The Strength of the Pack (Suncoast Society #30)(57)

“Look, my big, scary secrets are out. He knows everything about me and he still loves me and wasn’t scared off by my past. I’m finally ready to move on. I lived too much of my life in self-constructed prisons. Let’s do this.”

She turned, holding a hand out to Jesse. He joined them for a group hug. “And as you both keep reminding me, the pack always comes first. We always come first. And I want this.”

“What about Nate?” Jesse asked. “Are you sure he’ll be okay with this?”

“He says he is, and I have to trust that. You’ve both talked to him yourselves. Either he is, or he isn’t. But if I’m going to spend my life with him, I have to trust him that he’s telling us the truth about how he feels.”

Jesse nodded. “I love you for this. You know that, right?”

She kissed his cheek. “I know. And I love you for all of this. You saved my life. Literally. Not many people can ever pay that back.”

“This isn’t just about that, is it? Because if it is—”

“It isn’t,” Leo quietly said, staring down at her. She returned her gaze to his and nodded.

“She always wanted another baby,” he quietly said. “But after she told me what her dad did, I was the one who said no. I wouldn’t risk it. Especially when she wouldn’t press charges against the f*cker.”

“If I tried to press charges, I know what would have happened. Even if there wasn’t some statute of limitations, he still wouldn’t have been prosecuted. He would have talked his way out of it, my sisters and my mother would have supported him and said I was nuts, and I would have ended up hating him and myself even more.”

Leo palmed her cheek. “Our children have absolutely no contact with your father. Understand? Not even supervised contact. If you want me and Jesse to talk to your mom and sisters, we will. I don’t give a shit what they think of me or Jesse. You’re an adult and if you still have contact with your mom and sisters, fine, but don’t ever let me find out your father got to see our children.”

She nodded. “Yes, Sir. We’re in complete agreement. Nate already laid down the law there. I’m not allowed to have any contact with my father, period.”

“Nate said that?” Jesse said.

“Yeah,” she said. “I felt a little bad for him when I told him everything that night. I think he wanted to turn around and go back and kill my father.”

Jesse smiled. “I knew there was a reason I liked him.”

“No shit,” Leo added.

“He will absolutely make sure no contact ever happens,” she said. “You three are all on the same page.”

“For the record,” Leo said, “I really like Nate. And not because I’d love to have him around here all the time to work on me for pain. Laurel loves him, and when I watch him with you, I can see he loves you.”

“Ditto,” Jesse said.

She smiled. “Thanks.” Her stomach rumbled. “Hold that thought.” She barely made it to her bathroom before she puked. The men followed her.

“Okay,” Leo said. “Executive decision. We’ll call and reschedule the appointment.”

“No,” she insisted. “I’m okay. Seriously. Just…give me a minute.”

Sure enough, she felt better after that. She rinsed her mouth out and brushed her teeth, all under the watchful eye of the men, who didn’t seem convinced.

“Better, see? Obviously, I’m not a Vietnamese food kind of girl. Remember how I nearly hurled the first time I tried sushi? Hello, that’s why I usually don’t do date night with you guys for sushi. Sensitive stomach. Last night was tough for me.” She’d barely been able to eat what she’d ordered, through no fault of the restaurant.

Jesse drove and Leo made Eva take shotgun while he climbed into the backseat. An hour later, they were shown into an exam room and the nurse left Eva with a gown, sheet, and specimen cup that already had a sticker on it with her name.

“Go ahead and fill that for us in the bathroom down the hall before you get undressed,” the nurse said. “Leave it inside the little metal door in the bathroom. We’ll grab it.”

“What’s this for?”

“Routine,” the nurse said.

“Okay.” Eva did that first, quickly returning to the exam room and changing. She didn’t even feel bashful in front of Jesse although he still turned around without her asking while she changed.

Leo helped her up onto the exam table. “It’s safe,” she joked once she had the sheet over her lap.

Jesse turned, his face an adorable shade of red. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Not like I think you have cooties or anything, but…” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to see a sister naked either, if I had one.”

“Are you going to tell your parents?” she asked him.

“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet. I haven’t even told Jason.”

Jesse’s oldest brother was the only one of his family who’d have contact with him. His parents and second-oldest brother had disowned him when he’d come out after high school.

“You do realize you’ll be required to make the craving runs, right?” Leo teased Jesse.

“Huh?”