didn’t realize I was holding and sag in my seat.
“You’ve already met Jenny,” Trouble starts. “This is Judge. Judge, meet Remi.”
His eyes come back, but thankfully, the dark look is gone. His expression is blank. I’ll take that look over the other one.
I’ve already deduced that this is Judge. Given just his looks, I can understand why Jenny, Jamie, Gillian, and Layla fawn over him and are willing to give up a future with marriage and babies. I could never do it, but hey, to each their own.
“Hi.”
He grunts and tips his chin at me. I’m relieved he doesn’t offer more.
Jenny cooing to Elijah pulls my attention away from the three men. She has him up close to her face, a look of love shining from her eyes. JW’s words of before come back to me. Maybe I’m being naive and should be worried, but something tells me I shouldn’t be.
“You’re fucked, man.”
JW’s muttered words are too low for Jenny to hear, but they’re close enough to me that I heard them. Out the corner of my eye, I see all three men are looking at Jenny holding Elijah.
“She knows it’ll never happen,” Judge replies, keeping his voice low too.
“She may know it, but she’ll never give that hope up.”
He doesn’t respond, just turns his back on Jenny.
My eyes are once again pulled to the doorway when another man enters. As soon as my eyes light on him, shivers race down my spine. Short black hair, slightly longer on the top, and dark eyes. His clothes match his hair and eyes; black jeans, shirt, and boots. He’s the smallest of the four men, but I get the sense his size is deceiving. When his eyes briefly graze over me, I force back the gasp stuck in my throat. Dead. His eyes look dead and soulless, like not an ounce of life resides in him.
“Good!” Mae chirps. “Everyone’s here. Dumplings are ready.”
Introductions are made between me and who I now know is Emo. Words get stuck in my throat, so all I can manage is a forced smile. He doesn’t offer a greeting either, just a barely-there nod.
“You okay?” Trouble rumbles quietly as he pulls my seat out for me.
“Yeah.”
Before he takes his own seat, he goes to Jenny to extract Elijah from her arms. She pouts but lets him go. I push my seat back to take him, but Trouble shakes his head.
“You eat first. I’ll give him to you afterward.”
I want to argue, but the look in his eyes says it would be fruitless. For a man who says nothing can happen between us, he sure is attentive and sweet. How does he expect me to not develop feelings for him when he’s being so caring?
I push the thought away to think about later and grab the basket of biscuits Emo is passing to me. I barely suppress a shocked gasp when I see his palm. It’s layered with jagged scars. My eyes dart to him, but he’s not looking at me. His eyes are focused on his plate. I swallow down the remorse at seeing the gruesomeness of his hand. Whatever happened to him had to have been extremely painful.
Dinner is delicious, and I devour everything on my plate. Talk is small as we all eat. Every so often, I peek at Trouble. Elijah’s wide awake and staring up at him. Trouble’s finger is in his tight clasp. When I look across the table, I find Judge’s gaze fixed on his brother. The expression on his face indicates he’s not pleased at what he sees. Feeling my eyes on him, his gaze flickers to mine. I try to pull my eyes away, but I’m stuck. Something about him makes me incredibly nervous.
“Remi, Trouble says you’ll be moving on soon,” Mae remarks, and I finally yank my eyes away. “Where are you going?”
Clearing my throat, I set my fork on my plate and wipe my mouth with my napkin. “Colorado. My brother’s stationed there. I’ll be staying with him for a while until I get on my feet.”
“Oh? What branch is he in?”
“Air Force. He’s at Buckley.”
“And what does he do?”
Elijah starts to whimper, and I push back my chair to take him from Trouble. “Aircraft maintenance. Specifically, sheet metal.”
I settle Elijah against my chest and his cherub little face starts rooting around.
“What made you decide to leave your home?”