by Kent, Rina
Sometimes, I wake up with images of blood marring her chest and hair and her unmoving body in my brain.
That memory will haunt me for life. The fact that I lost her after I escaped that wretched basement still aches more than I like to admit.
So, yes, I guess I have the right to be as overbearing as it can get because her well-being comes before anything else.
Speaking of the beautiful angel, she carries the drinks towards us and places them beside the chessboard. Landon hops down to snatch a cola.
Elsa stands on Eli’s side and strokes his hair back. When she speaks to him, her voice is soft, welcoming, like she’s singing him a lullaby. “What do you want, hon?”
“Nothing.”
“Is it not here? Do you want something else from the kitchen?”
“He can get it himself.” I pull her so she’s by my side, and no, I’m not jealous of my own son. It’s that she’s too doting on him and that will turn him into a mama’s boy like Ronan, and that’s not something I’ll allow. I push him down my leg. “Off you go.”
He glares at Landon one more time before he stalks in Brandon’s direction. “I’ll have juice, Mummy.”
She starts to follow him, but I hold her by the waist, my head touching her dress.
“Aiden…” When she attempts to struggle, it only makes me tighten my hold on her.
“He can take care of himself.” I pause. “Actually, I’m pretty sure Jonathan and Aurora miss him, so he should spend the weekend there.”
“Stop shipping our son off any chance you get.”
I graze my teeth against her side, and even though I’m separated from her skin by cloth, she shudders as I murmur, “No.”
She stares down at me with raw lust that makes my dick rock-fucking-hard. I’ll never get over the way she looks at me, the way her blue eyes brighten and the way she speaks without words, telling me to take her, to own her. To make her all mine.
It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been together. It doesn’t matter that she sleeps in my arms every night and wakes up wrapped all around me.
Even as an old man, I will never get enough of this woman. I will never get enough of the brightness she brings to my life. She’s the calm to my storm. The light to my darkness. And I don’t take any of that for granted. I worship her every day so she knows how fucking grateful I am for finding her again.
For having her.
For breathing her in every night.
For seeing her face every morning.
“The rooms are upstairs.” Cole’s bored voice interrupts our connection.
“And the door is just there.” I point at it with my middle finger.
Elsa blushes before she slips from underneath my touch and picks up Ava, who’s struggling to reach the floor.
“That’s not true!” Ronan pushes Xan away as the two of them, their wives, and Silver join us.
“Now what?” Cole tugs on Silver’s hand so she falls on to his lap. The fucking hypocrite was just pointing out the rooms for me.
“Xan here was saying that he’s Kimmy’s first and last when I actually dated her first.”
“No, you didn’t.” Xander elbows him.
“Mais oui. Remember that date at Mum’s favourite restaurant, Kimmy?”
“Your mum’s favourite restaurant, huh?” Teal crosses her arms, staring her husband down, even though he’s way taller than her.
He quickly backpedals, holding her hands. “You know that’s not what I meant, ma belle. Xan was a dick at the time — more than usual, I mean — and I was only being my usual Prince Charming self. It’s not me, it’s my genes.”
“Shut it, Ron.” Xander elbows him again and gathers Cecily off the floor. She snuggles in his embrace, ignoring everyone else. Xander feels smug whenever we tell him she’s a daddy’s girl.
“Hey, Remi,” Ronan calls out for his son and he comes running, jumping in his father’s arms. “Tell your mummy who loves her most in the world.”
“Daddy and Remi.”
“That’s right.” Ronan fist-bumps with him.
“And Uncle Knox!”
“And your Uncle Knox, when he’s not getting himself in trouble.”
“My brother doesn’t get himself in trouble.” Teal goes straight to the defensive.
“He kind of does,” my wife says. “Though it’s not always his fault.”
“Thank you!” Teal squeezes Elsa’s shoulder.
“You did well and will be rewarded by Lars later.” Ronan puts his son to his feet. “Off you go, my second in command.”
Remi stands upright and makes a salute. “Yes, sir.”
Everyone laughs as he runs at full speed and crashes into Brandon and Eli.
Everyone except me, because I’m contemplating a way to kidnap Elsa out of here and have her all to myself.
After Eli falls asleep.
I pull out my phone and email Jonathan because he dislikes texts. Usually, I would purposely text him, but I need him for grandpa duties this weekend.
It’s been some time since I had Jonathan’s island all for me and my wife.
From: Aiden King
To: Jonathan King
Subject: Don’t You Miss Your Grandkid?
I’ll bring him over this weekend.
From: Jonathan King
To: Aiden King
Subject: Don’t You Miss Your Grandkid?
No.
He’s probably planning to go to the island with my stepmum himself, and he can get stiff as fuck when it comes to her time. I smirk as I type.
From: Aiden King
To: Jonathan King
Subject: Don’t You Miss Your Grandkid?
You had your chance. I’m calling Aurora.
From: Jonathan King
To: Aiden King
Subject: Don’t You Miss Your Grandkid?
Don’t.
I pull Aurora’s number and text her.
Aiden: Elsa needs time to decompress. Can you have Eli this weekend?
