Page 183 of Composed
My shoulders droop at the sound.
“You have kids," she says.
He nods. “I have kids.”
“Real breathing human kids.”
“Yeah.”
“Fire breathing dragons more like,” Saint murmurs, a smirk lifting his mouth.
Axel hums an agreement. “We call them the terror twins, because they’re little fucking terrors most of the time.”
“Behave yourselves,” Theo says from the kitchen, as she dips her hands into the steaming sink.
Hendrix twists an inch, peering up at me through hooded lashes. “They know who I am.”
I nod.
A sharp breath slips through her parted lips. “You told them about me.”
My arms tremble.
I stop fighting my instincts and reach out for her.
I lift her off the chair, drop into her seat, and drape her over my lap.
Arms tight around her, I prop my chin on her shoulder as she sinks into me. “I did. They know everything about you.”
“Why?” She shivers.
“Because they know everything about me,” I say. She peels back slightly. I swipe my thumb over her lower lip, releasing the ball from her teeth, before ghosting my mouth over hers. “And there is no me without you, Rixie Moore.”
Her breath skirts my cheeks, her forehead dropping to mine.
She wraps her arms around my neck.
I skate my fingers down her spine. “Melody’s your biggest fan, you know. Her favourite song isReckless Abandon. It was the first thing she ever smiled at. Carter will tell you it was his ugly mug she was grinning at, but he lies.”
Carter scoffs. “It was.”
“She even said your name before any of ours.” My eyes burn at the memory. “Saint was showing her all the pictures Theo took our last year of school, and she just pointed at one of you and said, ‘Dat’s Rix.’”
“I was really offended,” Axel says, dropping to the floor next to Carter. “Because let’s be honest, Ax is far easier than Rix.”
“They’re basically the same thing,” Carter deadpans.
“Hardly.”
“Point is,” Saint drops to his haunches, and tugs her hair until she's facing him. “They’ve known you their whole lives, Rix. They’ve loved you their whole lives. We have a family, arealfamily, and you’ve always been a part of it.”
She closes her eyes, her back shuddering as she heaves in a ragged breath. “I don’t know what to do with all this. This is…”
“A lot.” I kiss her hair. “We know.”
“You don’t have to do anything right now,” Carter tells her, squeezing her hand. “We’re not going anywhere. So, take whatever time you need to figure this out, okay?”
“Why did you hide them?” she asks quietly.
