Chapter 31

Everlee

The second I see Joe standing in the doorway pointing a gun at Wild Man, a deadly look in his eyes and his finger a mere centimeter away from the trigger, I know he intends to kill him. Joe, just like the rest of my brothers and our dad, is an excellent marksman. Even if his target wasn't directly in front of him only a few feet away, he wouldn't miss. Joe can hit a bullseye a hundred yards away. The only reason he hasn't fired yet is because I'm behind Wild Man and he wouldn't take the chance the bullet would slam through Wild Man and hit me.

A ball of fire erupts in my stomach at knowing Wild Man is so close to death.

We're both on our knees facing the door and we're both naked. It should feel weird—for me at least—with my brother in the room, but it oddly doesn't. Or rather, it does, but my concentration isn't on finding clothes. My only thought process is to get Joe to lower the gun.

I grab Wild Man's arm and inch my way closer to him. The closer I am to Wild Man, the less of a chance Joe will pull the trigger.

"Put the gun down, Joe," I say, surprised at how calm and collected my voice is when my entire body is shaking like a leaf.

He doesn't acknowledge my request, just keeps his hate-filled glare on Wild Man. "Get away from my sister."

"No."

Rika walks up behind Joe, stopping just inside the doorway. Her hand flies to her mouth and her eyes go as big as saucers. "Oh, Jesus," she mutters.

"Get the fuck away from her," Joe growls. "Or one of my bullets is going through your skull."

"Do it," Wild Man snarls. "Momor is mine. Kill me. Dead is only way I leave her."

I watch the muscle in Joe's jaw clench as he gnashes his teeth together.

"Please, Joe." My voice cracks on his name.

Nothing in his body changes except for his eyes as they meet mine behind Wild Man. "Off the bed, Ever, and come to me."

"No." My nails dig into Wild Man's arm. "If I leave this bed, you'll shoot him."

"Damn right I will. The bastard deserves to die for what he's done to you."

At his rancorous tone, anger mixes with the fear swirling in my stomach. I shuffle my knees forward with every intention of getting in front of Wild Man. Of course, Wild Man doesn't allow it. He blocks my way by throwing out his arm.

He keeps his eyes locked on Joe as he says, "No, momor. Stay behind. I protect."

I press my body against his. "You don't need to protect me from him. He won't hurt me."

"Behind me."

Lord fucking help me from over-protective men.

Moving fast before he can stop me, I duck under his arm and force my way in front of him. I push my back against him, which knocks him slightly off balance. His arm goes around my waist, and I know he's getting ready to toss me behind him again.

"Stop!" I scream so loudly that I wouldn't be surprised if the windows rattled. I feel the heat of Wild Man's glower on the back of my head, but shockingly, he doesn't try to shield me again. He just wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me back against him so tightly, a whoosh of air leaves my lungs.

Joe's moved his arm to the side so the gun isn't pointed at me. With his closed mouth and the slightly uncomfortable expression on his face, it reminds me that I'm butt naked. I grab the robe at the end of my bed and hold it up in front of me.

"You can't kill him, Joe," I tell him.

"The hell I can't. He needs to pay for what he put you through. If I don't do it, one of the others will and you know that."

"And do you know what happens if you or they do?" I ask.

"What?" he grates out.

I put my hand on my lower stomach, just under Wild Man's arm. "You kill the father of my unborn child."

* * *

I'm dressedin a pair of black leggings and an oversized t-shirt. My long mass of hair is tossed up haphazardly on top of my head. Wild Man wears a pair of jeans and a dark-blue t-shirt. It's weird seeing him in clothes, but not in a bad way. I'm obsessed with his naked body, but he looks just as sexy in ratty jeans that hug his lean hips and sculpted ass.

I didn't want him to find out about the baby the way he did, but I knew, if anything would get through to Joe, it would be the knowledge that I'm carrying Wild Man's child. And I was right. As soon as the words left my mouth, Joe's jaw went slack and the hand holding the gun fell to his side, like the deadly metal became too heavy for him to carry.

