SARAH I find myself looking up at him. The mischief in his dark eyes brings out a soft laugh from my throat. Don’t get me wrong, I am still shocked by how insane and petty Ronan is. It’s a new side of him I’ve never seen before. It’s cheerful, free, and boyish. His stoic bravado no longer exists in this room, not after he ruined my dress—rightfully so. He looks happier, they all do. And in some silly way, it makes me smile. I want to keep them like this. I want to be the reason they smile forever. “You’re crazy,” I say, shaking my head as my eyes wander across the room. From Ronan who zips his pants up in front of me, to Malachi and Jaxon who carefully study the two other dresses on display. “All of you.” I can’t stop my laughter now. “What was that?” I run my fingers down the length of my hair, sweating profusely. “If I had known all it’ll take was a dress, I would have worn one last night.” “It’s a good thing you didn’t.” Ronan replies. His smile slowly fades, and it makes me remember Luke Hawkthorne. Way to ruin the perfect mood, Sarah. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” “You have nothing to apologize for.” Ronan cuts in. From the look in his eyes, I know he means it. “You did nothing wrong. Don’t ever apologize when you’ve done nothing wrong.” I swallow hard. “I just don’t want you three to be mad at me. I know I fucked up last night, really. I should have been more patient.” “We can’t say we’ve been the most transparent people either, Sarah.” Malachi says as he crosses the room and walks towards me. There’s a black face towel in his right hand. My eyes follow his every move as he sits beside me. Slowly, he reaches for my legs and wipes the fast drying sperm off my ass. He’s very cautious with every move, making sure to get rid of the drops between my legs as well. I hope he never uses it on his face again. “We will do our best to make sure you trust us again.” He looks up at me once he’s done cleaning. “But you have to put in the work.”I nod, eagerly. It’s unclear what it is, but something shifts in the room between the four of us. When I’m seated properly, Jaxon comes to my right. He takes a fistful of my hair and combs his fingers through it. Then another part, and another, until I’m decent enough to face the rest of the world. A small glimpse at my image in the mirror causes my cheeks to swell. I’m flushed all over. From my cheeks to my chest. Hell. Even my knees are blushing. Ronan’s tall figure steps into view. He cups my face with his huge palm, slowly stroking my right cheek with his thumb. I look up at him. “Are you okay, baby?” A sweet type of warmth gently blooms in my chest, like honey spilling over each and every single one of my ribs. I allow myself to melt into his hold, knowing it’s here to keep me grounded and protect me. “More than okay. I’m just hungry.” Now, that second sentence is more than true. We skipped breakfast after my unfortunate meeting with their chef. I’d also overheard Ronan telling Jaxon to make sure he never came back again, knowing I wouldn’t be comfortable seeing him. I do feel bad, but at the same time, I really don’t want to ever run into him again. Durmont is also an incredibly small city. Not in size, no. Everyone knows everyone and everything. In a matter of minutes, I take off my dress…well, it’s not mine yet seeing as we haven’t paid for it. But at this point, we definitely don’t have a choice. When I put on my—Ronan’s shirt, I look up to find all three of them looking at me. “What?” Jaxon shakes his head. He can’t believe what he’s seeing…or feeling. I’m not sure, but that’s what his face tells me. “You’re really beautiful.” “And that’s a gross understatement.” Malachi adds. Ronan is quiet, but his eyes always have a way of telling me everything I need to know. A very real—unnecessary, but very real—riot begins in my belly. Maybe it’s the butterflies, maybe it’s because I had only wine for dinner last night and my stomach is still very empty. Yes. I look away from him.It’s definitely the latter. I refuse to believe it’s because they adore me so much. I still have to be careful. I can’t lose myself again so easily. DON’T YOU THINK IT’S A TAD BIT TOO LATE FOR THAT? I shake my head, silencing the voice. A few minutes later, Malachi pays for the dresses and takes their cards back, while Jaxon stands beside me with his right hand resting on the curve of my back. Ownership. They claim me once again in front of anyone who cares to see. My cheeks burn with a bright smile as I avoid the cashier’s eyes. Ronan, on the other hand, appears from the jewelry suite with the manager beside him. His signature blank look is spread across his face as the older man talks passionately. I can’t make out the words that are being said. Knowing what we did in the fitting suite, I’m not sure I want to. When his eyes lock on mine, I swiftly tear