My Ex’s Roommates: Chapter 21

Silas looked at me from the driver seat of his truck and smirked. “You look ridiculous.”

I looked down at the oversized t-shirt I was wearing with a pair of baggy pants. I probably did look ridiculous but I wasn’t going to push my brothers on their rules when they were finally letting me see them. “You look ridiculous.”

He didn’t. He looked as good as ever in a fitted black t-shirt and black joggers. He looked exactly like a guy who had to go home after we visited my brothers and go straight to a football practice.

“Nervous?” He got out of the truck and met me in front.

I nodded, unable to even bother lying. “I’m terrified. I just need to see that they’re okay.”

“You think they’d have you come if they weren’t?” He nudged me with his elbow as we walked towards the entrance of the prison. “Get your head on straight, princess.”

The gray cinderblock building housing my brothers was as depressing as a building could be. Tall fences surrounded the property with rolls of barbed wire on top, discouraging anyone from trying to climb them. I could see armed guards in three different guard towers, their guns massive and ready to take out whoever toed over the line. The inside of the visitor’s center was cold and just as gray as the outside of the prison. Metal tables with metal stools bolted to the ground waited for me just past two security check points. The longer I stared into the room where I’d see my brothers, the more depressed I felt. They didn’t belong in prison, deprived on sunlight and the freedom to live without threat of being shot at any moment.

“Harper.” Silas’ firm hand on my back eased me forward in the short line of visitors who’d arrived before us. He left his hand there, the warmth seeping through some of the cold I was feeling. “Where’s that plastic smile when you need it, princess?”

I swallowed and looked up at him, surprised to find him watching me with concern in his stormy eyes. He didn’t look like the same man who’d reluctantly allowed me to move in with him weeks earlier. Gone was the cruel smirk and cold gaze. “How can the gray in this place be so depressing and cold but the gray in your eyes so wa-”

“Ma’am? I need your ID and name of the prisoner you’ll be visiting.” A stern guard cut me off and stopped me from waxing poetic about Silas’ eyes, thankfully.

Silas was a solid presence at my back as we made it through a metal detector and an invasive pat down before we were allowed access to the big room. There were already people sitting with the men they’d come to see, the dirty tan jumpsuits different from the orange I’d expected. No one bothered looking our way as we sat at a table in a corner and waited.

Silas rested his hand on my thigh under the table and stared at me until I looked back at him. “Breathe. Show them that you’re okay coming here to see them and they’ll hopefully let you come more often.”

I nodded but it felt jerky and unhinged. “What if I’m not okay?”

He squeezed my leg and looked over my shoulder. “Fake it ‘til you make it, princess, because here they are.”

I spun on my little stool and froze when I spotted my brothers coming towards us. Identical, they were each replicas of each other and our father. We all had the same dark auburn hair that showed a little more red in the sun but they had our father’s blue eyes and giant build. Towering over six feet, they looked like the defensive linemen they’d been. They seemed bigger than ever, with their arms and shoulders looking ready to rip their jumpsuits to shreds.

Danny stopped next to our table first, his eyes intense as they inspected me. “We can’t hug you right now, Little Harpoon. There’s no touching.”

I practically vibrated as they sat across from us, their big bodies putting strain on the table. I knew they couldn’t touch me but it didn’t stop the deep ache from ripping through my chest at finally being close to them but still not being able to hug them.

“You must be Silas.” Matt turned a hard stare on Silas and grunted. “You’re big for a kicker.”

Silas’s lips tipped up. “You’re big for a human.”

Jay laughed and the tension between them vanished. They slipped into football talk while I sat there, silently shaking and wondering what the hell I’d been thinking. I wasn’t sure I could handle the visit after all.

Danny leaned forward in his seat and tapped the table to draw my eyes to his. “Dry those eyes, Harper.”

“I’m not crying.” I blinked and realized that I was. Wiping my face, I sniffed and cleared my throat. I was stronger than that. They’d taught me to be stronger than that. “Y’all look like shit.”

Matt grinned and glanced over my shoulder before reaching over and gripping my hand. “Same, kid.”

“And those are the ugliest jumpsuits I’ve ever seen.” I missed his hand as soon as he took it back but when I shoved my hands into my lap to keep from reaching for them, Silas put his hand over mine, holding both of them. I glanced up at him and took a deep breath before looking back at my brothers. “Are y’all okay?”

Danny glanced at the table towards my lap and then narrowed his eyes at Silas. “You any better than that Jake fucker?”

Silas nodded without any hesitation. “That’s a pretty low bar, though.”

“Okay, this isn’t a case of me bringing my boyfriend home to meet the family. You don’t need to interrogate Silas.” I felt my cheeks turning pink and rushed to change the subject.