Moments after that, Spencer, who must have been the one stationed outside to keep watch and heard the ruckus, came rushing into the house. Joe shoved him away when he tried to come into my room and gently pushed Rika out behind him. Before the door was slammed shut, he shot me a glare over his shoulder. "Get dressed."

When Wild Man and I were once again alone, I wanted to talk to him, but I couldn't find the words I wanted to say. My head was all over the place, but mainly focused on the fact that he was actually here. I still couldn't wrap my head around it. I watched him as we dressed, while his gaze stayed pinned on my stomach. The look in his eyes was possessive. I wanted to go to him and fall into his arms, then never let him go. Now that he's here, the ramifications of what could have been his fate hit me hard. I almost lost him for good.

The proof of that is on his face. One of his eyes is still bruised, the color a nasty yellow mixed with spots of black. There's a cut on his eyebrow and another on his forehead that looks almost healed. The bruises on his chest and ribs had the muscles around my heart tightening. I wanted to sucker punch Dad and my brothers for leaving a single mark on him. It hurts too much to imagine the condition he was in eleven days ago.

I was leading him into the living room which was once again filled with testosterone when Wild Man saw all the men. His arm snapped around my middle, stopping me just inside the room, and I was dragged against his side with his big protective hand on my stomach. He shot each one a glare. I could only imagine the ways he was killing them inside his head. The looks Dad and my brothers gave him were no less hostile.

I peeled his arm from around me and took him to the couch. He sat on one end and when I tried sitting beside him, he took my hips and pulled me down on his lap sideways. His legs fall apart, and I position mine between them. I don't think the intimate position was a good idea in front of so many pissed off faces, but I stayed in place anyway. I wanted to be in Wild Man's arms, and from the way he held me with his hand over my stomach, as if protecting the small life growing inside me, he needed me there as well.

"Jesus, Ever," Dad mutters, pacing a hole in my carpet as he drags his hand through his hair. "You're fucking pregnant?" He stops and his eyes swing to mine, then flicker to Wild Man, before he resumes his walk to the window only to turn around again.

He's no more surprised than I was when I took the pregnancy test I had Rika get for me a week ago. I thought for sure having my period meant I wasn't pregnant, but I guess I'm one of those people who bleeds during a pregnancy. Or maybe it was the stress of the situation that brought on the spotting. Rika got a multi-pack, and I took all three. Each one came back positive, the double pink lines showing almost immediately. I decided to take the tests on a whim. It was just a feeling I had.

Until thirty minutes ago, Rika didn't know I took the tests. Of course, since she's the one who bought them for me, she asked me every day if I took them, but I always told her no. I wasn't ready for anyone to know yet. I wanted to find Wild Man first. He was the first person who should know he was going to be a father.

So much for that plan.

I look at Dad, watching the agitation in his body. "Yes."

"How long have you known?" he asks without looking at me.

"Does it really matter?"

His narrowed gaze meets mine. "How long, Ever."

"Since the third day I was back."

A twinge of guilt hits me. Not for keeping this from Dad, but from the hurt look on Rika's face. I'll explain later why I hadn't told her. I know she'll understand.

"Fuck," Dad mutters. "I assume you'll want to keep the baby?"

My fingers dig into Wild Man's arm at Dad's hurtful question. "Don't make me hate you," I tell him. "Because I'm really damn close."

Remorse flickers in his gaze before he moves them to Wild Man. "What about you? How do you feel about being a father?"

"I'll be good Peepa," he answers in his deep voice. "Always protect momor and our baby."

"Peepa? What the fuck is that?" Ethan asks.

"It means papa," I answer.

"And momor?"

I look at Spencer. "I don't know what it means, but it's what he calls me."

Dad ignores all that and asks. "And how will you provide for them?"

I talk before Wild Man has a chance to. "That's not something we need to worry about right now. We'll figure it out later. I have plenty of money saved, and I'll still be working at the paper. I can provide for us for the time being."

