationally.

“Harper is sick, she threw up in class.”

My eyes meet Kem’s, and he gifts me with a nod, his lip quirks up at the side, and I narrow my eyes. “Jesus, Tia. My kid gets sick all the time. Trust me, it’s fine. I’ll drive you over to the school, we’ll pick her up. She’ll be settled in her own bed within the hour.” He shrugs like it’s nothing.

But in reality, this is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with my daughter being ill. It’s so far out of my comfort zone, which isridiculous, given I’m her mother. “What if she has a fever?” I ask while chewing on my fingernail.

“Then we give her some Tylenol, or we call the doctor,” Kem throws over his shoulder as he bends down to assist with Mia.

“I’d prefer the doctor.” I nod as he expertly straps Mia into her car seat. The guy is happily married and has two small daughters of his own, it’s what won Jace over to him when STORM Enterprise sent a bunch of security details for them to meet. Why the guys feel the need to give me a security detail, I’ll never know, but I will not lie and say the extra reassurance and set of hands when the guys aren’t around isn’t a bonus when I have two little ones to deal with.

“There, all set.” Kem clicks the buckles in place, then lifts Mia’s car seat as we head out the door.

Kem pullsinto the parking lot, and I glance over my shoulder toward Mia, then scan the baby mirror and sag into my chair. Great, she’s asleep.

“Can you watch her?”

Kem’s hands tighten on the steering wheel, and his lips pull into a thin line, his usual carefree expression gone and replaced with a stoic commanding one. “You know I’m meant to go everywhere with you, Tia.” His sharp eyes meet mine.

I look to Mia again, and she’s blowing bubbles through her plump lips, in a deep slumber. The moment I move her, all hell will break loose. My temple throbs, and anger builds inside me, this is ridiculous. I glare at him. “You do realize the moment I move her she’s not going back to sleep until tonight, right?” He winces, knowing I’m telling the truth with how unsettled she’s been lately. “Seriously, Kem, I’m calling into the nurse’s office,through that door right there”—I point to the door that takes you to the school office—“then I’m grabbing Harper and coming straight back out. What could go wrong?”

He drags a hand through his unruly hair, looking completely flustered. “Fine. But hurry.” He nods toward the school, and I grin triumphantly as I swing open the car door and rush toward the school.

Stepping into the office, I brush my hands down Cole’s oversized T-shirt and cringe. I look like a train wreck. My hair is in a messy ponytail, then throw in my ripped jeans and sneakers, I look like a messy mom who doesn’t have her shit together. Self-doubt rises in my chest as I glance around at the immaculate receptionist glaring up at me like I’m trash, and all the insecurities that reside inside me, placed there by Mrs. Lancaster, reemerge tenfold, always made to feel not good enough.

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