Page 15 of Coal
He looks over at his father and smirks before turning towards me. “Thank you for that. You’ve just made my job much easier. Now, if you could call your sniper off that’s got my men pinned, I’d appreciate it.”
“Not yet,” I tell him. “I’ll call him off as soon as your sister and I are on our way to the registry office. We’ll meet you and your other sister there. Make sure you bring your niece with.”
Aiden’s face pales when he turns to look at Kara, who shakes her head, “He’s not marrying me,” she assures him before continuing, “he’s marrying Thea; they only came to make sure that Maeve and I were okay, and if they found us mistreated, they were going to take us away.”
Aiden turns to look at me, asking, “Is this true?”
“Which part?” I ask. “The part about me marrying Thea, or about making sure the girls were safe?”
“Both,” he replies.
“Both are true, and for the one, we don’t have a lot of time. Thea and I need to get to the registry office if we want to get married today. Your dad left the bride’s name blank for us to fill in. Seems he has some clout in your local government.”
Aiden smirks, “He did, but not anymore. All his little dealings are being brought to light as we speak, and it’s going to look like he’s done a runner. I do need my guys, though, to secure him if you want us to be at the ceremony. But first, I need to speak to Thea, so if you could lether go, that would be grand. And the only reason I’m even discussing this is that I’ve looked into your MC and I like what I’ve found. I think we’ll eventually be working on common ground, but not until I clean up the years of shite, he’s mired us in. If I could speak to my sister, please.”
Looking down at Thea, I ask, “You okay speaking with your brother, babe?”
Thea frowns and rolls her eyes at me. “Of course I am. He’s a good man, my brother.”
“Okay,” I agree, removing my finger from the loop and letting her go, which she does, rushing into her brother’s open arms. Seeing them together, you can see they are related more so than the other two girls. He’s whispering something to her, and she’s nodding when he gives her one more squeeze and lets her go. I’m happy that she immediately returns to my side.
Kara has been watching from next to Nickel, but so far has said nothing.
Aiden looks down at the floor, then back up at me. “Do you promise that my sister and my niece will be safe with you?”
That is one thing I can promise with no worries at all. “I promise they’ll be safe, and your niece will be spoilt rotten by my mom and sister.”
Aiden stares at me for a long time before he seems to come to a decision, and thank fuck, he does, because I’m worried that we’re going to miss our appointment.
“Okay, let my men in to secure him, and I’ll follow to the registry with my sisters and my niece. But I’m warning you now, a single hair is hurt on either of their heads and I’m coming for you.”
“And I’d let you,” I assure him. I have no intention of Thea or her daughter being hurt on my watch.
Looking over at Copper, I order, “Let Blue know he can let them go and follow us outside.”
Holding out my hand to Thea, I usher her out of the house to our sleds, wondering where she’s going when she opens the driver’s door to an old, rusted Ford that’s parked at an angle in the driveway, door still open.
“Babe, what are you doing?” I ask her just as she was about to get in the vehicle.
She frowned a little at me. “Following you; if we’re going to get my daughter after this, I’ll need a car.”
I shake my head at her. “Grab whatever you need. You’re not driving our daughter in thatdeath trap. We’ll hire you a vehicle to get you home.”
Imagine my surprise when the strong woman who had stood up to me and had taken shit from her father without falling crumpled in front of me, tears welling in her eyes until they overflowed down her cheek.
Sharing a look with my brothers, wondering what the hell I’d said that had brought about such a reaction.
Walking towards her, I pull her away from the door and wrap my arms around her, burying my hand in the thick waves of bright red hair that crown her head. She sobs as if her heart is breaking against my cut. I have a mother and a sister, so I knew that this crying jag had long been coming. My brothers have moved away to give us some privacy, but they are watching. When her crying stops, she sighs and relaxes against me. Only when I’m sure she’s finished do I ask, “Want to tell me what that was all about?”
She shakes her head against my chest. “Not really, but I will. You saidourdaughter, and then you said you’d hire us a better car. Nobody has ever looked out for us like that,” Thea whispers.
Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, I gently lifther head from my chest and cup her cheeks in my palms, wiping away the tears from under her eyes.
“Thea, you need to understand something about our MC and my family. We sometimes do bad things—not always, but sometimes—but when you are family, there is nothing—and I mean nothing—we won’t do to keep you safe. By agreeing to be my wife, you’ll get full protection, as will your daughter. And as we’ll be married, that makes her my daughter, so she’ll be looked after just the same as you, my mother, and my sister are. All I ask from you is loyalty and fidelity. Understand?”
Nodding her head in agreement, she replies, “Yeah, I understand. And you? Will you be faithful?”
Smiling at her, I assure her, “You’ll understand when you meet my family, but we take our vows seriously in my family. As long as we’re together, that’s not something you ever have to worry about.”