"I'll be damned if I'll allow some man to leech off you, Everlee. I'd sooner toss his ass back out into the woods, this time making sure he doesn't leave, before I let that happen."

My blood pressure rises, making my cheeks heat with anger. I've had enough of people thinking they can push me around and make decisions for me. That shit stops now.

I push against Wild Man, intending to get up, right in Dad's face, and make it very clear that he needs to back the fuck off, or I won't be held accountable for my actions. Wild Man holds me in place.

"Momor is mine. Our baby is mine. I protect them both. I feed and shelter them. I make them happy. I make them laugh. I give them everything they need." He pauses a moment, in which Dad looks at him blankly. "Momor is strong female. She'll be strong noeny. Because you good peepa to her."

I'm surprised to hear the reluctant gratitude in Wild Man's tone, like he respects Dad for a job well done in raising me.

His eyes move to each of my brothers. "Wanted to kill you for taking my momor away." Four sets of eyes narrow and their bodies go rigid. "No more. You take to protect. Good brothers."

Tears prick my eyes.

Wild Man looks back at Dad, his fingers splaying wide over my stomach. "I protect momor now. I die to protect her and baby, like you would. Always." That last word is emphasized with a growl.

"Shit," Dad mutters. "Fucking shit."

I just manage to keep the smile from my face. If there's one thing Dad understands, it's the incessant need to protect family at all costs. He must have seen something on Wild Man's face that made him finally believe the severity of Wild Man's feelings for me. I know without a doubt in my soul that what he spoke is the truth. He would do anything to ensure my and our child's safety.

In a way, that thought is scary. The intensity of a love like that could be dangerous. I would never want Wild Man to step in front of me and take whatever damage is headed my way. But then again, I'm sure he feels the same way.

Dad walks up to us, his expression giving nothing away. He stands there, his eyes drilling into Wild Man, completely ignoring my presence. He stays that way for several long seconds, seconds that feel like minutes.

Then he slowly lifts his hand, palm sideways. I have no idea if Wild Man knows what a handshake is, but I guess he deduces what Dad is after. The hand not splayed on my stomach lifts and meets Dad's. I internally wince at their white knuckles, knowing they are both gripping the hell out of the other hand.

"You hurt her in any way, and I'll make what me and my boys did to you feel like a pat on the back. You got me?"

"Got you."

Dad drops his arm and takes a step back. He looks around the room at my brothers. "We're leaving."

All of them, except for Mad, seem to accept Dad's decision and start moving toward the door. Mad still has his hard gaze pinned on Wild Man. He looks two seconds away from springing forward and tackling him. He's the one who's the most like Dad, so his protective instinct is strong.

"Maddox, let's go," Dad barks.

It takes a moment, but he eventually spins around and stalks out the door, taking his still pissed off vibes with him.

When Rika gets up from the chair she's been occupying, I slide off Wild Man's lap. She still looks hurt from me not telling her about the pregnancy tests. I walk to her and take her straight into my arms.

"I'm sorry," I say in her ear. "I hated not telling you. I'll explain later, okay?"

She nods and pulls back. Some of her hurt fades as she looks at Wild Man over my shoulder. When she brings her gaze back, there's a hint of mischievousness.

"He's yummy."

I can't help but laugh. She's definitely not wrong.

"I'll call you later."

"You better." Her chin drops and she looks down at my stomach. "I can't believe you're pregnant. I'm going to be an aunt."

I smile and pat my belly. "I can't believe it either. You'll be a kickass aunt."

"Damn right I will."

I close the door after Rika leaves and turn to face Wild Man. He's standing only a few feet away from me, and boy does he look intense. His gaze rakes down my body, then back up. By the time he reaches my eyes, I'm pretty sure I've soaked through my panties, and from the thick bulge behind the zipper of his jeans, he's not faring much better.

"We need to talk," I tell him, trying my best to ignore the way my body wants to melt for him. There are things he needs to know.

"Fuck first. Talk later."

Eh, those things can wait.