Fostering Hope (Silver Lining Book 1)

by Amanda Perry

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  The room clears out under Maggie’s orders. Austyn pauses, leaning down to hug me. “No matter what happens, no matter what you and my brothers decide, we will always be best friends. I will always love you, and you will always be my family.”

  Austyn causes my waterworks to begin, and Talen comes to me soon after. He appears unbelievably tired, and I wanted to pull him into the bed with me and make him sleep. “Parker, you belong with me and my brothers. It’s not a traditional relationship, but we aren’t a traditional family. Give me a chance to show you how much I love you, how much my brothers love you.” He doesn’t wait for a response. He kisses my forehead and leaves the room. I want to tell him I’ll give him anything he wants as long as he lets me.

  Dominic strolls into the room after Talen disappears. He takes my hand, kissing the back gently. “You are stuck with us, Muñeca. I can’t let you go and neither can my brothers. We all love you too much and we will fight for what we love. We will do what we have to do to make this work.”

  Opening my mouth to tell him I love him back, he stops me with a kiss. “Don’t say anything yet. Just let us get out what we have to say first. Okay?”

  At my nod he kisses me once more before leaving the room.

  Duncan sighs happily as he walks into the room. He doesn’t even let the door close before he starts talking. “Love, you have to agree to this. There isn’t anyone else as sweet as you are. You fit perfectly in our family.” His eyes drift to my mouth and back to my eyes. “Just imagine how perfect and amazing we could be, just give us a chance. I love you too much to let you go.”

  I respect Dominic’s wishes, keeping my thoughts to myself after Duncan finishes talking. I don’t keep my kisses or my tears to myself, though. Duncan kisses away a few tears from my cheeks before leaving.

  “Parker.” Declan rushes to my side, swiping my tears away. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” He waits for me to nod and give him a small smile before he talks. “I hope those are good tears. I hope you can give us all a chance to prove to you that you belong with us. For a long time, I thought my brothers were all I needed. It took meeting you to realize that you are our missing link. You fit perfectly with us. We aren’t asking you to give us this chance lightly. We know it’s a big decision for you just like it was for all of us. But I can’t just let go of someone I love, I can’t let go of you. So I’m asking for a chance, for myself and my brothers.” Declan presses his lips to mine quickly before exiting the room.

  Lochlan gets pushed into the room in his wheelchair, as he isn’t allowed to get up unless it’s for one of his supervised walks with a nurse. “Did those fuckers make you cry again? I’ll kick their asses later. Fuckin’ hell, babe.” Lochlan sighs, sagging into his chair. He’s quiet for a long time, and when he speaks again, his tone becomes softer than I’ve ever heard it. “You really love me, you said so. You want me. How the fuck did that even happen? I was so close to telling them I didn’t want to give this relationship a shot. I was so fucking sure I would just humiliate myself by telling you how completely in love with you I am. I didn’t want you to laugh in my face, or worse, give me those pity eyes I expected. You know the ones that guys get when they’re about to be thrown into the friend zone? I’m a lot older than you, and I have a job that isn’t easy to handle. Then you kissed me and told me you loved me and my world fucking exploded. I’m never letting you go now. So you have to agree to give this a try because I won’t let you say no. It’s not an option, got it?” After kissing me hard, he wheels himself out of the room, but I hear his last whispered plea before he leaves. “Please don’t say no.”

  The last people to come in are Jack, Collin, and Maggie. They find me in a big sobbing pile on my hospital bed. Jack and Collin hang back at the door while Maggie holds me and tells me she understands.

  “It’ll take time, honey.” She smoothes my hair from my face and then pulls me back into her embrace. “It’s not easy, but no relationship is. You have to split your time with them, you have to love them equally. There will be fighting and issues. But if you love them enough and they love you enough, you’ll get through it and it’ll be amazing. I never thought it would work with Jack and Collin, but I couldn’t let them go. I’m so glad I didn’t let them go.”

