Chasing His Brother's Bride
Chasing His Brother’s Bride – Chapter 41

Brix sat in his office and glared at his stepfather. “Say that again.”

“You can’t marry her.”

“Why not?”

“She’s your sister-in-law.”

He saw Malik clench his fists from behind the sofa he’d had put in the office along with his new desk and realized his soon-to-be husband was ready to slit the throat of his stepfather. He was about to let him do it.

“Dad, let me say this to you in a way you might understand. She was not my sister-in-law. The marriage was never legal. Not ever. Val never had the marriage certificate certified. Even if he had, Jolie was married under duress with a very real gun pointed at her head during the ceremony. In my brother’s hidden compartment in his nightstand, along with a solid stash of coke, we found a USB. It seems my brother liked to video s**t around his apartment but kept this little one specially hidden. Dad finally got around to looking at it, last night and it was of all things a video of their ceremony. Would you like to watch it?” He saw his stepfather swallow, “Dad couldn’t. He told me he puked when he got to the part where instead of sealing their vows with a k**s, Val put Jolie on her knees and forced his d**k down her throat while Chiara watched on with a smirk. Dad couldn’t watch it and had to look away. Now we both know there isn’t much which turns his stomach and therefore I’m guessing it’s not anything you would be able to stomach.” He held the man’s stare with a cold one of his own, “do not tell me you feel with all of your ethics and morals you like to tote you feel it was a blessed union sanctified by God.”

He shook his head, “no. I didn’t know all of this.”

“No. You don’t know. You don’t know f**k all, Dad, because there are things you don’t need to know because they don’t concern you. You have no more right to what happens in my marriage and my bedroom as I do to know what happens in yours. I will warn you for the last time, you will treat my wife with the respect she deserves or you won’t see me again.”

“Brixton,” Will protested, “you’re going overboard for a woman you barely know. Since you’ve met her, you are not acting rationally. You have known her a week. A week. It is not enough time to gauge whether she is a good person or not.”

“Really? I’ve known my mother my entire life and I always thought she was a good person until she verbally accosted a five-year-old last night and made her cry. Threatened to spank her if Pia called me daddy. I’m going to go on a limb and say the length of time one knows a person doesn’t necessarily confirm whether they are a good soul.”

“Brixton,” he started again.

Brix cleared his throat and glared, “once more. Argue with me once more and see what I do.” When Will opened his mouth he spoke quietly yet harshly, “one more word from you on my wife, my life, my marriage, the way I run this business, or anything else which does not concern you and I will take this company and I will chop it up into little pieces and sell it off to the lowest seller. Last night Dad officially retired and named me head of the Cacciola family. A bulletin was sent out this morning. I promise you, I have enough with his businesses to keep me busy for a millennia. As much as I love doing what I do, I have no need for it. I do it because I want to. I have no problem getting rid of it.”

Will sighed loudly, “can we at least talk to you about this punishment you’re making your mother go through?”

“Seriously? She threatened my child!”

“Technically,”

“Say it.” Malik finally snapped behind. “f*****g say it Will. Say she isn’t Brix’s daughter. Give me an excuse.”

“What are you angry for Malik?” Will looked over his shoulder and looked at him. “Considering the show, you put on last night for Flavia’s benefit, I would think you’d be as angry as we are for Brix to take on this joke of a marriage and family.”

Malik shook his head, “here’s the thing Will. I’ll never deny how I feel for Brix or what I would do to support him. But the woman and child you are shooting your mouth off are as much mine as his. You,” Malik rounded the desk, “took on the responsibility of a child who wasn’t yours.” He saw Will’s head snap back in surprise as Malik stood behind Brix and put his hand on his shoulder. “Are you going to stand there and say unless she is b***d, she isn’t family? If this is the case, then Brix can’t be your son as you proclaim him to be.”

Will’s mouth opened and shut before he g*****d, closed his eyes, and threw his hands up, “you win. I give up. I told your mother I’d try but I made the same freaking argument to her last night and this morning. If I had to argue Pia wasn’t your biological child so you should forsake her, then I would have to admit I don’t believe you to be mine and,” he sighed, opened his eyes and met Brix’ gaze directly, “you are mine as much as you are Elio’s. I might replace it weird and odd you two are going to share a bride but after talking with the staff here in the building and seeing her with Pia at the house, Jolie’s a great woman. I think you’re rushing things but knowing your brother made enemies means it has to happen.”

