The knock on the door lights a fire under my ass. “Go brush your hair, throw it up in a pony. Then come meet the guys. I promise they’ll be good to you.”
I take a few deep breaths, looking back to make sure Bree’s in her bedroom, then I swing open the door revealing a sea of men. A chuckle escapes me as I take in the wide shoulders, tall frames, and smiling faces. “Why on earth do you look so happy to be here? I have a lot of shit, guys. This is gonna suck.” But I know why they’re smiling. They’ve been worried about me. It’s been obvious. There hasn’t been a single snarky comment or bit of teasing in weeks. And I’m woman enough to admit that I’m soaking up their concern. I need to be taken care of right now, just a little bit.
I wave them in, and they file into the living room, filling it. Not eight bodies. Nine. They all came, and I have to choke back the tears. I can’t worry about what used to be on that floor they’re standing on because they’re all looking at me with raised eyebrows. I shake off the memories and clap my hands together.
“So, first of all, thank you. I appreciate this. Ransom, we’ll work out the rent details later. For now, I need you guys to hear me.” I move closer to them, lowering my voice. “Bree’s struggling a little bit with how fast this is happening. Since the...that night, she’s been dealing with a bunch of concussion symptoms, as well as some memory issues. She’s having a hard time with sounds and lights. So I’m going to bring her out to meet you, then she’ll go into her room and pack as much as she can. When it’s time for her stuff, I’ll take her to the car or something.”
The guys are nodding, smiles gone. Their eyes shift over my shoulder. I turn, waving Bree forward. She approaches slowly, shoulders back. I can see the effort it takes to put on a brave face. “Bree, I want you to meet the guys.” Her eyes lock on the towering men in front of us. I introduce them one by one.
“This is Ransom, the best boss in the world. He’s like the daddy of the group.” The guys muffle laughs behind their hands, and Ransom rolls his eyes.
Bree gives him a soft, “Hello.”
“Next are Jonas and his brother Zach. Jonas is the financial wiz and has a whole sexy accountant vibe going a lot of the time.” Jonas’s eyes widen, a blush staining his cheeks. “Zach is head of marketing and a total man-whore. Stay away from him.” Zach smirks, radiating pure sex for a second. I glare at him, and he turns it off, putting his everyday smile on. Bree’s cheeks are red, but she’s smiling. Thank god. The guys are coming across as total pussycats, which isn’t an act when it comes to the women in their circle.
“Micah here is a car wiz. He does beautiful restorations and custom work. And I didn’t know he was going to come. Thank you so much.”
He gives me a gentle smile and Bree a soft, “Hi, Bree.”
“Bree, you’ve met Maverick. Lawyer extraordinaire. Saver of my butt. And next to him is Nick. Nick’s kind of a problem solver, I guess? I don’t actually know what your job title is, but he could convince a nun to marry him in ten minutes, flat.”
Bree’s voice is deadpan. “So you have excellent oral skills?”
The guys all freeze, eyeballing her, until her lip twitches, and she gives herself away. The guys howl with laughter, slapping Nick and reaching out for high-fives from Bree. She’s smiling as she returns them, blushing when a laughing Nick kisses her hand.
This crazy whirlwind of a plan now seems like a stroke of brilliance, despite who suggested it. He’s there, his presence, like a buzzing along my skin. Why does he still affect me like this? And why the fuck is he staring at me like that? Like I kicked his puppy. He’s the one who was a dick. I’ve wasted way too many days obsessing over him.
As the laughter dies, I clear my throat and finish the introductions. “Kade’s the operating officer, he keeps things running smoothly, and his girlfriend is a ninja. She’s awesome. Colton, you know of course. He's the biggest, sweetest teddy bear in the world. And Declan fixes computers.”
Take that. Thank god Bree’s my ride or die. Other than a slight widening of her eyes, she doesn’t let on that she knows exactly who Declan is. That she’s listened to me on more than one very drunk occasion wax poetic about his beautiful eyes and long fingers. She doesn’t let on that I’ve confessed some very secret...wishes to her.
The guys are so gentle with her, speaking softly but teasing her in a way that lets me know that they’ve taken her under their wings. In a way that tells me, I can start breathing again. That other people will worry about her too and care if she gets better.
When I can tell Bree’s getting overwhelmed, I send her back to her room. And in quick order, the guys have moving boxes assembled, and they’ve split up to carefully pack my apartment. Well, carefully is a relative term. I snatch a few of my glass figurines out of Colton’s hand, wrapping them myself. Shooing him away from all my breakables so I can make sure they get to our new place in one piece.
The chaos takes my mind off what happened here completely. I have no time to think about the blood or the screams. I’m too busy running around trying to direct the guys. They disappear with box after box, and soon I’m left in the nearly empty apartment.
I knock on Bree’s door, sticking my head in. “Ready?”
She nods, dropping a handful of clothes in the box at her feet. “I got most of it packed. Just a bit of bathroom stuff left.” I let Colton and Micah in to cart things off. Colton doing what he does best, putting Bree at ease. She follows them out the door, chatting, not a glance backward. Clearly, my worry over her was a little misplaced.
Knowing Colton will take care of her, I scan the empty living room Before everything happened, this place was our refuge. We moved in here in pain and loss. Clinging to each other as we mourned our parents. It was a place of healing for us. A place where we figured out how to be a family without mom and dad. A place where we grew and developed into the women we are now. It was our safe little nest, but it’s not anymore. But I do feel a pang as I realize we’re gonna walk out those doors and never come back.
I mentally say goodbye, thanking this place for sheltering us. I know it’s an apartment, but it still feels appropriate somehow to show some gratitude. Then I turned to do one last check of my bedroom. My feet glue themselves to the floor I take in the large man standing in the middle of the room, the man I thought I loved, clutching...yep, a pair of my panties in his hand.
Fuck my life.
8
DECLAN
“I swear I wasn’t being creepy,” I shout to Cara. She stands, mouth open in the doorway. My fist tightens around the red satin. I should probably hand them to her or drop them, but I can’t get my fingers to unclench.
“Why the fuck are you holding a pair of my panties?” Cara’s voice is tight, an angry red flush on her gorgeous cheekbones. And, of course, I lose my fucking words, stuttering, mumbling, and getting nowhere. I close my eyes, counting to ten as I breathe. I can’t afford to fuck this up anymore. I give myself a mental pep talk. Man the fuck up. Just speak to the woman.
“The guys took your bed and all the boxes. I was just checking, and I noticed something on the floor. I didn’t know what it was, and I picked it up. I’m sorry.” I stretch out my arm, the red satin panties twisted through my fingers. “Here.” She blows out a breath, making her bangs flutter, then stomps towards me, grabbing the fabric from my hand. But I don’t let go. I can’t.
“Cara. Wait. Can we please talk? Please. We can’t go on like this.” Her fingers tighten, and her lips firm, and I think she’s going to deny me. But she doesn’t. She nods. I release the fabric immediately. I can’t look at it in her hands, instead focusing on those heartbreaking eyes of hers. They stole the thoughts right out of my head the first time I saw them.