  “I want to try, but it’s just so much to take in,” I admit with a sniffle. “I don’t want to lose them. I just don’t know how this could work.”

  “Think on it, Parker,” Collin suggests from his position by the door. “Don’t rush into anything and don’t feel pressured.”

  Jack nods his agreement with Collin. “Just give yourself time to decide and follow your heart.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Lopez ended up being the same doctor who tried to take me from the hospital when I was younger. I remembered after they showed an old picture of him. His appearance changed a lot, but the picture was probably taken around the time he tried to kidnap me because he looked exactly the same in it.

  The guys explained they were working on busting up the sick business Lopez and Randolf ran, but they had no idea Track had been involved. According to Dominic, they never would have let me out of their sight if they’d made the connection. I know why they told me; they want me to trust them and understand what I would be getting into if I say yes to their proposal. They work to stop some horrible people on a daily basis. Lochlan seems the most worried about my reaction to the dangers of his and Dominic’s job.

  It isn’t like they want me to marry them; they simply want to try an unconventional relationship. Me and all five of my guys. Isn’t this what I want? I didn’t want to hurt any of them, but I couldn’t make a choice of only one of them either. It’s the best solution if I want to stay with them all. There’s no way I could ever think of the five of them as friends again. They are far more than friends. I’m in love with them all.

  I still don’t understand how this could truly work, though. Maggie married Jack and Collin, and the three of them are happy. But there’s only three of them. I’d be getting into a relationship with five men. They will fight and get jealous, and I’ll be forced to pick. I can’t pick. I know it would tear them apart as badly as it would tear me apart.

  Their confessions happened four days ago. Four days the guys have been weary and worried every time they come into the room. Four days of hardly a word said, probably because they didn’t know what to say to me. Four days of the space and time I requested to mull things over. Four days of torture. I need them, and I can’t wait any longer to tell them.

  I know they started a meeting with Maverick to get updates about the girls and find out if the FBI will put them or Maverick’s team on probation for not allowing any of the men involved to live. Jack assured me it was a formality, and they were already promised immunity. Their bosses also thanked them for what they’d done. They asked to borrow a conference room in the hospital, not wanting to leave me alone, for which I’m grateful. Maggie kept Greyson at home, but everyone else managed to sneak into their meeting. I find it humorous neither Austyn, Talen, Declan, nor Duncan work with the FBI, but every agent I’ve met treats them as if they do.

  Using the chair next to my bed, I push myself up to a standing position. I wobble a bit, as I do every time I’m allowed to stand, but I’m able to get my balance. It takes longer than I would like, but I manage to shuffle my way to the end of the hall and knock on the conference door Declan mentioned they’d be in. The forty feet from my hospital room to the conference room has me panting like I ran forty blocks.

  The door swings open, and I nearly fall onto Dominic. His eyes bug out as he catches me around the waist, scooping me off my feet and cradling me in his arms. “What in the world are you doing, Muñeca?” He carries me into the room and sits down with me on his lap.

  “I needed to talk to you all,” I breathe out, trying to pull in air. The walk was longer than I expected, and I get frustrated it took me such a large amount of energy.

  Collin m
ust notice my annoyance because he chuckles and his eyes twinkle while he watches me. “It’s just part of the recovery, kiddo. You’ll get stronger every day. You’re supposed to follow your doctor’s orders. That walk done alone was a big no-no, don’t make me set up a guard in your room.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Duncan muses thoughtfully.

  I point at him and give him my best glare. “Not a chance, buddy.”

  Talen and Austyn laugh loudly, and Declan points to Duncan saying, “Ha ha,” in a teasing manner. Duncan huffs and crosses his arms, a pout forming on his perfect lips. I glance away quickly, refusing to be distracted, and my eyes get caught on Jack’s.

  “What did you need to come talk to us about, Parker?” Jack asks, completely emotionless. If I didn’t know Jack, I might be offended. I’ve learned this is how he handles tense situations. It must come with the job because Dominic does the same thing sometimes.