Brix gave a single shake of the head. “I knew she put you up to this.”

“Told me I can’t have s*x again until you forgive her. I see a lot of cold showers in my future.”

“I did not need to know,” Brix rubbed his nose in disgust.

“I’m going to take your mom on vacation in Europe after she finishes Keely’s sensitivity training.” He grinned suddenly, “I went through it this morning with Keely. Took me an hour. Your mom has to repeat it. Keely makes your mom uncomfortable. Your mom thinks because she’s gay, it means she wants to sleep with her. I tried to explain to your mom lesbians don’t automatically want every woman in their proximity but your mother doesn’t like the way Keely looks at her.”

“Pretty sure the only way Keely looks at Flavia is with loathing,” Malik grunted. “Since the time Flavia brought her a bible and told her to repent for her sins lest she go to hell, Keely isn’t a fan.”

Will grimaced, “I love my wife but her prejudice is getting worse as she gets older. I hope Keely can educate her even a fraction more than she is now.”

“You’re going to take her to Europe?” Brix asked curiously with a glint in his eye. “Take her to Mykonos in Greece. It’s one of Keely’s favorite places to visit.”

Will laughed, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “I might but,” he rose from his seated position, “I need to make her understand how far she crossed the line with the child. Regardless of her thoughts on Jolie, Brix, I’m with you on the threat of spanking Pia. I want her to go to therapy. When I was working, I didn’t see how much she was fixated on you and your relationships but for the last two years since I retired Brix, it’s been eye-opening. Did you know she keeps a scrapbook of the women you are photographed with and she rates them from zero to a hundred on whether she approves?”

Brix leaned backwards in horror. “She does not.”

“She wakes up every morning, turns her phone on and scans the tabloids and news outlets for stories about her baby boy. I know last week she got the contact information for one of them she liked the look of, called her and told her you were ready to settle down.”

Brix and Malik exchanged a glance. Honey.

“Why am I only hearing about this now?” he glared at Will.

“Because until now she wasn’t causing anyone any harm. She went too far. I want her to talk to a therapist.”

“If you need help replaceing an appropriate counselor,” he offered his help.

“I’ll reach out. For now, I’ll take her home and convince her to come away with me on a trip.” He held his arms out and Brix got up from the desk and moved to hug his stepfather. The man hugged him tight and patted his back. “I love you Brixton. You are a good man. I wish I could be there today to watch you get married. You take care of each other,” he looked to Malik, “the three of you take care of each other.”

“We will,” Brix hugged him back tightly. “Love you too, Dad. Keep me updated on Mom but I meant what I said last night. She can’t directly contact me or my family for a minimum of twelve months.”

“I will make sure she understands the severity of her actions.” He hugged him one last time and with one final pat on the back he left the office closing the door with a click behind him.

“I thought I was going to have to put a bullet in his head.”

“I knew mom was behind it.”

“Who knew she was stalking you online? And calling Honey?”

“Honey has been posting about her newfound virginity online. Mom probably saw it and misunderstood it’s surgically created.” Brix looked to his watch.

“We have ninety minutes before we have to be at the courthouse.” Malik grinned, “are you excited?”

“Are you?” Brix asked him.

“Yes. Did you see her last night?” Malik exhaled loudly. “I have never been more turned on in my life than watching her. All we did was k**s her and she came. The thought we get to have her for life is making me need my third cold shower for the day.”

Brix cleared his throat with the memory, “I woke up so hard this morning it hurt.” He took his seat again behind the desk. “I was worried we pushed her too hard and took it too far and then she turned around and told me I owed her.” A laugh escaped his chest with the memory.

“Where did her idea come from?” Malik asked him as he took a seat opposite his desk. “Threw me for a loop.”

Brix laughed, “it came from you, fool. You made her think when you distracted me on Monday during my call from Will it was a hot k**s with a bunch of tongue. I corrected her and she was heartily disappointed. She really wanted to watch us make out.”

