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As Aleks moved over to take over from Nick, an older child came barreling past me, knocking into my thigh, then crying out an apology as he ran off after his friends. Panic surged within me at the contact as I stumbled sideways, taken off balance, but I forced myself to take a deep breath as I reminded myself it was just a kid.
“You okay, darlin’?” Kailan asked as he appeared at my side.
“Yeah. It’s crazy in here,” I laughed as I looked all around at the kids running wild and having fun.
“I was just thinking the same,” he agreed. “Want to come and help me set up the picnic? I don’t know about you but I’m starving and those muffins you baked are calling my name.”
“Come on then, before you waste away on us,” I teased him. He grabbed the food hamper from where Harris had set it on the bench near the swings, then wrapped his arm around me and led me from the madness of the swing park.
I relaxed a little once we were back in the quieter, grassy area of the park and even started to enjoy the sun shining down on me and the cool breeze whipping through my hair. I appreciated being outside so much more than I ever had since spending those three weeks never seeing the outside. It had given me a whole new understanding of why Livy, my sister in law, adored being outside so much. I couldn’t even comprehend what it must have been like to live underground, in the dark for as many years as she had. Three weeks had almost brought me to my end.
“Are you warm enough?” Kailan fussed as we moved towards a more open stretch of grass where we could set up.
“Toasty,” I assured him. I was wearing the thick winter coat Harris had bought for me when we were shopping. It was a thick, black, puffer coat with fleece lining inside. I also wore the knitted beanie hat he’d bought. It was grey and so soft. I adored it.
“I brought plenty of blankets so we can wrap up if we get cold,” he told me. “And I packed flasks filled with coffee and hot cocoa.”
“Always taking care of us all.”
“Someone needs to,” he chuckled. “I don’t think the other’s even know we own blankets.”
Within ten minutes, Kailan and I had set out several blankets to protect our asses from the still slightly wet ground, and I had laid out the food Harris and I had prepared that morning. The guys were all hungry, so came charging over as soon as they saw we were ready.
Now I was snuggled between Nick and Harris for warmth, with Aleks and Kailan sat opposite us. Zack was in Nick’s lap, happily shoving pieces of the broken up blueberry muffin, which Aleks had laid out for him, into his mouth.
We’d already eaten the sandwiches Harris made and the fruit I prepared. Now we were all just warming up with cups of coffee and hot chocolate.
“I think your blueberry muffins were a hit, sweetheart,” Harris grinned as Zack reached for another piece from his little plastic plate, while chanting ‘Yum yums’ over and over again.
“It’s Matt’s recipe. One of the first ones he taught me,” I told them all.
“Please tell me you know the recipe for that spicy beef broth he makes. I’ve been dreaming about that shit for almost a decade,” Harris groaned.
“Sorry,” I let him down gently. “You know me though. I was only ever interested in the recipes that involved a whole lot of sugary goodness.”
“Of course you were,” he sighed dramatically, making me laugh.
“I’ll have him make it for you when I go back home,” I assured him as I leaned more into his side and lay my head back, looking up at the sun through the clouds. I was relaxed completely with all four of the guys surrounding me and it felt amazing. I hadn’t felt as relaxed as I did in that moment for months and I needed the reprieve.
“Do you think you’ll go back to Chicago?” Nick asked. I sat up and looked at him. “When this is all over and it’s safe, will you go back?”
“I guess so,” I answered with a shrug. “I mean, my family is there and I had this great job offer with the justice department. It makes sense I’d go back. Where else would I go?”
“You could stay here. Start over. We could all help you do that, if it was something you wanted?” Harris spoke up.
“Yeah, you can stay with us, or we could help you find a place of your own if you wanted your own space. You wouldn’t be alone. You’d have all of us,” Kailan explained, his face lighting up with enthusiasm.
“I admit starting over sounds good,” I told them. “But I couldn’t just abandon my family, not after everything I already put them through.” I loved my family, and having them all close so I could see them any time I wanted to was the ideal. I wanted that back. It was all I had wanted since the day that bastard had snatched me from the grocery store. So why did the idea of staying close to the guys suddenly seem so very appealing now that they had suggested it? Is that really what I wanted? Could I really put so much distance between me and my family? Maybe I could, I realised, if it meant I got to be close to the guys I was falling way too fast for.
I didn’t know what was happening, but I couldn’t keep denying myself the feelings that were building inside of me for all four of them. When I had arrived there I’d had no interest in relationships, or even man in general. It wasn’t even a subject I had considered. I’d been too busy just trying to survive and fight the darkness that seemed to be growing within me. All I had wanted was a friendly face and to not be alone; just to hear someone call me ‘Evie’ to remind me of who I was, and wrap a caring arm around me.
But in just a matter of days I felt things for all four of the men currently surrounding me, that I had never felt for Dean in the years we were together. They made me feel safe and protected, but that wasn’t why I was falling for them. It was the way they each saw me. They saw past all of my broken and messed up. They even saw past the bravado I had learned from my brothers. They just saw me. Evie. They got me, and I got them too. I didn’t know them well. Even Harris, who had been through so much and changed in so many ways. I had a ton to learn about him too, but I wanted to learn it. I wanted to learn everything about all of them. I wanted to call them on my worst days and celebrate with them on my best. I wanted everything with each of them, every time I looked at them. Was that falling in love? It certainly felt like it.
But it was all so fast, and happening at such a turbulent time in my life. Christ, I didn’t have any clue how they all felt about me. They’d probably laugh if they knew the thoughts spinning through my head. They probably went for women like Kayla - tall, statuesque, and perfectly manicured. I was none of those things and I never would be. And yet, there they were asking me to stay. Did that mean something? Or was I reading too much into it? I was so damned confused!
“You wouldn’t be abandoning them, Evie. I think after what’s happened, they’d understand you wanting a fresh start,” Aleks argued.
“Plus Chicago is only just over two hours on a plane. They can visit, and so can you,” Nick reminded me.
