Brokenhearted Beauty [Divine Creek Ranch 19] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Heather Rainier

  “We won’t mind, since we’re taking you away from your relaxing trip down memory lane.”

  “Let me get my shoes.”

  “We came straight from the station. Mind if we change real quick?” James asked, gesturing at the black duffel bags sitting in the hallway that they’d had slung on their shoulders when they’d arrived.

  “Sure.”

  When they went down the stairs, she spotted the short-bed pickup. She giggled and said, “You got the tailgate put on!”

  “Yep. And we have a choice to make, too. But we want to show you what we found this morning first,” James said as he opened the passenger side door for her and lifted her inside.

  “What is it with guys and lift kits?” she asked with a giggle.

  “It’s not that high,” Vincent said. “We just like having the excuse to pick you up, fluff.”

  “Sweet talker.”

  Vincent climbed in on the driver’s side and said, “We have another decision to make about the truck and we want your input.”

  “What’s that?” she asked as she buckled up.

  James popped open the glove box and pulled out a printed card and put it in her hands. “Paint samples. We want you to pick the color.”

  “Why me?”

  With the windows rolled down, the wind ruffled the wisps of her hair around her neck and shoulders as she looked at her left and right, waiting for an answer. Vincent finally said, “We believe Patterson would’ve wanted you to pick the color and would’ve wanted us to give you the choice under these circumstances.”

  A spark of sadness entered her chest. She’d much rather that he was here so he could ask her himself…and she said as much as she opened the paint chip card and the array of colors on the card blurred a little.

  “Me, too, Leah,” James whispered. “You know, if he was here, he’d demand that you rode on his lap.”

  “That’s not safe,” she said with a shake of her head. “But very Patterson-like. You’re right. He might’ve.”

  Vincent kept his eyes on the road. “He would’ve told you he’d keep you safe. He might’ve been a cop but he also thought he was unbreakable. Otherwise…”

  “Otherwise how could he have done something so stupid as not wear his helmet?” she filled in for him. “I’ll never get a satisfactory answer to that question. If he was here I’d be so pissed at him. But I can’t stay there, can’t hold on to that discontent. If I do, it’d color everything between us. Do you feel like that sometimes?” she asked and then looked down at the samples.

  James rested his upper arm on the door and propped his hand in the window as the country roads leading back to their place zoomed by. “Sometimes I feel like kicking his ass. It’s not fair because he’s gone, he’s missing out on everything with you, but I’m really angry with him. Stubborn bastard.” Leah nodded at his gruff words and glanced at Vincent and caught the little smile he shared with her as he drove.

  Vincent turned on the blinker as they rolled up to their driveway and said, “Chief asked if we were dealing with Patterson’s death today.”

  “He did?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

  Vincent nodded. “Chief’s old school but said it’d be best if we met with the staff counselor and talked it out and made sure there weren’t any unresolved feelings over his death.”

  “Yup,” James said, sounding less than excited about the prospect.

  She reached up and stroked James’s thickly muscled shoulder with her knuckles. “I think you should go. It couldn’t hurt, right? We’re far enough along in the grieving process that you can work out exactly the kind of feelings you talked about.”

  James looked over at her and smiled as he nodded. “We talked it out and decided that with you in the picture it’d be best for us to meet with him at least a few times. Neither of us wants to do anything that might hurt you because we didn’t take care of unresolved feelings about him.”

  “Thank you.”

  “What about you, fluff? Chief said significant others can be a part of the appointments, too.”

  “Really? But I’m not officially a part of your life. I mean, like…legally.”

  “Chief knows you’re very important to us. He said you could come in, too.”

  A knot formed in her throat at the sense of belonging she felt from a man she barely knew. “I would do it, if you think it’ll help. I probably should’ve talked to Emma about it before. I feel like we’re in a very good spot but these feelings still pop up sometimes,” she murmured, wondering how much of it was unresolved grief and how much was the wine. Honestly, her buzz from earlier was gone. She looked around them as Vincent drove past the cabin on the gravel driveway. “Why didn’t we stop at the cabin?”

