SARAH “Ah. Fuck me.” An exasperated sigh leaves my lips as I raise my right hand in a bid to scrub underneath my arms. “Jesus, kitten. I think we’ve done enough of that already.” A pause, then I do a 190 degree spin so quickly, he doesn’t see me coming. Once I’ve caught Jaxon off guard, I make sure to smear the soap in my hands all over his face—targeting his eyes. He tries to block me, but it’s too late. “Fuck, Sarah.” He groans, his hands wrapped around both my wrists as he holds them up in the air. Jaxon’s eyelids flicker open, and I shake my head. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I say with a smile on my face. Ronan and Malachi chuckle beside me. Jaxon drops my hands and steps forward, moving us away from the running water’s trajectory. “Did you really have to do that?” “Why?” I shrug. “What’s wrong with a little burn.” “Fuck you.” “You did that already.” Jaxon chuckles, shaking his head while frantically washing his face under the shower. It feels good—this. Enjoying a quiet, sappy moment with them where it’s just us. We don’t have to worry about what’s going on, no drama, no ex-husbands looking to stir up trouble, or deranged fathers looking for revenge. Oh, and most importantly—no sneaking around because my brother already knows we’re together. We’ve had so many losses, I’m happy we can still be…normal. My throat tightens all of a sudden, like I’ve swallowed a rock I certainly do not know about. Normal. Do they want that? I’m quiet for the rest of our shower, and so are they. The brothers wrap me up in a towel, and Malachi carries me in his arms, bridal style. He doesn’t mind that my hair is dripping all over his hands. Our footsteps leave wet trails on the tiled floor from the bathroom to my bedroom. What would it be like if I lived with them? Would they give me showers like this all the time? Would it happen at first, then slowly lose its spice along the way? With them, I’ve always lived in the “now”, jumping through hoops to escape the next dramatic occurrence. I’ve never really thought about the future before, with us. In my room, I slowly get dressed in a plain yellow shirt and shorts. Jaxon helps me dry my hair in front of the vanity mirror, while chatting with his brothers who are now in black vests and briefs. I know they’ll be leaving soon, but I don’t want them to. I clear my throat, finding Jaxon’s eyes in the mirror. He looks at me with narrowed eyes, like he knows…sees through me. “About the detective,” I say. “What’s the plan?” My question brings the chatter in the room to a halt. From the mirror, I see Ronan shift on his spot in my bed. “We’re handling it, baby. I…” A frown slices through my face. I spin in my seat to look at him. “No. We’re not going to do that.” Jesus. What are you doing, Sarah? Picking up a fight so they can stay? Or starting shit to suppress what’s really going on in your heart? I should be bigger than this. I’ve learnt so much just being with them. Why am I still slipping into old patterns? Ronan cocks a brow, seemingly surprised by my outburst. Even Jaxon drops the hair dryer on the table. Malachi stares at me with his arms folded across his chest, leaning against the wall. I suck in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just…you promised you were going to involve me more. No secrets.” To Malachi. “Transparent as glass, remember?” Their gazes soften. Thankfully. Ronan walks towards me, slowly and steadily. He lowers himself in front of me, holding on to my thighs for…support? But he doesn’t need me to steady himself, so he’s not holding himself for his sake, but for mine. To remind me that they’re here, and they have no intentions of going anywhere. Drama or no drama, I’m the one they want. “What’s going on, baby?” I scoff. “What do you mean? I just told you.”“Nah.” He shakes his head. “We know you better than this. You know we know you better than this. Tell us.” He reaches for my right cheek and strokes it gently. I trust them. I love them. “It just…” my fingers intertwine on my thighs. “It feels like this is a calm before the storm.” He sighs. “Listen, I know that I should be happy and grateful that you three have fixed everything and there’s nothing in the way of our happiness now, but I’m still so scared. Deep down, I feel like I’m waiting for something to go wrong.” “Maybe it’s because you are?” Malachi replies. His cheeks are spread out into a sad smile as he moves closer to us. “And I wouldn’t blame you. We got off to a really rocky start, not a single moment of peace,” I chuckle lightly. “But look where that got us?” He takes his place beside Ronan. “And as for the detective, we’ve handled it. She will be getting a message from us very soon, and that message should be enough to make her back off.” My eyes dance around his face. They didn’t decide to just erase her from the surface of the earth. That’s a new one. “What did you guys do?” “Let’s just say she’s not as much of a saint as she pretends to be.” Jaxon answers, caressing my shoulders gently. “I mean, everyone is an Angel until it’s time to protect something or someone they love.” Like me. Just like me. “We found a crack in her wall, and we’re going to let her know we can bring the entire wall crumbling down.” I swallow hard. “So, like…blackmail?” Malachi laughs. “Blackmail an officer of the law? That’s crazy.” “But that’s what you’re doing.”“We’re just striking a deal, exchanging promises. You keep your mouth shut, and I’ll keep mine.” “But what if…” “Okay baby, enough of the detective talk.” Ronan says, kissing my knees and rising to my feet. “We have other things to discuss, other things we need to ask you, to know. We’re about to be a family. Let’s just focus on that.” A family. But what does that mean to them? Am I going to live separately while they just come over and stay whenever they want? They don’t seem like the type of men who’ll want a wife and kids—and with the kind of lives they live… What would I be? The mother of their children? Would I ever bear their last name? How would that even work? These questions are on the tip of my tongue, begging to be asked. But I don’t ask them. I don’t want to seem desperate and push them away. There must have been something in me or about me that made Aaron think he could do all those things to me and get away with it. Maybe I came on too strong, showed him how much I wanted to have a stable and functional family of my own after having no one but Kevin for such a long time. So, I plaster a smile on my face, and jump from my seat. My speed almost sends Malachi’s ass to the ground. “I’m hungry,” I say, rubbing my tummy. “Can we get something to eat?”