Chapter 10 - Unbroken
Later that afternoon, after the bakery doors were locked and the last tray was washed, I walked out onto the back patio where the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant shades of amber and violet.
Maya was sitting at one of the iron tables, happily finishing her homework while sketching a picture of a massive castle guarded by five fierce, armored knights.
The front gate chimed softly as my brothers walked up the stone pathway, carrying takeout bags from our favorite Italian restaurant in the city.
“How’s the baker of the year?” Kane asked, tossing his car keys in the air and catching them as he walked over to kiss the top of my head.
“Exhausted,” I smiled, sinking into one of the chairs. “And completely happy.”
Jax pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider, popping the cork with a festive ‘pop’ that made Maya giggle. He poured six glasses, handing one to me, one to Maya, and passing the rest out to Kane, Beckett, Vance, and Cole.
“To new beginnings,” Jax toasted, raising his glass high.
“To unbreakable families,” Cole added, clinking his glass against mine.
I took a sip of the sweet, crisp cider, looking around the patio that had once been a prison of fear and intimidation. It was now a home filled with light, laughter, and unconditional love.
Marcus was rotting in a federal prison cell, forgotten by the high-society world he had worshiped, stripped of every dime and every illusion of power he had ever claimed. Chloe was scrubbing floors somewhere out west, anonymous and broke.
And we were right here—unbroken, unbowed, and completely unstoppable.
Maya ran over, leaning against my knee, holding up her drawing of the castle and the five knights.
“Mommy, look! I finished it. That’s us.”
May you like
I looked down at the drawing, tracing the lines of the protective knights standing tall around the castle walls.
“It’s perfect, baby,” I whispered, pulling my daughter close against my chest as my brothers laughed and raised their glasses to the setting sun. “It’s the safest castle in the world.”
