Dirty Secret (The Burke Brothers #1)(18)
Author: Emma Hart

Breathing, because I can’t when she’s around.

I feel guilty for being an asshole to her, yet I have no reason whatsoever to be nice to her for even a second. That’s the thing about being the guy who was always nice to the girl. Even when a good dose of dickhead is warranted, that guilt sneaks in, ready to tear you apart.

Ironic, given how she tore me apart.

I stalk back into the house and grab her phone.

“What’re you doin’?” she asks.

I dial my number, and when my phone rings in my pocket, I end the call. I throw the phone on the sofa next to her.

“When she wakes up, call me. You’re bringing her to my house tonight.”

“I am, huh?” She straightens.

I nod, finding her eyes. I stare her down, pinning her in place with my gaze. “Yeah, princess, you are. So make sure she’s got everything she needs. It’s about time she met her family.”

“You forget how to answer your phone, you dick?” Tate yells when I walk through the door.

“The fuck did I do now?” I look at my brothers and throw my arms out.

“This!” He shoves his phone in my face.

It’s a picture of me outside the store earlier, loading the baby gate into the car.

“Now everyone’s gonna know you have a fuckin’ kid!”

I glare at him. “She’s not my ‘fuckin’ kid,’ she’s my daughter, so start referring to her that way before I twist your balls off. And that?” I point to the phone. “Doesn’t mean a thing.”

“How they hell did they get it?” Kye asks from the corner, chewing on a Twizzler.

“Bunch of fangirls outside the store waiting for me,” I grunt. “I bet one of them took it.”

“Did they ask you who it was for?” This from Aidan.

“Yeah, and I’m not an idiot. I said it was for my friend.”

Tate sits down now, obviously appeased. “Good. We don’t need it getting out mid-tour that you have a baby.”

My eyebrows go up. “You expect me to keep her hidden for another three months?”

“It won’t be hard.” Tate shrugs. “Sofie did it for long enough.”

“And I’m not Sofie! I won’t keep her a fuckin’ secret from the world, Tate!”

“And when Marc finds out?” Aidan puts in. “Then what? He’ll chew your ass off.”

“For something that happened before he even signed us? He can fuck off.” I drop onto the sofa. “Not even he gets a say in this. When I want the world to know about Mila, they will. The only reason they don’t is because Sofie asked me not to yet.”

“Pussy-whipped again?”

“Older brother or not, Tate, I will put a muzzle on you, you asshole.” I glare at him again. “No, because she wants Mila to get to know me and the rest of you dicks before the whole world is all up in our business. And that’s fair.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “The tour will be over in three months. It won’t be hard to keep her quiet.”

“Tate, seriously, shut up,” Kye snaps. “Conner’s right. None of us get to pick when or what he decides to say about his daughter. And I’ll tell Marc where to shove it myself if I have to. Now go pull out your old Playboys and jack off that frustration before our baby brother makes good on his threat.”

I throw a pillow across the room at him. “Baby, my ass—I whupped yours last time you decided it was a good idea to wrestle.”

“He’s got a point,” Aidan agrees.

“Only because him and Tate were in the fuckin’ gym an hour before us every day.”

“Hey,” Tate throws in. “Pussies don’t win shit.”

“Gotta pull your finger out your ass and start working hard, big brother,” I tell Kye.

He flips me the bird just as Mom walks in the room.

“Good grief, you four. It’s like having a roomful of teenagers again. Will you ever grow up?” She looks at all of us with exasperated affection.

“Don’t be silly, Mom,” Tate answers. “Three of us are teenagers. It takes a real man to make a baby girl, so obviously Conner grew up.”

“Tate,” she scolds before I can tell him where to shove it. “That’s enough. One day that could be you, except you won’t know the mother of yours. Oh, yes,” she adds at his wide-eyed look. “I keep tabs on your butt, young man.”

“I’m twenty-five, Mom.”

“You’re not too old to go over my knee for a smack on the ass, boy.”

Me, Kye, and Aidan all chuckle before Mom’s menacingly blue gaze sweeps across us.

“And that goes for you three, too. I don’t care how big you think you are. You’re still my babies.” With that she looks at me and smiles sweetly. “And when will we get to meet my first grandbaby?”

“Later,” I reply. “Sofie’s coming over with her.”

Her face brightens. “Oh, good! Is she staying for dinner?”

“If you’re cooking it, she’ll stay.”

“Aren’t you supposed to ask her?” Aidan questions.

“She doesn’t get to say no anymore.”

Tate snickers. “Sounds sexy.”

Mom smacks him in the back of the head and he lets out a loud curse.

“Dammit, Mom!”

“You three—yes, you three, sitting there like butter wouldn’t melt. You listen to me. We’re all mad at Sofie, but that doesn’t mean you won’t respect her. She’s the mother of your niece and my granddaughter. One bad word from any of you, and I really will flip you over my knee. Do you understand?”

“Yeah,” they all mutter. My lips quirk.

“I didn’t hear that.”

“Yes, Mom,” they repeat, emphasis on the “Mom.”

She nods happily and goes into the kitchen to start cooking what’s likely a feast.

My lips form a full smirk as I look at them and get up. “Y’all are pussy-whipped.”

I laugh as they yell insults after me. I might be the youngest of the four of us, but I’m still the quickest.

Walk through the woods, he said. It won’t be hard, he said. I don’t want you two seen yet, he said.

Next time he can get off his fucking rock-star butt and come and push this stroller through all this crap.

I grunt and give the stroller a shove. Mila squeals in delight, hugging her bunny to her chest. It’s now, unsurprisingly, named Bunna.