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“Ronan, I can brush my own teeth, ‘' I laugh while simultaneously trying to swat his hand away. After he came in and got me out of the tub, he helped me get dressed in a pair of sweats and my favorite Led Zeppelin T-shirt; he then sat me down on a chair he grabbed from somewhere else in the apartment, where he applied all of my skincare products and is now trying to brush my teeth. He continues trying to come at me with my toothbrush when I grab his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. “Ronan, I love you, but I am perfectly capable of brushing my teeth. I promise.”
He sighs before reluctantly handing over the toothbrush. “Yeah. That’s probably a bit much, right?”
I softly grin at him, not wanting him to feel guilty about helping me. “I know you’re trying to help, but if you end up sliding that toothbrush down my throat, I’ll gag, and I might accidentally punch you. That would just be bad for everyone involved.”
He laughs, “Trust me, Baby, I know your gag reflex is better than that.” He shoots me a panty-melting wink before handing over the toothbrush. Once I’m done with my teeth, I fix the bun Ronan attempted before my bath and throw on some chapstick, knowing this is as good as it’s going to get for the day. But I’m anxious to see Mac and Finn and spend the day with all three of them, so I don’t mind.
I stand from my chair, and Ronan bends to pick me up. Stopping him, I say, “Ronan, Baby, I can walk. I just need you to help me.”
“You sure?” He asks, his voice full of concern.
I stand on my toes and place a soft kiss against his plush lips. “I’m sure. I promise I’ll tell you if I’m in any pain, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Come on, I want to go see them,” I say as I wrap my hands around his outstretched arm. “Plus, it smells like Mac made cinnamon rolls and I. Am. Salivating.” Ronan’s shoulders shake with laughter as he leads me out of my room and down the hallway. The smell of frosting and cinnamon assaults my nose, and my stomach immediately growls with hunger. After eating next to nothing for two weeks, I am more than ready to fill up on Mac’s cooking.
As Ronan and I walk out of the hallway, I see Mac whipping up a bowl of frosting for the rolls that are cooking away in the oven. Finn’s standing at the sink behind him doing dishes. The two of them are lost in conversation, and I stop to stare at them, tears stinging my eyes. This is the first time I’ve really seen them since that day in the woods, the first time I’ve really been able to look at them. I know I’ve done nothing but cry since they found me, but I don’t try to stop them. Because, unlike my time with Logan, these tears are that of happiness. Happiness that I’m back where I belong, happiness that all four of us are together, happiness that I get to see the smile on their faces, taste Mac’s cooking again, watch Finn meticulously clean the apartment, and once again be the subject of Ronan’s watchful eye.
Just like that, another piece of me feels like it’s healed.
Finn must see us out of the corner of his eye because he drops whatever he’s washing and hits me with a face-splitting grin. “Angel . . .”
In just a few long strides, he moves across the kitchen, wearing black sweatpants and a white v-neck, his blond hair unkempt, and is wrapping me in his arms, one around my back and one around the back of my head, pressing my face into his chest. My broken ribs cause me to wince in pain as he holds me tight to him. But I don’t stop his embrace. Because the pain means I’m alive. I’m alive and in his arms.
He holds me for a minute before whispering in my ear, “You have no idea how happy I am to see you looking so much better.” He stands up straight and cups my face in his hands, tears pooling in his eyes. Like Ronan, Finn isn’t one to show much emotion. He keeps most of his feelings pushed down for reasons I’m fully aware of. So, knowing that he’s incapable of holding back his tears only further proves how deeply he feels for me.
“Don’t you ever leave me again, okay?” His voice is nothing more than a whisper now. Bending down, he places a brief but fierce kiss on my lips before resting his forehead on mine.
“I have never felt so empty,” kiss, “So alone,” kiss, “So irrevocably broken as I did when you were gone.” Kiss. “Do not ever do that to me again, okay?” A small tear escapes his left eye, and I watch as it drops to the floor between us.
I nod, my forehead still pressed against his. “Never again, Love. I’ll be here, always.”
Those three unspoken words are on the tip of my tongue, and judging by the look in his eyes, Finn feels it too. But when I open my mouth to speak, he silences me with a harsh kiss. I don’t hesitate to open for him, letting his tongue brush up against mine and savoring the way his beard feels against my skin. The kiss is over all too soon, and when he pulls his lips from mine, he says, “Later, Angel. I want to be able to tell you properly, without those two idiots eavesdropping on my every word.”
Finally, I look past our bubble to find Ronan in the kitchen leaning against the counter next to his brother, matching shit-eating grins and cups of coffee in hand. I look back at Finn; I know how private he is and how much he likes to keep his emotions close to his chest, so I nod in agreement. “Is that a date, Mr. Donovan?”
“It’s a promise, Miss Hayes.”
Finn leads me into the kitchen, where I try to move toward Mac; instead, he pushes me toward one of the chairs. When I look at him to ask what he’s doing, he says, “You’ve been standing long enough.”
His stern voice lets me know there’s no room to argue, so when he leans down to give me one last kiss, I whisper against his lips, quiet enough for only him to hear, “Yes, Daddy.”
He lets out a harsh breath, and when his lips meet mine, he gently bites my bottom lip between his teeth. I instantly feel my panties growing wet.
It’s good to know the last couple of weeks hasn’t completely killed my sex drive. Not that anyone could resist these three.
Finn moves back around the counter to continue washing the dishes, but not before hitting me with a look so full of heat I could practically combust. Ronan takes his usual spot to my right, and I feel Mac come up behind me.
Reaching over my shoulder, he places a steaming cup of coffee on the counter in front of me, fixed just how I like it. I’m about to spin my chair around so I can hug him too, but instead, he wraps his arms around me from behind and drops his head to my shoulder.
He begins peppering kisses along the skin of my neck, and I can’t help the shiver that rolls through my body. “You have no idea how much I missed you, Princess.”
My entire body immediately goes stiff at the name. Flashes of every time Logan mocked me and called me Princess while he beat me run through my memory in rapid succession as I suck in harsh breaths, the all too familiar feeling of a panic attack working its way through my body.
“Harper,” Ronan says as he places his large hand on top of my shaking one. “Baby, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?” The concern and panic in his voice was clear as day.
Mac climbs into the chair on my left, spins me to face him, and takes my opposite hand, putting it on the center of his chest, just like he did all those weeks ago. “Breathe, Harper.” He takes a deep breath, and I feel his chest rise and fall beneath my hand. “Breathe with me. Remember?” I nod frantically, trying to force my body to match his breaths. After a few moments, I can feel my harsh breaths begin to even out. “Good girl,” he says as he squeezes my hand. His thumb starts stroking the back of my hand, and when he sees me breathing normally again, he picks my hand up and kisses my palm softly. I finally pull my gaze from the center of his chest up to his eyes. “Tell me what happened?”
