I Came Home Engaged—My 4 Biker Stepbrothers hate my fiancé

Scarlett’s POV

The first thing I noticed when the car turned onto the familiar road was the sound of motorcycles.

Deep. Loud. Familiar.

My fingers tightened around my handbag.

Six years.

It had been six years since I last came home, but somehow the sound still reached into the same part of me I thought I had buried.

Alexander glanced at me from the driver’s seat.

“You’re quiet.”

“I’m fine.”

He gave me a look.

I hated that look because it usually meant he knew I was lying.

“You’ve been twisting that ring for the last twenty minutes.”

I looked down.

My thumb was rubbing over the diamond on my left hand without me realizing it.

I stopped immediately.

“Nervous habit.”

“You’re going home, Scarlett. Not walking into a courtroom.”

A small laugh escaped me.

He had no idea.

For most people, home was supposed to feel safe.

Mine had motorcycles parked outside, men in leather jackets walking around like they owned the city, and a giant black and silver sign that read SAVAGE KINGS MC.

Safe was not exactly the first word that came to mind.

The compound appeared ahead.

My stomach dropped.

Nothing had changed.

The tall metal gate.

The clubhouse farther inside.

The rows of motorcycles.

The men standing around outside.

Even the smell felt familiar when Alexander lowered the window slightly.

Leather. Fuel. Smoke.

Memories hit me so hard that I almost asked him to turn around.

“You can still change your mind,” Alexander said softly.

I looked at him.

He looked perfect, as always.

Dark suit. White shirt. Expensive watch. Neatly styled hair.

He looked like he belonged in a boardroom.

Not here.

Definitely not here.

I reached over and placed my hand on his arm.

“No. I need to do this.”

His eyes moved to my ring, then back to my face.

“We need to do this.”

That helped.

I smiled.

“Right.”

The gate opened.

My heart immediately started beating faster.

Several people turned as Alexander drove inside.

I recognized some faces.

Others were new.

But the clubhouse still looked almost exactly as I remembered it.

For a few seconds, I was twenty again.

Angry.

Confused.

Wanting to leave.

Wanting someone to stop me.

No one had.

That part still hurt more than I liked to admit.

Alexander parked.

Before I could even open the door, the clubhouse door flew open.

“Scarlett!”

My eyes burned instantly.

“Mom.”

She ran toward me.

Actually ran.

I barely had time to step out before she wrapped both arms around me.

“Oh my God.”

Her voice broke.

That was all it took.

Every wall I had carefully built inside me cracked.

I hugged her back.

“I missed you.”

“You missed me?” She pulled away just enough to look at my face. “Six years, Scarlett. Six years and you think ‘I missed you’ is enough?”

I laughed through the tears.

“You saw me last Christmas.”

“For two days. In a hotel.”

“That still counts.”

“No, it does not.”

She pulled me into another hug.

I closed my eyes.

Her perfume was the same.

Everything about her felt like home.

Maybe that was why I had avoided coming back for so long.

It was easier to stay away than admit I had missed this place.

Even the parts of it that hurt me.

My mother finally noticed Alexander standing a few feet away.

Her whole face changed.

She looked at him.

Then at me.

Then at my hand.

Her eyes widened.

“No.”

I bit my lip.

Her hand flew to her mouth.

“Scarlett.”

“Mom.”

“You did not.”

“I did.”

She grabbed my left hand and stared at the ring.

“Oh my God.”

Alexander smiled.

I had never seen my mother move so quickly from crying to excitement.

“You’re engaged?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Three weeks ago.”

“Three weeks?”

I winced.

“I was going to tell you.”

“You were going to tell me?”

Alexander stepped forward before she could start yelling.

“Mrs. Hayes.”

My mother looked at him.

He held out his hand.

“Alexander Vaughn.”

Her anger disappeared almost instantly.

“So you’re the man.”

He smiled.

“I hope that’s a good thing.”

She surprised him by hugging him.

I covered my mouth to hide my laugh.

My mother pulled away and held his shoulders.

“You’re marrying my daughter.”

“I am.”

“Well, if she has agreed to marry you, then you must be patient.”

“Mom.”

Alexander laughed.

“I’ve learned that.”

I slapped his arm lightly.

He looked down at me with that calm smile I had fallen in love with.

For one second, the tension inside me eased.

Then another voice came from behind us.

“Scarlett.”

I froze.

Slowly, I turned.

My stepfather stood near the clubhouse entrance.

He looked older.

More gray around his beard.

Still broad. Still intimidating.

Still very much the man people listened to when he entered a room.

“Marcus.”

His expression softened.

He opened his arms.

I went to him.

He hugged me tightly.

“You took your time coming home.”

“I know.”

“You planning to disappear another six years?”

“No.”

“Good.”

When he released me, his attention shifted to Alexander.

That softness disappeared.

Not completely.

But enough for me to notice.

Alexander stepped forward.

“Alexander Vaughn, sir.”

Marcus shook his hand.

“Marcus Steele.”

Their handshake lasted a little longer than necessary.

I noticed immediately.

Men.

Always turning handshakes into competitions.

Marcus’s eyes moved over Alexander slowly.

The suit.

The watch.

The shoes.

Then his face.

“You’re the fiancé?”

Alexander glanced at me before answering.

“Yes, sir.”

Marcus nodded.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

But he was still looking at him.

Studying him.

I touched Marcus’s arm.

“Don’t start.”

His eyebrow lifted.

“I said congratulations.”

“I know that look.”

“What look?”

“That one.”

My mother laughed.

“She hasn’t forgotten.”

Marcus gave me a small smile.

Then I heard voices behind him.

Male voices.

My whole body went still.

No.

