Page 28 of Bren

Ellie nods her head in agreement as Beau ends his call, telling us, “Reaper is going to give Greg a call. He’ll update us once he has news. Are you girls about done for the day?”

Looking at the clock, I see it’s nearly four o’clock. Lexi has been with Alec most of the day, and I could do with feeding her again, so I nod, “Yeah, I’m ready to call it a day. Can you drop me at the garage so I can feed Lexi?”

Beau nods, then turns to Ellie, “What about you, Els?”

“Can you take me home?” she asks.

“I’m on my bike,” he tells her. Ellie’s face falls, “Oh, I can wait with Bren then.”

“If you have your jacket and helmet, I don’t mind giving you a lift home on my bike, Els,” he assures her.

Ellie’s face lights up. I’m not sure if it’s because she loves being on a bike or if it’s because Beau’s offered. This was not something I’d seen coming. Beau’s always been insular. He loves his brothers and he’s close to Bella, and when it comes to the MC, he’ll do what needs to be done, but otherwise, he’s a closed book. Ellie throws the blanket off her legs and stands. “I’ve got my jacket and helmet in the car,” she says, rushing past us. Beau grabs hold of her to stop her from rushing out, “Slow down, pack your stuff up and we’ll all leave together. We’ll drop Bren off on our way out.”

Ellie deflates slightly, saying sheepishly, “Oh, yeah. You’re right.”

Laughing, I take her hand and pull her towards our office to pack up our laptops and anything else we need.

“Beau, huh.” I tease, making her blush, but she’s smiling.

“Maybe,” she says softly, “I can’t read him, so I don’t know if he’s just being kind or if he’s interested. He’s nearly nine years older than me, maybe he sees me as an annoyance.”

Wrapping my arms around my little sister, I whisper in her ear, “I don’t think he does. I’m not saying your age isn’t holding him back, but be patient; he may surprise you.”

We pull apart when Beau knocks on the door, “Is everything okay?” he asks.

“Everything’s fine,” I assure him. “Hey, do you know when Bella will be back?”

Beau shakes his head, looking away for a minute before replying, “She didn’t say. But as it’s the first time she’s been on holiday in years, I’m glad she’s taking her time.”

Ellie and I exchange a look; yeah, Beau wasn’t being completely truthful about Bella being away, but the two of them had been friends and business partners for a long time, and they had their own loyalty to each other.

Picking up my bag, I follow Beau and Ellie out the door to my small Jeep. Ellie gets her helmet and jacket out as soon as I unlock it. I get in and wait for them to pull out. I follow along behind them to the garage and pull into a parking space, smiling when Alec comes out to greet me. I wave at Ellie and Beau as they pull back out onto the road and watch as Booker joins them as they ride out of the village and home.

“Hey, baby,” Alec says huskily, snaking an arm around my waist and pulling me tight against his body. Tilting my head back, I smile up at him, replying, “Hi,” just as his lips take mine. Standing on tiptoe, I wrap my arms around his neck and return his kiss. “Missed you today,” he mutters as he breaks away and rests his forehead against mine.

“You did?”

“Yeah,” he nods, hugging me tight. I relax into his muscular chest with another smile, loving that he’s not shy to show his affection to me anymore. “Do you want to go out for dinner tomorrow night?” he asks suddenly.

Tilting my head back so I can see his face, I reply, “I’d love to. I need to check if either Mum or Bev can have Lexi, though.”

“I’ve already checked. Your mum and Reaper will babysit for us.”

“Where are we going?” I want to know.

“I thought we’d go to the restaurant next to The Lounge and then onto the nightclub. Unless you want to do The Lounge.”

Shaking my head, I reply, “No, the nightclub is good. Maybe ask the others if they want to join us there, but dinner is only you and me?”

Alec smiles, “I can do that. Come on. Let’s get you inside to see our girl.”

His arms fall from around me, then he takes my hand and walks me towards the doors of the garage. I catch sight of our reflection in the large office windows, and I’m still a little shocked at seeing us both looking happy and being content in each other’s company.

Stepping into the office, I laugh at Lexi, who starts bouncing in Gunny’s arms as soon as she sees me. It always hits me when I haven’t seen her all day how much she’s grown since Alec first arrived home. In the last few months, she’s started interacting so much more with us.

Holding out my arms, I chirp, “Hello, my Lexi,” and, taking her from Gunny, I hold her to me, inhaling her beautiful baby scent. “Mummy missed you today, baby girl.”

“Here, sit,” Alec says, guiding me into a chair and putting a bottle of water next to me before handing me the blanket I used when I nursed Lexi here.

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