Blake, Abby - Mikayla's Family [A Bride for Eight Brothers 6] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Read Online Free PDF Page B

smiled with obvious relief.
    Mikayla heard a deep chuckle come from Matt. “Is it any wonder that we all fell so hard for this woman?”
    Bryce looked straight at her and simply smiled.

    * * * *

    Matt held his wife through most of the night. They’d been through a lot of scary situations in the past few years, but none had been specifically targeted at Mikayla. Even on the ice planet the where the danger had been clearer, Mikayla hadn’t been the focus. Perhaps it was that small difference that made Matt feel so inadequate now. Despite his improved skills with a weapon, he felt very grateful for Bryce’s history. If anyone knew how a criminal’s mind worked it would be Bryce.
    “We’ll keep her safe,” Bryce said quietly, proving once again that he knew Matt probably better than he knew himself. Matt hadn’t even realized his twin was still awake.
    “I can’t imagine a life without her,” Matt said in a tight voice.
    “We don’t have to,” Bryce said confidently.
    Again Matt found himself thanking the circumstances, and the woman in their arms, for bringing him and his twin back together. Trying to live his life while believing his twin was a cold-blooded murderer had been a horrible experience, and he knew that whatever happened in the future he would trust his brother’s judgment.
    He snuggled closer to the woman he loved and silently thanked the circumstances that had brought them together.

    * * * *

    Mikayla glanced around the sparsely furnished room. It felt strange to be inside the station once more. For so long this space had been her entire world. On the ice planet she hadn’t even stepped foot out the door. The jungle and desert planets had been a little more hospitable in a weather sense, but had both held dangers that had kept her inside the safety of these walls for most of the time.
    When they’d moved to Earth, she’d been a little worried about leaving behind the place that had felt like her first real home, but the farm had been a rather easy adjustment. Together, Mikayla and Tracey wandered into the kitchen and sighed almost in unison. The kitchen in the farmhouse was huge, well equipped, and completely modern despite the façade of old-world charm.
    “I wonder how hard it would be to swap this kitchen for your other one,” Tracey mused out loud.
    Mikayla smiled. “Already asked and answered,” she said with an exaggerated pout. “I got a big fat no.” They both laughed softly at their silly banter. Mikayla had no real plans to pull apart her perfect kitchen, but it was nice to dream of better cooking facilities than what the research station offered. “Maybe if we close our eyes, we can pretend we’re still in the farmhouse.”
    Tracey made a show of glancing around the room. “Um…no.”
    They both giggled again, and Mikayla felt very grateful that Tracey was here. A part of her realized that it would’ve been far easier for their respective husbands to hide them separately, so she was particularly grateful that Tracey was here and that they weren’t each facing this alone.
    They both fell silent, despair seeping into Mikayla’s mind as the reality of their situation began to sink in.
    “I’m scared,” Tracey whispered almost silently.
    Mikayla nodded, a silent confirmation that she knew how Tracey felt. She had no idea what to say and no way to make the situation better, so they both sat in silence.
    “There’s my favorite girl,” Ryan said with a mischievous smile on his face. Ashton was behind him wearing an almost identical grin.
    “Favorite?” Mikayla asked with an exaggerated pout, very relieved to have a distraction.
    “Did I say favorite?” Ryan asked even as his grin widened. “Of course I meant my one, my only, the keeper of my heart.”
    “That’s better.” She dropped her hands to her hips, pretending exasperation, but Ryan merely dipped low, lifted her into the cradle of his arms, and pressed his mouth hard against hers. Words were lost as he