  They both chuckled and Vincent said, “What we wanted to show you is on our land but it’s not in the house. Now, did you pick a color?”

  Thinking he was smooth for changing the subject so neatly, she looked down at the card and tilted the color chips in the sun blazing in through the windshield and said, “It’s hard picking a color for the two of you. I like the Sunset Copper and the Dragon Red. I can picture you driving it in either of those colors.”

  Vincent finally stopped the truck and climbed out of it. James did likewise and held out his arms to her. She gladly went into them and looked up at both of them as they stood there smiling down at her.

  Vincent held up the key ring. She cocked her head in confusion and he said, “We want you to pick the color for the truck before we send it for painting and other modifications.”

  “Other modifications?” she asked as she took the keys from him. She gazed down at the decoration on the key ring and her breath caught. It was a tear-drop-shaped prism. The sunlight bounced off of its facets, dazzling her with sparkling, multi-hued reflections the same way her crystal had earlier as she’d unpacked it in the sunshiny room back at her apartment.

  “We’re having the truck fixed up for you, fluff,” Vincent said. “You know where we found this key ring?”

  “Where?” she asked breathlessly as she stared at it, not knowing what to say.

  “We found it in his dresser when we were packing up his things. We weren’t sure what to make of it and then we realized the keys on it matched the ones to the truck. We’re pretty sure he meant to give you the truck all along. We found some other paperwork, estimates and such, and made some calls and had it confirmed.”

  “Huh?” she asked, dumbly staring up at them. “He wanted to give me this truck?”

  “He’d talked to a guy who specializes in truck restoration and customization.” He turned to the open truck door and pointed at various spots on the doorway opening. “He was planning to have special handholds put in for you, here and here…and a little ledge on the door here for you to use as a step to lever yourself into the truck…on the passenger side and driver side. He was also going to have the upholstery and interior redone for you.”

  “Seriously?”

  Both men laughed at the undoubtedly incredulous look in her eyes.

  “Yup,” Vincent said. “We figured he’d want it jacked up higher but he actually talked to the guy about fitting it for a shorter person. We want to go ahead with all his plans. It’s what he’d want. So look at that card again and tell us what color and then we’re celebrating.”

  She looked down at the color chips and smiled as tears swamped her eyes again. Only one color jumped out at her and she sniffled as she pointed at it. “Peacock Blue. That’s me.”

  “You got it, Honey,” James said, then picked her up and carried her around to the driver’s side. “You ready to get this thing stuck?”

  “Huh?”

  He plopped her in the driver’s seat and buckled and tightened the seat belt for her, pressing her back into the seat with his muscular torso and filling her head with his scent. She kissed his temple and he grinned at her as Vincent slid over and they both pointed out the windshield. She frowned and then James’s words registered as she looked at
the river bottom before them, where water still stood from recent rains.

  “Oh, that’s not a good idea. Me? No. Not a good idea.” She shook her head.

  Vincent chuckled, an evil, sexy sound. “Our little staid store manager has never turned a doughnut in the mud?”

  “No!” she squealed, clenching her hands to her chest. “Never!”

  “Never broke in a set of new tires on cold asphalt?” James asked with laughter in his voice.

  “You know me better than that, guys! Cold?” she asked, turning confused eyes on James.

  “Cold asphalt makes the tires slicker and doesn’t tear up the surface as much.”

  Leah scoffed. “Sounds to me like someone knows whereof they speak.”

  Vincent laid his hand on her thigh as he stuck the key in the ignition for her. “I think that’s exactly why you need to do it now. At least once, or…are ya chicken?”

  James made a tiny chicken “bawk-bawk” noise as he hopped in, buckled his seat belt and then jerked it tight.

  She turned a glower on both of them. “Who are you calling chicken?”

