SARAH I watch as Julian makes his way into the living room, strutting like he owns the place. He might be trying to act oblivious to the eyes staring daggers at his back as he walks away. I’m not sure how I feel about being in this situation, since it’s one that could be easily avoided if people remember something like courtesy exists. Most of my anger is directed towards Julian…and myself. Whatever episode we had at the hospital must have sent the wrong signal. In a bid to be nice to him when I thought he was the only one who cared enough to check on me, I must have become too nice. That’s the only way to explain why he feels comfortable enough to just show up at my house. He settles into one of the lush couches, while Jaxon walks ahead of me. Malachi follows him behind, and Ronan stays by my side. He helps me into a sofa, placing me between Malachi and himself. We’re right opposite Julian. Excellent choice of seats, Mal. Julian crosses his right leg over the left as he stares at me. He must really be trying to annoy the brothers. No? Why else would he look at me like I’m the bane of his existence? The object of all his desires? I fight the urge to kick myself over and over again. Once I get the chance, I’m clearing whatever misconceptions he developed after the episode at the hospital. The air is thick with tension, heavy enough to be sliced through with a kitchen knife. Can I leave them here and go to bed? They’re sure to understand if I’m tired and need to go to bed, right? Then again, the brothers are crazy enough to stay until I’m awake, and Julian is stubborn enough to wait, just to get under their skin. No, leaving is only going to make things worse. Dear God, I haven’t come to you in a while, but a miracle won’t be so bad, would it? “Here’s your coke,” Kevin’s voice breaks the silence, and takes Julian’s eyes off me—thankfully. He places the plastic bottle and a glass on the glass stool to the right. Julian thanks him with a smile, to which Kevin responds with a nod. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the study.” He says, turning his back to leave. Is he really about to leave me alone in this incredibly awkward situation? Not a chance in hell. “Why don’t you sit here with us, Kev?” He pauses on his track and tilts his head to shoot me a glare—one I gracefully ignore. My anxiety is far greater than any form of annoyance he might be feeling. “This is your mess to handle.” Those are the words I know he so desperately wants to tell me, his eyes already scream the words. Well, he’s my big brother for a reason. “Sarah…” My fake smile grows even wider. “The whole family is here. We wouldn’t want to leave anyone else out, would we?” I blink at him, twice, to show I’m in a tight corner, and I really need his help. He grunts and moves to sit next to Jaxon. I swallow hard. Now, the whole family is really here. “How’s it going at the office, Julian?” Kevin asks, saving the day once again. Really, what did I ever do to deserve such a gem for a brother? Julian clears his throat to speak. “Sarah is greatly missed at the office. It’s been missing her light. There’s this aura she has that just makes everything so easy, even when we’re going through a crisis,” he turns his head back to me. “She’s a gem. A rare one.” Malachi’s strokes on my knees intensify. “It’s one of the many reasons we love her.” He retorts. Julian arches his left brow. “Waking up every morning and realizing she’s here, she’s ours, it’s such an out of body experience, a good one. Sometimes I find myself asking if she’s real.” My heart melts at his words. I turn to him, looking deep into those intense eyes, knowing he means every word he has just said. “You must find yourself asking what you ever did to deserve her.” What the actual fuck? Is he crazy? I stifle a nervous chuckle. “Come on, you’re saying it like…” “Actually, we do.” Ronan cuts in. “Everyday. I mean, she’s a goddess who could have had anyone else in the entire world, but she chose us. We are lucky men, Cross, I can tell you that for free.” Julian’s confident grin slowly dissipates. It’s impossible to tell what he intended to start with those biting words of his, but it’s easy to see he’s disappointed the brothers didn’t take the bait, whatever it might have been. He takes a large gulp of his coke, while I’m brimming with a bright, proud smile. I have to admit, I had half expected Ronan to walk out, or Jaxon to throw hands from across the room. Instead, they sit still, and Ronan boldly speaks on how lucky they feel to have me. That’s…that’s really something. Just then, Ronan’s phone rings in his pocket. He takes it out and kisses the side of my head. “I have to take this, baby.” Then he’s gone. The room is eerily quiet until he returns. “We have to go now,” he says. “Kevin, you need to come with us.” Worry clouds the pride on my face. “Is everything alright?” Did something happen? “Yes. It’s just work stuff. There’s something we would like Kevin’s opinion on.” The rest of the men don’t say a word. They rise to their feet and head to the door. However, Jaxon gives me a hug before he leaves. “If you need anything, just call us, okay?” I nod, even though I know I won’t be able to reach them since I don’t have a phone yet—I do need to fix this soon, by the way—but it doesn’t matter. It’s not like Julian is going to hurt me. I wave them goodbye and watch them walk out of the door. Julian doesn’t speak until the door is firmly shut behind them. “So that’s why you were acting weird, you’re back with them.” “We never broke up in the first place.” He chuckles, it’s a pained sound that makes me lean further into the sofa. “So it was only a lover’s fight, and I was the placeholder.” Julian nods his head, as though he has just come to this grand realization of something no one else can comprehend. It’s a battle against the urge to roll my eyes. “Placeholder? There wasn’t even a place to hold. I do not appreciate you making it seem like I used you or something. I told you, didn’t I? It’s never going to happen.” “Is this about the pregnancy?” He jumps to his feet. I push down the lump in my throat. “Sit down, Julian.” “Are you doing this because you’re pregnant and you feel you can’t do without them? Is that it? You feel you need them in your life?” He looks down at my stomach. “In your lives?” “Sit down, Julian. I’m not going to say this again.” “I’m here for you, Sarah. I’ve always been. Even right now, I’m the one holding Wellspring while you recover. I’m the good guy.” Is he serious? “What have they ever done for you? Name a singular thing, outside the bedroom, and I’ll leave you. I’ll walk away right now.” My heart pounds against the walls of my chest, the sound rings loud in both my ears. I squeeze my hands, clenching my palms into tight fists. He wants to know what the brothers have done for me? He wants me to tell him how they helped me pick up myself when Aaron turned me into a shell, an empty void? Or does he want me to spell out how they helped me find out about Aaron’s lies? How they set him up and pushed him to show his true colors. How they took me away from all of this and showed me the beauty of life in Mykonos. How they killed…literally killed for me. He’ll never be able to comprehend it. He can never understand it. It’s just like he said, he’s the good guy. I do not want or need a good guy. I have men that’ll burn the world and everything in it for me. Nothing else matters. When I finally collect myself, I offer him the most polite look I can manage. “I’ll see you to the door, Julian. And please, don’t ever come here without being told to again.” His shoulders slump. “Sarah. Come on.” But I’m already on my way to the door. “Are you really asking me to leave?” “Did I stutter, Julian Cross?” For a while, he just stands there, almost as if he can’t believe his eyes or his ears. But when it finally dawns on him, he walks out of the house and into his car. I heave a tired sigh, grateful to finally be on my own, when a black Toyota stops in front of my house. My brows furrow at the tall woman who steps down from the car. Once our gazes meet, she jogs up to me. She stops at my door, pauses to catch her breath, before pulling a card from her breast pocket. “I’m so sorry to bother you on this hot, really hot evening, miss Wellspring.” “And yet, here you are.” She ignores my dry response. “My name is Caroline Walters,” she holds out the card to me. “Detective Caroline Walters. And I need to speak with you.”