Page 28 of Brazen Being It

“I bet he didn’t get feminine products either.”

That’s when I blush. “Yeah, that’s the thing. I started my period, and well this whole thing with him is so new, I don’t know that I’m ready to have him tote me to the grocery store to get tampons or me try to send him to pick out pads.”

She laughs, “well, good thing for you, he’s actually practiced in it.”

My mouth drops open in surprise.

“Oh yeah, my mother raised her boys to understand. With us being twins, she made Drew go buy stuff for me every cycle once he could drive. Before that it was on our older brother Axel to take care of. And our younger sisters too. Drew always gets chocolate on day one. Carbs on day three. Alex and Te, they weren’t good with the snacks. Drew is the best. And because there is me, Abby, and Cadie, he would literally buy a box of every size pad and tampon available once all three of us were menstrating because we would sync up.”

Wow.

My mother never even talked to me about my period. I learned about it in the girls bathroom in middle school.

“You didn’t call him,” I state the obvious.

“Cambria, my brother is my brother. I’m going to love him to the ends of the Earth. I won’t ever betray him. But you are new to all this. I’m not gonna make waves for you or him. That’s not my role. As his sister, I want him to be happy and you have given life to my brother in a way I’ve never seen before, even in a matter of days. I wanna see where this goes for both of you.”

I nod taking in her words and giving a smile.

“Now, let’s get some girl products, some snacks, and a heating pad.” Then she leads the way to her car and off the store.

A week passes before I realize how much I’ve changed.

Not on the outside—I still wear Little Foot’s clothes more than my own, still pull my sleeves down over my wrists out of habit—but inside? I’m not the girl I was at that motel. I wake up earlier now. Make coffee before he’s even dressed. I help clean up around the clubhouse, learning which shelves the patches like their whiskey on and which knives never get loaned out. I learn to listen more than I speak, and when I do speak, I watch every word.

There are rules here. Unspoken ones.

But I’m learning. Tessie, she’s Drew’s mom helps explain things. She doesn’t say much, but when she does, it matters. She teaches me how to read the room and know when it’s a brother’s only moment so I can exit swiftly without embarrassing Little Foot. She’s also taught me Drew is mine, but Little Foot belongs to the Hellions. To survive as an ol’ lady I need to understand this.

Her words change something inside me. The softness fades.

It has to.

And then one night, everything changes.

We’re at the clubhouse late. A birthday party for one of the brothers—Hawk, I think. The music’s louder than usual. Shots are flowing. Girls are dancing. A fight breaks out near the pool table, but it dies fast, fists cooled by respect and too much beer.

I’m in the corner when Axel approaches. Little Foot’s older brother.

The one who voted no. Yes, Drew has shared his past with me. How much earning his place means and why. An anger builds inside me to the man I don’t even know. The one who almost kept him from ever getting patched.

He’s taller than I expected. Broader. And there’s something in his eyes that makes my skin prickle.

“You’re the wife,” he says.

I nod, trying not to let my voice shake. “Cambria.”

He looks me up and down. “You know this ain’t a game, right?”

“I’m not playing a game.”

“You better not be. Because if you break his focus? If you drag him back down?”

His eyes lock with mine, cold and hard. “I’ll end it.”

I don’t flinch. I take a step forward. “You can try.”

His expression doesn’t change, but I see it in his eyes. A flicker of respect, maybe even appreciation.

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