JAXON My dearest brother is the one who does most of the talking, but he speaks for every single one of us. Everything he says is exactly what we’re thinking. I’ll be a liar and a douche if I say it’s going to be easy, I know it won’t. But for her, I’m willing to try. We all are. With tears rushing from Sarah’s eyes, she tiptoes and kisses Ronan. I mean—really kisses him. It’s deep, with a lot of tongue. Starving. Like she hasn’t tasted him in years. And I watch with keen needy eyes. I’m not needy because I’m jealous. Okay, maybe a little, seeing as I always go last and somehow manage to be the most impatient of all my brothers. But mostly because it’s Ronan, and even Ronan fucking Hawkthorne can’t mask the way his whole world tilts when Sarah’s lips meet his. She kisses Mal next, softer, slower. He cups her face with both hands, as though he doesn’t want her to break, like she’s made of porcelain. His forehead presses to hers, and I see it—just like I feel it—the silent promise in his eyes. Then she turns to me. And for a second—okay, it’s longer than a second—I forget how to breathe. Her eyes are shining, warm and wet at the same time. She’s all I’ve dreamed of. My goddess. My Sarah. “Hi,” I whisper. Dumb. I know. But it’s all I can manage as she struts towards me. Only two steps, and her lips are so close. “Hi,” she giggles, cupping my cheek. Her thumb brushes the corner of my mouth. “You okay?” I shake my head. Truthfully, I feel a bit fuzzy with how insanely fast everything has been going since…that night. Standing here, in front of her, it feels like a fever dream. So I kiss her, to ground myself, to erase that disbelief in my chest, to tell myself I deserve to have things this good. Or maybe she kisses me to tell me. I’m not certain who moves first. All I know is that it happens—and I melt. I fold into her like she’s the force of the earth pulling me to the center, placing me firmly on the ground, keeping me sane. My hands grip her tighter, maybe too tight. I can’t help it. My soul is screaming for her. I drown the memory of the hell we had to crawl out from to get here. This moment is beyond perfect. Her fingers tangle in my hair. Her breath comes fast as she chuckles in between kisses, moans when I grab her ass with greedy fingers, digging every single one into her subtle flesh. I don’t even know if I’m breathing anymore. “Go get a room or something.” Kevin’s voice cuts through the haze, as cold as a bucket of ice water. He dumps it right on my head. Shock ripples through me, and Sarah pulls back slowly, cheeks flushed. I catch a glimpse of her dazed eyes as I look away from her. “This is my house,” she says, still breathless, shooting Kevin a glare. “You’re the one who should get a room. Kevin lifts an unimpressed brow. Doesn’t say a word to us. He just stared at us for a short while. I can’t seem to look into his eyes, so I focus on the bags in his hands. After a while, he sighs and heads for the stairs. Ronan snorts. “That’s new.” Kevin doesn’t even break stride. Then Ronan turns to us and nods toward the stairs. “Let’s go.” He helps Sarah into her wheelchair, buckles the strap gently, and kisses her once more. “We’ll be right back, kitten.” She smiles, but I can still see the glint of mischief in her eyes. The temptation to drag us back down and finish what we started. It takes everything in me not to dive into her lap and finish what Ronan started. But this is important. So I follow my brothers up the stairs and into a room I assume is Kevin’s. He shakes his head as he drops the bags by the door of his wardrobe. His shoulders are slouched, and I can tell what he’s about to say before he utters a single word. He turns to us. “Let me make something clear. Just because I’ve allowed you three to date my sister—” “Allowed,” Mal echoes, smirking. Kevin shoots him a deadly glare. “—doesn’t mean you get to make out with her like horny teenagers in the living room. Why was she out of her wheelchair?” The question is directed at Ronan. He lifts his hands in surrender. “You’re right. We got carried away.” “Carried away,” Kevin repeats, crossing his arms. His eyes roam across our faces, one by one, calculating. “Whatever. I couldn’t care less about your antics. But if you were about to fuck in the living room, I’m assuming you guys made up. Has she told you?” It’s about the babies, no doubt. Mal nods with a bright smile. “She did.” I can’t stop myself. “I still can’t believe it. Twins, man. We’re gonna be dads.” I run both hands through my hair, pacing a little. “Like…little people are gonna call me daddy.” “Unfortunately.” Kevin cuts in, and I laugh. I can’t help it. There’s a lightness in me I haven’t felt in a long time, in all my life. It feels as though everything’s finally starting to shift into place, and nothing could ever go wrong. Kevin exhales and looks us dead in the eye. “She’s forgiven you, and I’m on her side. So, if you ever—ever—put her in danger again, I’ll end all three of you myself.” My smile drops. Ronan nods solemnly. “We know. We’re going to be careful now. Really careful.” I pause and look between them, my heart threatening to burst in my chest. There’s something I want to say, something that’s been on the tip of my tongue since she opened the door for us. “I want to spend the rest of my life with her.” The words are quiet, but true. They hang in the air. Stiff, but I don’t take them back. I don’t want to. Mal turns to me, surprised at first. Then he gives a single nod. “I do too.” Ronan doesn’t say anything for a second. His eyes flicker between us, then soften. He’s realizing it’s not just us anymore. He also wants our family to be more than just the three of us. “How’s that even going to work?” Kevin cuts in. Great. Cue in the buzzkill. He scratches his forehead. “Nothing about this is normal.” “We’ve been friends for almost two decades, Kevin Wellspring,” Ronan says. “When have we ever done anything remotely normal?” Kevin sighs. “Good point.” “But we love Sarah, and we want to show it in the way she deserves.” A brief pause. “We want your blessing.” Kevin scoffs. “My blessing?” We nod. He rolls his eyes. “You three are out of your minds. I haven’t punched you in the face. That should be a blessing enough.” Ronan’s smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “This is it boys, we’re doing it.” I cross arms over my chest, ready to spell the words out. “We’re going to ask Sarah to marry us.”