Blake
The woman sitting on my left, Annalise, is still crying, burying her face in her hands. I have no idea what to do. When Lia cries, I just pull her into my arms and let her get it all out, but comforting some stranger is not something I can do.
There is one thing that I find strange, though. "You said your name is Devereux. How come Alexander has the same last name as you when you clearly didn't get married?" I get Annalise's attention.
"Oh, yeah... It's my maiden name. I asked Alexander to put it on Amelia's birth certificate. I had no idea he changed his surname too." I nod in understanding.
"Will Amelia-"
"Lia." I correct, cutting her off.
"Lia. Will Lia... will she give me a chance?"
I don't want to crush her hopes already, but she needs to know it might not be that easy. "I don't know. It's not up to me."
"Could you maybe... talk to her? Convince her?"
"Why should I? – I counter, folding my arms over my chest as I lean back on the couch – It's her decision. Whether she wants you in her life or not, I'll still love and support her. I won't pressure her into doing something she doesn't want."
"I can tell you love her a lot. She's lucky to have such a supportive boyfriend."
"Fiancé, actually."
"Oh, sorry. I had no idea." She smiles.
"Tell me something, Annalise."
"You can call me Anna." She cuts me off with a smile.
"Anna, right. – I nod – How did you find her? And what's with the roses?"
"Um... The boys found her. They told me they've been searching for her behind their father's back for a while now. They found her, not me. And the flowers... I just wanted to somehow let her know that I don't have bad intentions."
I can't help but scoff. No bad intentions? She literally freaked my girl out! Lia had fucking panic attacks because of those damn roses! We all thought they came from that rapist that's after her! For weeks, my woman was suffering because of this!!!
"I'm gonna check on my girl. She's been gone for too long." I get up from the couch and head to the study, where Lia and her... brothers, I guess, had gone.
I don't bother knocking before coming in, only to stop in the doorway when I see the sight in front of me. I hear Anna behind me, but I pay her no mind, leaning my side against the door-frame with my hands in my pockets.
Lia is sitting curled up on the floor, sleeping against Aiden's shoulder. He watches her with a small adoring smile, just caressing her head gently. Ashton and Adrian are sitting in front of them, leaning against the back of the couch. I feel a smile appear on my face as I stare at them. I'll admit, I was apprehensive about letting them be alone, but those three seem to love their sister.
"She fell asleep few minutes ago." Aiden says when he notices me watching.
"I'll take her to bed." I move to go to them, but Aiden stops me.
"Let me." He pleads quietly. I only sigh and give him a nod.
Aiden swiftly picks Lia up, cradling her small form against his chest. He presses a kiss to her forehead then carries her out of the room, going to our bedroom. I open the door for him and he lays her on the sheets, tucking her in with another kiss to her head. "Sleep well, little sister."
"She must've been exhausted." Ashton states once we're outside the bedroom.
"Exhausted is an understatement. – I rebuke harshly – You have no idea what your stupid stunt caused. She hasn't eaten or slept properly for weeks because of you!"
I can tell they're all surprised. "Why?" Ashton asks.
"Because we thought it was from... someone else. Especially that last rose. Why did you fricking give her a black rose?!"
"Wait, what? What black rose? – Aiden implores suspiciously. I give him an incredulous look then gesture at the flower on the kitchen island. He takes one glimpse at it and turns to me with a frown. "That's not from us."
"What do you mean, not from you? It was on the door, like all the others!"
"Maybe, but that's not from us. We only sent red roses, cause Amelia used to like them when she lived with Mr. Clarke."
"How do you know that?" I growl lowly, not at all pleased with Aiden knowing such stuff.
"A woman named Maria told me. I met her when I was looking for our sister." I sigh in relief hearing that. If Maria deemed him trustworthy enough to tell him about Lia, then he's fine.
"Okay then."
"Now... - I snap my gaze to the three brothers when I hear sudden seriousness in Aiden's voice – You live with our sister. What are your plans about her?"
For some reason, I burst out laughing at this. He wants to play the protective brother with me, huh? Fine, let's play.
"I plan to marry her." I state, not at all intimidated by him. Compared to Tyson and his friends from MMA, Aiden is like a harmless puppy.
"That's a serious declaration. How do you know she wants to marry you?"
"She accepted my proposal. – I smirk – We've been engaged for over a year now."
Aiden stares at me for a while then grins widely, nodding in approval. "Good. But just a small warning. You hurt her, I hurt you."
"Me too." Ashton and Adrian add simultaneously.
I only chuckle. "Heard that one before. Guess from whom? Her dad. His buddies. The bikers. Mama Maria. And even my own dad. You're not the first one to threaten me."
"What bikers?" Anna asks, completely clueless.