my gaze away. After we leave, we stop at a Chinese restaurant for brunch. Here, I find out Jaxon is allergic to soy and shellfish, so he keeps things safe by ordering steamed white rice and beef stir-fry without the sauce. As we sit, talk, and laugh, my heart continues to bubble in my chest. It’s been so long since I had so much fun, since anyone ever cared to listen to any stories I had to tell, or tell me stories of their own. I find them really fascinating to say the least. They had only ever been close to Kevin. I can see why he likes them so much. “Have you guys ever been in a relationship before?” I blurt out without a single thought, realizing I would chicken out if I didn’t let myself be headstrong. I keep my gaze fixed on Ronan. How his brothers answer depends on his countenance. He takes a spoon of his food and chews quietly. My heart is pounding against the walls of my chest, while he’s extremely relaxed. Great. Jaxon clears his throat and takes a large gulp of water before he sits up. “None that we know of.” I tilt my head with a puzzled frown. “None that you know of?” “Our lives have been too complicated for any form of romantic relationships. We’ve had a lot of shit to deal with. We still do,” Does this mean they’re not interested in a relationship? My palms close firmly against the denim of my shorts. Of course it does. There’s no way they’ll want to tie themselves down to one woman. Fuck. “To bring any woman into the mix at that time…” he stops and sighs. “It wouldn’t have made any sense.” “You had no problem bringing me into the mix.” Ronan drops his fork as he stares at me. Shit. Did I say that out loud? Sarah wellspring, what in God’s name is the matter with you? Jaxon glances between me and his eldest brother, and Malachi leans backward into his seat. It’s a resigned posture. He’s about to let Ronan do the talking himself. “You’re different.” Two words. That’s all Ronan says. It’s a very vague response, and it’s not enough. So, I push forward. “Why?” A tired sigh escapes his lips as he leans forward, closer to the table, closer to me. “You’re a breath of fresh air, Sarah. You’ve always been. You have always been bubbly and happy. Ever the optimist. No matter what went wrong, you kept your hopes high. For a very long time, I envied that,” I force the lump in my throat down my stomach. He speaks so fondly of the old me. I don’t even know where she is anymore. “You might think Kevin is the one who kept you strong and sane all those years. But you have no idea it was your strength he took from. When things got tough, when working two jobs and having you in his college dorm took a lot from him, he would hold onto your light, and he would shine. That light was what he brought into our friendship,” Don’t cry, Sarah. I sniff in. Please, don’t cry. “You’ve always carried a fire with you, one unlike anything we have ever seen before. Your smile, your laugh…We suddenly found ourselves wanting to do anything to keep it.”Was that why they had wanted to host my bridal shower? Did they know marrying Aaron was a mistake? Had there been a plot to end it? I don’t ask any of those questions. There’s no need to. “You can see why we want you so much.” Hot tears sting the edges of my eyelids, but I blink as many times as I have to in order to keep them away. We’re out in public, and the last thing I want to do is draw more attention to us. The rest of our meal is eaten in silence. I remain quiet throughout the drive back to their home. Only, Jaxon takes a totally different turn, and the journey is longer than normal. “Where are you going?” My curiosity peaks when I see his smile from the rear view mirror. Okay. Where the fuck are they taking me? I turn to Malachi and Ronan, but they don’t say a word. “What is this? Why are we driving out of Durmont?” Their silence remains unwavering, and I’m starting to feel really crazy. Malachi places a soft hand on my knee and squeezes gently. “Relax, kitten.” He presses a kiss on the side of my head. “You’ll love it.” He continues. “It’s the surprise we had planned for you.” Ronan adds. When he catches my shock, his throat vibrates with a soft laugh. “You didn’t think our only plan was to fuck in a private suite, did you?” In my defense, it’s not such a bad plan. He shakes his head and looks out the window. “You need to have a little more faith in us, Sarah.” I follow his stare out of the window. The car glides off the main road into a gravel path lined with olive trees. In a few more seconds, the land ahead opens into a rolling vineyard. It’s golden and lush in the subtle evening sun. I can barely contain my excitement and curiosity as I tug on Ronan’s right hand. “What is this place? Tell me, please.”I stretch the last word in a sing-song until he smiles and looks down at me. “It’s a vineyard, Sarah,” Sure, I can see that, but… “Your vineyard.”