Her reply is immediate.
Aurora: Absolutely! I miss his face.
My smirk widens as I pull back the exchange with my father.
From: Aiden King
To: Jonathan King
Subject: Don’t You Miss Your Grandkid?
Already done.
“What are you plotting?” a soft voice whispers from my right as I tuck the phone in my pocket.
Elsa stares at me with slightly narrowed eyes, as if she knows exactly what I’ve done.
“Just some negotiations with Jonathan.”
She raises a brow. “Just Jonathan?”
“I might have deferred to Aurora.”
“Aiden!” She clutches me by the shoulder. “Stop using her against your father.”
“I’m not using her. It’s mutually beneficial. It’s not my problem that Jonathan doesn’t see it that way.”
She chuckles under her breath. “You’re awful.”
“But you still love me?”
Her lips brush against my cheek as she whispers, “When did I ever stop?”
“I never stopped loving you since that day I first saw you when we were just kids, sweetheart.”
23
Kimberly
I tug on Xander’s bicep. “Let Cecily go so she can play with the other kids.”
“You mean so they’ll hurt her?” He tickles her tummy. “Not that I would let anyone hurt my little Cecily.”
She breaks out in giggles, dimples creasing her cheeks as she holds on to him with all her might. “Daddy!”
I shake my head as I take her from his arms and put her to her feet. She staggers for a bit before she breaks into a run towards the others. He’s making her so spoilt, it’s on a whole different level.
“Why did you do that?” He frowns, following her with his gaze as she stands beside Remi, holding on to him as she did to her daddy.
I smooth a crease in his shirt on his shoulder, and yeah, it could be just an excuse to touch him. Tru
th is, I can’t stop touching Xander. So what if we’ve been married for nine years? When in his presence, I feel like the little girl who snuck into his house to sleep beside him.
“You, Kir, Dad, and Lewis are turning her into a spoilt little princess.”
“Which she should be.” He grins, showing his own dimples as he palms my cheeks. “You don’t have to be jealous, Green. If you want attention, all you have to do is ask. Actually, scratch that. I would give you attention without you having to ask.”
His lips meet mine and I pull back before he deepens the kiss in front of everyone. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Yeah, right.”
“You’ll come back to my words one day and by then, it will be too late.”
“It will never be too late, because Cecily won’t leave my side. Kir agrees, by the way.”
I sigh, thinking of my baby brother. Although he’s twenty and at university now, so he’s not exactly a baby anymore.
Xan’s lips brush against my temple. “You miss him?”
A small period of silence is all he needs to know there’s something up. Xan is the one person on this planet who can read me better than anyone. Just like I have the ability to read him.
Leaning my head on his shoulder, I sigh. “I do. Do you think he’ll kick me out if I go visit?”
“You saw him last weekend, Green. And you say I’m spoiling Cecily? Look at you with Kir.”
“I worry.”
“He’s a grown man. Leave him be.”
“Fine. I will go to visit next weekend, I guess.”
He laughs. “You’re so fucking adorable.”
I wrap my arms around him as we re-join our circle of friends. We’ve come so far in the twelve years since we left Royal Elite School.
My demons are in the past, and although the scars have never disappeared, they’ve faded away and I can now breathe properly. Sometimes, I wonder what would’ve happened if I’d stayed in that black hole. Other times, I completely forget about the what-ifs and remain in the present.
I wouldn’t have gotten this far without the man holding on to me as if I’m his world.
I followed my dream and became a sociologist who’s able to help kids who are like I once was. Kids who’ve been mentally or physically abused. Kids who need help but don’t know how to ask for it.
That’s my best accomplishment in life, aside from the spoilt little princess Cecily and the hunk of a husband who turns my nights into the wildest rollercoaster rides.
Xander and Ronan formed some sort of a partnership just like Aiden, Levi, and Cole. Teal and Silver also followed in their husbands’ footsteps and chose business.
Elsa is an architect, who’s more focused on her aunt and uncle’s engineering firm instead of her father’s corporation. Astrid has been slowly turning into a renowned artist that we’re all proud to say we know on a personal level.
All of us have come a long way, but at moments like this, it feels like time can stop. Like we can be forever young.
My eyes meet Silver’s as she sits on Cole’s lap, and we both smile in a knowing way. If she tells him what she told me earlier, then Cole will be a happy man tonight — more than usual, I mean.
It’s crazy to think that Silver and I were enemies back in school. Now, she’s my best friend again, along with Elsa.
It took me some time to get past how she used to treat me, but after hearing her reasons and her apology, I couldn’t hold a grudge against her. Xan says I forgive easily and he’s lucky for that; however, the truth is, I don’t like holding on to the bad. That shit festers inside and destroys you.
Besides, Silver and I have always had a bond since we were little girls. We just built on that and picked up where we left off. Sort of like Xan and I.
My heart ached when I heard about what she’s been through, from the pressure to the pregnancy’s false alarm to the stalker.
She’s the type who buries everything inside and tries to take care of everyone from afar, even if it makes her appear in a negative light.
