Chapter 88: Bryn

I smile at the police officer who had helped us earlier tonight. He looks shy and unsure, but he is very sweet for bringing these things to me. The guys all look at each other, so I’m the one to break the silence first.

“Hi. Thank you. This is very sweet.” I tell him.

“Sorry, this is probably some kind of conflict of interest. Me being here and all I mean, but…”

“Is it?” I ask because if anyone would know it would be him.

He laughs nervously. “I would have to ask a superior, but I think making sure a victim is doing okay isn’t against the rules.”

I tilt my head and look him over with a more discerning eye. He’s handsome, just like all my other guys are, but in a different way. He isn’t studious, looking like Nolan, or large and athletic like Maddox, or slim and strong like Sawyer. No, he looks a lot like a military man. His dark hair is buzzed short to his head and only about an inch longer on top, as if he has just let the military and his hair hasn’t had a chance to grow yet. Except I don’t know if a soldier can become a cop or not.

The short hair doesn’t do much in the way of hardening the soft features of his face. His jaw has a rounded curve rather than a sharp look, giving him a younger look.

“We were just going to grab some cake for the little one. Would you like to join us?” I ask him.

His eyes move down to where I am, rubbing my growing belly. It’s a habit I’ve started and often do it without realizing it. I wonder if it’s because of my undying love for my unborn child or because of how weird it is to think that something is growing inside me. Sometimes it's a little of both.

“Cake?” He asks, looking at each of the guys in question.

“Baby gets what he wants.” Sawyer says with a shrug.

“We don’t know if it’s a boy.” I remind him, but he scoffs and slides past the cop.

He isn’t wearing his uniform so I’m having a hard time recalling his name, but I blame it on pregnancy brain.

“Come on, Officer Campbell.” Maddox says, slapping the officer on his shoulder.

“It’s Jaxon, actually. At least when I’m not in uniform.” He says, giving me a small smile.

“Jaxon.” I say back and I swear his warm chocolate skin flushes just the tiniest amount.

I say his skin is like chocolate because all I can think about right now is cake in any flavor!

“I’m more of a pie kind of guy.” He says as he follows us to Sawyer’s truck.

“New guy can sit in back with Bryn.” Sawyer calls out as he climbs into the driver’s seat. “And Nolan.”
“Because I’m a new guy too?” Nolan asks.

Sawyer smiles. “Exactly.”

“Sawyer?”

“Yeah baby?”

“Shut up!” I growl at him, but he just laughs.

He is going to get his butt kicked if he keeps adding more people…well guys to this harem he’s building. Yet he seems to know exactly who fits with us, and how?

Nolan opens the back door for me and helps me climb in. Once I’m settled, I’m basically panting.

“I’m not going to be able to get into this thing much longer.” I grumble.

“Maybe we should get a minivan.” Maddox offers from the front passenger seat.

Jaxon climbs in on Sawyer’s side of the car and buckles in, making sure not to invade my space too much while Nolan pulls me against him almost protectively.

“We will only have the one baby.” I point out.

“Not for long. I’m sure Maddox is going to want a kid with his DNA, too.” Sawyer says like it’s no big deal.

“Are you serious right now? I’m not even close to being done growing this baby and you want me pregnant again?” I say, feeling tired suddenly.

“No. I’m just thinking about the future.” Sawyer says with a shrug.

“I don’t expect Bryn to do anything like that for me. It’s up to her what she wants to do with her body if she wants that with me. She could kick us all out on our asses at any time.” Maddox says, but looks over at me and winks.

“That’s right! So you all better watch your backs.” I say with what I know isn’t a tough enough expression to get my point across.

Maddox and Sawyer laughs. Nolan runs his fingers through my hair absentmindedly and I want to purr like a kitten at how good it feels. I settle for snuggling closer to him instead. He looks so warm in his pull over knit sweater that makes him look like a professor…a hot professor…and I have the urge to ask for it.

“What is it?” He asks me softly.

He must have noticed me eyeing the thing.

“I want your sweater. It looks so warm and soft.” I blurt out.

He chuckles and unwraps himself from me and pulls it over his head and pulls it over my head. I smile and slip my arms through and am immediately wrapped in his body heat. The thing smells like him too and I can’t help but bring the fabric up to my nose and breathing it in. God, all these guys smell amazing. I picked out a body spray for Sawyer once and loved it so much that it’s all he wears now. I’ll have to make sure Nolan has his cologne well stocked, because I love it, too.

“Are you smelling my sweater?” He asks, making me drop it and attempt to act casual.

“Nope.”

He just laughs softly and wraps his arm around my shoulder again. I tilt my head slightly so that I can look at Jaxon.

“Were you in the military?” I ask him.

He looks at me and shakes his head. “My father was.”

“Oh. Your hair style…it looks like how most soldiers have their hair done.” I point out. ‘

I don’t know why I’m saying any of this, but I think it's because I’m tired and have no filter right now.

“I tend to keep it short because it’s more professional looking. When it’s longer, it can be a little unruly.” He explains.

“How so?” I ask him.

“It’s very curly and takes more upkeep.” He explains.

I try to imagine him with soft curly hair and the image makes him seem even younger, but very handsome.

“I think that would look nice, but I get it.” I say. “Do you have any pictures of yourself with longer hair, though?”

He nods and pulls out his phone. I wait as he messes with it, then he turns it to me. The picture is of him like he is now, but with short dark ringlet curls on his head. Next to him is an older but stunning woman with skin a little darker than his and a man on the other side of the woman who must be her husband. He’s looking at her like she hung the stars and as if there isn’t a camera capturing the look of pure admiration.

“Are these your parents?” I ask him.

He nods. “My father met my mother on a trip to South Africa. He said she walked right up to him and asked him for a date.”

I laugh. “Good for her.”

“Yeah, my father had been hanging around her neighborhood and a few times she caught him looking at her. She told him if he was going to keep looking at her, he should at least buy her a meal. And the rest was history.” He tells the story with a proud smile on his face.

“Your mother is beautiful.” I tell him, and he smiles, looking down at the photo.

“She is.” My heart swells at the love he clearly has for her.

“Is your father still in the military?” I ask him next.

He slips his phone back in his pocket and shakes his head. “He joined my mother in her work to help the young girls rescued from human traffickers, trying to bring them from Africa to her to be used as free laborers.”

“Wow! That’s amazing.” I’m almost speechless. “I hate to say that I didn’t know that kind of thing was going on.”

“Not many do, but enough people care and help the best they can.” He says.

I start to think about groups of young girls being taken from their homes and brought to a new place without being able to benefit from what that move can offer them. It’s heartbreaking.

“That’s a wonderful thing your mom is doing. She really sounds like an incredible woman.” I tell him.

Is it too premature to want to meet his mother? Maybe, but I want to know more about what she does.

“Do you think you could introduce us? I would love to learn more about her work.” I ask him shyly.

He smiles at me and I see an emotion in his eyes that I don’t yet know the meaning of. “She would love that.”

Relief and excitement wash over me. It only lasts for a split second though… until a pair of very bright lights come at us far too quickly…