Enjoy 🤍.

"Your soul is art." - j.b.
————————————————————

Chapter 63
<————————————-->

I knew Raven was on my heels as I hurried to the two. I'd never seen my brother so angry, and truthfully, it shocked me.

"Ryland, what the hell?" Raven shouted, pulling at his arm, which was pinned against Kade's throat.

It was like her, and I were ghosts. His attention was focused solely on Kade, and only him.

His green eyes were red as he stared into my guys' eyes. "What the fuck have you done to my sister?" Ryland lurched Kade's body back before slamming it into the wall once more. "Huh? You're using her to get back to me? Is that how we're getting down, Ryder?"

I pulled at his arm, but it was no use. My brother never missed a workout, and with the training he'd received when he was younger, my weak ass had nothing on him.

Kade, who was as silent as I'd ever seen him, grinned at Ryland. "You really think I give a shit about you?"

Before I could react, Ryland's fist was in action. It hit Kade so hard, his head thumped against the wall.

I dug my nails into Ryland's arm, pleading. "Ryland, just stop, and we can all talk."

I wasn't worried for Kade. I was worried for Ryland.

I could see Kades' eyes darkening as his lips curled into a grin. Blood dripped from his nose, and across his lips, but he made no effort to clean it up. Instead, he chucked.

Without hesitation, he stated, "I love her."

"You're fucking incapable of loving someone as good as her!" Ryland's angry gaze sliced through Kade's words. "You're gonna stay the fuck away from my sister."

Kade's expression never sported fear. He lifted his hand, patting Ryland on the cheek. "Don't be silly."

My brother leveled a glowering look of rage. "I'm not going to warn you again. Stay away from her." I nearly jumped out of my spot as his penetrating glare caught up to me.

He swept a bruising hand through his hair, frowning at me as he stepped closer. "How long has this bullshit been going on? What did he tell you? That he'd take care of you? That he'd love you?"

I had to will myself to speak. His grip on Kade had lessened, but I didn't want anymore physical interactions between the two, again.

Kade watched me, carefully. I could see him trying to guess, trying to be one step ahead of what I would say next.

I sucked in a tight patch of air before releasing it. "Since we moved back. We've been together for a while, but he loves me, Ryland. And, I love him."

He ran a hand across his face, huffing as he processed my words. He shook his head, as if it would erase the memories of tonight.

"Kimberly, he doesn't love you. He doesn't love anyone. I know he might have told you things about me, and I'll tell you all you want, but that doesn't change a thing. He knew the best way to get to me, and that was through you," he pleaded with me, eyes begging for my agreement.

"It's been years," Kade mumbled around a chuckle. "The fuck would I still be thinking about you for?"

I whipped a look to him to make him hush. Ryland was already ready to pounce, and he'd take any excuse to do so.

I directed my attention back to my brother. "That's not true. You haven't been around him; you haven't talked to him. Not the him that you met all those years ago, but the real him." I felt my lips lift on their own with each word as I moved to Kades' eyes. "And...yes, he told me about you and dad. He told me about all of it."

Instead of hearing anything else, he took the last bits of information, and ran with it. He jerked around towards Kade, his body shaking as he spoke.

Ryland's jaw clenched tight, his eyes twinkling with anger. "Did you tell her about all of those people? About all of your matches? About your shit?" With every word, he grew closer to Kade.

Kade didn't move an inch. He stood his ground, glaring at my brother from his spot against the wall. "She knows everything. Everything. And, if she feels she doesn't, she knows all she has to do is ask me. Your sister knows that I love her more than anyone, and anything in this world. I'll love her for as long as I live, and nothing you cry about will change that."

He was in Kade's face again, his fists clenched tightly on either side of him. Raven was still pulling at his arms, but her words were blurred to him.

"Stop," I shouted to my brother as he shoved Kade against the wall, again.

Ryland shrugged me off, his finger in Kade's face "I've watched you nearly paralyze a man, and you expect me to let you near my sister? To let you even look at her?"

Kade shrugged, blinking at my brother. "I genuinely don't give a fuck what you think you're going to let her and I do. I'm still gonna be hers, and she's still gonna be mine."

His dark eyes jerked up to Ryland's finger. "And, I suggest you get your finger out of my face. I'm trying to be respectful to you, but you're not about to little boy me, so I'm gonna give you a warning for it just in case you've confused me for someone else."

Ryland didn't hesitate. With a harder force than before, his fist was mere inches from Kade's face before the circumstances switched. It was too quick of a motion, but in a matter of seconds, Kade pinned Ryland against the wall, arm bent in an uncomfortable position.

