Page 130 of Cross To Bear

Chapter 72

Hawk

I’ve never understood people’s fascination with the idea of family. The fact that my own mother was a negligent care provider had something to do with it, but when I looked more closely at more ‘functional’ families, I still failed to understand. Some seemed to live up to the hype, appearing to be supportive places where all members could thrive, but too many were like this.

Nelly’s sleuth surrounded her as Bjorn stood there, like she needed protecting from him. I knew the truth, about her, about them and it was in some ways terrifying.

When Bjorn’s fathers had told us to wait and see if Maddie would choose us, I waited for my brother to push back, tell them how insane that plan was. He didn’t. They took a man like Bjorn and hobbled him with the way he was raised, piling the responsibilities of family, of Jesse’s happiness and, of course, Nelly’s, onto his broad shoulders, because that was the only way they could keep him in line. They pandered to the weak in the form of Jesse and Nelly and tore down the strong.

I looked Bjorn over now. Was this going to be the time when he pushed back? I’d felt a moment of hope the night we’d gone to Nelly’s dinner, but would it be sustained?

“Nelly…”

Crowds parted to let Razor stroll forward, the dangerous light flickering in my brother’s eyes heartening me. People sensed a fight brewing just like they did an incoming storm. Some moved their children out of the way, wanting to shield them from what was coming, but others clustered closer. I watched Bjorn’s mother’s head whip around to take us in, as the dads moved closer.

“What’re you doing here, Mum?” Bjorn stepped out from behind the rickety table, dropping his brush in the water. “What’re you doing?”

Yes, that, I urged, as if I could push him, bolster him up, give strength to his arm.

“I brought you the brushes you need.” Her smiles, her looks were for the crowd, not her son, but her lips twisted into an ugly shape, then pulled down. “You know I’ll always come through for you, despite what you seem to think.”

“What I think?” The dads growled then, as if that would keep Bjorn quiet, but I felt a strange sensation in my chest when he didn’t. When he pushed past the social prohibition of talking back to your parents and fucking said it. “Ask me what I think. Ask me!”

The crowd was one organism, twittering in alarm at his shout, because the man, the bear, he was backed in the corner and he would not go down without a fight.

“Stay here,” I ordered Maddie, not wanting any of this shit getting on her.

That’s when I pushed forward, forcing people to give way, let me through until I was standing by Bjorn’s side. His wild eyes found mine, but I just nodded, making clear I knew he had this. I was just here to get a front row seat.

“If you’re not gonna ask, I’ll let you know.” Members of Bjorn’s extended family came running over, the rumour mill obviously alerting them to the fact something was up, but it was too late. “What did I tell you the last time I spoke to you?”

“That you didn’t want to talk to me anymore.” Nelly was so very good. The fluttering hand as it came to rest on his chest, the hurt plain in her voice. Shit, maybe it was actually sincere. I didn’t know nor care. “Your own mother—”

“The woman who tried to talk my fated mate out of accepting the bond.”

Ohh, the blood was in the water now. I watched the tide turn with a small smile, right as the rest of my sleuth stumbled forward, clustering around Bjorn. He grabbed Maddie and hauled her close, her long dark hair swinging to reveal four bite marks on her neck.

“The woman who was oblivious to the fact that my spoiled brat of a brother was keeping my fated mate from me because he was jealous…” Bjorn’s fingers flexed on empty air. “Jealous of me? When he got every single thing he ever wanted, including Maddie. She’s mine. The only woman I’ll ever love and you told her what? That we wouldn’t fit in with her life? That her parents wouldn’t accept us? That maybe a sleuth’s fated mate ‘wasn’t the right woman for us’?”

The air filled with gasps and mutters and Nelly finally seemed to hear them, her eyes flicking around just in time to watch the crowd turn on her.

“Is this true, Nelly?” Bjorn’s uncle shouted across the crowd. “Taz?”

Bjorn’s father remained tight-lipped and pale, which seemed to damn him doubly.

“You talk all the time about the horrors your parents put you through.” Bjorn’s tone started to drop in volume, but it was no less devastating. “You made real clear why we’d never have anything to do with your side of the family, but do you…?” His throat worked. “Do you realise you’re just as abusive in your own way? You hurt me by trying to take away the one thing I needed to be happy. You hurt Jesse by not letting him deal with the consequences of his actions. He’s having to do that now, on his own, in fucking Coober Pedy.” He shook his head sharply, then said the one thing I’d always thought. “You’re a fucking terrible mother. That’s why I cut off contact.”

He looked at the crowd, seeing it for the first time.

“Because if I was forced to choose between my parents and my fated mate, my sleuth.”

He looked across at me, our eyes locking for a moment and I did the one thing I could think to do, offering him my hand. His palm slapped down in mine, his fingers wrapping tight as he grinned, sadness and joy warring there. I felt it right along with him, because this was it.

We were stepping out from under the yoke he’d been carrying since he was born and we’d do so together.

Bjorn held Maddie close and while she looked way too pale, she clung to his arm, as if that would communicate how much she loved him. Loved us. I found that hard to believe, the fear she would slip away getting me up and out of bed too early in the mornings to go down the hallway and check she was still asleep in our house. But she did, I could feel that right now.

Along with pride, throbbing like a heartbeat in her chest and if I could sense it, so could Bjorn.

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