  With one more deep breath, I dive right in. “I can’t stay away from you all anymore. I don’t want more time to think. Being away from you, the distance you’ve put there, even though I asked for it, is hurting me. I want to try this relationship. I want to give us all a chance. I love you all, and I can’t handle being at a distance like this. So if you all still want me, I still want you.”

  “I don’t think she’s talking to us.” Maverick grins, stepping to the side with his team. Jack, Austyn, and Collin follow them. I blush when I realize Maverick’s team is still in the room. I didn’t even pay them any mind.

  A deafening silence lasts for all of three seconds before everyone suddenly talks at once. I’m passed around, hugged, kissed, and cuddled for what seems like hours. I don’t mind at all, it feels right and like I finally belong. I finally found my family.

  EPILOGUE

  The month I spent in the hospital after I woke up was horrible. I wanted nothing more than to go home and get back to normal. The doctor wanted to make sure he didn’t miss anything, meaning they performed test after test and gave me check-ups over and over. I’m pretty sure Jack and Collin’s urgings didn’t help. I couldn’t complain too badly, since I got to spend a lot of time with all my guys.

  Talen snooped around and found a big hospital bed enabling at least one of the guys to stay with me in the bed every night. Of course, nothing happened beyond kisses, but I was glad I didn’t need to sleep alone. Lochlan and Dominic tried to stay in the bed with me together one night. The incident turned into a humorous situation really fast. I felt like the cream in an Oreo. I was incredibly squished, but it didn’t last long. The second Dominic shifted, Lochlan fell onto the floor, landing on his butt. I tried not to laugh; I really did. But the shocked expression on his face was too funny.

  After growling at me, Lochlan effectively stopped my laughter. It was the first time one of the guys kissed me in front of the others after the conference room confession. As soon as Lochlan broke the kiss, my eyes darted to Dominic. I was terrified of what he would do or say, but he was too busy chuckling at Lochlan. He didn’t even react to the kiss, and I melted back into the bed with relief.

  Afterward, there were multiple times the guys showed affection in front of the others and there have been a few hiccups, a few hurt feelings and glares sent around. But we always talk about it. It was my one rule I put into place right away. If anyone’s hurting or upset, we talk. A lot of worries came to light in the month I was stuck at the hospital.

  The main fear voiced by all the guys was that I would decide I didn’t want them. I told them they were being crazy; I would always want them. They didn’t believe me right away, but it’s clearly sinking in. All my guys voiced one big worry or another and none of them ended up unfixable.

  “Starshine!” Austyn bellows, stomping his way toward the backyard where I’m lying in the lounge chair, enjoying my freedom to be outside.

  I grin and glance toward Duncan who lies back in the chair next to mine. He rolls his eyes and puts on his sunglasses. “Whatever it is, tell him no.”

  Giggling, I turn back to the door in time to find Austyn stomping outside. “You need to get dressed, we have shit to do.”

  “We do?” My eyebrows lift in confusion. “I don’t remember having plans. Declan said I’m not allowed to do anything crazy, and Lochlan said I’m not allowed to leave the house ever again.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Austyn waves off his brothers’ concerns. “They don’t know shit. They’re just overprotective. I’ll be with you the whole time, we have a date. You owe me.”

  I scrunch my forehead, trying to remember what in the world he’s talking about. We don’t have a date planned that I know of. All the guys said they snuck in dates with me for my birthday gifts, meaning technically we all got our first dates. Well, except Duncan and our camping trip. Lochlan needs to teach me to shoot still. He’s more determined than ever.

  “I’m taking you to our special place.” Austyn chuckles.

  “The spa!” I shout, stumbling to my feet. “We were going to the spa together.”

  Austyn grins triumphantly and nods. “Damn right we are!” On our first visit, he promised me we’d go back soon, and he’s keeping his promise.

  “Wait a minute!” Duncan protests, hopping to his feet and shooting around my chair to stand in front of us. “We never got our camping date. I want my camping date.”

