Page 16 of Bren

“Well, that’s a first. Alec Owens with a baby. I guess she finally caught you then,” an irritating, nasally voice says from behind me.

I don’t have to have eyes in the back of my head to know it’s a woman from my past. I’d been through most of the single women in this village. Anger lights up inside me that one of them would call me out in public while I’m sitting with my family andfriends. I’d always been upfront with all the women I’d slept with. I’d never made promises, and they all knew that.

Turning in my chair to see who it is, I see it’s one of the mean girls who had been at school with us, Sally, Sandy, Sara—I can’t even remember her name. My gaze shifts to Bren, who is still at the counter, but whereas before her face had been open and happy, now it’s shuttered, her lips pressed into a tight line.

Standing up, I hand Lexi to Ben, who’d stood up with me. Walking over to Sally—I think it was Sally… fuck knows. Taking her by the elbow, I pull her towards the door. Pulling it open, I usher her out, telling her, “This is a private family function, and you’re not invited.”

She throws her head back and cackles with laughter but walks outside anyway. Ripping her arm from my hand, she’s still laughing, and it’s not in a good way when she spits out, “Family function, for fuck’s sake, Alec, family, do you even know what that is? You’re nothing but a man whore, always have been and always will be. Do you honestly think you can be a family man? You can’t go five minutes without getting your dick wet. Do you honestly think that little miss goody two shoes is going to do it for you? You like variety, and it’s not vanilla pussy.”

My shoulders tighten, especially when I hear the door open and someone come out. I know whoever it is has heard everything that she’s said. Ignoring whoever has walked out, I waste no time in informing the slag that she’s wrong about my feelings for Bren.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Sally. She’s exactly what I need. I fucked random pussy for years trying to forget how I felt about her, and it didn’t work, so that should tell you something. I haven’t been with anyone else but her since the night we made our little girl. Bren is all I need.

“I don’t have her, though, and after tonight I probably won’t, not when you’ve just rubbed in her face that I managed to fuck my way through this village trying to forget her. That’s nobody’s fault but my own, though, and it’s up to me to make it right. That being said, you need to leave.”

“Oh, I’m fucking leaving,” she assures me, “this is too good not to share around. Alec fuckin’ Owens tied down. And it’s Sharon, dickhead.”

With those words flung over her shoulder, she totters off down the road towards the pub. I know it’s going to be all around the village by the morning, and while I don’t care that everyone knows Lexi is mine, I’m not sure how Bren will feel about everyone knowing.

“Nobody since Bren, huh?” Sam says, clasping my shoulder and shaking me slightly. “Are you really done with fucking around, Alec, or are you just saying that?”

Closing my eyes when I realise it’s Sam that followed me out. Even with us being at odds, it’s good to know he’s still got my back.

Turning towards my best friend so that he can see my face and know how sincere I am, “She’s all I’ve thought about since Dallas, Sam. Even when I was blocking her from my memories, she was all I thought about. For fuck’s sake, I carry her fucking earring around in my pocket and use it like a fucking security blanket. She’s always been there, and yes, I knew how she felt about me all these years, but I’ve always thought that I’m not good enough for her, not with who my father is.

I hesitate before uttering the next words because I can’t imagine a world without Lexi in it.

“I never wanted children because his blood runs through my veins, that was until I met Lexi. And as Cash reminded me, I’mmore than the person who fathered me. I’m an Owens because while that piece of shit may have fathered me, Gunny is my dad and he’s a good man. Far better than I’ll ever be.

“Do I know that I have an uphill battle to show Bren that I mean what I say when I tell her that she and Lexi come first? Yes, I do. Having you angry with me isn’t helping matters either. But you need to know, even if you don’t speak to me again, I’ll still work to prove to her that she’s mine, she’s always been mine; I was just too stupid to see it.”

Sam grins at me and pulls me into a back-breaking hug, pounding on my back, making me wince because my ribs still hurt from the beating I’d taken from him and Reaper.

“I don’t envy you, brother. Bren is soft, but she’s also stubborn as hell. You’ve got your work cut out for you.”

Laughing, I agree, “Oh, I know. If it’s not about Lexi, she barely gives me the time of day. I’ll keep trying, though. I’ve known her since she was six years old, and she may not think I’ve paid attention, but I have. She’s worth fighting for. They both are.”

“Good,” Sam responds. “It’s good to have you home.”

“Fucker,” I push him away, “I’ve been home over a month. It’s not my fault you’re a stubborn arse. I was giving you until tomorrow, then I was going to make you listen whether you liked it or not.”

The tension melts away as we push and shove our way, laughing through the café door. In the end, I let Sam through first and follow behind him, my gaze automatically looking for Bren. It’s only when her eyes meet mine that I realise I’ve got my hand wrapped around her earring again. There’s none of the judgement I was expecting in her gaze, but there is something else that I can’t read in her eyes. And I wonder what it is.

I deviate from my path back to the table when an order is called. Picking up the tray, I see that it’s ours. Taking it back to the table, I unload the tray and take a seat. The rest of the table has gone back to eating and laughing, seemingly not all that bothered by the little bit of drama Sally… shit, Sharon caused. Realising that Bren is feeding Lexi, I cut up her toasted cheese to cool. Once it’s cool enough, I pierce a piece with a fork and hold it up to her lips.

Bren looks at me for a long moment before she slowly opens her mouth and takes the proffered food. I don’t say anything, just continue to feed her in between bites of my own food. Nobody pays any attention to us; it’s not like they’ve never seen it before. I can’t remember the number of times I’ve seen one of the brotherhood do this for their Old Ladies.

‘Old Lady, oh fuck,’I think as it hits me. That’s what she’s going to be, my Old Lady. Well, she will be as soon as I can get her to agree to be, that is.

In the end, even with the drama, it’s a good night. As a unit, we make our way back to the manor. I’ve missed this, riding with my brothers. I take note of how we naturally fall into formation and wonder if Sam realises that he automatically takes the lead, with Ben and me flanking him and the Temples bringing up the rear. They’d moved into one of the cottages at the manor when they’d patched in a few years ago.

We followed along behind Bren, Ellie, and Carly. Bella had been conspicuously absent tonight, but then I’d hardly seen her since I’d been back. Sam and she would have to figure their relationship out eventually, especially with all of us being so closely intertwined in each other’s lives.

It doesn’t take me long to back my bike in next to Sam and call goodnight to everyone so that I can take Lexi’s car seat fromBren. I follow Bren up the stairs, and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy the sway of her hips as she climbed them; there was no stopping my cock hardening, not with the memories I had of her riding me to completion. Those memories had kept me company most nights as I worked to get her to trust me again.

Bren stops outside Lexi’s door, “Do you want to put her to bed tonight?”

Surprised, I ask, “Doesn’t she need another feed first?”

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