A Very Holland Valentine: Holland Brothers 6 (8 page)

"Pretty boy… begged to suck my cock. Then got me fired. You wanna suck my dick?" The leer on the man's face had Brian shuddering in revulsion. The grip tightened on Brian's arm and he knew the man was about to yank him close. No way in hell did Brian want to get any closer to this guy than he already was, as it stood, he was going to want to shower as soon as he got home.

"I don't think so, asshole," Brian said.

He was just thankful that the arm the man had a hold of was not the one he was carrying the heavy tins of apricot nectar in. He tightened the grip on his shopping bag, pulled his free arm back, and swung with all his might.

The man was stunned for all of two seconds as the shopping bag full of heavy tins came barrelling into him, and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground. As soon as he'd been hit, the man's grip on Brian's arm let go. Brian hightailed it away from him and to his car, where he fumbled to get his keys, his heart beating a million miles a minute. He probably shouldn't have hit the guy in the head, but he didn't think a tap on the shoulder would have worked.

As soon as Brian was locked inside his car, he looked in the mirror and saw the man still lying in the car pack. As much as he wanted to start the car and drive away, leaving the man, he couldn't do it. Brian pulled his phone from his pocket and called his mate. Marcus would know what to do.

Chapter Four

Jake sat in his office on the day before Valentine's Day with Alex, Marcus, and Simon opposite him in client chairs. They had all taken time out of their lunch breaks to come over and finalise plans for the following day.

"How's the flower and chocolate delivery going, Marcus?" Jake asked. The fact that Marcus's mate co-owned the best florist in town made things a little difficult in situations like these.

"Sarah called me this morning. Everything is set to go, not a single rose in sight for any of our orders and Brian doesn't have a clue." Marcus grinned widely at pulling a fast one over on his mate. Sarah had been all too happy to help them out.

Jake wasn't sure about the no-roses option, Valentine's Day usually meant roses in abundance, but listening to Brian complain every year about the predictability of man when it came to flowers at Valentine's, they'd all decided to finally heed the man's advice. If Patrick didn't like it, Jake could always go back to roses next year.

"So, Alex and Marcus, you're both planning on taking your men out to dinner, right?"

Alex nodded.

"Yes," Marcus agreed.

"And Maryanne and Joe have agreed to have all the kids for a sleepover?"

"Yep, they're being dropped of tomorrow afternoon. Mum can't think of a better expression of her love for Dad than being surrounded by all her grandcubs tomorrow." Alex chuckled. "Not sure Dad completely agrees, but he'll go along with whatever Mum wants. He always has."

The other brothers nodded their agreement. Jake hadn't grown up in the house, but being Alex's best friend, he was there often enough to know that that the Alpha was correct. Joe worshiped the ground Maryanne walked on and gave his wife practically anything she ever asked for.

"How's Zack today?" Jake asked Simon.

Simon smiled indulgently at the mention of his mate. Jack couldn't blame him. Jake knew he did the exact same thing whenever anyone mentioned Patrick to him.

"He's tired, sleeping a great deal, and sick of being confined to bed. With Mum hovering, though, he doesn't dare to get out of bed for longer than it takes to make it to the bathroom and back again. She'd skin him alive if she caught him." Simon sighed. "I didn't think being pregnant would be this hard on my mate. I hate seeing him like this."

"How are your plans coming for tomorrow night?" Alex asked. "You'll have the entire house to yourself."

"It's a little hard to set something up with my mate being confined to our room. But I purchased a lovely silk blindfold the other day, so he won't be able to see me set the candles. Then it's a candlelit picnic in bed, followed by a slice of his favourite pie."

Alex nodded and turned back to Jake. "How about you?"

"I'm packing a picnic and taking Patrick to the pack lands and running with my mate."

"Sounds like a good plan," Marcus said.

"What happened to the guy that accosted both Jason and Brian?" Jake asked once talk of Valentine's Day had finally ground to a halt.

"He was admitted to the hospital with a concussion." Marcus grinned proudly. "Brian really gave the man a solid whack to the head. Dented the hell out of a couple of the cans of nectar. You should have heard Brian bitch about that fact. He had to go and buy more as apparently you're not supposed to use dented cans. I tried to tell him it was okay since the dent had only just happened. But he wouldn't listen to me."

