Isaac smiled up at him. "Love you, too."

T-Rex grabbed his saddlebag and headed out. It would take a few hours to get to his meeting place with Marcus. When he stepped outside, he noticed thick clouds filling the sky, but the weather forecast hadn't called for any rain. T-Rex wore his leather just in case.

He headed out of Bear County and rode through Junction City, and the bike roared down the open highway, throbbing with the increased power it had been customized with.

T-Rex finally stopped trying to guess what his brother wanted and enjoyed his ride. He wore a half-face mask to protect himself from the wind. It had picked up about two hours into his ride.

Once he reached Ridge Creek, the skies were still threatening, but the rain held off. He drove to the top of the ridge to find his brother already there.

Pulling underneath a wide expanse of trees, T-Rex cut the power to the motorcycle, unclipped his helmet, and swung his leg over the seat before removing his mask. He set everything on the seat and then went to meet his brother. He spotted Marcus down by the lake. T-Rex strode down the hilly incline until he was at the water's edge.

"You made it," Marcus said as he skipped a few rocks over the lake.

T-Rex gave his brother a quick hug before he took a step back. "What's going on?"

Marcus continued to stare straight ahead, his expression pensive. "About a year ago I started to have nose bleeds. Papa Bear finally convinced me to go to the doctor's."

T-Rex leaned against a nearby tree, listening as he stared at the shards of sun glittering off the water. He could still see him and Marcus using the rope to swing over the water before they let go, splashing in. A smile formed at the side of T-Rex's mouth at the memories.

Those days felt like another lifetime, and T-Rex sometimes missed them. "And?" he asked. "What did the doctor say?"

Sighing, Marcus plucked a few rocks from the ground and tossed them into the water. They skipped across the lake until they sank. "Nothing good."

T-Rex's heart began to beat harder, but he gave his brother time to gather his thoughts. It was killing him not knowing though. He wanted to yell at Marcus to spit it out, but remained silent.

"You remember the summer we spent down here making plans to backpack our way across the states?"

T-Rex nodded. He had been ten at the time, Marcus sixteen. They had spent the entire summer mapping out where they were going to go and how they were going to make money. Even though there had been a six-year gap between them, Marcus had never looked at T-Rex as a pesky younger brother. They'd hung out though and had been the best of friends.

"You thought we could work oil rigs."

The side of Marcus's mouth twitched into a smile. "And you thought we could make money as hired guns."

"I was ten," T-Rex pointed out with a chuckle.

"But I went on to join the Blue Angels, traveling as I always wanted to, and you joined the service." Marcus cleared his throat. "Have I ever told you how damn proud I am of you?"

Marcus hadn't, but T-Rex had known how his brother felt. It was in his eyes every time they talked. "Belonging to the baddest biker club this side of the Mississippi isn't a small feat," T-Rex replied. "Vice president, no less."

Marcus shook his head. "I've done things I'm not proud of, and some days I didn't even recognize who I was."

"Same here," T-Rex said. "We grew up and took different paths, but I'm glad our friendship never diminished."

"Me, too," Marcus agreed. "That's the one thing I cherish most in life, little brother."

They both grew silent, and T-Rex thought of the past, his childhood, his days in the service, and his life now as a business owner. "I found someone."

Marcus turned and gave him a wide smile. "It's about time. I thought you'd never settle down. He's got to be good-looking to catch your attention."

Isaac was the total opposite of what T-Rex usually went after. But his heart had never been this light, and T-Rex had never smiled so much in his life than when he was around Isaac. His face actually hurt at times from it. "I'd like you to meet him."

Marcus moved a little farther away, pacing a bit before he turned to T-Rex, the glitter in his eyes gone. "I have an inoperable brain tumor."

T-Rex blinked at the ground, his mind trying to process what Marcus was telling him. Brain tumor? That couldn't be. This was Marcus. The man was tough as nails and a hard man to take down.

"How long?" He could barely force the words past his lips.

"A few weeks," Marcus answered. The man gave a humorous laugh. "I guess I'm getting my just rewards after living with the club."

T-Rex turned, running his hands over his head and twining his fingers together to rest on top. He stared up at the sky, trying his best to hold back the tears as his throat grew tight, a burning lump forming there.

This was Marcus. The man who had taught him how to fight. How to live, love, and all about girls. And when T-Rex realized he was gay, Marcus taught him about guys. Marcus didn't care the gender. Never had. No one could ask for a better old brother. It didn't matter to him that Marcus was in a motorcycle club. He didn't care what the guy did. Marcus was his brother. End of story.

