Page 2 of Derick

“I have a feeling this will change your life.”

Darting my gaze back to my therapist, I gave her a short nod, my stomach flipped, and I had a feeling she was right.

Derick

“Look,I know you’re Mr. Angry at the World right now, but I don’t want Andrew helping teach the self-defense class. Some of the women that we have in this class have come from bad backgrounds, and I don’t think they’d appreciate Andrew’s come-ons, or more like er, charms,” Mason said. “Richard doesn’t want to leave Bailey and Sebastian, Zeck is overseas on a job, and your brothers aren’t answering. I have two other instructors. The class runs better with four as this is a big class, but my usual other two spares are sick with a cold. Please, cous’. I’ll owe you one.”

His begging was good, and I shouldn’t be a dick and drag this out any longer. I’d only planned to study tonight. Mason’s wife Alexa was pregnant with twins. I knew Alexa was feeling terribly sick, so I supposed I could put off studying and help with the self-defense class.

“Sure. I was only going home to study.” I patted him on the back as he leaned on his table, staring at his laptop screen. “Go take Alexa home. She looked a little green when I saw her before I came in here to get changed.”

I took a step back, leaned down, and did my jogger laces and then got up, gathered my things, and put them back in Mason’s closet before turning back to him. He sat back now in his office chair, more relaxed. I’d been working with Micky, Mason’s boxing coach, and had finished only moments before and came up to shower and change, using Mason’s office—as it was quieter, and I didn’t have to worry about any unwanted attention—when he begged me to help him out.

“Thanks, cous’.” The relief was clear in his voice, and guilt assaulted me. I needed to stop being so annoyed with the world. I was lucky and had a very blessed life. There were people out there doing a lot worse. I was being an arse.

I was just over having to have all the bodyguards because of my family’s name and our wealth. I hated being targeted. I was sick of the people I loved being hurt and always feeling like I had to constantly be on guard. I was talking with a therapist, and she thought some of my resentment had to do with my brother and I being kidnapped when we were younger.

“The class starts in ten.”

Giving myself a mental shake, I returned my attention to my cousin.

“I can’t thank you enough, Derick.”

“No need to thank me. Anytime, Mason. I mean it.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m sorry if you thought you couldn’t ask. I’m being an arsehole, and you’re my family.” He stood from the chair, and I went and gave him a hug. “This will be good for me. I need to get out of my head and stop my wallowing.”

Mason clenched my back, but it became tighter. “I know how you feel. You’re not alone. I hate always having to be alert. I worry about Alexa and her being with me and something happening because of it.” He pulled back and both his hands held my face so I focused on him. “Don’t let fear make you bitter. We’re so damn lucky. We may have money, and the fame of our last name, but we were given a gift.” His hands fell. “Ask your brothers, parents, uncles, and Richard, we are blessed to know our soulmate. Trust me when I say that this gift is worth anything the world throws at us, Silverman. I know you’re upset at what happened to Dustan and that he never, and probably won’t, get his memory back, but you can’t deny the end result is good. He’s married, with babies on the way, and now calling Australia home again.”

Mason gave a chin lift and made a kissy noise. I glanced behind me to see Alexa leaning against the door, her pregnant belly sticking out. She looked a lot more pregnant than she was, but she was carrying twins. Multiples were common in our family. I was a twin, not identical, but my grandfather had an identical twin.

Smiling at Alexa, I went over and hugged her to me, chuckling when I heard the growl of possession from Mason. He carefully snatched his wife from my embrace. I raised my hands in surrender, still laughing. “I’ll leave you two while I go help set-up for the self-defense class.” Spinning, I leave the two lovebirds, who I had no doubt if I turned would be making out, and left the office, closing the door behind me as I made my way to class.

The class is in the biggest studio. I entered and saw a bunch of women already there. Darren, who was the head of Mason’s security and helped teach the self-defense classes, was setting up, with the help of two other instructors. I went over and helped put the mats out and set up the dummies.

“I see Mason convinced you to help out,” Darren grumbled. His voice was brisk, and he wasn’t one to talk much.

“Yeah, he said this was a busy class, and I’ve helped out before and was only going home to study.” I jerked my head to the gathering women. “You already have a large group.” I looked around and saw close to twenty or so women. “Are any more coming?”

“Oh yeah, a bus of women and a couple of kids should have pulled up and the women will come in at any moment.” As if Darren had spoken and the women had a radar, more started filtering in.

“How many in the class?” The gym was a busy one, but this was the most I’d seen in a class.

“It’s a free class. No membership required. So we always get well over thirty,” Darren said. “I know the women shelters andcounseling centers encourage their patients to come. The bus is from a counseling, halfway house.”

I tried not to show my reaction to that information. I hated the bikers who held the women. They were the reason for a lot of hurt and pain in my family. I knew Ryder was working with a son from the group, and I had no idea how Dustan had become close to the guy. The son was supposedly a part of an elite police team. It boggled my mind, but I knew the women that were coming today were the victims, so I couldn’t take any anger or resentment I had out on them.

“Can you handle this?” I hated that Darren asked that, but with my behavior lately, I understood why.

Giving a sharp nod, I turned and surveyed the room. There had to be well over thirty women here. We paired them, and once they were in twos, it wouldn’t be so daunting. I’d helped teach classes before, but never this many. “Yeah. Let’s get started.”

Darren moved to the front and started his usual introduction speech, but was interrupted by the cutest little baby…no, I stepped closer…toddler, I’d ever seen. She had jet-black little ringlets, and unable to stop myself, I weaved toward the door and saw her eyes were like dandelions. Gold followed by a slight yellow and then a green. Her lashes were super long, and she was a chubby, little thing as she clung to a beautiful angel.

“Nooo, Mummy,” the toddler squealed as a young woman who didn’t even look old enough to be a mother of a toddler leaned down and picked up the girl.

The woman who held the little girl was stunning. I held my breath for a moment until I could reach out and touch her to make sure she was real. She flinched at my touch of her hair that was an array of blues that settled to frame her face. Her eyes were the same as her daughter’s, with extremely long lashes set in an oval face with high cheekbones and pouty lips. My gazedrank her in. Her body was just as amazing as her face. She wasn’t short, but she wasn’t tall either, about five seven or eight. She was slim, with perky breasts that were just the right handful, and her stomach was flat but flared out at the hips. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. My heart started to race, and my body came alive.

“Don’t…t…tou…touch me,” she stammered out and backed up.

My heart jumped, for a moment I swore it would beat out of my chest. She backed away from me and her gaze widened as she took me in. Then I realized that this was my one. This was my woman. This was my soulmate.

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