Alex laughed. "I didn't know he did that."

"Yep, the silly man was adamant." Marcus paused in thought for a moment. "It could've also had something to do with the fact that Brian may not have wanted to use anything that came in contact with the guy. He was retched, even the paramedics who attended the scene had to cover their mouths and noses. I doubt the guy had showered in a week."

"So, is anything going to happen with him?" Alex asked, his voice low. Jake couldn't blame the guy, Patrick was there the day he had accosted Jason and had shared those details with him.

"Between the alcohol he'd consumed and the bash to the head, Ian Ferguson has no recollection of the events that took place in the car park." Marcus paused and looked solemn for a moment. "He has no priors, and until six weeks ago when his wife of thirty years walked out the door, he didn't seem to have a drinking problem either."

"Oh wow, that's harsh," Simon muttered.

"Yeah, apparently he took it hard. I spoke with both Jason and Brian this morning and explained the situation to them. They've agreed not to press charges as long as the guy gets some help for his grief and drinking."

Alex growled, but he reluctantly nodded. Jake knew he'd support his mate in Jason's decision, even if Alex didn't completely agree with it. They all chatted for another quarter hour before the other three all had to leave to get back to work.

When the office was once again quiet, Jake looked at the picture he had on his desk. Patrick sat in the rocking chair they had placed in Charlie's room. The man was topless, their baby daughter held to his chest, the both of them fast asleep. Charlie couldn't have been more than a few weeks old, she was so small against his mate's broad chest. Jake hadn't been able to walk away without snapping a picture. The pair of them were his life, and he couldn't imagine them not being there every morning when he woke up.

Needing to get back to work, Jake reluctantly pulled his gaze away from the framed photo and opened the next file in his tray.

The afternoon dragged; even though Jake managed to make it through the files in his tray and take several client calls, every time he looked at his watch the time seemed to have barely moved.

Finally his secretary came in to say goodnight. Jake looked at his watch for the hundredth time and grinned broadly when he realised he could get out of the office for the weekend.

"Have a great weekend," he called as Diane turned and headed out.

"You too," she said over her shoulder.

"I plan to," Jake said quietly to no one. He quickly saved what he had been working on and shut down his computer. It could keep until Monday. He said goodbye to his partner, Henry, who was still at his desk working away. Henry barely lifted his head from what he was doing. Jake didn't take it as a slight. He knew what it was like to be deep in concentration. He had days where he was the exact same.

Today was not one of them.

Tomorrow would be Jake's second Valentine's Day with Patrick. He knew it was silly for everyone to put so much stock in one day. Hell, he showed his mate on a daily basis how much he loved him. Well, at least Jake hoped he did. But nonetheless, he wanted to do something special for his man. And what was better for both man and beast than a lope through the trees?

Jake couldn't wait to chase his mate down.

Jake closed the door quietly behind him. He didn't want to disturb any of the cubs if they were resting. He set down his briefcase and got rid of his shoes. His jacket was the last thing to be tossed aside.

Usually he was greeted with the loud noises of the kids playing, but things had been subdued at home since the scare with Zack the previous week. Well, as subdued as you could get with twin two-and-a-bit-year-old boys, a nearly seventeen-month-old girl, a five-month-old, and a four-and-a-half-year-old running around the house. Jake couldn't believe how well all the kids got along.

Yes, there were fights some days, and the twins were hell on wheels most days, but they were good boys and they looked out for Charlie and always included her in their fun, as much as Jake sometimes wished they would leave her out of it.

Now, he didn't hear a peep and that scared him. The only time the house was this quiet was at night when all five of them were asleep. Jake stepped into the living room where the soft sounds of the television played. Brian was passed out on the couch. He had no idea where the others were. Jake gently shook Brian's shoulder.

Brian bolted upright.

"Calm down. It's just me," Jake said softly.

Brian blinked at him several times, obviously trying to focus. "Damn, I must have fallen asleep."

"Long day at work?" he asked.

Brian nodded. "You have no idea." He sighed. "I only meant to sit down for a minute before I went to start dinner."