He'd always followed all the rules. Gone by the book. But lately, T-Rex's life had been falling apart. Nothing made sense. Not Isaac's father beating him and then dumping him in another town. Not his brother dying. He felt as if his life were spinning out of control.

"Do you want me to tell Mom and Dad?" T-Rex asked without turning around. "They need to know."

"No," Marcus said. "Papa Bear is going to handle all that. He's gonna come see you when...you know. I finally told him I was related to you. He took it pretty easy."

T-Rex closed his eyes. "Then what do you want me to do?"

"Spend a few days with me, as brothers. Remind me of the days gone by when you and I lived a carefree life before the club, before you grew into a tall bastard."

T-Rex was screaming inside his head. This wasn't happening. His anger mounted that Marcus was going to be taken from him. He had to pull his shit together and give his older brother what he asked for. But it wasn't easy. God, it wasn't easy. He fought back the stinging tears in his eyes and swallowed roughly.

"Ride with me," Marcus said. "Take to the road. I want to feel the freedom and wind blowing in my hair with my baby brother at my side."

T-Rex nodded. "I can do that."

He turned, yanking his brother into his arms as he pressed his lips to Marcus's hair. A few tears managed to fall as T-Rex hugged the man tightly.

He never wanted to let the guy go. In his mind, as long as he held on to Marcus, nothing bad could happen to the man. "With you, always," he whispered.

It had been five days since T-Rex had left to meet up with his brother. Isaac missed the man terribly, but his mate had called every day, sometimes twice to check on him.

But that wasn't the same as having T-Rex here with him. Every morning since the man had left, Isaac had been getting sick. Gabe told Isaac that he was more than likely pregnant. T-Rex had told him that this could happen, but it still shocked Isaac to hear the news.

He hadn't told T-Rex yet. Isaac wanted to wait until his mate was home. He wasn't sure when that would be. T-Rex hadn't told him why Marcus wanted to meet, only that it would take longer than expected.

Tossing the covers back, Isaac got up and planted his feet on the floor. A wave of nausea swept over him. He sat there on the side of the bed as he waited for it to ease. He hoped that he wasn't going to feel this way his entire pregnancy. Getting sick every morning sucked.

Although Isaac hated the morning sickness, he had started adjusting to the idea of having a child. For the past couple of nights, he had lain in bed wondering if it was a boy or a girl. How would the baby look? Would he or she be as tall as T-Rex or have the man's beautiful blue eyes? Would the baby look like him, small with amber eyes?

What about names? His mind had become crowded with so many possibilities that it made it hard for Isaac to sleep most nights. He knew that T-Rex wanted a child and that the man would be happy once he found out.

Isaac stood and had begun to cross the room when a sharp pain sliced across the stomach. It hurt so badly that he dropped to all fours. He lay there for a moment, curled into a ball as he waited for the pain to ease.

But it didn't. It grew stronger. Isaac began to sweat as he clenched his teeth, shivering. It felt as if he were being turned inside out. Tremors were racing through him as Isaac opened his mouth and cried out.

He tried to turn over and crawl toward the nightstand where the cordless phone lay. But he couldn't even get up. Every time he tried, the pain slammed him back to the floor.

God, what was wrong? Why did he feel as if a thousand knives were twisting in his gut? The pain radiated out and had Isaac writhing on the floor.

He flipped until he was staring at the ceiling and then arched his back as he screamed. The bedroom door flew open, and Shott was standing there, wide-eyed.

Isaac reached out to the man as his body continued to tremble. Sweat covered him. "It h-hurts."

Shott scooped him from the floor and raced downstairs. "I'll get you to the doctor."

"What's going on?" Sam asked as they passed him in the living room.

"Don't know," Shott said as he raced to the front door.

Isaac was placed on the backseat of the SUV before Shott climbed in and tore from the driveway. Isaac curled into a ball, whimpering, shaking. He clenched his teeth, and his vision blurred when the worst pain yet seized him.

It seemed to take forever before Shott finally came to a stop. The back door flew open, and then Isaac was being carried inside the clinic.

"I need help!" Shott shouted.

Isaac was carried to the back, and a man in a white coat began to ask him a hundred questions.

"Where's the pain?"

"In my stomach," Isaac replied.

"Are you pregnant?"

"I think so."

And then the questions continued as the man examined him. A portable machine was brought in, and the doctor began to examine Isaac's stomach with a strange wand and cool gel.

