Page 108 of Unchained

“Also, Dom said Romeo was eyefucking him at the meeting a while back. This all makes so much sense now,” I say as the pieces click together.

“Romeo is always looking to fuck, Gianna.”

Jealousy races through me, making my skin crawl. “Well, he can take his dick, and shove it elsewhere,” I mutter.

We rejoin the rest of the family, who don’t even acknowledge our return because they’re too busy eating and trying to stop the kids from causing a scene.

Wyatt grins at us as we return, the goat standing behind his chair. “Do you want some steak?” he asks me, pointing at the plate in front of him. He wipes the sauce that’s smothering his face with the back of his hand.

“I’d love some,” I tell him.

Colten steps in and dishes mine up, grabbing me some salad and fries. As he places it down in front of me, he presses a kiss to the side of my head.

And just like that, everything is back to normal. Romeo minds his own business at the other end of the table with Hunter. Colten devours his plate like he didn’t already eat a lunch that could have fed me for the entire week.

I sit back and watch, nestled against Colten's side as Wyatt plays with his action figures. He makes them jump like superheroes from one glass to another. I hold my breath, watching through one eye, waiting for this to turn from fun into him being told off.

And as expected, the toy bounces from one drink to another, and the glass topples off the table, smashing onto the floor, sending water flying all over him.

His eyes go wide, and I brace myself as Hunter stands. It sends me back to when I was his age, and how hard my father's palm would have slapped across my cheek.

The bruises I’d try to hide with my mom's makeup.

All over some spilled water and broken glass. Once, when I was ten, he made me pick up all the shards piece by piece with my fingers, until the pool of my blood was bigger than the water I knocked over.

I frown as Hunter walks over, wraps his arm around Wyatt, and pulls him to one side. He checks him over, making sure there’s no glass, and lifts him into his arms as Ace starts picking up the mess from the floor.

Not a single raised voice.

Hunter ruffles Wyatt’s hair and kisses him on the head.

I shake my head, looking up at Colt. “So, Wyatt won’t get in trouble for knocking the glass over?”

His eyebrows pinch together, and he rubs his hand along my arm. “It was an accident, G. He was just playin’. Who gives a shit about a broken glass?”

I blow out a breath. Just playing. Like kids should be allowed to do. Resting my head against his chest, I don’t say another word.

Every now and again, Colt presses a kiss to the top of my head. I like listening to them all interact. They’re funny. Jett saying ridiculous shit that I’m not even sure is English to Ace getting constantly bullied by his brothers.

Lola and Violet have their hands full with their babies, but they seem so happy. Well, Violet less so; I can feel her exhaustion from here.

Her little boy starts screaming, and I mean enough to make me wince-level.

“Do you want kids?” I ask Colt, still watching Violet pacing around the table, rocking the newborn.

“Yeah. I do,” he mutters.

“Hmm.”

“Do you?” he whispers.

“Hadn’t had time to think about that, Colt,” I answer honestly. If I could guarantee my kids grew up with a life like this, here on this ranch, then yeah, I think it would be pretty cool to watch something I created grow up. But I don’t even know if I’m going to see the end of the damn year with the way it’s going with my father.

My existence is about survival, not creating new life.

He gives me a look before saying, “Then we probably need to get you in to see a doctor to get you the pill.”

I whack his chest. “Or you could not be a caveman and use a condom,” I counter.