I had known they would be here.

Of course I had.

I had prepared myself for it.

At least I thought I had.

The first man who stepped outside was Dean.

And suddenly, six years felt like six minutes.

He had changed.

He looked harder.

Taller somehow, though I knew that was impossible.

His dark hair was shorter than I remembered, and there was something colder in his face now.

He wore a black shirt with the sleeves pushed up.

His eyes found mine.

For one long second, neither of us moved.

My heart did something stupid.

I hated it.

“Scarlett.”

Just my name.

That was all.

But the sound of his voice brought back things I did not want to remember.

Late nights.

Arguments.

The way he used to look at me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention.

The night before I left.

I forced a smile.

“Dean.”

Another man appeared behind him.

Knox.

He still looked like trouble.

Maybe more now.

Leather jacket. Dark hair. Hard jaw. Tattoos running down one arm.

He stared at me.

Then at Alexander.

Then back at me.

“Well,” he said. “Look who remembered where home is.”

There he was.

Same temper.

Same mouth.

“Nice to see you too, Knox.”

He gave me a humorless smile.

Then Maverick came outside.

Unlike the others, he actually grinned.

“Princess.”

I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself.

“No one has called me that in years.”

“Then clearly you’ve been around boring people.”

That almost made me smile.

Almost.

He came closer and opened his arms.

I hesitated only a second before hugging him.

Maverick squeezed me tight.

“You got prettier.”

“You got more annoying.”

“Impossible.”

When he released me, his eyes dropped to my hand.

The grin disappeared.

Just like that.

His gaze stayed on the ring.

Then he looked past me at Alexander.

“Oh.”

I swallowed.

And then there was Saint.

He stepped outside last.

Quiet.

Watching.

Exactly as I remembered him.

He had always been the hardest one to read.

He walked toward us slowly.

His eyes moved over me first.

Softening slightly.

Then they shifted to Alexander.

Everything about his face changed.

Not much.

Just enough.

I noticed because I used to notice everything about Saint.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey.”

That was it.

But he kept looking at Alexander.

Not curious.

Not jealous.

Something else.

Recognition?

No.

That made no sense.

Alexander moved beside me.

His hand settled around my waist.

I felt Knox’s stare immediately.

Alexander smiled politely at all four men.

“I guess introductions are in order.”

Maverick folded his arms.

“I guess so.”

I cleared my throat.

“This is Alexander Vaughn.”

Alexander’s hand tightened slightly against my waist.

“My future husband,” I added.

Silence.

Complete silence.

Then Knox, who had just taken a drink from the bottle in his hand, choked.

Actually choked.

Maverick slapped his back.

“Careful.”

Knox coughed and stared at me.

“Future what?”

“Your hearing is fine.”

“You’re marrying him?”

“Yes.”

Dean’s face hardened.

It was small.

Barely noticeable.

But I saw it.

Of course I did.

I hated that after six years, I could still read him.

Alexander looked between them.

“I know this might be unexpected.”

“You think?” Knox muttered.

“Knox,” Marcus warned.

“What? Nobody told us she was coming home engaged.”

“Because I wanted to tell everyone myself,” I said.

Maverick looked at the ring again.

“When’s the wedding?”

“We haven’t chosen the exact date yet.”

Dean finally spoke.

“How long have you known him?”

I frowned.

“Three years.”

His eyes moved to Alexander.

“And you’ve been engaged three weeks?”

“Yes.”

Dean nodded once.

I knew that nod.

He was thinking.

I already hated it.

“Can everyone please not interrogate my fiancé five minutes after I arrive?”

“I asked one question,” Dean said.

“It’s the way you asked it.”

His jaw tightened.

There it was again.

That tension between us.

The same one I thought distance had killed.

Apparently not.

My mother suddenly wrapped an arm around mine.

“Come inside before they ruin this.”

“Thank you.”

She began pulling me toward the house.

I looked back at Alexander.

He nodded.

“Go. I’ll survive.”

“You sure?”

His smile returned.

“I handle hostile boardrooms for a living.”

Knox heard him.

“This isn’t a boardroom.”

I closed my eyes briefly.

God help me.

My mother pulled me away before I could answer.

As we walked toward the house, I looked over my shoulder once.

Alexander stood with Marcus and my four stepbrothers.

He looked completely out of place among the leather and motorcycles.

But he didn’t look nervous.

That should have comforted me.

Instead, for reasons I could not explain, it didn’t.

Saint was still staring at him.

Not at his suit.

Not at his watch.

At his face.

Like he was trying to pull a memory from somewhere deep inside his head.

I turned away.

I told myself they were just being difficult.

Protective.

Jealous, maybe.

They hated that I had returned with another man’s ring on my finger.

That was all.

At least, that was what I believed.

Behind me, once I was far enough away not to hear, Saint stepped closer to Dean.

His voice dropped.

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

Dean looked at him.

Saint’s eyes remained fixed on Alexander.

“That man looks exactly like Rhett Kane.”

Dean’s POV

I knew Saint was not imagining things.

The second he said the name, something cold settled in my stomach.

Rhett Kane.

I had not heard that name in years.

Not out loud, anyway.

But some names did not need to be spoken to be remembered.

I kept my eyes on Alexander Vaughn as Scarlett disappeared inside with her mother.

He stood beside Marcus like he belonged there.

Calm.

Expensive suit.

Perfect posture.

The kind of man people trusted because he looked like he had never needed to get his hands dirty.

I knew better than to trust appearances.

Especially his.

Knox stepped closer to me.

“That’s him.”

His voice was low.

I did not answer.

“It’s f*ck*ng him, Dean.”

“Lower your voice.”

Knox’s jaw tightened.

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