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“Come on. I baked cookies.” She tilts her head toward the house, and I smile at my earlier assertion.
Cole’s hand slides into mine as we follow her up the steps to their mansion.
“She’s like a proper little Stepford wife with this shit, isn’t she?” he whispers in my ear, and I nudge his shoulder with narrowed eyes, mouthing the word,Stop.
Jace releases a low whistle as we step into the marbled foyer of their home. “You think we could afford something like this?” he asks Lucas.
“Probably not,” Lucas grunts back, his handsome face unperturbed at the grandeur.
Sky spins on the pads of her bare feet. “Oh, about that. Bren said he’s building you one on the estate.”
Jace chokes. “Absolutely fucking not. We don’t want to live near you guys and his overprotective bullshit.” His lip curls up in displeasure.
“He said he wants to keep you all close to look after you.” Sky shrugs, ignoring Jace’s obvious insult.
He scoffs, and I elbow him to stop the drivel about to spill from his mouth, then a huff of disapproval escapes him instead.
“About feckin’ time. I’m hungry.” A loud voice has me stilling, and when I glance up to the doorway of the kitchen, my eyes meet with his blue ones. He’s watching me as closely as I’m watching him, and the emotion in mine seems to be affecting him. He swallows hard before clearing his throat and darting his eyes away, then settling them on Harper. His gaze roams over Sky’s hand in hers and a smile escapes him when his focus eventually lands on Sky’s stomach. It’s hard to consider he’s imagining anything other than her with their baby. The love in his eyes is difficult to ignore.
This man is a protector, through and through, and without him, I wouldn’t be here.
We wouldn’t be here.
Before I have chance to second-guess myself, I rush forward, throwing myself at his solid chest. He grunts and I grimace, remembering he’s received multiple surgeries to be standing here today.
To save my life, he was going to end his.
A tear falls down my face, and I try in vain to catch the sob in my chest before it escapes.
His thick arms band around my back as he lets me cling to him for no other reason but my own comfort. “Thank you,” I whisper.
A shudder runs through him, and he fidgets from side to side, the move odd, but when I draw my eyes up to face him, I see the guilt bleeding from his pores, and I hate he feels this way.
“Don’t say thank you, sweetheart. You’ve nothing to thank me for.” His voice is low and husky, mixed with sorrow, guilt.
“I’ve everything to thank you for.”
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry for not getting my head out of my ass.” He chuckles. “I wanted to protect her; thought I was doing right.”
I nod, as he speaks so low, I know this conversation can only be heard by us.
“I was wrong to do that, and I’m sorry you had to pay the price.” He’s clearly riddled with regret, and I hate that for him. But more than that, I’m grateful for him, no matter what he says. He chose to save me.
My lip quirks up as I try to change the narrative of our first proper meeting together.
“I think you paid the price too,” I joke, pointing toward his chest.
“Yeah, I did.” He chuckles a little awkwardly.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re sorry. You’re forgiven.” Finn pushes past Bren, knocking him in the process. “Now let the girl go so we can finally have this barbeque.”
I step back and straighten my T-shirt while I gather my thoughts and blink away the unshed tears.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about anything there.” Sky throws her hand out toward me, then waves it at Bren. “Tia needs three men to fill her. She says she couldn’t handle another. Isn’t that right, Tia? What was it you said, you only have three hol...” Finn’s wife steps up behind her and slaps a hand over her mouth, her bright-green eyes wide as she glances down at Harper.
Con, Bren’s youngest brother, pokes his head around the door. “Dude, you need to sort your kids out. Sam and Seb have run off with scissors, and they’re encouraging Prince to cut Chloe’s pigtails off.”
Bren pinches the bridge of his nose and clamps his mouth shut, as if it’s a struggle to respond logically.
