Page 15 of His Forever

“Likely shit their pants,” I chuckled.

She shot me a look, her lips still curled in a smile, but she shook her head and reached for the door handle. As she stepped out of the car, I leaned back in my seat, watching the scene unfold.

For a moment, the guys didn’t move. They just stood there frozen as Brynn climbed out of the car. It was like time had slowed down. The shock on their faces was priceless. Princeton’s jaw literally dropped *need to add that he heard stories about her*. Apollo blinked as if he was seeing a ghost. Creed crossed his arms over his chest, trying to play it cool, but I saw the way his eyebrows shot up. Murphy, though—Murphy was the first one to break the silence.

“Holy shit,” he muttered, stepping forward slightly. “Brynn?Brynn?”

Brynn gave a small wave, as if she were greeting an old friend at a dinner party instead of standing in front of four men who had no clue who she’d become. “Hi, guys,” she said casually.

Apollo recovered first, his usual bravado slipping back into place. “What the hell is going on?”

I hopped out of the car before things went south.

Apollo shot me a look like I’d just pulled the world’s biggest prank on them. “You bring Brynn fucking Delaney back to Wyndemere? Without telling us?”

I was grinning like an idiot. “Surprise.” Brynn was back for some serious stuff, but it was still nice for the guys to see her again.

Creed shook his head, looking between me and Brynn like he couldn’t decide if he was dreaming. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Brynn turned to me, raising an eyebrow. “Told you they’d freak out.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think they’d bethisshocked,” I admitted, joining her at the bottom of the steps. I turned to the guys, who were still processing what they were seeing. “Look, it’s a long story but she’s here now. She’s part of this.”

Apollo took a step closer, and his eyes narrowed. “Part of what, exactly? What does Maranga have to do with it?”

I glanced at Brynn and realized how much weight she carried now. She wasn’t just the girl from our past. She was someone with real power and real influence. And these guys—my guys—were going to have to come to terms with that. I wasn’t even sureIhad fully come to terms with it yet.

Brynn held up a hand, her voice calm but firm. “It’s actually Brynn Maranga now.”

“Holy fuck,” Princeton gasped.

Apollo’s jaw dropped.

Murphy ran his fingers through his hair, and it looked like a feather would knock him over.

“Shut the fuck up,” Creed blurted. “Did you marry into the family, or did they adopt you?”

Apollo slapped Creed upside his head. “I think she’s too fucking old to be adopted, dipshit.”

“Isn’t Maranga old?” Princeton asked.

“Yeah,” Creed agreed. “I’ve never seen the dude, but I figured he was old.” He leaned in. “I’m talking older than Leo old.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

“I know this is a shock. Believe me, I get it. But I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m here to help,” Brynn laughed.

“She didn’t answer the question if she married Guy or he adopted her,” Creed muttered.

“Creed,” Apollo snapped. “She wasn’t fucking adopted, dipshit.”

Creed held up his hands. “Look, I know I sound stupid, but Brynn just showed up on the front step, which in itself is shocking. Then she said her name is now Brynn Maranga. Fucking crazy.” He shook his head. “Fucking crazy,” he repeated.

“Help with what?” Princeton asked, crossing his arms. It seemed he wasn’t so hung up on Brynn being a Maranga now.

“With Candace,” I said, stepping in before things got too tense. “She’s a problem we need to deal with, and Brynn—well, she’s got the resources we need.”

Apollo’s gaze flicked between me and Brynn, suspicion still in his eyes. “She can get us Maranga’s resources?”

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