  “Isn’t that something that needs planning ahead of time?” I ask, remembering our plan the day I was taken. “Can we restart the plans for it?”

  Duncan gives me a cheesy grin. “Well, if you insist, I’ll make a call. Go get all pampered and stuff. I’ll see you soon.” He gives me a quick kiss, pulls out his phone, and heads into the house.

  “Come on, Starshine.” Austyn whines, shifting from foot to foot with little patience. “We need to go relax on our date!”

  Four hours later, I’ve never been prettier and more relaxed. “That guy was good at the massaging thing,” I admit, melting into Dominic as Austyn and I sit down on the couch after arriving home.

  “What guy?” Talen asks, popping his head up. “A guy gave you a massage?”

  I giggle and shake my head, exasperated. Austyn saves me from explaining. “He bats for my team, bro. Calm down.”

  “Oh.” Talen blushes, though his shoulders relax. “Okay, then. Wait, were you naked? Can I come with next time? Just to observe, of course.”

  Duncan smacks him upside the head. “Don’t be a perv.”

  Talen pouts and I giggle.

  “Austyn got his number,” I admit, winking at my best friend.

  His eyes grow into saucers and he glares at me. “Snitch!”

  “We need to meet him if you’re going out with him,” Dominic murmurs distractedly as Talen turns the television to a sporting event.

  Austyn sinks into his seat, giving me a death glare and muttering to himself about overprotective annoying brothers.

  We have a bit of time before we eat, allowing us to cuddle on the couch. Duncan takes my feet in his lap, inspecting my painted toes. Talen sits on the other side of Austyn, watching some sports game. Lochlan met us at the door to inform us dinner would be ready soon. He growled about the fact I left the house, but my only response was a kiss that caused him to walk away with a goofy grin. Maggie helps Lochlan in the kitchen and Declan convinces Jack and Collin he needs to go to the bakery down the road and pick out dessert. Of course, Greyson wanted to tag along.

  “Hello?” Dominic answering his phone draws our attention and we all quiet down to allow him to talk. “Hey Maverick! How’s your tea—” Maverick cuts off whatever Dominic planned to say.

  He listens, his eyes growing wider with each passing word from Maverick. By the time Maverick finishes talking Dominic turns bright red and bites his lip hard to keep his laughter in. “Uh.” He coughs. Clearing his throat he tries again. “Okay, let’s just meet up and talk about this. How about Friday? You and your guys can come over for lunch or something.”

  Dominic pauses for Maverick’s respo
nse, then nods and tells Maverick he will see them on Friday. As soon as he hangs up the guys jump all over him with questions. “It was Maverick. He and his guys have a bit of a… They have an issue, and they need some help.”

  Dominic doesn’t say anything more, and I assume it’s a work thing. I sink back into Dominic’s side, savoring my time with my guys. While at the spa earlier Austyn told me I should expect them to ask me to move into a house with them soon. I admitted to him I wouldn’t say no if they asked.

  The guys and I have our moments. We aren’t in the perfect relationship, but nothing in life is perfect. The only thing that matters to me now is I have all my guys safely with me and we’re happy. The rest will come with time and I can’t wait to find out what the future brings for the six of us.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  My name is Amanda Perry, and I have a writing problem. Really, it's true. I've been writing stories for as long as I can remember thanks to my Grandmother who is a script writer. When I married the love of my life things got a little crazy and I took a step back from writing for a while. We had our first baby and I became a stay-at-home mama. Time flew and my baby became my big kid! While my Big started school, I decided to take up writing again. We became pregnant with our angel baby boy a while later. God decided he needed our baby boy more, but a few months later blessed us with our youngest child. My Little has become very active lately and keeps us all on our toes. Having two young children and writing a book wasn't enough for me. I decided to go back to work part time and I have to say I love my job. While my spare time is minimal, I do enjoy dancing with strangers in casinos, googling odd facts, and drinking my weight in Diet Coke. My family means everything to me and in that I include a few close friends. Writing is my passion and as long as I'm able, I'll continue to pursue my dream.