Page 17 of Navy
“Well, Derek and I wondered if they’d like to camp instead of staying in the big house?”
“It’s going to be pretty cold dude, it’s mid-October. Why don’t you maybe clean out the loft in the barn and stay in there instead?”
“That might be a better idea,” Derek agrees, walking up to us with a smile. Derek handled the running of the estate alongside Bas. He dealt mostly with the security side than anything else. He was in his early twenties, about my height, with the same dark hair, dimples, and blue eyes that Bas and I have.
“Hey, man,” I greet him, “how’s everything going?”
“It’s all good, Navy, picked them up, no problem, and got them back here.”
“Thanks man, I appreciate it.”
“Bas,” Derek tilts his chin towards our cousin.
“Derek, any issues while we were gone?”
“Nope, it’s all good,” Derek informs him. “Couple of things for tomorrow.”
“Thanks man, appreciate you staying here this weekend.”
Derek snorts a laugh, “You say that every time. It’s not a hardship looking out for you and yours.”
“You know you could always move here,” Bas says, “It’s not like we don’t have room, then you wouldn’t have to travel every day.”
Derek grins, “If I move in, will that stop you bitching?”
Bas shrugs, “Probably not.”
“Holy shit, there’s three of you,” a soft voice says from behind me.
Turning, I see Gia, mouth slightly agape staring at Bas, me, and Derek.
Walking over to her, I gently tap her chin to close her mouth. Her wide eyes meet mine before they drift over Bas and Derek and then back to me.
“There’s more of you?” she questions hesitantly.
Smiling at her confusion, taking her by her hand, I walk her over to where Bas and Derek are still standing at the vehicle to be introduced. George, long since bored, had hightailed into the house while we’d been talking.
“Gia, this is my other cousin Derek. When my grandmother started searching for someone to inherit her estate, she found Derek’s father, who, like me, had no interest in running the estate. Derek was still too young. We’re related but not closely; however, as far as we’re concerned it’s easier to just call us cousins. Derek, like me, has no interest in running the estate, but unlike me, he does his bit and is in charge of the security side. He went and got your grandmother for me last night. I’m as close to them as I am to my MC brothers. You can trust them to be there for you if needed. Derek, meet my Gia.”
Derek grins, holding out his hand for Gia to take, “Ah, the infamous wife of the hour. It’s good to meet you, love.”
“Wow,” Gia mutters softly, looking up at him with wide eyes, “seriously, you guys have some good genes in this family.”
Laughing, I haul her into my side, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
“Come on, sweets, take me to meet your gran. You can stare at his mug over dinner. We’ll eat together.”
Walking towards the house, Gia looks back over her shoulder, then back at me, shaking her head again. I got it. While Bas and I looked alike, it wasn’t as noticeable because he kept himself clean shaven and hair cropped short and stylish, whereas Derek was more like me. He preferred jeans, T-shirts, and boots, kept his hair a little too long, and wore a beard. I wasn’t too worried though because Derek would be more interested in my brothers than he would be in Gia.
CHAPTER 10
GIA
‘Holy shitting hotness,’ I thought, mentally waving a hand in my face to cool down. There were three of them. Who would have thought? They looked enough alike that they could be brothers, never mind second cousins or something like that. I’d tried to keep track when Hope explained but gave up in the end.
Gram had been thrilled to see me and have me back with her; I was happy to see she wasn’t any worse for wear given her adventures. Hetty had stayed close, and I’d never been more grateful for our cook.
“Where’s everyone?” he asked, looking around as we entered the house.