Page 28 of Keegan's Promise

The guy standing beside him, a hunk in glasses with tattoos up and down his arms, just laughs quietly.

“About damn time you brought her out here,” the giant says, rubbing his hands together like a little kid as he peeks down at Lily. “Holy shit. She’s tiny.”

“No, she’s normal-sized, Giant,” Tate says dryly from the couch. “You’re just too goddamn big.”

“Haters gonna hate,” Giant—is that really his name?—retorts without even glancing at Tate. “It’s not my fault God made you fun-sized, you asshole.”

“Landry baby, this is Cormac Carmichael,” Keegan sighs, shaking his head. “For obvious reasons, everyone calls him Giant. And this is Finn and Jude.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Landry,” Jude says.

Finn lifts his hand in a quiet wave.

Giant glances up at me, flashing me his dimples. “Nice to meet you, sweetheart. Your little girl is precious.”

“Jesus Christ. You’re like an overgrown child,” Tate says, chuckling from the couch. “As soon as a new baby gets here, you’re first in line, trying to make sure you’re the favorite.”

“Uh, yeah. And that’s precisely why I’m always the goddamn favorite.” Giant flips him off. “You’re just mad that none of the kids like you because you stab them with needles.”

“Asshole,” Tate says, laughing.

“Will the two of you please shut the fuck up before you scare the hell out of Landry?” Cash mutters, meeting my gaze. “I’m sorry about them, sweetheart. Unfortunately for all of us, they’re always like this.”

“He’s not lying,” Jude says, grimacing.

“You’re just mad because you’re never the favorite,” Giant says.

“My wife and babies like me just fine,” Jude retorts.

“How sad for them,” Giant says, deadpan, before glancing at me again. “Can I hold her?”

“Hell no,” Keegan answers before I can, squeezing my waist in silent reassurance. “You aren’t holding my baby, Giant. I’m not going to have her following your big ass around learning all your tricks before she even learns to walk.”

Giant’s face falls, which has everyone else laughing at him.

I shift from foot to foot, feeling bad for him. He seems…nice. Kind of wild, but nice. “Maybe you can hold her later?” I offer.

He flashes me his dimples again. “I like you.”

“Um, thanks?”

He chuckles before peeking down at Lily again. “This is the little one we’re protecting?”

“Both of them,” Keegan says. “Until Dillon has those motherfuckers behind bars, I want them guarded every minute of the day.”

Giant jerks his chin in a nod, sobering. “They should move in here until Finn and I have your place wired up. We’ve already got this place fortified. Bulletproof windows. A safe room. State-of-the-art security system and cameras. They’ll be safe here.”

“That’s the plan,” Keegan murmurs.

I shoot a glance at him, surprised by the news. This is the first I’m hearing of it.

“It’s okay,” he promises, as if sensing my nerves. “I’ll be right here with you, and you won’t be under lock and key. You can go anywhere you want so long as one of us is with you.”

“I’ll be your bodyguard,” Giant says, far more serious now than he was when he was joking with his brothers a few minutes ago. “If anyone wants to get to you or that baby, they’ll have to go through me.” He flashes me a mercenary grin. “And believe me, not many are stupid enough to try that.”

“I…” I lick my lips, my mind spinning again. This feels real now, in a way it didn’t before. We’re really doing this…fighting back. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt trying to protect me,” I whisper. “You didn’t sign up for that.”

“That’s exactly what we signed up for,” Jude disagrees, his voice soft as he meets my gaze. “We don’t let pricks like the Sons of Loki lock up innocent women or kidnap babies. If we do, we’re no better than they are, and that’s not us.”

---