Malik laughed, “our little wifey is going to make our lives interesting.” Malik met Brix’s wide smile. “Thank you, Brix.”

“Malik,” Brix leaned on his desk, “you say all the time you know me better than I know myself but it works both ways. I know you. You’ve been watching her since the moment we picked her up last Friday. You can’t take your eyes off her. As much as I touch her, so do you. There was no way I could be with her and know it would cause you to be hurt.” Malik opened his mouth and Brix stopped him, “Malik, you have it bad for her and it’s hit you harder than Melina Smith on the first day of fifth grade when you had your first boner for a girl.”

“It was her go-bag,” Malik admitted wryly. “As beautiful as she is, and she is gorgeous with those eyes, lips and h**s, her zest, her desire to live and her giant f**k you to the Cacciola family, does me in. She is strategic and thoughtful and when she asked me to put her passports back in the bag and pretend, I didn’t see it, I could see how she was ready to do whatever it took to make it to the next day. She’s a survivor Brix. She’s so f*****g strong.”

Brix nodded, “for me it was when she attacked Dad.”

Malik chuckled.

“She has a fire in her. Dad called her weak and she almost jumped him and told him off like he was the dirt beneath her shoes. I know strangers who wouldn’t recognize Dad or know him from a hole in the wall and yet can’t look him in the eyes because he’s scary as f**k. She knows who he is. Knows what we do and what we are capable of and she didn’t give a single s**t. I struggled to hold her back. At first, I thought it was simply admiration but it’s more. All I want is to take the fire and passion in her and watch her set the world aflame.”

“We have to be careful, Brix.” Malik said quietly. “She is strong and she’s a survivor but I don’t want her to be in survival mode between us. I want to see her come alive and be the true version of who she could be, just as you do but we need to tread carefully. I don’t ever want to look at her and replace she’s been with us because she’s doing what she has to in order to make it until tomorrow.”

“I agree,” Brix said. “Last night was incredible but it’s as far as we go with her until she asks for more. I want her so comfortable with us she asks for us to f**k her.”

Malik nodded his agreement. “She’s too special Brix. The thing I fear most is her freezing up or falling apart. I almost didn’t want to speak last night in case I said words which trigger her.”

“I had the same worry. My voice, especially speaking Italian, is like Dad’s and I know I look like the a*****e who was Val. I’m terrified to speak and send her to a dark place.”

“She said she doesn’t see him in you and I believe her,” Malik said seriously. “If anything, if we trigger her, it’s going to be a phrase or words he used with her when he assaulted her.”

Brix was quiet for a moment and then he spoke quietly, “it’s why I said before we’ll have to rely on each other to watch her when we’re intimate with her Malik. If one of us is getting caught up, one of us has to be making sure she is not flaking on us.”

“I know,” he chuckled. “Poor girl thinks we’re both raging jealous assholes not wanting the other to f**k her alone and really we’re both simply a pair of men who worried we’re going to rail her so hard we hurt her by missing her cues.” He grinned, “though I am known to be a bit of a jealous a*****e so it does serve two purposes.”

A few seconds later Malik spoke again, “did you get a chance to tell her about tonight?”

“Not yet, but we can tell her together.”

“Great. Is this what marriage will be like?”

Brix laughed at his words. “The good and the bad.”

Keely knocked on the door and poked her head in, interrupting their conversation. “Got a message from downstairs your car is ready. Jolie was pacing holes in the floor down there.” Keely grinned broadly, “we’re coming by the way, me, and Opal.”

“We’re literally going to the courthouse, seeing the cleric and coming back to the office,” Brix frowned at her.

“Are you though?” Keely made wide eyes.

“What did you do Keely?” Brix stood up from his desk and grabbed his coat.

“I arranged a luncheon to celebrate. I made sure to do it while your mom was redoing her sensitivity training and heard me excitedly talking to Opal about making sure this is the best day ever.” Keely clapped her hands excitedly.

As Keely bounced away singing “best day ever” Brix watched his PA and found himself strangely agreeing. It had the making of the best day ever.