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“Let me guess,” she said, her gaze shifting from one man to another. “You must be Bridge, you’re Logan, and you,”—she pointed at Mason—“you’re definitely Mason. Kat’s talked about you guys so much, I feel like I already know you.”
She turned to me, her smile so wide, it reminded me of our times at college and escaping our real lives. I was so happy to have her back. I pulled her inside as the Bridge and Mason grabbed her bags.
“Dinner’s ready,” Logan announced, making his way into the kitchen. We all gathered around the round dining table, the delicious aroma of homemade Mexican and the tangy scent of margaritas making me salivate. The table was overflowing with bowls of seasoned ground beef, strips of grilled chicken, freshly cut tomatoes and lettuce, a medley of salsa, guacamole, and a heaping stack of warm, soft tortillas. I eyed the pitcher of icy margaritas, the condensation dripping down the sides.
“I am still blown away that you are such an amazing cook.” I moved to Logan and hugged him, glancing up at him as he kissed my lips, both of us lost in our gazes for a few moments.
“I have many more secrets to share with you.” I loved the mirth in his voice. “But first, you better start eating before it gets cold.”
We all took a seat around the family round table, Emma on one side of me, Mason on the other.
Emma leaned toward me, wearing a mischievous smile as she murmured, “Kat, do you have any idea how lucky you are with these guys?”
A laugh bubbled up from my chest as I reached out and pulled her into a tight hug.
“Honestly, Em, I really have no idea how I lucked out.” The corners of my mouth curved into a beaming smile, remembering all the crazy we went through at the institute that brought us together.
“You know, Em, you should move in with us.” The words slipped from my mouth before I could reconsider them. “We could study at the same college again, and we’d have a blast together.”
Emma blinked at me, her surprise evident in her wide eyes. “Are you serious, Kat?” she asked, excitement creeping into her voice. “I mean, I love living with my auntie, but I’ve missed you terribly.”
“She’s missed you, too,” Logan said, scooping food onto his plate. “She was writing you letters in her notebook, but the content is rated X.”
“Oh, I want to read the notebook now.” Emma laughed.
“Maybe I best tell you about everything instead,” I said, blushing at thinking of everything written in there—mostly all my desires with these three men.
“That’s a promise, then.” Emma was serving herself food. “But if the rest of you are okay with it, I would love to come back to town and college. I’ll get a job and pay rent.”
I looked toward the guys, raising an eyebrow in question. Mason was the first to speak up, his grin as wide as mine.
“Hell yeah, Em. We’d love to have you live here. Anything to put a smile on Kat and get her out of the house more. She’s becoming a hermit.”
I gave him a deadpan look, which he winked at.
Bridge chimed in next, his voice rich with amusement. “Just a warning, though. The walls in the house are thin, and we can get loud.”
“Bridge!” I stated.
Emma giggled, her cheeks turning a delightful shade of pink.
“I think I can live with that. Who knows, I might bring a boyfriend over, too. I just have to find one first.”
As their joking warnings about the thin walls and their noisiness filled the room, I glanced around the table, my heart growing with love for these four people who had become my family. Emma, with her infectious laughter; Bridge, with his intense devotion; Mason, with his quiet strength; and Logan, with his teasing humor. This was my family. This was home.
We passed the food around and dug into the most incredible-tasting food.
“So, I guess as you’re getting to know Kat better, did she tell you about the zipper incident?” Emma began, wiping her lips.
“Nope, she didn’t,” Logan stated, staring at Emma with dedication to hear her out.
“No, don’t. That’s absolutely mortifying.”
She didn’t listen.
“It was one of those hot summer afternoons, and we were both working at the community center. We were busy setting up for an event, and all of a sudden, in the middle of a crowd all sitting down and staring at us, I heard this gasp, followed by an urgent whisper, ‘Emma, my zipper just snapped, and it’s broken!’ The worst part, everyone in the room knew but were too embarrassed to tell her she was flashing her pink underwear.”
“God, I wanted to die. The room was filled with old men.”
