Alec

"You don't know the half of it."

"Have they ever thought of anger manag-"

"Bronagh starts classes next week," Bra

I nodded my head. "Good for her."

"Yeah, but God help that class when Hurricane Bronagh blows through," Ryder murmured.

"I heard that!"

Ryder widened his eyes and shouted, "Just kidding."

I chuckled and looked at Kane and noticed he didn't eat much. "How are you feelin'?"

Kane looked to me with tired eyes and smiled. "Good."

I gave him a frown that he chuckled over. "It's just the flu, I'll be fine."

Bra

Wow.

He was that ill?

"Bran, it will pass-"

"You aren't a doctor so don't try pacify me, Kane."

Kane sighed. "If it will make you feel better, I'll go to the doctor during the week to get seen, okay?"

Bra

"Oh for the love of God," Kane muttered. "Fine, okay."

Everyone lightly chuckled, but I got a sick feeling in my stomach when I looked at Kane.

I hoped he was all right and that it was just the flu.

Alec put his arm around my shoulders and gri

"Welcome to the family, kitten."

"We have to get a bigger place," Alec murmured to me as I wiped down my kitchen table.

We were both in the kitchen and bumped off each other about ten times as we cleaned.

I sighed. "It's a

Alec frowned. "Why don't you just focus on writing and let that be your job?"

I laughed. "Because I actually need an income to support us. That's why."

"Keela, you know I have a lot of money... right?"

I looked at Alec. "You do?"

He nodded. "We can buy own place outright tomorrow if you want too."

I widened my eyes. "That much money?"

"I earned a lot working for Marco and I'm not a huge spender. I have close to four million Euros sitting in my bank account right now."

My finger was around a cleaning spray bottle, and when Alec said that high number, my fingers automatically pulled on the spray trigger.

Holy fuck!

"Why do you live with you brothers if you have so much money?"

Alec shrugged. "We each have a lot of money... and none of us ever lived on our own before. We saw no reason to until Bronagh, Bra

I frowned. "I know, babe."

Alec smiled at me. "Then it's settled we can buy a house soon, preferably in Upton, and you can focus on writing as your work."

I smiled only because I didn't trust myself to speak.

"What's wrong?" Alec asked.

I shrugged.

"Tell me."

I sighed. "I've takin' care of meself all me life. I refused me uncle’s help at every turn and ba

"My money is your money. We're engaged Keela, what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine."

I sighed. "I guess... but it still feels weird."

"This all feels weird because we jumped into things very fast. We will get used to it, just give it time."

I nodded my head.

Alec smiled. "So your book... when do I get to read it?"

I gasped. "You're not readin' it."

"Why not?" Alec asked, hurt in his voice.

I flushed. "Because I don't want you to read the... dirty scenes."

Alec smirked. "Kitten, I'm sure your scenes are things I've done to you-"

"Exactly so you're not readin' them."

Alec snickered. "Don't get your panties in a twist about it."

"I'm not a violent person Alec. God knows I'm not, but I swear to him that if you call knickers 'panties' one more feckin' time, I will strangle you with a thong!"

Alec shook his head as he laughed.

"Come on, I like reading. I won't read it as your man, I'll read it as a bete reader person."

I laughed. "You mean beta reader?"

"If that's what you did for your friend Yessi and Mary on their books, then yes, that."

I groaned. "I just finished the first draft, I don't even know if I'm goin' to self-publish-"

"Why not?" Alec cut me off.

"Because what if no one approves?"

Alec arched a brow. "You mean readers or people you know i.e. your mom?"

I nodded my head. "She will slam it when she finds out about it, she doesn't like smut books."

"What is smut?"

I shrugged. "Books that have erotica in them. Sex."

"But your book has romance too, sex is a part of romance."

I laughed. "Not with my mother."

"Baby, I mean this in nicest way possible but fuck your mom. If you want to publish a book about sex and love then fucking publish a book about sex and love. Fuck everyone who has a negative opinion on it. They only hate on your ideas and dreams because they have no ideas and dreams. Do this for you, no one else. Do you understand?"

I felt my heart pounding against my chest. I loved him for having so much faith in me.

"I hear you, I really do, but what if I'm not good enough? What if this is impossible? Just writin' a book isn't enough. The fuckin' line I need to cross to actually self-publish might as well be invisible. I can see it, but can't get to it. It's so damn hard."

Alec gripped my shoulders. "Those who can see the invisible can do what seems impossible."

I leaned my head forward and rested it against his chin. "You're amazin'."

"I know."

Smartarse.

I pulled back and stared up into his eyes. "You're gettin' very deep on me."

Alec's hands gripped my behind. "I'll be getting very deep in you if you keep looking at me like that."

I couldn't help it, I giggled.

"The only person who can stand in your way is you, kitten, no one else." Alec brushed his nose against mine. "And that's not an option, right?"

I nodded my head. "Right."

Alec smiled. "So I can beta read your book?"

I sighed. "Sure, why not?"

Alec punched the air in delight and it made me laugh, but my laughter stopped when three loud bangs thudded against my hall door.

"Gird your loins, the devil is here," I murmured.

I walked over to my door, looked through the peephole and sighed when I saw my mother's less than amused face on the other side. I opened the door and let her in.

"Hello, mother."

My mother walked inside my apartment.

"Keela, Alec." She nodded.

I closed the door already wishing she was walking back out through it.

"You missed your cousin's wedding, Keela."

I sighed and turned around. "Yes mother, I did."

My mother was furious.

"I can't believe you would be so selfish."

Selfish?