Now that we’re back in each other’s lives, we’ve built a bond that I never thought would be possible in a million years.
“I’ll go with you.” Xan’s words and his kiss on the top of my head bring me back from my reverie.
“Go with me where?”
“To Kir. You’re still thinking about him, aren’t you? And if he complains to you about how often you visit, I’ll punch him.”
“Hey, don’t punch my baby brother.”
“I’ll punch anyone who hurts you. Kir included.”
“He’s your half-brother, too,” I whisper.
“That doesn’t give him a pass.”
I chuckle, leaning my head against his chest. “You’re impossible.”
“For you, Green. Only you.”
Only me.
I can die a happy woman right here and now.
24
Teal
The four of us leave the kids with their fathers as we sit around for a drink.
Astrid and Levi are still absent, so it’s just Elsa, Kim, Silver, and me.
Aiden has both Landon and Brandon on his lap. Eli refuses to join since he’s a ‘big boy’.
Cecily holds on to her father as if her life depends on it. Little Ava keeps playing with Cole’s tie and giggling whenever he tickles her.
Remi is casually draped over Ronan’s shoulder. I swear, those two have the most chill father-son relationship ever. It’s like they’re friends, which isn’t so hard to believe considering that Ronan is forever young. It doesn’t matter how old he gets, he’s still the life of every gathering, and right now, he’s plotting a game to keep the children busy. There’s a reason why Ronan is every child’s favourite uncle.
Our Remi is so cool about it, too. I thought he would be jealous that other kids would be taking up his father’s time, but he said, “No, Mummy. That means Daddy is da best.”
It’s like he’s his wingman.
My heart always flutters when I see them together. My two men. Who knew there would be a day when I would be a wife and a mother, and not only that, but also have the best family out there.
I have a husband who wakes me up on a daily basis with his head buried between my legs to ‘relax me’ and a son who’s learning from his father to bring me breakfast in bed.
For someone who hardly had a family, having Ronan and Remi feels like an eternal dream.
One I don’t ever want to wake up from.
“Stop it.” Silver’s voice brings me to the present.
She’s elbowing Kim, who keeps laughing under her breath while Silver is blushing.
“What’s going on?” Elsa asks.
“Nothing.” Kim hides her laughter again.
“She was teasing me.” Silver narrows her eyes on her childhood friend.
“I was only telling the truth about how Cole sat you on his lap earlier.”
“Yeah, right. As if Xan doesn’t do the same.” Silver nudges her playfully and they both break out in laughter.
“You guys are lucky you’ve known your husbands since you were young.” Elsa sighs, taking a sip of her martini.
“You met Aiden when you were young, too,” Kim says.
“Yeah, but I didn’t live with him like you guys did.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t.” Silver sighs. “He was a wanker from a young age. Cole, too. Kim is the only actual lucky one here because Xan was like a ring on her finger since they were in nappies.”
Kim’s face flushes. “That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is. He always stood up for you and even beat Cole and Aiden whenever they bothered you.”
“Well, I guess.”
“You guess?” Silver attacks Kim’s ticklish side until they both break down in giggles.
“Rub it in, would you?” Elsa tears her gaze from them and focuses on me. “How about you, Teal? Don’t you wish you’d met Ronan when he was young?”
“No. Not really. I bel
ieve we met at the right time. Any earlier and it would’ve been off, you know?” My gaze automatically finds his and he winks. I smile back, feeling all sorts of fireworks explode in my chest.
I want him for myself.
As much as I love getting together with the girls and seeing all the kids play with each other, I’m actually selfish about my Ron, and even Remi.
I want my husband’s time for myself. I want to sleep in his arms and have him speak French to me.
I guess it’s time to go home.
25
Silver
“Call me afterwards, okay?” Kim squeezes me in a hug.
“I will.” I kiss her cheek. “Give that to Cecily on my behalf.”
“You say that as if she spends time with me when her daddy is around.”
I smile as I wave at her, then at Teal and Ronan, who are pulling out of the Meet Up.
Aiden left with Elsa, Eli, and Astrid’s twin boys because their parents are still MIA.
Cole straps a sleeping Ava in the baby seat in the back of the car and kisses her adorable cheek.
“Daddy…” she mumbles in her sleep. “Mummy…”
A smile grazes my lips as Cole kisses her forehead before he joins me. I throw a fleeting glance at my messages, then place my phone in my bag.
After putting his seatbelt on, Cole checks mine. It’s become a habit of his. The protectiveness of this man knows no limits. I’m addicted to it, in a way, and I can’t imagine my life without his over-the-top protectiveness. Whenever we’re with him, I completely let go because I know my baby girl and I are completely safe in his company.
He places a hand on my thigh — as usual — while he pulls the car out of the Meet Up.
For a moment in time, I’m lost watching his side profile and the way he’s grown into this absolutely mouth-watering man. Not that he’s ever been young. Cole has been an adult since he was a child. But he’s currently rocking his thirties like no one else. His physique has kept its lean quality, yet he exudes a lethal type of calm that can be seen from the deep green of his eyes.