  * * * *

  Vincent’s heart pumped fast as Leah put the 4x4 in park next to his truck in the driveway. Leah’s eyes sparkled and high color rode in her cheeks, what he could see of them, at least.

  Before either of them could stop her, she popped open the driver’s side door and hopped out, landing with sure feet on the driveway, and leaving a muddy splat around her sneakers.

  “Sorry about your sneakers, fluff,” he said with a chuckle as she did a victory dance.

  “Are you kidding? That was so much fun! Fuck my sneakers!”

  He and James sat there chuckling as she danced in place to the music still blaring on the radio. She shook her ass to the beat and Vincent lowered his voice and said, “If she’s gonna do stuff like that, I can listen to any of that music she likes. Who is this again?”

  “Um…Hey, honey? Who is this singing?” James called.

  Leah paused and looked over her shoulder at them, her eyes full of merriment. “Sia. Who’s going to dance with me? Cuz, I feel like swinging from a chandelier! Woohoo!”

  “There you have it, bro,” James said as he hurriedly unbuckled his seat belt and jumped down. Vincent scooted over to the driver door and sat there watching her enjoy herself as James came around and grabbed her up and spun her around.

  All three of them were covered head to toe in gray mud after getting in touch with their inner redneck and helping Leah find hers. She’d gotten the truck stuck, as they’d predicted, and they’d had to get it unstuck for her. They’d all three wound up slipping and falling in the mud in the process. The truck was covered with it on the outside and the inside. Big globs of it dripped off and plopped onto the driveway.

  Vincent jumped out of the truck, pulled the lever that moved the seat forward, and reached into the box they’d put there earlier that afternoon.

  “What’s that?” Leah asked breathlessly as James finally set her back on her feet.

  Vincent leaned forward and kissed her lips, grinning because she even had a bit of mud on them. “You’re a mess, little fluff.”

  She smiled up at him, unrepentant, and said, “I don’t think I’ve ever had that much fun before. I remember seeing a picture of Patterson covered in mud the other day when you were showing Kendry the photo album. It’s almost like he’s here with us right now. I don’t even care if my clothes are ruined. I haven’t felt this happy in…I don’t know how long.”

  “Perfect,” he said as he made eye contact with James and unscrewed the lid on the mason jar he held in his hand.

  “What’s that?” Leah asked at the distinctive singing sound of the rim skimming over the metal lid.

  Vincent grinned as he held it up to the light. “A friend of Patterson’s brought this down the last time he visited from his home in Kentucky.”

  Leah’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that homemade?”

  Vincent took a sip and swallowed liquid fire. His eyes watered as it lit a path straight to his belly. “That, little fluff, is some of the finest white lightnin’ known to man.”

  “Can I try?” she asked without hesitation, reaching for the mason jar.

  “Careful, honey,” James said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Just a tiny sip because it’s got quite a kick to it.”

  “Just get a little on your tongue to give it a try. It’s pretty powerful stuff,” Vincent said as he handed her the jar. She took a sip and her eyes went wide as she swallowed and started coughing and her face turned red.

  Both men chuckled before taking a swallow of it themselves.

  She looked up at them and her smile filled her whole face. “Thank you both so much. I knew how excited Patterson was when he bought the truck and how much he was looking forward to the project. And I’ve always liked these older trucks.”

  A softer song started playing on the radio, with a male vocalist, as if providing the two of them with the right moment. He’d never heard it before but instinct told him it was time and he nodded at James.

  James said, “You remember when Kendry mentioned that we’d told him you were the love of Patterson’s life?”

  She sobered a little. “I didn’t know how to reply. Saying yes seemed egotistical…but I wanted to say yes. I really did.” Her eyes grew a little teary and Vincent was glad James was speaking because a knot suddenly formed in his throat.

  “There was a reason we knew it was true. We found something else with the crystal key ring that made us certain of it.”

  She looked at the key ring still in the truck ignition, stifled a small sob, and said, “He knew me better, I think, than even he realized.”

