Win leaned in. “What happened to you?”
“Mom happened. Dad happened.” Vitriolic mother and cold, distant dad hadn’t made for the best childhood. “But you happened, too, Winter.”
“What are you trying to say?”
She looked at her big brother. He’d been twelve when she’d been born, and from what she could tell, he’d already been looking out for their brothers, keeping them together when all the odds had been against them. “Why didn’t you move out when Dad cut you off? Why did you stay and pay him rent?”
Win turned his head, staring off into the distance. “My trust kicked in at eighteen. I had plenty of money, and I was comfortable staying where I was.”
“No, you weren’t. You could have gone to college anywhere in the world. You could have walked right out of that house and had your own place. You could have partied like a rock star.”
“I was never a big partier.”
Because he’d had a family to raise. Georgia turned her face up to the sun, letting it warm her as much as the truth warmed her. It was so easy to see now. She’d wasted years playing at being the poor little rich girl when she’d been given everything she’d needed. It hadn’t come in a perfect package, but her family had been there all the same. “I’ve spent years being angry that I didn’t have a dad. I need to apologize for that.”
Win sighed. “Georgie, we were all in the same boat. Dad was a bastard. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Oh, yes, I do because never once did I acknowledge just how well I was raised. You were the best dad I could have hoped for, Win. I love you so much.”
He could have walked away and no one would have blamed him. He’d been a child trying to fill a man’s shoes and doing the best he could. He’d been the one to keep his brothers in line. He’d been the one to make sure they had the things they needed. Win had taught her what it really meant to love someone. It meant standing with them, fighting beside them—sometimes even fighting them. Win had done the one thing a true father always did—he’d stayed. He’d done whatever he had to do to stay involved in her life.
Her brother squeezed her hand, his face flushed. She’d never seen him so emotional, but he was Win and it was gone in a flash, replaced with pure Dawson calculation. “I love you, too, Georgie. That’s why I’m taking you home with me.”
She stood up, a sense of peace invading her bones. If Logan had lied to Seth, then he’d had a reason. He’d very likely been ashamed, but the time for that was over. They were going to be a family, and there was no room for secrets or anything so useless as shame. He’d made a mistake. He’d cleaned up his act. They were moving on.
“I’m sorry, Win, but I’m not a kid anymore. I’m staying here and I’m fighting for what I want. I love Logan. I love Seth. This is my life, and I’m taking charge of it. No more calls to you or Ben. No more screwing up to get attention. No more throwing fits. I’m going to make you proud of me and that starts by telling you that if you try to come between me and my men, we’re going to have trouble. This is my relationship and my life and I want you in it more than anything, but Logan Green is my Dom and he’s going to be my husband whether he knows it or not. Because I’m a Dawson and we fight for the people we love. We never give up. My big brother taught me that.”
“Georgia, are you sure?”
She’d never been more sure of anything. She’d loved Logan Green from the moment she saw him, and whatever he was going through, they would get through it together—with Seth. “Promise you’ll give me away at my wedding.”
Win reached for her hand, squeezing it tight. “He better be worthy of you. If he’s not, if either one of them steps out of line, they should know that you have five brothers willing to kill them. And by kill, I mean take the maximum amount of pain before they’re no longer breathing.”
“He’s already been there, Win. He’s tougher than he thinks, and he’s going to pull through. We’re going to be a family, and I think that means spending a lot of time here.” It wasn’t so bad. She was starting to become rather attached to the community. “I hope you’ll visit. Whether it’s New York or here or California, I’m always going to want to see my big brother.”
Win turned, not watching her, but keeping his eyes on the road. “Ben and Chase are happy. Now you’re happy, too. I think Mark and Drew are just going to form a ménage with their assault rifles and live happily ever after that way. I’ll be honest, Georgie, I’m not sure what to do. This has been my life for so long.”
“You’re going to find a new one, and our brothers and I will stand right beside you.” She couldn’t think of anyone who deserved a happy ending more than Win. She felt her face light up because she’d just had the absolute best idea ever.
“Oh, god. What are you going to do?” Win practically backed off the bench. “That is the scariest look I’ve ever seen on your face.”
She just smiled and shook her head. “I’m going to make it my mission to find you a girl.”
“No. No. No. I can find my own sub. No. No. Georgia, if you ever loved me, don’t start setting me up.” He stood, holding his hands up. “I give up. I’ll take you to the cabin. I’ll pay for your wedding. Anything you want as long as you don’t start setting me up.”
It looked like everyone was a little afraid of her today, and that was a good thing. She gave him her most harmless smile because she was already thinking about who she could set him up with. Yes, this was a worthy project. “I will totally take a ride, but I make no promises.”
Only the best for her big brother. It was time she started to pay him back.
And it was definitely time to let her men know the score.
“My car’s in the parking lot.” He shook his head as he looked down at her and then ran a hand across her head the way he had when she was a kid. “You turned out okay, Georgie.”
He started walking, dragging her along because he was so damn tall. She had to admit that keeping up with him was easier when she wasn’t wearing five-inch heels. She just had to jog a little.
And he would look so good with Naomi. Georgia nearly sighed at the thought. Naomi had gorgeous coffee-colored skin and huge brown eyes. She was curvy just the way Win liked his women. Win never went for the skinny type. Oh no, he liked his women solid, and she’d heard him talking about his deep love for a truly curvy ass. Naomi’s had been round.
And they would have the most gorgeous biracial babies ever. She could already see her nieces and nephews. Oh, she would be such a good aunt.
“Georgia, seriously, you’re scaring me. No setups,” Win said as they rounded the corner.
“But I already have you married with two point three kids,” she admitted.
“No.” He started to say something else, but then a little pinging sound hit the air, and Georgia watched in complete horror as her brother’s perfectly white shirt bloomed with blood.
“Run, Georgia,” he managed to say.
“Win!”
He fell to his knees, his hand over his chest. Georgia dropped to the ground, trying to think of any way to save her brother. He couldn’t die. Win was too big to die, too strong and powerful.
God, he couldn’t die.
“I wouldn’t run if I were you, Miss Dawson.” A tall man in a dark suit stepped out from behind an SUV. He held a gun with a silencer on it. “I don’t think I got his heart. I could try again. I’m not the best shot in the world, but I doubt I would miss at this range.” He shrugged. “And if I do, my friends will be happy to fix the situation.”
She was suddenly surrounded by men. She counted seven of them and they all had weapons.
“I won’t run.” She wouldn’t leave her brother behind. “What do you want with me?”