Page 68 of Savage Reign

I resisted the urge to squirm on my feet when Maverick walked up and pulled out a chair for me. “Little monster?”

I blinked, getting out of my stupor and walking over to the chair. I let him push it in for me before he took a seat close to my side. Silas and Killian surrounded us, Killian on my other side and Silas next to Maverick. The table wasn’t big, but it was more than enough for the four of us, yet the brothers sat close by, and Inoticed that none of them sat with their backs to the restaurant. I was sure that was on purpose.

They were all so… cautious. I wondered how I had missed this back in New Orleans when I didn’t know their true identities.

The man placed menus down in front of us. I took in all the names that I had never heard of before in my life, only recognizing a few because they had the words beef, chicken, or salmon. There was even a steak tartare, which I knew what it was, but that was all. I scrunched up my nose. I wasn’t going to try anything raw.

Someone placed a glass of water down in front of each of us before they quietly moved away. Even the glass looked fancy. A small, square-shaped glass with some sort of intricate design. I held it up, and the light reflected against it. It looked brand new, though I knew that probably wasn’t the case.

We barely settled in when a waitress came up to us. She was a little older than me, with sleek brown hair tied in a high ponytail that did a slightswish, swishmotion when she walked. Her frame was petite but tall, as her legs seemed to go on for miles. An insecure part of me reared its ugly head as I took in our waitress. She was beautiful and sophisticated. She looked like she should belong on Maverick's arm, especially if he needed to go to future functions as the head of the Tiernan family.

I looked down at the white tablecloth in front of me, running my fingers over the fabric gently, trying not to let my emotions show on my face. It took me a moment to realize the entire table had gotten really quiet. Too quiet.

I looked up, surprised, to see four sets of eyes aimed my way. Killian was frowning slightly, while Silas looked at me with concern, and Maverick… well, he didn’t look to be anything, but that intensity in his gaze was back, making me squirm in my seat.

I turned to the waitress. Her smile was kind and soft, and she looked at me with understanding—in the most professional way.

“Gila was asking what you’d like to eat,” Silas said softly.

Our waitress—Gila—nodded encouragingly. Her kindness only made me feel worse. I could feel my face getting red as I glanced down at the menu and picked the first thing I saw that I knew. She came close to me, and I pointed at the menu, not even daring to pronounce the second word that accompanied the wordsalmon.

If she was put off by it or judging me for it, she didn’t show. In fact, the smile never faltered when she said, “I’ll have it all out soon.”

And then she was gone.

I avoided the gaze of the brothers, not knowing what to say without feeling like I might just burst out in tears. Fuck the pregnancy hormones.

“Mila—” Silas started.

I stood up so fast I was lucky the chair didn’t tumble over. I internally cringed and looked around at the table. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

No one said anything for half a second, and then Maverick stood up. “I can show you.”

I shook my head. “I can find it.”

I turned around and walked away before any of them could say anything. Either Killian or Silas was trying to follow me because I could hear Maverick say softly, “Let her.”

I let out a small sigh of relief when I didn’t hear their footsteps behind me. At least there was this small reprieve. I was sure if any of them came up and asked me what was wrong, I’d lose it. Gila saw me walking and must have known what I wanted by the look on my face because she pointed to my left. I looked over and saw the sign for the bathroom. Shooting her a grateful smile, I headed there. The bathroom was empty when I got in,and I leaned my weight against the sink, taking in my reflection in the mirror.

I supposed the makeup had done its job because, on the surface, I looked like someone who could belong in their arms, but I didn’t always look like this, and what was more, I didn’t want to have to always look like this, just to be in the brothers’ arms.

I hated this feeling.

The feeling that I didn’t exactly belong in this world and that I didn’t belong with them, no matter how possessive they sounded over me. Them bringing me here, to a place they own, proved that, didn’t it?

I shook my head. I didn’t know anymore.

I closed my eyes and tried to control my breathing.

When I felt like I wasn’t going to completely lose it over the slightest trigger, I walked to one of the three stalls and went to the bathroom. I quickly did my business, washed my hands while avoiding my own gaze, and walked back out to the restaurant, taking in a deep breath of air. I slowly walked back to the table, wondering how I could possibly explain away my sudden mood. Moments later, it didn’t even matter because as soon as our table came into view, my men were still there, with the addition of two women standing nearby.

If I remembered correctly, they had been sitting at the table nearby, whispering among themselves when they saw us.

The only thing keeping me from breaking down completely was the fact that none of the brothers seemed receptive toward the women. In fact, they seemed annoyed, though Maverick was better at hiding his emotions, and while Silas looked irritated, Killian looked downright hostile. Which probably explained why the two women were primarily focused on Maverick and Silas.

One woman said something to Silas that had him frowning before anger quickly morphed on his face.

“No,” he said. He didn’t yell it, but still, his voice carried throughout the restaurant, causing the woman’s cheeks to turn bright red. He faced away from her before she could say anything else to it.

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