DONOVAN (Book Three)

EIGHT

I follow Effie behind as a shield to cover myself from all the curious eyes. Looking to my left, then to my right.

It's hard to conceal something embarrassing when too many people are around. I hug my naked stomach with one arm while Effie drags the other as she pulls me to the group.

I was too afraid to look up, but without hesitation, I did and caught Don's eyes on me and wasn't sure what the blank expression he had on meant.

Somehow I feel disappointed he looks at me that way.

Get a grip, Claire; it's obvious he doesn't have that sort of unusual feeling as you do towards him.

Effie let go of my hand and went to Logan with Zara in his arms, giving each other a passionate kiss, then planting a motherly kiss on their daughter.

"Ate CJ is here!" Effie announces to the group.

"Wow, CJ, you look hot," says Jordan. "For someone who hides that body, sure missing out, especially who is a mom."

"There are lots of hot moms out there, Jo," Liam says, and chugs on his cup, then pulls Lily close to his side. "Just like my baby mama. Looking fine as ever after she gave birth to Rambo."

Lily blush and lightly slap his face as he laughs.

"She's not the only hot baby mama," Logan argues, Effie sitting on his lap.

"Yeah, not the only one," Rex added, sitting beside his brother.

"If I were to get pregnant again, will you still love me if I have a little bit of chubbiness?" she asks Rex looking at him.

I look to Odin, holding baby Jacob in one hand, Zara in the other, and Lily's grandmother having Rambo. Leo is with them, watching over the little ones as the eldest kid in the group. Seeing Leo with his cousins made me smile and feel more relaxed. Then memories of the past started to show in my

"CJ, want to drink?" Thea holds a cup up to me.

I shake my head. "No, I don't drink."

"Come on, let a little loose."

This time I'm being hesitant and look back at Leo.

"Don't worry about Leo and the kids; they are safe with Odin and Birdie."

I looked again and saw my son smiling and laughing with good people. I started to bite my lower lip. He is safe. Everyone here is to going to hurt him.

"Thea, if CJ doesn't want to drink, don't force her."

Both eyes went wide as I looked at the person who said that. Don, sitting there looking magnificent and smoking hot without a shirt, I think I will faint if I don't look away.

"Don, always the mother hen. CJ will be fine. It's not like she's going to drink anywhere."

"You're pressuring your cousin to drink," Don says with concern. "Just let her make a choice."

"Yeah, babe, leave your cousin alone." Rex intercept. "Besides, I don't mind if she doesn't drink."

I watch my cousin pout at Rex and then sign, looking back at me. "Fine, but later you and I are going dancing."

Dancing?

Oh no.

"Ah," she stopped me before I said a word to prevent another decline. "You can't say no to this."

I gave her the puppy eye of begging. "Please, I don't want to dance."

"Why not? You're good at dancing."

"You are going to lie about that."

"Come on; it's not that bad."

"Not that bad. Do you remember when we pretended to be the Spice Girls and danced to their Wanna Be song?"

"Yes, I remembered," Thea says with a grin.

"You dance, Thea?" Seth chuckled as my cousin snarled at him.

"As you know, I'm a terrific dancer."

"If you call shaking your ass while cooking my breakfast every day dancing, then I rather go hungry," Ares says and groans, making everybody laugh.

"Your just jealous, little brother," Thea huffed. "If I recall, you used to be a dance crew; what's the name again..."

"Thea," Ares let out a warning tone. "Don't. You. Dare."

She smirks, letting out her mischievous grin. "You remembered, right, little brother."

"Remembered what?" Coming from Liam, who looks back at Ares and then at Thea.

Jordan has her back turned, but her body is shaking.

Effie's mouth is pinched tight, and Logan sitting beside her, is curious.

"I'm confused, Thea," I say to her.

"Oh, that's right. You didn't know, cousin." Her voice chance to something sinister I'm starting to feel bad for Ares. "This was after you went back to London. Two years after."

"Thea," Ares growled in his tone. "Shut up, Jo."

"What happened?" I ask and am curious as to why Ares is acting this way.

"Well..."

"Thea, don't."

But that didn't stop her.

"Ares got into a fight in middle school, and our dad found out, and the way to punish him was to make him join an extracurricular activity instead of detention every Saturday."

"What did your dad make him do?" Ask Logan.

"Thea, stop, please!" Ares exclaims at his sister, preventing something he doesn't want to hear. He reached towards her to cover her mouth but couldn't because she had him in a chokehold.

"Dad made Ares join ballet, and you wouldn't believe a fourteen-year-old boy wearing pantyhose prancing around on his tiptoes." Thea laugh. "Ares was a pretty little swan."

The group laugh made Ares turn bright red in embarrassment. It wasn't nice to make fun of him, but I, too, laughed.

"You're a bitch, Thea. I hate you."

"Love you too, little brother."

He frees himself from her choke hold and snarls at his older sister. "That was the most embarrassing thing in my life. All my friends made fun of me and wouldn't shut up. The girls I used to fucked laughed. I had to hide from everyone for the whole month."

"Well, you should learn your lesson. You always get into fights, and Dad wanted to teach you a lesson."

"You get into fights too. Why am I always punished?"

"Believe me, brother. I do get punished. You know Mom's way of punishing us."

"Oh," Ares shiver. "Yeah, Mom is a whole other level." Then he looks at Effie. "You are so lucky you don't get to experience the beating from Mom."

"Yeah, because she was the baby and a miracle child."

The older Reid siblings gave their full attention to the youngest Reid.

"Why are you all ganging on a pregnant girl?"

"Because you're a spoiled little princess," Thea and Ares say in unison.

Effie stares blankly at her older siblings, and everyone, including me, laughs.

While I laugh, I felt eyes on me for some time now. I turn to look at the person. Don was the person. He smiles and raises his beer bottle. I had a cup of Coke and did the same.

It feels great to be surrounded by family and friends. It's a different feeling back in London. Everyone I know is a snob. They always talk about business or expensive brands. There is nothing else to talk about. I would mention camping in the mountains or having a picnic, but they all look at me dumbfounded. I felt out of place when I'm with friends in London. But here, I feel at home.