Page 78 of Never Dance with the Devils
“You did,” Kayla argues. “You pride yourself on opening the minds of the young men in your group. Maybe you should open your own a bit? I have found something special—acceptance, support, partners who push and challenge me while loving me exactly as I am. I feel safe with them, not only physically, but emotionally, and that is rare and shouldn’t be dismissed because it doesn’t come in the normative-convenient, preconceived image you have of what love looks like.”
It’s more elegant than any way I would have put it, but I don’t care. My heart is growing in my chest… no, it’s repairing. All those little scars and bits of damage that have been there since Eliza made me feel like I wasn’t enough are disappearing as Kayla speaks about us. She’s trying to convince her brother, but she’s convincing me too. Not that we’re in love, I already knew that, but that we are enough. Together, we’re exactly enough for each other.
The muscle in Chance’s jaw appears and disappears as he clenches it, angry words still desperately wanting to spill off his tongue. But as he formulates his next argument, Kayla goes in for the kill.
“Love isn’t perfect. You can’t plan it out like a to-do list or put it in a perfectly designed box. Believe me, I tried. Not only did it not work, but it failed spectacularly. But this…” She glances from Maddox to me. “It just happens, like magic. And your inability to appreciate that doesn’t mean I should change my course of action when I do appreciate it. Greatly.”
“Did she just call Chance stupid using multi-syllable words?” Kyle whispers, looking around at his family like he’s not sure, despite being completely certain that is exactly what Kayla did. He just wanted to point that out. I’m liking him more and more.
Kayla places one hand on my thigh and her other on Maddox’s. “You’ve said your piece and I’ve said mine. Get on board or get out of my way.”
Kayla sits proudly between us, the queen of our hearts and the powerhouse in a room filled with swinging dicks. She’s the woman you go to war with, not against, and seeing her strength up close and personal is like witnessing a miracle firsthand.
Fuck, I love her. And I am so damn proud of her.
Most of all, I feel really fortunate to be the man at her side, loving her in front of the people she’s gutted herself for, time and time again. She said that to them, she’s a resource. Well, it’s time for that to come to an end. It’s her turn to be taken care of, worshiped, and loved. To us, she’s everything, and I’ll see to it that she’s never taken for granted again by anyone. Especially her brothers.
Chance seems shocked at Kayla’s declaration. They’ve always been close, like best friends within the siblings, and I know this rift between them hurts her. But it’s up to him to accept us or not. We’re not going to change who we are for him, and Kayla wouldn’t change for anyone or anything. She shouldn’t have to.
Cole puts his hands over baby Emmett’s ears and hisses at Chance, “She doesn’t give a one fuck, two fuck,red fuck, blue fuck what you think about this, so let it go. You’re the bad guy here, on an island by your damn self. That should tell you something, considering the company.” He releases the baby’s ears, running a finger over each one like he’s checking that the gentle covering might’ve hurt the baby. Janey grins at him like he’s the cutest, sweetest thing she’s ever seen. Cole, I mean, not the baby, who is also cute and probably sweet.
Samantha is having a conversation with her husband that consists of eye twitches and twists of her lips while he looks completely confused about how he became the villain in our story.
“I just don’t understand,” he argues weakly.
Kayla huffs out in annoyance, but Samantha is the one who answers him. “It’s not for you to understand. It may look different from the norm—whateverthatis—or what you’ve been taught to expect, but that doesn’t mean it’s not what Kayla wants. Andwhenyou are truly ready to understand and not judge, then it’s their choice on whether they want to educate you or not.” She pauses to let that sink in, then hits him even harder. “Do you understand Cole?”
Chance glances at his brother and shakes his head. Instead of being offended, Cole gives him an evil smirk, and I finally see the monster Kayla talks about as he somehow moves even closer to Janey, who is already nearly plastered against his side.
“Or any of your brothers, for that matter? Do you think they understand us?” Chance looks at Samantha meaningfully, and I wonder what happens behind their closed doors. What secrets is Mr. Boy Scout hiding? “Our relationship is personal and unique, the same as each of theirs.”
“Sounds complicated.”
Samantha is obviously losing patience and her voice takes on a teacher-like tone as she explains, “It’s like when we use a toy—two penises, multiple holes, all pleasurable when utilized safely and correctly.” Samantha glances at Kayla apologetically. “Not that I’m assuming your activities one way or another.”
“Samantha!” Chance hisses.
Why the hell is he so damn distressed at his sex life being the topic of conversation when ours is all he wants to talk about?
“What?” she answers, nonplussed by his dramatics. “You’re the only one making this about sex. Look at them. Look at Kayla. Do you see how happy she is? How could that be wrong?”
His fight is fading, and when he looks at Kayla again, she doesn’t flinch, staring right back at the brother she’s been through so much with.
“This is what I want. I’m lucky they went through the trouble to find me again.”
Maddox and I have been silently watching their family battle play out, supporting but not interfering, but at that, we both chuckle. “It was no trouble,” Maddox argues. “Trouble would’ve been living with this guy, all mopey and heartbroken for a love story that ended before it could even start.” He points at me. “He was a mess without you, nearly killed us both benching too much weight.”
Not appreciating the callout, I shrug. “I knew we were meant to be more.” When Kayla looks at me doubtfully, I admit, “Okay, I hoped.”
She turns back to Chance but squeezes our thighs as she says, “Riggs and Maddox are important to me. To the point that I can’t imagine my life without them. Icertainly won’t live without them to satisfy someone else’s expectations of me. I’m done doing that.”
Kyle leans toward me and quietly asks, “How much were you lifting?”
“405.”
He whistles low and long, nodding in approval. When he holds out a fist, I bump it immediately. He’s okay. Hell, we might actually end up as friends through all this. I’m still not sure that’ll ever be the case with Chance. Kayla may forgive him, but I’m not the forgiving type and to me, he will always be the one who tried to fuck this up for us, not for any good reason but because of his own selfish rigidity.
Charles, who has been leaning back in his chair shrewdly watching things play out, now sits forward. “Son,” he says, getting Chance’s attention. “You can no more control the tide than a woman, especially your sister.” He gives her a pride-filled look. “Whether Kayla dates Riggs and Maddox or not isn’t your decision. The only choice you have to make is, will you support her? As you decide on your answer, I hope you recognize that ‘family first’ is more than a clichéd phrase we throw around.” He takes Miranda’s hand again, the two of them a force to be reckoned with. “I hope we’ve instilled in each of you what that actually means.”
