Hard Brake (Wilkins Brothers Book 2)

Chapter 7

GRUFF

“You live here?” Those three words were the first that Camila’s son Nico had said directly to me since I met him in the early morning hours. I still hadn’t gotten anything out of Anna and I had a feeling that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. Anytime I was around she was surgically attached to her mom’s hip. I can’t say that I could blame her, I can only imagine what has been going on in her head since they fled her father’s abusive home.

After lunch, the kids did a little more swimming while I checked in with my brothers and then I packed up their stuff and drove them over here. My entire life savings (along with Maverick’s) were put into buying the land and this shop that we have grown into a thriving business. It might not look like much if you just drove by and saw it from the road, but to us it was everything. The garage was located up front, closest to the road. The four bays were almost always full, usually other cars parked in the overflow parking out back. On the bottom floor, there was also a small front office, my office, and the breakroom.

“I thought we could just set up a tent in the corner over there,” I motion my chin over to the corner that holds all our extra oils and fluids. Both Anna and Nico experience a bit of whiplash when they turn their heads so quickly to look up at me. Camila wraps her arms around both her kids’ shoulders and giggles. I never thought I’d consider it such a win to hear a woman laugh, but that meant her walls were coming down a bit.

“I’m pretty sure that Gruff is just teasing you two,” she looks up at me with her eyebrow cocked, “right?”

“Of course, I am. There is a full apartment upstairs where I live. Follow me.” We go through the front office and down the hallway, the last door at the end of the hallways leads to a staircase. At the top of the staircase, I swing open the door and welcome them into my place. It isn’t much, nothing to publish in Home and Garden magazine, but it is home to me. The door opens right into the combined kitchen, dining, living room area. It is a bachelor’s pad with just the important things, but everything is in good condition and clean because I’m a bit of a clean freak.

“This is not what I expected.” Camila walks in and sets Anna’s bag down on the couch and looks around. 

I shrug and follow up behind her, placing her bags down next to Anna’s. “It isn’t much, but it has everything I need. Down that hallway is where the bedrooms and bathroom are. Only one of the bedrooms had a bed in it, but my step-dad, Jet is going to drop an air mattress off.” 

I take the three of them back to the first bedroom that is empty except for some plastic totes full of business documents and then into my bedroom. It feels weird showing off my room, especially considering this morning when I woke up I was sharing the bed with Ash. I cringe at the thought, that was a fucking mistake. “So, however, you three want to split the rooms up. Girls in here and Nico can be on the air mattress or the kids in one room and you can have your own space, Camila.”

“What about you?” She turns and asks me.

“I can take the couch, wouldn’t be the first time I slept on it. Pulls out to a full bed and everything.”

“No, no. You’re inviting us into your space, I don’t feel comfortable kicking you out of your room.”

“I guess lucky for you I’m kicking myself out then, huh?” I know how this is going to go because she’s stubborn and refuses to take any handouts, so I quickly change the subject before she has a chance to say anything else. “Hey Nico, you like video games?”

“Um,” he looks at Camila to ask for permission to answer and she gives him a small nod, “Yeah, I mean, I play when I’m at my friend’s house.”