  Vincent was watching James and saw the way he struggled to swallow as he reached in the pocket of his jeans. Vincent put the mason jar on the hood of the truck and moved to stand beside his brother, so both of them faced her.

  James took her hands in his and they both went down on a knee before her.

  Her delicate brow furrowed in reaction, her beautiful hazel eyes went wide as her eyes darted back and forth between them, and then a beautiful smile lit her face.

  She lifted muddy hands to her mouth as James held up the diamond engagement ring to her. “This ring was chosen by Patterson. He knew we’d propose to you eventually. He must’ve bought it right before…right before the accident because we didn’t know he had it, although he’d mentioned that there was no reason not to get one.” James looked down, struggling to continue.

  “Maybe he is with us right now, fluff,” Vincent said after clearing his throat. “This feels so right. Marry us. Make us the two happiest men who ever walked the face of the earth.”

  “Yes, marry us, honey. Let us take care of you, be with you…love you.”

  She blinked and her eyebrows rose as she reached out to clasp both of their hands. “You’re not doing this because there’s a chance I could be pregnant, are you?”

  Without hesitation, they shook their heads and James spoke up first, fire in his eyes. “No. Not at all.”

  Vincent squeezed her hand and said, “We wanted to propose before you knew if you were pregnant or not so you’d know it doesn’t affect how we feel about marrying you. We want you, in our lives, for all of our lives, no matter whether you’re expecting or not. We asked now so you’d know we were serious about how much we want you. And yes, I want you to be the mother of my child, either now or later. God, yes, I want that.”

  The soft vocals continued in the background and a smile spread across her lips again as she stayed that way, holding their hands, her lips and her cheeks growing rosier, and tears fell from her eyes. “Yes. I don’t think there’s much else that would make me as happy as marrying you…unless maybe it’s getting to be the mother of your children. I’ll marry you. Yes.” She tilted her head back and cried out. “Yes!” They rose to their feet and she fell into their arms. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  James slid the ring onto her finger, holdin
g her hand as it shook in his gentle grasp. She looked up at both of them and said, “Who’s carrying me inside and cleaning me up so I can make love with both of you?”

  * * * *

  Leah blinked back hot tears as she smiled up at her men. The fading refrain of “Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran played softly in the background as she trembled in their arms. The moment was perfect and they’d taken her completely by surprise.

  A gasp left her as Vincent bent and took her over his shoulder, and carried her into the cabin. She tried not to move too much because the mud was already drying and flaking off and she didn’t want to leave a big mess in their wake.

  She giggled as he carried her into the shower, clothes, shoes and all. He took down the shower massage and used it to spray the mud from her clothing and his and James’s, and then they undressed.

  “That mud will be hell to get off the truck after it dries,” James said as he threw the soggy shoes and clothing into the tub to deal with later.

  “I know but do you want to leave this shower any more than I do?” Vincent asked as he sprayed her shoulders with the warm water.

  “Not on your life,” James replied as they closed in around her, one in front and the other behind. She shivered as she enjoyed their body heat.

  They turned to her, both of their mud-speckled faces breaking into smiles as they looked down at the ring on her grubby hand. Vincent murmured, “You’re ours now, fluff.”

  “I am. I’m a mess.”

  James captivated her with his green gaze. “A beautiful mess.”

  “And you’re all ours,” Vincent murmured. “I love you so much.”

  It took a while to get all the mud washed away and they took full advantage, being very thorough with every inch of her, stroking rough hands over her skin, raising goose flesh and eliciting sighs of desire as her pussy ached with need.

  On the bed, she took the initiative, climbing into Vincent’s lap before he was even fully settled against the headboard. He chuckled at first but then gasped in surprise as she lifted up, positioned his rock-hard cock, and slid down on his thick shaft.

  “Fuck! The condom, Leah. I’m not wearing a condom yet,” he ground out, sounding like he didn’t want to let her go but knowing he needed to say something. “You’re so fucking hot.”