Everything was moving fast, yet it felt as if they were moving in slow motion. Shott paced the room as Isaac waited to find out what was wrong with him.

The doctor raised the metal railings on both sides of the bed and then shouted at a woman who had walked into the room. "Prep the OR."

"Wait, why?" Shott asked. "What's wrong with him?"

"Who is he mated to?" the doctor asked.

"T-Rex," Shott answered.

The doctor's face was grim as his eyes flickered from Isaac to Shott. "You better call him and get the man in here."

T-Rex paced the sterile hospital hallways as he waited for the doctors to finish examining his brother. Marcus had woken this morning with massive migraines and a nosebleed. Their trip hadn't gone as planned. For the past two days, they had rested in a motel because Marcus hadn't been feeling too well. T-Rex had insisted on taking his brother to the hospital, but Marcus had convinced T-Rex that all he needed was rest.

His gut was telling him differently. T-Rex didn't want to face the truth, but he knew he had to. Marcus didn't have a couple of weeks. The man would be lucky to make it out of this hospital.

He leaned against the wall and then slid down until he was squatting. T-Rex rested his forehead against his fists as he tried not to think of losing his brother. He knew Marcus's wishes but had called his parents and Papa Bear nonetheless. Marcus had been with the Blue Angels for fifteen years. The president deserved to be here. And there was no way T-Rex was going to leave his parents out of this. They had every right to spend Marcus's final moments with him.

He'd had to use the motel phone because the reception in the backwater town they'd rested in sucked. T-Rex had started to call Isaac this morning, but Marcus had woken at that moment, screaming about his head hurting.

He ran his hand over his hair, feeling the pressure building. So far he'd kept his shit in check, being the rock Marcus needed. But T-Rex knew he wasn't going to be able to hold it together for much longer.

"Tanner?"

He glanced up when he heard his mother's voice. She was coming down the hallway, his father close behind her. T-Rex stood and let his mother envelope him into her arms. She was short, the top of her head barely reaching his pecs, but fuck if it didn't feel good to be hugged by her. It was what he needed.

"Son," his father said. "I don't understand what's going on. What's happening to Marcus?"

T-Rex had been cryptic in his phone call. He hadn't wanted to deliver the bad news and then have them drive here. All he'd said was that it was imperative that they make it here soon.

He started to tell them when the doctors walked out of the room. Just then, Papa Bear came down the hallway, joining them. The doctor stood there and explained everything to T-Rex's parents. His throat tightened when his mother began to cry. His father's eyes gleamed with unshed tears as he held his wife closely.

"The tumor has grown," the doctor said, sympathy in his eyes. "We have him sedated. You can go in to see him now."

"How long?" Papa Bear asked. "How long does he have?"

But T-Rex already knew the answer before the doctor said, "A few hours, maybe."

T-Rex's mother rushed into the room as T-Rex, his father, and Papa Bear stood there in the hallway for a moment, all somber. None of them said a word as the doctor gave them his sympathies and walked away.

His father walked into the room next, leaving T-Rex and the Blue Angels' president to stand there.

"He's a good man," the guy said. "My best friend."

T-Rex turned, glancing through the glass in the door. His mother was leaning over the bed, brushing Marcus's hair back as she spoke, tears still falling.

"Don't ever tell them anything Marcus ever did for you," T-Rex said.

"Never planned to," the guy answered. "His hands might have gotten dirty from time to time, but Marcus never-"

T-Rex held up his hand. "Save it. I don't care. He's my brother, and that's all I care about. I called you out of respect for your friendship, nothing more."

T-Rex didn't want to hear about Marcus's life as a biker club member. He knew full well that the Blue Angels were the most feared club this side of the country and they hadn't gained that reputation from selling cookies. He didn't want his memories of Marcus scarred.

"Understood." The guy extended his beefy hand, leather bracelets and tattoos adorning his lower arm. "I'm Travis Wolfe."

"Wolfe?" T-Rex studied the man. He and Marcus had talked about a lot over the past several days, and his brother had confessed that the president was a bear shifter. T-Rex had told Marcus about Isaac being a bear shifter as well and how he was hoping to start a family.

T-Rex had even shown his brother the pictures he'd taken in the diner a lifetime ago. Marcus told T-Rex how handsome his mate was and how he wished he could be there to see his niece or nephew being born. That statement had torn T-Rex to pieces. He'd had to excuse himself to the bathroom in the motel to pull his shit together.

"Kinda odd that a bear's surname is Wolfe."

Travis grinned. "I see Marcus told you."