Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“This is the best news I could’ve ever heard,” Cohen told me as he cupped my face, joy shining in his eyes. He left a lingering kiss on my forehead before releasing me, only for Matty to take my hands.
“We didn’t want to let you go. Ever,” Matty said. “You mean too much to us.”
Kieran stole me away with an arm around my waist.
“I hope you’re okay with being stuck with us!” he teased me.
All I could do was laugh and go with the flow, accepting every hug, kiss, and sweet word that they gave me.
Oh, yeah. I definitely made the right decision.
“You guys are going to suffocate me!” I laughed before landing in Paolo’s arms. I grabbed his strong biceps and looked up at him, catching my breath.
Paolo smiled down at me, awe filling his eyes.
“You are one amazing woman,” he told me, echoing the thoughts of the others as they gazed at me. “Of course, we want you to stay here, but you want to stay here for yourself too, right? We want you to be happy.”
I could’ve melted in his arms. That was true selflessness. He wanted me to stay so badly, but the decision was up to me. They would’ve accepted anything, even if it made them sad.
That was sheer care.
“I want to stay here. I need to stay here,” I replied. “I liked being a journalist in North Carolina, but I mostly went there as an escape. I couldn’t face my guilt here.”
“And now?” Paolo asked in a gentle voice.
I breathed in deep and nodded.
“Now, I’m happy here. This place isn’t somewhere I want to run away from anymore,” I admitted. “Everyone I love is here, and I just want to live a long, happy life where I truly belong.”
Paolo leaned down and rested his forehead against mine, caressing my upper arms.
“We’re here for you,” he promised. “Now and always.”
“And we mean always,” Gabe added with a chuckle.
I laughed softly and turned to smile at the others.
“That sounds like a pretty good deal to me,” I insisted. I didn’t want to be torn away from them. Our budding feelings were the glue keeping us all together, and I didn’t see that ever going away.
But what should we do about those feelings? Would we label them? What would a relationship even look like, because I didn’t see us all just being friends?
“After the celebration, can you guys come over to my place? I think we should talk… about us,” I asked them, nervousness fluttering in my stomach. I hoped our talk answered all of my questions and eased my lingering anxiety.
Paolo shared a brief look with the others, and I could feel the tension in the air. They were nervous too, which made me wonder if all of them even wanted to be with me. What if only a few of them? What if none of them wanted to share?
Because I didn’t think that I could just be with one of them while still having feelings for the rest of them. I couldn’t just shut off my emotions. How the hell would we even do this?
“Of course,” Paolo said, offering me a light smile. He took a breath and reached out for my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Maybe it was for himself too. “No matter what, we’ll figure out what’s best for everyone.”
I hoped that we could find a middle ground. The thought of losing any of them after all we had been through sounded like hell. Despite my weighted thoughts, I smiled back and nodded in agreement.
I had to break this tension. Tonight was about celebrating our victory over the cartel!
I slowly backed up toward the area where people were dancing.
“So… who is going to dance with me?” I asked.
As the guys nearly climbed over each other to get to me, I laughed and turned on my heel, weaving through the crowd and letting go of my worries for at least another hour. Tonight, we would make the decision that could change everything.
For better or worse.
Chapter 30
Kit
My foot tapped anxiously as I sipped on my beer, standing next to my brother in Zoe’s living room. Well, temporary living room. Technically, her job was over here, and she was going to quit anyway. This house would go back on the rental market.
Was it too forward if I wanted her to stay with one of us for now? Maybe it was. Honestly, the pacing of our “relationship” was a bit unconventional, but that was why we were going to talk tonight. We had to figure this out before things got confusing and feelings got hurt.
Because there were a lot of feelings involved, and that made things more complicated. If things didn’t work out, so much was on the line. Our relationship with her. Her relationship with each of us. Our relationship with each other.