"The Shadow Warriors MC. Both the Walford and San Francisco chapters are really fond of my girl." I shortly explain. Anna seems positively shocked by this revelation. She really had no idea about Lia's connections. Holy damn.
"Oh god. She's hanging around some bikers? Criminals?!" She exclaims, appalled. "My daughter shouldn't surround herself with such people!"
"You have no power over who she hangs out with, Anna." I rebuke, annoyed at her audacity. "She's an adult now. She can do whatever she wants, whether her dear mother likes it or not."
"And you're okay with it?!"
"I'm more than okay with it. You know why? Cause I know that those guys are loyal to her. They love her like their own sister and they'd come to her aid any time she needs them to."
I can see she doesn't like it, but it doesn't matter to me now. "Now excuse me, I'm going to check on my girl." I get up from the couch, but Aiden stops me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"She's asleep, I'm sure she's fine."
"Well, I'm not. You don't know her like I do." I push his hand away and head to our bedroom, not bothering explaining why I'm checking on her. I do that often, knowing how troubled my girl's sleep is.
When I get to the room, I'm surprised to see Lia already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. She's breathing heavily and I don't miss the sweat on her face and neck. She had a nightmare again.
I kneel in front of her, putting my hands on her knees, rubbing them gently. "Hey baby. You okay?"
"Yeah. It's just the usual. How long was I asleep?"
"Less than half an hour." I frown. It used to take a few hours for her to get nightmares, but now she's getting them even when she takes a nap. How is she supposed to get rest when she can't have even few minutes of peaceful sleep?!
"Are my brothers still here?"
"You already accepted them as brothers?" I tease.
"Yeah. They're okay. They know about everything, you know. Everything about my past until Walford."
"Everything?"
"Everything. Even my fighting." I hide my surprise at this.
"And what about Anna?"
"Anna?" Lia smiles teasingly.
"She told me to call her that."
"I don't know how I feel about her, yet. I promised the guys to give her a chance, but I'll see how it goes. I don't want to get my hopes up."
"That's reasonable, I guess. – I nod with a smile – Should I tell them to leave?"
"I don't know. I'll take a shower and maybe talk to them some more. I need to know if I'm making the right decision." Lia runs her fingers through her hair distractedly.
"Okay then. I'll order some lunch for us. You didn't finish your breakfast earlier." I get up, pulling my girl for a kiss, then leave the room.
I walk back to the living room, only to see Aiden and Ashton talking quietly with their mom, while Adrian hold the black rose in his hand, looking deep in thought.
"You said it got here the same way we sent our flowers?" Adrian turns to me. I have a feeling he's onto something. He looks like a smart guy.
"Yeah, why?" I go to the kitchen to get my phone so I can order some food for Lia.
"It would mean that whoever left it knew about us going the same."
"I figured as much. That's why I was so pissed when you said you didn't mean to scare Lia with those flowers." I pour myself some coffee as I browse through the menu of Lia's favorite restaurant on my phone.
"You know whom it's from, don't you?" Adrian asks knowingly.
"Pretty much."
"Who is it?"
I chuckle. "I don't think I trust you guys enough to discuss this."
"My brothers and I know about what happened to Amelia when she was younger. We looked into as much as we could."
"And how did you do that?" I feel Lia's arms wrap themselves around my waist as she hugs me, pressing her cheek to my back. I didn't even notice she was back.
"It wasn't easy, but with the three of us, we managed. Aiden was a marine, Ashton is a cop and me... well I'm the smart one. The three of us can find out pretty much anything." Adrian admits, leaning against the island.
"You three are really close, aren't you?" Lia chuckles. I turn around, leaning my back against the counter and pull her to my front, putting my arms around her waist and my chin on her head.
"The closest. – Ashton laughs as he comes closer with Anna and Aiden in tow – Having a bastard of a father brought us together. We had to have each other's back, no matter what."
"Amelia, can I speak to you?" Anna requests hesitantly, staring pleadingly at my girl.
Lia thinks it over for a moment, then nods. "Sure, let's talk."
"In private?"
"We are in private, Anna. I don't hide anything from my man and I'm sure you don't hide anything from your sons." Lia snarkily rebukes, almost making me smile. She's trying to suss her out.
"Amelia-"
"Lia. – my girl sternly corrects – My name's Lia. I've told you already, so why do you insist on calling me differently?"
"Because your real name is-"
"My real name is LIA CLARKE. Please remember that because I won't repeat myself again."
Anna gives up with a sigh, while the guys just watch the exchange in silence. I know better than to get involved. This is not my fight, it's Lia's.
"Okay, I'm sorry. Lia, please, I just want a moment with you."
"Mom, stop. I can already tell she won't agree." Aiden stands by his mother with a serious look on his face.
Lia tenses a bit in my arms. "Agree to what?"
"To come live with me."