To a strangers' eyes, he appeared quite calm, but from one glance, I could see that he was holding on by a thread. A very thin thread.

His nostrils flared as Ryland winced. "I don't give a fuck about you, Ryland. I don't give a fuck that you still care about your dad liking me more than you. I don't give a fuck about you still being mad that I beat your ass over my brother. I promise you I don't." His eyes jerked up to me before falling back to him. "But, you know what I do care about? Your sister. And, I'm not going to put my hands on you purely for the respect I have for her, but you only got that one lucky hit. One." After that, he shoved himself off of Ryland, stepping back to me.

I exhaled a breath of relief. His brows drew together as he stepped to me, grasping my hand in his.

"Thank you," my words were rushed as I knew how quickly I had to separate the two.

He said nothing, but his nod said it all, his lips in a tight line. I was proud of him, truly, as this could have been a very different result.

I turned toward Raven, who was still in shock. "Can you take my brother to his room really quick? I'll be right back."

She nodded, a small smile lifting her lips, though I could still decipher the surprise. "Yeah, of course—"

But, before anything else could be done, Ryland had regained his energy. Kade was against the wall oncemore, my brother immediately going for the punch.

Raven and I jumped into action to stop the fight. I grabbed Ryland's arm, but he was too quick. His elbow slammed into my nose, sending me back into the table.

The next few seconds were a blur. Kade was calling my name, pushing Ryland, and rushing to me all at once. Raven was hitting Ryland. Ryland was realizing what he did.

I blinked as I stared at the scenario. My hands instinctively went to my nose, a warm liquid dressing my index finger.

"Baby, baby," Kade's voice was soft as he knelt down to me. His expression was full of panic. "Shit. I'm so sorry, are you alright?" He stroked strands of hair out of my face, immediately cradling my face.

I shook my head. "No, no, it wasn't anyone's fault. I knew what would happen getting between a fight." Though, the pain said otherwise.

Kades' hands roamed my head for any injuries before he tilted my head up. "I'm going to fucking kill him." I could feel his hands shaking on my skin as he began to rise back up.

I shook my head, and even that hurt. "He didn't mean to."

I glanced up to see Ryland, still enraged, but aware of what he caused. "Oh god, Kimberly. I'm so sorry, I-I didn't realize—" I could see his hands shaking as he reached for me.

Before he got close, Kade covered my body with his, gathering me into his arms to shield me away. "Don't put your fucking hands on her."

I held onto Kades' hands as he gently pulled me up. I glanced at Ryland, who reeked of guilt. His expression was heavy with sadness as he became aware of his anger.

I sighed, my nose aching. I was too tired to deal with this, anymore. At least for today.

I stared into my brother's emerald eyes. "Ryland, I'm not angry at you, okay? I shouldn't have gotten between two men. I just think you need time to calm down. When you do, we can talk about this but we will do that only when you're yourself, okay?" I didn't want to carry on with this conversation any longer, truly.

Ryland glanced between the two of us, his expression growing angrier the longer he crossed glares with Kade. With a muttered swear, he turned around, and stormed out of the house.

Raven stepped up, her eyes stained with concern. "Babe, are you okay?" She gripped my chin, tipping my head to the ceiling.

I nodded. "I'm good, I've been hit enough to know this is a piece of cake." Her and Kade both glared at me after my joke.

Kade led me to the bathroom, sitting me on the toilet. It was sweet, watching him continue to pause and ask if I was okay with every gentle touch.

He barely even dabbed before he paused. His concern fell over me. "Shit, did I hurt you?"

I chuckled, staring at my ceiling. "I promise, I'm okay." Gently, he went back to cleaning me up.

Raven reached for my hand from the sink. I squeezed it, smiling to her.

She sighed, tucking strands of red hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, I was just worried. Levi told me about that Chivo guy, and I didn't want to sit around if something was happening to you."

I gripped her hand. "You're fine, Raven. You had no idea about Ryland's...reaction." I nodded at her. "Thank you for worrying, too. I'm sorry I didn't answer, my phone was still here."

Kades' fingers remained on my chin. He craned his neck just enough to flower a soft kiss onto my lips.

"It was nice of you to worry and take precautions, Raven. It's better safe than sorry." Kade cleared his throat, casting her a quick glance. "Thank you."

I could see she didn't expect that. After a moment of silence, Raven smiled, still holding my gaze. "I'll always come for my girl."

After Kade and I cleaned each other up, Raven left back to her home. I told her that I was leaving in less than a week to Wisconsin, but promised to reply to her every day I was gone. I made a mental mark to go see her, Maggie, and Jax before I left, too.

I wanted to stay the night at Kade's. and since my dad and Teresa were still out of town until tomorrow night, it was a easy decision. I barely held on through the ride there as exhaustion dawned on me.

