Page 110 of Messing With My Brother's Best Friends

“So… we’ll pay you back,” Connor said.

“No, no.” Bruce took a noisy sip of his drink. “It’ll be a gift. Don’t come running to me if you want an expensive wedding, though…” He frowned and then looked at Kendall. “Can you get married to all of these blokes? I know they let gay people get married now, but—”

“I don’t know.”

I was up and on my feet as soon as I saw a tear in my girl’s eyes. She would never shed another one—that I had sworn. But Gage and Connor had the same idea, rushing to take our place by her side. To pull her closer, to run my hand down her back, to soothe her with soft words that everything would be all right.

Only for Bruce to do just that.

“Dad…!”

“Oh, love. Why didn’t you come and tell me what was going on? I know I’m a grumpy old prick. God knows your mother tells me often enough, but you’re still my daughter. I’ll always love you no matter what you do.” He glanced at us from over her shoulder. “Even if it’s shacking up with your brother’s dickhead mates. Boys that are gonna do their level best to look after my girl, right?”

Fuck, I was crying now too. I tried to laugh it off, but the tears weren’t going anywhere.

“You soppy prick…” Finn said with a sharp grin, shaking his head.

“Soppy for your sister,” Gage growled. Sure enough, when I looked across at him his eyes were suspiciously shiny. “And as your new bosses, you know we’re gonna share allll the details of what we do with Kendall with the boys at smoko.”

“Oh my god, I’m gonna be sick,” Finn groaned.

“You don’t have photos of your parents having sex parties on your phone,” I said, then winced when I saw Alice glare at me. “No offence, Alice.”

“None taken,” she said, waving her hand at me.

“But seriously, you better fucking not,” Finn said. “I’ll clean whatever you want, dig whatever ditches you need dug, but disrespecting my sister?” I watched him stare at Kendall. “That’s not cool.”

“Finally…” Alice muttered.

“I might’ve disrespected your sister,” I told him, finding my smile again. “But my wife…?” I’d never even thought about the idea of being married before now, but as I stared at Kendall, I knew nothing else would satisfy me. I needed to have her locked down, claimed, mine on every level and I wasn’t sure how we could make that happen, but we would. Kendall just blinked and stared at me, a small frown forming. “I promise to love, honour and obey her every wish.”

“Are you… proposing to me?” she asked.

“Yeah, I think I am.” I knew the truth of it as soon as I had her in my arms. There was no threat anyone could pose that could keep me away from this. Her body pressed against mine, her scent in my nose. I fucking loved her with every breath in my body and I needed to know what she was thinking. “So, whaddya say? Want to become Mrs. Cooper?”

Chapter 55

Kendall

“Yes,” I said while my whole family just stood there and stared. “Yes,” I said again as we walked them to the door. Dad had wanted to have a bit of a celebration, but Mum sensed what was building and steered him towards the door with a promise of an engagement party. I hugged my brother, my mum, and my dad and then…

“Yes?”

Van picked me up and pressed me against the wall the moment the front door was closed. I felt his effortless strength and the way his body pressed into mine, making clear how he wanted to celebrate this momentous occasion.

“Yes,” I said again, breathless now, and my only source of air was the breath he exhaled as we kissed.

Married? Wife? My mind swirled. The thought of wanting to marry someone a week or so ago would’ve been ridiculous, and yet here I was. Kissing the lips of a man I loved, touching his face and feeling the sharp slope of his cheeks, rubbing my fingers through the short stubble and knowing there was nowhere else I’d rather be.

Mm, maybe here.

“You just asked our fucking girlfriend to marry you?” Gage’s low growl had Van spinning us around to face him. “Our girlfriend.”

There seemed to be something primal riding him right now as he stormed forward, his hand sliding up my neck to tilt my head back and force me to present my lips for the taking.

Yeah, I liked that a whole lot.

Being utterly at their mercy, Van keeping my legs locked around his waist as Gage kissed me senseless. Hard, bruising things that I met with equal ferocity, the two of us working hard to mark the other as Connor stepped forward.

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