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“When they’re done.” I bit my bottom lip.
“You don’t need to be embarrassed,” Lucas said, brushing my hair off my forehead and planting a kiss there. “We know you’re smart as hell and that you have a business sense.”
I took a deep breath. “Fine. It’s not a business, though.”
“What is it?” Hunter asked.
“It’s a non-profit.” My cheeks got hot. They all donated to charity, but they hadn’t started a non-profit before. And this one was close to my heart. “I was thinking it would be a mentorship program for kids who just need someone in their lives. Someone to help them feel cared for. I’m working on the details. I swear it’s more nuanced than that.”
“I like the idea so far,” Hunter said. “You want help with nailing down the details?”
“Sure.” My face got even hotter, even though I shouldn’t have been embarrassed. I’d felt so alone growing up, between my parents semi-neglecting me and being the kid on the outskirts of the social world in high school. If I’d had someone older in my life to help me through those dark moments, I might not have ended up in as many emotionally toxic relationships as I had.
Then again, if I hadn’t seen how bad men could be, would I have felt as good as I did with the guys now? I wasn’t sure. But that was the silver lining for all of this. Putting up with men like Dane who weren’t all in with me made me realize just how special it was when someone made you their priority.
I wasn’t going to settle for less in any area of my life anymore. Besides, Dane and Trevor were in federal prison and were going to be for a long time. Through their various connections, the guys met with the head of the criminal organization—with plenty of security—and they negotiated a truce.
We worked through my proposal together, with them giving me feedback on certain aspects of it and giving me ballpark estimates of how much they suggested I budget for.
“We’re making our final descent,” the pilot said all of a sudden.
“Already?” I lifted my head from where I was staring at my laptop screen. “Wait, it’s been five whole hours?”
I scooted over to look out the window. All I saw were crystal clear waters from every direction. I gasped.
“Are we in the Bahamas?” I asked. Lucas mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key. “Come on. We’re almost there. Why not give me more of a hint?”
“The hint is going to be very clear when we land.” Hunter sat down and patted the seat next to him. “Come here, babe.”
I sat down with a huff, even as my excitement started to grow. I loved visiting places with a lot of historical sites, like Rome, but I loved our relaxing beach vacations just as much. It didn’t hurt that we usually had a lot of privacy, which led to all kinds of fun.
I watched the crystal-clear water get closer and closer. But I didn’t see much land until we touched down on it. I looked between my guys in confusion, the delight on their faces making me warm inside.
They led me outside, and we were literally in the middle of the ocean. A private landing strip had been built on an island, and we were one of a few private jets that had parked there.
“Come on. We still have further to go.” Chase took my hand and led me across the tarmac.
“Now I’m even more confused,” I murmured.
“Just go with the flow, baby.” Lucas rested his hand on my lower back.
We got on a small boat, which took us out onto the water. The breeze and clean air were a welcome change from the jet, even though it was pristine and had filtered air. The sunshine, green trees, and dots of islands around made me feel like they were taking me to literal paradise.
“There it is,” Hunter said, pointing off into the distance.
I put my sunglasses on top of my head and squinted. An island was ahead, but we’d passed a bunch of those. This one was much more built up, though, with mature palm trees acting as a barrier along the beach.
We docked, and Hunter helped me out of the boat. A man and a woman in white uniforms greeted us with a smile.
“Welcome,” the man said.
“Thank you.” I glanced between everyone. “What island is this?”
“Name it whatever you want,” Lucas said. “Because it’s for you.”
I stared at him, waiting for the punchline. But he just smiled down at me.
“You guys bought us an island?” I asked. “An entire island.”
