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“I feel so proud,” West said gruffly.
“Since when did you start talking so much,” Tanner grumbled.
“Babies need words,” West replied. “Helps with their development.”
Damn. That was sweet. He didn’t look like a man who cared about a baby’s development, but he obviously adored his son and wife.
“I can get up and down the stairs and dressed and showered alone.”
“Definitely stubborn,” Alec said.
“I am not!” It suddenly occurred to her that she was basically arguing with these men without a single concern that they might get upset with her. That they might hurt her or, worse, someone close to her.
On some level, she trusted them. Or trusted Tanner enough to trust that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.
She glanced up at him in wonder.
“What is it, pretty girl?” he asked, cupping the side of her face.
“You wouldn’t let anyone hurt me, would you?”
Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “No, baby. Never.”
“Right. Shall we talk about where we’re at, then,” Alec said.
“Please,” she replied.
“We were worried that Stefan would know about us, that he might think that Ryleigh would come to us.”
“It’s why we didn’t do that straight away,” she said. “And also, we weren’t sure that you were the type of men who’d want anything to do with us. No offense.”
“You were right to be cautious, Lilac,” Alec told her. “And I want to reiterate something before we keep going.”
“Yes?” she asked cautiously.
“That we can never thank you enough for keeping our sister and nephew safe. And thank you for keeping yourself safe too.”
Oh, dear Lord.
She was about to cry.
“I don’t know if I did that good of a job, but I did the best I could.”
“You did perfectly,” Alec told her. “We might wish you’d taken better care of your health. But you have Tanner to do that now.”
Yikes. Okay, yeah. She got it. She needed to let Tanner help her.
“Now, like I said, we figured that our father might have told Stefan about Ryleigh having brothers.”
“It’s possible,” she said.
“Ryleigh said that she used her mother’s last name, Reynolds. And that our father was going by the name Thomas Sanders, so we’re hoping Stefan didn’t know about us, or if he did, he doesn’t know our names.”
“I think that might be a stretch to hope for that,” she said. “Stefan has a way of ferreting out secrets. I was so certain he was going to catch on to what I was doing. I knew I had to act normal, but it was nearly impossible. With Stefan, it’s always best to prepare for the worst. Ryleigh told me I was being a pessimist. She wanted to come to you guys straight away. But I knew it was safer to keep our distance. For you and us. I wouldn’t have come here if we weren’t desperate. But keeping Kye safe . . . it was more than I thought I was capable of.”
“You did the right thing,” Tanner told her.
Alec nodded. “You’re where you’re meant to be.”
