Page 1 of The Southern Submission

One

Payton

“Fucking finally!”

I turn toward my sister-in-law's husky, feminine voice and give her a teasing smile.

“Harlowe,” I acknowledge. “What’s the deal? I’m not late.”

She reaches for the bright pink box with the oversized bow I'm carrying, places it on a table behind her, and wraps me in a quick hug. Her growing baby bump presses against me uncomfortably as I pat her back.

“You’re supposed to be the buffer, but you’ve failed. Get your ass in there and buff. There’s only so much Paige and Zander can do to make Hayes and me play nice for very long. I need more allies,” she grumbles, releasing me from hergrasp.

I laugh. There's bad blood between them and it doesn't matter how many apologies Paige forces out of Hayes, or how long they’ve been family, the two may never be friends. They begrudgingly ended their feud following her reconciliation with my younger brother six months ago. Since then, they’ve barely tolerated each other without coming to blows. It started as a slight Hayes served Harlowe five years ago when he tried to pay her off to stay away from Zander. Treating her like one of the hundreds of other women Zander had slept with didn’t go over well, and it still stings Harlowe’s pride even now.

“You could always fight it out. See which lion wins. My money’s on you,” I joke. She narrows her dark eyes on me, looking like a lioness ready to attack, and I put up my hands to warn off her claws. “Okay, fine, relax.”

Harlowe drags me deeper into the Buckhead mansion Hayes and Paige live in. Soon, the squawking cries of my newborn niece, Madelyn can be heard. Paige is reclined with the tiny baby in her arms, tired but happy. Harlowe and Zander’s son, Hendricks, is next to her, peering at the baby with interest. Hayes hovers nearby, watching his wife and newborn intently as if they’ll need something in the next second. Zander sits on the other end of the sofa, observing his son with a smile.

Zander missed out on the first four years of Hendricks’s life because he didn't know he had a son. Once he found out about his kid, he became the most enthusiastic father and loves that little boy with a fervor I haven’t seen from him since he discovered skydiving.

This little scene of domestic bliss is a touching sight. My brothers now have wives and children, settling into a new era where our company, Olympus International, is no longer the prime directive in their lives. It’s still my top priority, and I’ll continue that way. I have no intention of settling downor letting myself fall prey to whatever’s in the water they’re drinking. There’s no chance of that happening because I don’t date. At most, I have play partners who let me take out my desires and urges, and that more than satisfies any need I have for companionship and sex. But…I have to admit, seeing my brothers like this makes me happy for them, even if it's not for me.

“Hi!” Paige calls with a smile. “Come hold Maddie. She’s waiting to meet her other favorite uncle.”

My eyes grow wide as I tentatively sit next to Paige, holding out my hands for the pink-wrapped bundle she hands me. The little thing inside has dark hair and a tiny, squashed face that blinks at me sleepily and cries as I take her in my arms. I’ve never held a baby before. She feels fragile. Her cries grow louder as I hold her close.

“I’m doing this wrong. She doesn't like me.” I try to give her back to Paige as the bundle squirms.

“She cries at everything right now. Let her get used to you. My arms need a break and yours are strong from all that swimming you do. Stand up and walk around. She likes that,” Paige instructs. I do as the Southern belle tells me, rising carefully and walking the length of the room while my older brother keeps staring like the brooding, protective father he is.

“I’m not going to drop her, Hater. You can stop eyeing me like that.” I use his childhood nickname that always riles him up, making him grimace.

I laugh and the tiny baby settles in my arms, her cries growing quieter as I pace. I catch sight of Cerberus, Hayes’s hulking black Cane Corso guard dog, watching me with shrewd whiskey-colored eyes from his bed in the corner. He’s not a typical dog that’ll love on you or happily take treats from guests. He’s only a snuggly pet for Paige. With the rest of us,he’s a menacing presence protecting his people, and apparently, I’m holding his newest charge and could be here to hurt them.

“Hey, tell your demon spawn I’m not a threat,” I say, glancing over my shoulder at Paige, who has more sway with the dog than Hayes does now.

“Cerberus, Uncle Payton is our friend. We love him, okay, big guy? I have yummy treats if you behave yourself,” she coos in a baby voice that instantly has the big dog’s stubby tail wagging. He lowers his head to his paws and lets out a chuff of air as he finally relaxes his bulky shoulders. That dog is too fucking smart and scary. I breathe a little easier now that he no longer appears to want to jump over the couch and take me down for holding Madelyn.

“You look so natural with a baby,” Harlowe says in a singsong voice. She’s curled in Zander’s lap, glancing over at Paige for confirmation.

Paige nods when I catch her eye, looking a little too dreamy herself.

“She’s right, Payton. Seeing you with my baby is making my heart burst with happiness. Hayes, you better get over here and hold me before I cry. My hormones are all over the place.” Paige dabs at her eyes.

“When will you start dating seriously so you can have a family of your own? Don’t you want this for yourself?” Harlowe asks, a gleam in her eye.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” I warn, ready to hand the baby back and get the hell out of this trap my sisters-in-law are setting for me. “You’re both hormonal and crazy if you think I need a wife and babies.”

“It’s like what Jane Austen wrote inPride and Prejudice,” Paige says. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a singleman in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

I scowl at them both. I don't want a wife. I don't want to date. I just like to fuck petite blonde women who call me Daddy on occasion.

“I know the sweetest woman you should meet,” Harlowe says with a calculating look as if this was her plan all along. “She’s hot as shit. She’s a friend from my old modeling days, so I think you’d like her. Consider it a favor to me since she’s new to Atlanta and needs a tour guide. You’re just the man to do it because I’m too busy.”

I look around the room. Paige is beaming up at me, fully on board with this idea, Hayes is smirking, and Zander is openly laughing as he listens to his wife bait her trap. Fuck no. I’m stuck here holding a baby, without an easy escape. What fresh hell is this? At least Hendricks is ignoring the conversation, rolling his Hot Wheels cars along the couch between Paige and Zander, oblivious to the snare being set.

“I respectfully pass. I'm sure she’s wonderful, but I don’t want to be set up with one of your friends. Or with anyone, for that matter.”

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