Page 14 of Brandishing Betrayals

I braced myself for his stony silence and gruff attitude. “Here,” I murmured, and set the bottles on the table out of his way, but still close enough for him to reach.

He grunted, but didn’t turn to me.

I ran my eyes over his torso before I turned back for the backdoor. “Thank you for the yard,” I said.

God, that was awkward,I thought as I walked back in the house. I wasn’t going to stay around and wait for his judgment. I knew I would get that tenfold from him at dinner, unless I got lucky and he outright ignored me, like had been doing the last six months.

Back inside, I berated myself for even going outside. It had been a dumb idea, and I was only opening myself up for heartache. I needed to stay away from them. The damn yellow carnation left on my windshield the day before was all the proof I needed that HE still remembered and was still watching.

My heart sank. HE was still watching, and my boys had been here for hours, being domestic and fixing my tractor and mowing the lawn. If HEwaswatching, I could only imagine what he was thinking.

Fuck, I’d been stupid. I should have told them to fuck off and schedule plans with Luke later.

There was nothing I could about it now. I went into the kitchen and started prepping a salad for dinner to keep myself busy. I forced myself not to look out the back window, until the front door flew open and Luke came running in the house, right ontime at five p.m. on the dot. “Woah! Where’s the fire buddy?” I asked, looking up from the book I’d finally been able to read.

“Dad’s staying for dinner?” he asked, looking around.

“Yeah, he’s out back with Jason,” I said, feeling a tinge of pain in twist as Luke referred to Marcos as Dad. He’d only recently started doing it, finally feeling comfortable with their relationship.

“Yes!” Lucas cheered and headed straight for the back door.

I looked around the window, to see both Marcos and Jason were standing around the picnic table when the door flew open. “Dad!” Luke shouted and went running toward his father.

Marcos was shirtless and sweaty and caught Luke with ease, holding him tighter when Luke realized he was sweaty and tried squirming to get away. Marcos laughed as he tickled Luke while holding him tight against him. The smile that lit up Marcos handsome face was breathtaking. He really was aging like fine wine with his chiseled jaw and cheekbones, his dark eyes and goatee. He embodied tall, dark, and handsome.

I turned away from him and Lucas when I couldn’t take it anymore. It was then, that I noticed Jason was staring at me, watching me as I watched Marcos and Luke. He had his arms crossed over his bare chest and he stared me down in that silent, dominate way of his. It was the same stare that used to have me lowering my eyes and sliding to my knees.

I dropped my eyes, but I fought the urge to drop to my knees. He wasn’t my Dom. I wasn’t his Sub. We had too much baggage and history between us to ever go back to that dynamic anyways. Those dynamics were built on trust. Trust and communication. Neither of which I was accountable for at the moment.

I sighed and turned away from the window. I headed back to the living room and picked up my book, just as my mother came out of her bedroom and entered the kitchen. She would start the noodles and finish up dinner. I had a few minutes to get myselfready for the epic shitshow that was about to be family dinner. I only hoped I came out the other side in one piece.

Jason

IwatchedMayaretreatfromthe picture window, her eyes down. I could see the emotions warring over her face as she watched Marcos with their son. She was both happy and sad as she looked at the boy with his father. Tears pooled in her eyes, as a sad smile tugged at her lips.

For the first time since she had returned, she was showing emotions other than annoyance or anger. For the first time since she left us ten years ago, I could see the regret in her caramel-colored eyes.

Was Dagger right? Was there more to the story of her leaving? Was it possible she was hiding something from us? Was it possible that sheliedto us about leaving?

I didn’t know what to believe. Up until this moment, I had believed her at her word when she told me that she knew she was pregnant and wanted to leave us. Life back then had been a mess. We had been at war with Las Serpientes, Marcos and I had been shot, and Nico had done time in County.

Then there had been the brawl that Maya had gotten into with Tish. But knowing that Tish had been Hillcrest’s girlfriend, that Hillcrest had her infiltrate our clubhouse and had come onto Marcos that night, it made sense as to why Maya had delivered an epic beat down. Maya had never been shy about fighting. Not back then.

She was an angry and possessive thing back then. I used to call her Hellcat. I hadn’t even seen a spark of that old Maya since she’d returned. She had kept her emotions under lock and key, and kept up her damn façade whenever we were around.

Even when I tried to get a rise out of her while I was fucking Vivian, she didn’t get angry. Annoyed, maybe, but nowhere near as passionate or worked up as she would have gotten years ago if I’d gotten under her skin. Not that I would have fucked someone else back then. I wouldn’t cheat, but she was known for her fiery temper, and I liked to rile her up.

“I can’t wait for football to start!” Luke’s excited voice pulled me from my musings of Maya and the past. I glanced over to see Luke beaming up at his father. “Thank you for agreeing to bring me. Mom won’t be home from work yet, when practice starts.”

Marcos grinned down at Luke. “No problemo, little dude. I’m glad I get to spend time with you. I used to play football when I was your age. I played all the way through high school.”

Until he had to drop out,I thought. Life had a funny way reminding you of the past.

“That’s so cool!” Luke exclaimed. “Brody’s big brother is a quarterback for the Jr. High, and he gets all the chicks!”

I laughed heartily at the young man’s excitement. “That what you were doing today? Hangin’ with that girl?”

Luke, for all his exuberance, only blushed slightly. “Sure. Maybe. Melanie lives next door. We’re just hanging out.”

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