By the time I was showered, and dressed in one of Kades' shirts, the time was nearing ten. Though we both deemed my nose unbroken, it still ached, so he gave me medicine.

The television was on, but neither of us were watching it. I could feel his hand stroking my back as his curls tickled my neck.

I shifted away from him to get out of the bed. His expression was nearly offended, luring a chuckle out of me.

I treaded over to his door, glancing over my shoulder. "I'm going to get a snack, want something?"

It was strange, but I felt at home just as much over here as my own. It was a nice feeling, having a safe space.

Kade grinned at me, his eyes running down the length of my body. "Can you check if your beautiful ass is down there for me, sweetheart?"

I rolled my eyes, chuckling back at him. "Shut up, I'm getting you an apple."

I went down the stairs, but by the time I was on the ground level, I nearly fell out with relief. Damn. No wonder Kade stayed so fit.

I yelped as I came face to face with a stranger. When she turned around, Kade's aunt Caylee's eyes were alert.

"Oh, god," she released a nervous chuckle, her hand resting on her chest as she plopped her purse on the table. "You scared me, Kimberly."

Despite my racing heart, I managed a laugh, stepping into the kitchen. "I'm sorry if I bothered you. I just wanted a snack."

She shook her head. I didn't notice until I saw the strands that this was the first time I'd seen her with her hair down. "No, no, I just came here to see my sister. I'm glad I caught you, too, though. Come here." I had no time to react as she pulled me into a hug.

She held me in a warm embrace, her hands on rubbing at my back. After a moment, I accepted the hug, and returned it.

"Goodness, I haven't seen you in ages. How have you been, honey?" By her tone, I figured she knew the answer, already.

I stepped away from the hug, smiling back at her. "I've been really good, actually. ThankI you."

She picked up her purse, pushing it on her shoulder. "You're so welcome, honey. And, I assume you, and my nephew are quite warmed to one another since our last meeting?"

I nodded, feeling my lips perk involuntarily. "Yes, ma'am. He's been telling me bits, and pieces about your sessions." I turned around to hide the pink in my cheeks, instead opening the refrigerator door.

"I've never been so proud of someone. He's doing a lot, for you and for himself. Even Susie noticed it," I could hear the pride in her voice at the talk of her nephew. "You know, he hasn't missed a single session? I used to not see him for months at a time. At our last session, he spent half an hour just making me help him look for your Christmas presents." A chuckle followed from either of us.

My heart caved in with admiration. I grabbed a bag of pizza rolls, and a bottle of juice before shutting the door.

Smiling at her, I opened the bag. "I've been noticing his development, and it makes me so proud of him." I nodded at her. "I'm glad he has someone as good as you. Thank you for helping him."

She shrugged her shoulders, running a hand through her black locks. "I can't take all the credit, sweet girl." Her smile softened at me before she turned for the door. "It was so nice seeing you, again, but I have to go and pick up Willow."

I smiled, waving goodbye to her. "Tell her I said hello."

Caylee chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Goodness, she's going to lose it once I tell her I saw you."

After our last goodbyes, I heated up my food, and started back up the stairs. When I finally made it inside, Kade was laying on his back, his eyes to the ceiling, a hand laying across his hard stomach. Once his gaze landed on me, his eyebrows went up.

His eyes zeroed in on my bowl of pizza rolls. "You took a while."

I took a seat in between his legs, leaning into him. "I spoke to your aunt."

He said nothing, just reached for my pizza rolls. I smacked his hand away, chuckling as I put the bowl down. "You're not getting any."

The rest of the night continued on. By the time we both decided to sleep, it was nearing midnight. Kade was on my chest, his eyes shut as his chest fell in a sweet rhythm. I admired the sight, but my mind was still on Ryland.

I wasn't sure when we would talk, but it had to be soon. I didn't want him to think his opinion didn't matter to me, because it did. It always had. But, I was my own woman. I had to make my own choices, and I had to have my own beliefs and feelings.

I was happy for the first time in my life. I felt safe and content in the arms of my lover. Surely, my brother wouldn't want to take that happiness away from me. Either way, I would try to make him accept this, or at least respect it. He couldn't go around picking fights with Kade, then expect him not to react every single time.

The light from the television illuminated the room in bits and pieces. As I stared down at Kade's black strands, I felt my heart begin to beat louder in my chest with pride.

I was beyond proud of my boy.

Just as I allowed the sleep to suck me in, I felt Kade's head raise off of my chest. I kept my eyes shut as his lips feathered a small kiss near my neck.

His voice was as soft as could be, "I love you, sweetheart."