"Do you know where the kids are?" Jake asked.

A shocked expression crossed Brian's face as he stood quickly. "It's too damn quiet."

Jake chuckled. "I was just thinking that same thing."

They made their way down the passage, knocking on doors and peering inside the rooms as they went. Nothing. Jake knew Hayley would be in with Simon and Zack, so he wasn't worried about her. And William would be with Jason. It was just their three.

Sounds of childish giggling could be heard coming from the direction of the kitchen. Brian turned to him with a horrified expression, eyes wide, then they both hot-footed it to the kitchen.

They came to a screeching halt as they raced through the door. Jake blinked, trying to take in the scene before him. Brian stood there, his mouth handing open, shock evident as he started to shake his head and mutter "No" over and over again.

"Da," Charlie cried out happily when she noticed him, and tried to stand. She wasn't too successful, though.

Charlie, along with Samuel, Dylan, the floor, walls, and kitchen cabinets were all covered liberally with Nutella. The large jar that had only been purchased the previous weekend now sat empty and on its side on the floor.

"Marcus!" Brian yelled from beside him, startling Jake with the abruptness of the call.

Jake looked at Brian again and thought the man might pass out.

Charlie was still trying to stand, and the boys stared up at their dad with the biggest chocolate-covered grins on their faces that Jake had ever seen. Marcus came barrelling into the room like the hounds of hell were on his heels.

"What?' he said as he came to a stop.

"Look!" Brian pointed.

Marcus did a slow pan to the direction indicated.

"They're
your
sons!" Brian said adamantly.

Jake was hard-pressed to bite back his laughter.

"Yes, dear," Marcus agreed. Brian kissed him on the cheek, then turned and strode from the room.

"Dad," the boys yelled in sync. "Yummy."

Jake couldn't help it. He broke out in a quiet laugh, Marcus right alongside him.

"What are we going to do with you boys, huh?" Marcus said as he gingerly made his way across the Nutella-covered ground, Jake right behind him. They scooped their chocolate-covered kids into their arms and walked them outside to hose them off. Jake removed Charlie's nappy and they soon had three naked kids smeared with spread running around under the hose in the backyard.

He turned to Marcus. "So, you think this is worse than the time Hayley, the twins and Charlie covered the living room and themselves with flour?" he asked, trying to keep a straight face.

Marcus chuckled. "Possibly. At least Alex got a video of that to use as blackmail when the kids grow up."

Jake laughed. "Yeah." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see movement in the kitchen, someone in there cleaning up the mess the kids had left. "I hope whoever's in there cleaning took a couple of pics first."

"Hell yeah." Marcus watched his boys run around for a minute. "You know, they only turned two last October. I hate to think what else they have in store for us."

"It doesn't bear thinking about," Jake said as he laughed and clapped Marcus on the back. "Come on, we had better see what we can do about removing all that chocolate.

Marcus reluctantly nodded, and they got to work.

It took some scrubbing—and much laughing and trying to run away on the kids' part—but Jake and Marcus succeeded in their challenge of getting the spread off their kids. Thankfully the little ones settled down once they got them back inside.

Now they all sat quietly in front of the television as the latest Disney movie played.

Jake checked his watch. It was bedtime for his little one. "Come on, princess, it's bath time, then story and bed," Jake said as he stood.

"Noooo," she cried out.

Jake chuckled, scooped her up, and tickled her belly. "Yes. Time to get this little monster clean." The high-pitched squeal of laughter brought joy to his heart.

"You need a hand?" Patrick asked him as he walked past, kissing Charlie on the cheek noisily.

"Nah, we got this, don't we, baby girl?" Jake asked her.

"Got dis," she repeated.

Patrick winked at him, and then Jake turned and headed to their rooms. Hayley loved the water and would happily stay in there for hours if Jake let her. He didn't fill the bath very full; she didn't need a great deal, just enough to splash in and get clean. He threw in a couple of her toys and made sure he had a towel handy as well as the soap and a loofah, a bright pink one with a Disney princess on it. Jake had no idea which one, he couldn't keep them straight there were so many of the damn things, but Charlie seemed to love it and that's all that mattered.