Blake, Abby - Mikayla's Family [A Bride for Eight Brothers 6] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Read Online Free Page B

“Thirteen. Lucky we’re not superstitious.”
    “Actually,” Tony said with the first genuine grin any of them had worn today, “technically it’s fourteen. Tracey’s pregnant.”
    Peter smiled at the happy news and offered Rick, Tony, and Ashton his congratulations. Despite the fact that Mikayla hadn’t yet gotten pregnant, he knew that his wife would be very pleased for her friend. Hopefully, the good news would help lift the mood tonight at the dinner table.

    * * * *

    Mikayla smirked at the feigned disgruntled expression on Tracey’s face. As soon as she’d broken the news of her pregnancy, Mikayla had relegated her to a kitchen stool and taken over the preparations for dinner. Cooking for nine wasn’t all that different to cooking for thirteen—well, thirteen and a half—so Mikayla was quite happy to do the work herself.
    Despite her assurances, Tracey looked tired. It had probably been a long couple of days. Between the pregnancy, the news of Jet’s release, and the obvious conspiracy to let Tracey be the one to tell Mikayla the news, it was a wonder the woman could stand up.
    “Why you?” Mikayla asked impulsively.
    Tracey didn’t even try to deny that she knew what Mikayla was asking. “I volunteered.” She shrugged. “I know how hard you try not to lean on your husbands—so do they, by the way—and between us we decided that at least by hearing the news from me, it would give you a chance to react before you plaster on your brave face.”
    Mikayla wasn’t really sure how she felt about all of that. She worked hard to be a strong and capable wife so that they wouldn’t hide things from her, yet they ended up doing it because they felt she was too strong, too capable? Sheesh. Having eight husbands certainly had its downside.
    “Don’t,” Tracey said with a finger pointed in Mikayla’s direction. “I understand how hard it is to deal with overprotective husbands, and I know that it’s necessary for our sanity not to be treated as fragile.” A crooked smile curved her face. “But in this case I feel that they did the right thing. If they’d told you last night, would it have made a difference?”
    “Probably,” Mikayla conceded. It was easy to be angry at them for not telling her, but she couldn’t deny that with Tracey she felt safe to let her fear show without worrying that she’d end up wrapped her in cotton wool.
    “They adore you, Mikayla. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to let them spoil you now and then.”
    Mikayla grinned at Tracey’s attempt to keep a straight face. “Which one of them told you to tell me that?”
    Tracey laughed. “Um…all of them.”
    But even as they laughed at the words, Mikayla realized that the one thing all of her husbands had in common was their protective streaks. Even though it was important for Mikayla to feel independent, it was just as important for her men to know that they were guarding her. Maybe she could consider relaxing her restraint just a little. She certainly didn’t want to end up as some weak-willed, pathetic crybaby, but she did understand her husbands’ need. After all, she was just as protective as they were.

    * * * *

    John was starting to second-guess their decision to settle back on Earth. Before they’d purchased the farm, they’d all carefully weighed up the pros and cons—Bryce’s history as an undercover officer for the drug enforcement agency, Mikayla’s involvement in a court case when she was seventeen, even the closer proximity to Jessie Evans—and had decided as a family that, with a few extra precautions, they would be safe on Earth. They hadn’t even considered the possibility of Jet Killarney being released from prison or the chance of him seeking revenge.
    It had been so far outside the realms of possibility that none of them had even considered it as a threat. But as Rick, Tony, and Ashton had just spent the last hour explaining, money made a lot of things happen. Especially when they were talking the