“No.” She looks up.
Her honest expression is beautiful, and I want to take her to the ground again. I realized, while we were eating, that this was what I could have forever. Her laughter at the breakfast table, and my brothers are finally happy. I could finally be happy.
“You’re still not meeting them,” I state.
She lifts her hands and nudges my chest. “Bane,” she giggles.
I kiss her. Putting all my emotions into it, I lift her in my arms, and she wraps her legs around my waist. I palm her ass with one hand and use my other on her jaw to control the kiss. I’ve never enjoyed kissing someone. It was personal, and my past interactions were short and to the point. Haven puts her whole body into every act. Her hands wrap around my neck, her fingers flex as I suck her tongue. She makes little noises as I take what I want. She doesn’t hide anything. She shows her appreciation easily, and for four men who haven’t had any love, soak it up. I bite her lip before easing back. She caresses my neck and runs her fingers through my hair, her breath heavy. I stand in the sun, surrounded by the smells of the forest that we love, and I’m grateful.
“I should confront him,” she says quietly as her phone rings.
“No.”
“He’ll mess with you.” She flexes her fingers.
“I don’t care.”
“I do. I don’t owe him an explanation, but I feel like I need to tell him that I won’t be back.”
“I don’t want him near you,” I hiss.
“We don’t have to go there. I’ll call him back. I have some questions for him.” She rests her head on my shoulder. “About Mom. I want to move forward with no regrets.”
“You sound like Lawson.” I understand their need, yet I want to protect them both from more heartache.
“He needs to confront the man who abused him,” she whispers.
“Whereas I would rather kill the abuser and move on,” I sigh.
“Do you have any regrets?” she asks.
“Several,” I grit out. “I wish we had taken Lawson and Remy and run away when our parents died. It would have been hard,but we could have done it. It kills me that Lawson has an abuser to confront. He shouldn’t have had to live that way. We thought he had a chance at happiness. Remy, too.”
“You were children.”
“We were shifter children. We knew more about the world than those fuckers who ran the foster system. Hunter would agree, we could have protected each other. I know he told you about the man who attacked me.” She lifts her head. “Hunter killed him to protect me, and I was grateful he acted quickly. We were a team, and always will be.”
“Have you talked to them?” I frown. “You’re just as bad as Hunter,” she mumbles.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Have you expressed your regrets? Your love? With them? Maybe they feel the same.”
“No,” I say softly.
“I think you should,” she says, dragging her hand around my neck and pressing it against my heart. “All of you have been through years of trauma and kept it to yourselves. Talking about it would help you be at peace.”
“I don’t think I will ever be at peace when it comes to the things they went through,” I say roughly. Too late, I hear my brothers walking around the house. Haven distracted me, and I didn’t know Remy came home.
“Why do you blame yourself for what happened to me?” Lawson asks.
“Shit,” I whisper.
“Rylee is probably missing me,” Haven says brightly, pushing back. I guide her back to her feet. “No rush. Have a nice talk with your brothers.”
“Brat,” I hum, and she blinks.
“What’s that?” she yells, looking at the house. “Yes, I’m coming.” She points over her shoulder. “She needs me.” I shake my head, and she winks, walking backwards.
