She was a sweetheart, but looked a shell of her former self as she stood next to Ryder.
“What’s the news?” she asked. “You said it was good news on the phone to Alec.”
“It is good news,” Kane began, a slow smile stretching across his face. “But it’s not something I can show or tell you.”
Ryder raised a brow. “Who can then?”
I chuckled as Damien rounded on Keela’s right and came up next to Kane, patting his shoulder.
“I’ll take it from here, bro.”
I smiled wide as realisation washed over Branna, Ryder, Keela and Alec. Branna let her phone and bag drop to the floor as she shot forward.
“Damien!” She cried and jumped into his open arms.
He laughed as he caught her in mid-air and locked his arms tightly around her. “Mama bear, I’ve missed you.”
Branna burst into tears as Damien’s brothers and Keela stared at him with wide eyes. Ryder stepped forward and, without hesitation, he grabbed hold of Damien. This resulted in a Slater brother sandwich with a Branna filling.
I momentarily wondered if that was the closest contact both Ryder and Branna had with one another since their problems started. I shook my head clear of that worry and looked to Alec and Keela. Keela was in tears as she hugged a close-to-crying Alec.
“You little bastard,” he sniffled. “I’m going to cry.”
Damien laughed and stretched his neck so he could see over Ryder and Branna. “Dominic cried, too, if it makes you feel better.”
“You asshole!” Nico angrily spat making Damien crack up laughing. “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Alec wiped under his eyes. “That does make me feel better, actually.”
“My bad, bro,” Damien chuckled to Nico.
Nico rolled his eyes, but smiled at his twin. He looked to Bronagh then who was staring at Damien with a cheek-splitting smile.
“Happy, are we?” he murmured and slipped his hand around her waist and tugged her closer to his side.
Her hands instantly went to her abdomen as her head bobbed up and down. She looked at Dominic as her eyes welled with tears. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. He’s home, and we’re goin’ to have a baby. A real baby, Dominic.”
Dominic leaned his head down to Bronagh’s and brushed his lips over hers. “The first of many, pretty girl.”
“Awwww.”
Everyone looked at me, and it caused me to blush. Kane chuckled at me and nudged me to scoot over on my bed so he could climb up and sit next to me.
“I love you,” I whispered to him.
He looked me dead in the eye and said, “I love you, too.”
“Hell must have frozen over for Kane to be in love,” Damien commented, making everyone snicker.
I grinned and nudged Kane’s cheek with my nose.
“You mean you didn’t see the pigs flying around outside?” I teased.
Damien laughed.
“Dimples!” I rasped. “Nico has dimples and you don’t… wait, no, you kind of do. Little ones. Damn it.”
Damien focused his devastating smile in my direction.
“Just stick with the hair, beautiful. It’s what everyone else does.”
I melted. “I’ll find something. Eventually. I’ll just have to stare at you a lot until I do.”
“Fine by me.”
“But not by me,” Kane growled.
“Please,” Nico laughed. “I catch her staring at me all the time. All those crotch stares were wannabe cock stares.”
Kane was off the bed and tackling Nico to the floor within seconds. Damien took Kane’s spot next to me on my bed and together we watched Nico and Kane go at it in the middle of my hospital room. He laced his hand behind his head and he grinned. “It’s so fucking good to be home.”
It was good. Our family was whole now, and growing.
With his brothers was where Damien belonged.
I leaned my head on his shoulder and smiled.
Who would have thought I’d be falling in brotherly love with another Slater brother?
Not me, that was for damn sure.
“Aideen?”
I shook my head and pulled my thoughts from Damien’s homecoming and popped my head out of the shower when I heard Kane’s voice.
“I’m in the shower. Is everythin’ okay?”
“Yeah, I just wanted to see how long you will be? I wanna shower too.”
I wasn’t even in the shower that long.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I’m trying to wash my legs, but it’s hard to bend.”
The bathroom door opened, and in stepped Kane in just his boxer shorts.
Fuck.
I let my eyes trail down his body, and bit down on my lower lip at the sight.
“You’re lucky you’re already pregnant,” he growled, watching my eyes admire him.
I flicked my gleaming eyes to him and grinned. “You joinin’ me?”
He nodded so I stepped back into the shower to make room for him. I turned to put my pouf down but jumped and let it fall from my fingertips when I felt Kane’s hard body press up against me. His strong hands flattened against my belly and turned me to face him as they slid around and down to my behind.
I stood up straight and gave Kane a knowing look. “Don’t play, you don’t want to get me worked up today. I’d eat you up.”
Kane smirked. “Is that a challenge?”
I closed my eyes when his head dipped, and his lips came into contact with my neck. I groaned in response and Kane gave my behind another squeeze before bringing his hand up to my waist.
“You’re so warm,” he murmured against my skin.
I smiled and opened my eyes. “Are you callin’ me hot?”
“Smoking hot.”
I giggled and looked down. “Can you get me the pouf, it fell.”
Kane bent, grabbed the luffa, kissed my belly then stood up and towered over me.
I gazed up at him. “I love that you’re taller than me.”
“It doesn’t hurt your neck looking up at me?” he questioned.
I wickedly grinned. “You usually get me on my back before I get a chance to feel any kind of strain.”
Kane laughed as he stuck his head under the spray of hot water, soaking his hair and face with the droplets. I squeezed some liquid body wash onto my pouf and continued my job of scrubbing myself. Kane took it from me when I was done; he bent down and rubbed it over my legs and behind, cleansing my skin.