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Jordan gave me a wink that told me there was more.
“I may have also forwarded it to some tabloids. His name will be in ruins in an hour. Guess you’ll be off the hook for that winter wedding, huh?”
I lunged for him, wrapping my arms around him and squeezing tightly. He scooped me up into his arms and squeezed me back just as fiercely.
“It’s over, Tori. You’re safe now.”
“Because of you guys,” I said, burying my face into his neck and breathing in his bourbon and spiced pear scent, letting it ground me.
They put me down as sirens echoed in the quiet afternoon. Two police cars drove up quickly, the cops getting out. The moment they got out of their car to find my apartment, I approached them.
The older cop raised his eyebrows. “Are you the ones who made the call?”
“No, but it was my apartment,” I admitted.
“Show us the way,” he said. It wasn’t rude, but he wasn’t here to play around. I nodded once and touched my hand to Easton’s. He looked surprised but gave it a gentle squeeze, leading the way inside.
It was strange, but nice, to have him by my side. His heart was ready long before his stubborn head, but when he gave in, just like me, he wasn’t going to look back.
It only took him an hour to get our statements and then another for the team to come in, sweeping for prints.
When they finally declared they had all the evidence they needed, they left us to it. The landlord had promised to fix the door and he looked genuinely upset that something like this had happened in his own place.
“I’ve got a rental house across town. It’s available for the next three months, but I can let you stay there for what you pay for this place while you figure things out.” It was refreshing that he wasn’t arguing for us to stay. He was just offering a temporary solution.
“We’ll take it,” Warren said. Not one of us complained. Instead, they took me inside to pack everything I could. Felix and Warren had left long enough to get Warren’s pickup truck. By the time they came back, and we loaded everything I could into it, we had the keys to our temporary place.
It was a small two-bedroom cottage just off of Main Street. It had a hell of a lot more space than the old apartment, and even better, I wouldn’t have to worry about William here.
That and we could all stay together.
“Are you all right, princess?” Easton asked as he put a plate in front of me. I looked down at the pizza slices before looking up at my mate, the one I hadn’t expected to stick around.
“Yes, no, I don’t actually know,” I finally admitted.
Felix reached over and smoothed out the wrinkle on my forehead.
“You don’t have to be, blossom. We can look for a better pack house soon. I know this place isn’t that great.”
“I want to move into the inn,” I blurted out.
They all blinked owlishly at me. It might have been funny if I wasn’t so worried about the next part.
“I want us to make our own place there, and I’d like you guys to help me make it our business and our home, something with all of us tied into it. I know Felix has the flower shop, and I would never ask you to give that up, but the rest of us could make it work. We could pay for flowers and put them in the rooms and…” I trailed off, unsure now when nobody had said anything.
They also hadn’t reacted. Their faces were all completely unreadable.
Theo moved closer, sitting on the coffee table in front of me so his knees were touching mine and setting my plate aside. “Muse, are you asking us to move in with you? To be a part of your life permanently?”
My gaze shifted to Easton, and I offered a smile. “I am.”
Easton rubbed a hand along his freshly shaved chin as he studied me. “There’s a set of rooms behind the reception desk. I think it’s meant to be the manager’s office and some storage. We could start there, knock out a few walls if we need to.”
My smile widened, and I launched myself at Easton, throwing my arms around him. He let out a deep, rumbling chuckle that made it feel like the pieces of a puzzle were clicking into place.
This was everything I needed in my life, and I’d finally let myself have it. There was no holding back or living in fear. I’d officially escaped my past with their help. Now we had forever to figure out.
“Even if I’m not going to work at the inn with you guys, I can still help from time to time. It would be nice to not live in that tiny apartment above the shop.”
