There with You (Adair Family 2)

“No. I don’t need to.” Thane took a menacing step toward his brother. “She’s my daughter.”

“And if she’s not?” Lachlan pushed.

“Lachlan, brother, unless you want my fist in your face rather than that punching bag, don’t say another word.”

Realizing Thane couldn’t even entertain the thought of another man being Eilidh’s birth father, Lachlan let it drop. He pushed the boxing bag toward him. “Let it go here. You can’t go back into the house the way you are now. You’re seething. And the kids need you calm.”

Taking Lachlan’s advice, Thane shrugged out of his jacket, whipped off his jumper and the shirt beneath it, and brought his fists up to his face. Instead of the boxing bag, he saw McClintock. He saw McClintock terrifying his children. Punching Regan. Regan shielding them while she took blows to her head and back. His rage flooded out of him, and he roared as he threw a punch powered by its intensity.

By the time the worst of it drained out of him, sweat soaked his hair and skin.

Head bowed, hands on his hips, Thane whispered, trying to choke back the tears, shaking with the force of it. “What if she isn’t mine?”

Arms came around him, and he found himself pulled into his big brother’s embrace. “We’ll deal with it … and you won’t lose her. We’re not losing her. I won’t let that happen. Whatever it takes, Thane, I mean it. Whatever favors I need to owe, whatever palms need greased, laws fucking broken—I will do it. Nobody is taking our wee girl from you.”

Thane tightened his hold, needing to believe more than he ever had that Lachlan Adair could do anything he set his mind to.

23

Regan

“Freaking wonderful,” I muttered as I looked into the mirror above my bathroom sink. The kids had been reluctant to let me out of their sight, but as we’d sat on the couch waiting for Thane and Lachlan to finish whatever they were doing, I’d felt cramps in my lower stomach.

With everything that had been going on, I’d lost track of the time, but sitting there, I realized what date it was.

Excusing myself to the annex bathroom where I kept my toiletries and stuff, I discovered my suspicions correct.

My period had arrived.

Perfect.

Nothing like holding a frozen bag of peas to your face and a heating pad to your belly as a visual representation of how shitty your day was going.

Walking back into the main house just as Thane and Lachlan did, Thane ran his eyes down my body and back up again, a deep scowl scoring his brows. “Where were you?”

“I needed something,” I said vaguely, not wanting to announce to the room about my period. Then noting both he and Lachlan had changed shirts and Thane’s hair was wet, I frowned, “Where were you?”

His attention moved to where Eilidh and Lewis were curled on the couch, watching a movie with Robyn. When he turned to me, he looked so shattered, I wished I could embrace him. “Expelling some of my anger.”

Fuck it.

I walked over and put my arms around him, pressing my cheek to his chest, and not giving one shit what his brother or my sister thought. To my relief, Thane closed his arms around me.

Tight.

He took a shuddering breath. “Thank you,” he whispered. “What you did today … I can’t ever repay you for that.”

Lifting my head, my heart in my throat and most likely in my eyes, too, I whispered back, “You never have to thank me for that.”

Thane’s gaze dropped to my mouth, and for the first time since the attack, I couldn’t feel the throbbing in my cheek. All I could feel was the promise of his lips on mine.

The doorbell rang, breaking the moment. We both blinked rapidly, guilt flooding me as I remembered where we were. Pushing away from each other, I caught Lachlan’s eyes over Thane’s shoulder and experienced more than a twinge of concern at the suspicion in his expression.

Before anyone could answer the door, it burst open and Arro’s voice carried toward us. “We brought food! Where are my babies?”

“Aunt Arro!” Eilidh and Lewis clambered off the sofa and dashed across the room to meet their aunt as she strode into the room with Mac at her back. She beamed and dropped to her knees to pull them in for a hug, but as soon as they couldn’t see her, her expression filled with anguish. She looked up at Thane as she hugged them, and her brother approached to squeeze her shoulder in reassurance.

“Food,” Mac said, his own countenance grim as he placed bags of takeout on the island. To my shock, my belly rumbled. I didn’t think I’d be able to eat so soon after what happened. Mac’s eyes caught mine and zeroed in on my cheek. “You all right?” He came to me, and before I could answer, he pulled me into his powerful, comforting embrace.