234

Six Months Later

“Come on, woman, get in here!” Ryder stood in the pool, waiting impatiently. “Hurry up!”

I giggled and tossed my cover-up aside. My baby bump had grown even faster this time than it did with Anderson. The bright pink bikini I was wearing didn’t do much to conceal my changing body, unlike the suits I wore back when I was with Braxton. “I’m coming as fast as I can!”

Suddenly, Jaxon was behind me, pressing up against me and teasing, “I’ve seen you move faster than that.”

I blushed, playfully swatting his hands away. “Stop it. Your dad is right there.”

He nipped at my neck. “Just get in the water, Bubba. It’s scorching out here.”

I pretended to dive in, and the four men immediately started shouting at me, warning me not to. Laughing, I waved them off and gave their dad a teasing look. “I’m starting to think you like me.”

He flushed, quickly looking away. “I just don’t want you hurting the baby.”

Lucas scooped me up and carried me to the pool steps. Once he placed me in the water, he didn’t let go until he handed me over to Ryder. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

“Me?” Their dad muttered something under his breath, shaking his head. “I just want to meet my granddaughter one day.”

I relaxed in the pool, enjoying the moment, until the four men started getting concerned about how much sun I was getting. I’d quickly learned how overprotective my husbands were during my pregnancy with Anderson. Surprisingly, their dad reacted the same way. After Anderson was born, he’d apologized for his previous behavior and started coming around. He warmed up even more after finding out I was pregnant again.

It was nice to see him finally soften up. It had taken a while to move past how he treated me before, but I wasn’t one to hold grudges. Plus, my husbands had made sure to have my back, and they’d insisted on visiting his family only after months of their dad’s requests.

Later that night, after I’d put Anderson to bed, I was sitting on the same couches where I’d once sat with Braxton, this time surrounded by my husbands. I leaned back against Lucas’s chest, laughing softly when his hand traveled up my stomach, stopping at my chest.

“Missing me already?” he asked with a playful smile.

He kissed my neck and cupped my throat. “If you can stay quiet, we could sneak off to our room and take care of things.”

Ryder chuckled. “Margot? Quiet?”

I gave him a playful kick. “I can be quiet.”

“You can-”

The alarm suddenly dinged, indicating someone had opened the front door. I stiffened because I knew their dad and stepmom were already settled in for the night, and they had mentioned that Braxton might stop by. It had gotten late, and I had convinced myself I wouldn’t have to deal with him after all.

Lucas whispered in my ear, “Relax, baby.”

It wasn’t easy to do. I hadn’t seen Braxton since the day Constance ended things with him in her hotel room, and I’d been dreading running into him. The idea of how awkward things could get or if he might try to cause trouble in my new relationship made me uneasy. I didn’t trust him.

Jaxon leaned over and kissed me, then stood up. “I’m just getting a drink.”

I grabbed his hand. “Jack.”

He sighed. “I’m not going to do anything, baby. I’ll be good.”

Lucas and Ryder both chuckled. Ryder gently lifted my foot to massage it while shaking his head. “Yeah, right.”

Before we could respond further, Braxton was standing in the doorway, staring at us with a deep frown on his face. He’d put on some weight since I’d last seen him, mostly around his middle. His hair also looked thinner.

And in that moment, I realized I had built him up in my mind to be something more than he was. I had convinced myself he was a threat to my family, but now he just seemed like a sad, small man.

I pushed myself up and placed my hand on Jaxon’s chest to stop him from moving. “Braxton. It’s been a while.”

He glanced at my stomach, a cruel smirk appearing on his face. “I-”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I said calmly. “I’ve moved on from the way you treated me, but your brothers haven’t. If you say anything hurtful, I can’t promise they won’t make you regret it. We’ve got a family now. A nephew upstairs and a niece on the way. I’m willing to leave the past behind for the sake of your dad and everyone else here. Are you?”

Lucas wrapped his arms around me from behind and growled. “You better say yes, Braxtonley.”

Braxton paused for a moment, his expression darkening as he thought it over, before narrowing his eyes at Lucas. “Give me my job back. With a raise.”

“No,” Lucas replied firmly, without further explanation.

“Then screw all of you.” Braxton turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I shrugged. “Well, that was dramatic.”

“You okay, baby?” Jaxon asked, cupping my face with shaky hands, clearly wanting to go after his brother.

I smiled and nodded. “Honestly? I think I needed that. He looks pitiful. I don’t wish anything bad on him, but it’s clear karma has caught up with him.”

“He really asked for an allowance, like he’d done anything to earn it. It’s not like I expected him to actually work now,” Lucas muttered, sinking back onto the couch and pulling me into his lap. “You handled that brilliantly.”

“I think so too,” I laughed at their surprised looks. “What? That’s been on my mind for so long, and now it’s over. I feel great. I even feel like I could be really quiet for you guys tonight.”

Ryder laughed, letting out a long breath. “Jesus, you’re perfect, Margot. I don’t know how we got so lucky.”

“You were patient, and you worked hard. That’s how good things come to people.” I bit my lip. “Just like I’ve been patient and worked hard to keep my libido in check today. So, good things should be coming my way.”

Jaxon lifted me up and called to his brothers, “One of you grab the baby monitor. The pool house should be far enough away to muffle some of her screams.”

I grinned at Lucas and Ryder over Jaxon’s shoulder. “And don’t forget a snack for after!”

Jaxon grunted as he carried me off. “And to think, you used to be so sweet and quiet.”