Break, page 39
Vincent
“Sweetpea?”
Sticking my head into Mina’s bedroom, I wince when I see that she’s passed out on her bed. Fucking Walter is stretched out across her, head and arm laying across her stomach, snoring away.
Tiptoeing into her room, I glare at the dog when one droopy eye cracks open. He eyeballs me as I lean over gently to check on our girl.
Whispering as quietly as I can, I pat him on the head. “I’m just checking on her. Go back to sleep.” It’s been a month since Danny got his hands on her. All the bruises are gone, but she’s developed issues sleeping at night. Dreams wrack her body, keeping her body tense while fighting off imaginary villains. More often than not, she’s woken with dark circles under her eyes, completely exhausted.
I breathe easier when I see that her forehead is completely smooth, void of any stress as she rests.
Once they started, we discussed with her the idea of talking with someone about it. What she went through wasn’t a normal experience for a lot of people. Even though Danny is gone and no longer a threat, those lingering fears are following her.
I can’t remember the woman’s last name, but Missy has been working wonders with her. They’ve been meeting twice a week for three weeks. Her session this morning went extremely well. So well that Missy suggested Mina drop to once a week for a month and then see where she stands.
Pressing my lips to the little spot between her eyebrows, I push up from the bed and pull her door closed behind me, leaving it unlatched so the sound doesn’t wake her.
I quickly jog down the stairs to find Ethan at the counter, seasoning some steaks for dinner. Max is on the other side, tapping away at his laptop, brows furrowed in concentration.
He looks away from the screen at me when I enter the room and raises a brow when he doesn’t see our girl behind me.
Moving to the fridge, I pull out a bottle of beer and twist off the cap. Max is still waiting for me to answer, so I grin at him and take long swallows of the bubbly drink until he breaks.
“Goddamnit, Vince. You’re such an asshole. She coming down?”
Ethan side-eyes me, knowing I’m just trying to rile up my friend. If we’re all going to be in this relationship together, I have to get my kicks where I can. It’s like having live-in siblings again, and I couldn’t be fucking happier.
“Relax, buddy. She’s sleeping.”
Max turns toward where the stairs are located behind the wall and frowns. “You think she’s feeling okay?”
“She’s fine. Probably just drained after her appointment with Missy,” Ethan says as he flips the ribeyes over to season the other side.
“Looking good there, chef.” I’m being serious when I compliment Ethan. It’s like the one man-card I can’t be a carrier of. I’m absolutely awful at grilling, but Ethan is fantastic.
He grunts at me, refusing to answer.
“Cooper called me just a few minutes ago,” I share, knowing that they’ve been dying to hear what happened to Andrew Harrow at his hearing. We’ve all been eager to find out. They charged Harrow with one count of abduction and two counts of aiding and abetting.
Max stands abruptly, his computer forgotten as he waits for the information.
“What’d he get?” Ethan asks, hands frozen over the steaks, focused entirely on me.
“Eight years in federal prison for Mina’s abduction, then an additional 12 months and a five-thousand dollar fine for each count of aiding and abetting.”
“Should have gotten the full ten for the abduction alone,” Ethan mutters, throwing salt at the steaks a bit harder than necessary. Abduction in our state carries a maximum of ten years. Andrew got a few years knocked off because he so quickly gave up all the information he had when he was questioned. Had he waited longer, Mina’s rescue could have gone completely different.
“Agreed, but he’s still going to prison as a cop.” Pointing the tip of my bottle at him, I wink. “That’s gonna be a rough ten years for him.”
Walter’s nails clicking along the tiled floor have us all turning, looking for our girl, but she’s still missing. He stops when he notices our attention and answers us with a high-pitched whining yawn. He plops his ass on the ground, cocking his head at Ethan when he spies the meat in front of him.
“For fuck’s sake,” Max mutters, dropping back into his seat.
Stretching my arms out to the side, I groan out, “I’m going back up there. Maybe she needs some help to wake up.” With a wink at Ethan, I laugh when he scowls at his messy hands, knowing he can’t follow. I set my bottle next to him and slap him hard on his back. Calling over my shoulder, I push the knife in a little deeper. “Come get us when it’s dinnertime, honey!”
Chuckling at the curses thrown at me, I take the stairs two at a time and slide to a stop in front of Mina’s now open door.
She’s laying on her back, looking up at the ceiling, but turns to look at me when I step into the room and shut the door. Her slow blink lets me know she’s not quite awake yet, so I slow my steps and slide into bed next to her.
Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, she turns on her side to tuck her head on my chest, curling into me. Looking up at the ceiling she was just staring at, I enjoy this moment with her. My fingers work their way through her tangles, smoothing the strands across her back as I separate each one.
I snicker when I hear her breathing even out. She’s fallen back asleep. Continuing to play with her hair, I consider where we are now compared to three months ago.
Ethan was existing, moving from one day to the next, only doing what was expected of him. He was essentially mute, keeping to himself and grunting away intruders. The grunts haven’t ceased, but he’s learning to use his words.
Max was angry. So fucking angry. At his dad, at his mom, and at the whole fucking world. He’d managed to rein in his temper for show, but it was always there, boiling underneath his skin. There’s a kindred bond between Mina and Max. They’ve both experienced something similar that Ethan and I could never understand, not fully. But that bond is what connects the two of them in a much different way.
I was in limbo, moving from one place to the next, never sticking around long enough to see if it’d stick. Granted, not all of it was my fault. Fucking up my knee put a damper on my original plans, but where would that have left me?
If I made a pro team, and that’s a big if, I would have gone from team to team, traveling regularly to games and events, never settling. Never establishing my life. Mina is my home, my peace, and my happy place.
Mina… Christ. Her marriage to Danny was a real fucking test of endurance and survival skills. Abused in all ways possible, just trying to make it through each day. She was just a shell of herself, never allowed to blossom into the incredible woman I’ve got in my arms now. Sliced down every moment she tried to grow and reach the sun, told she was only there to support everyone else growing around her.
But now she’s fucking shining. It has been an adjustment for her, being out from under Danny’s thumb. After the funeral, she was inundated with a pile of paperwork, then had to deal with the house and selling off their assets. Our girl is sitting comfortably, but I know she’d give every penny back if she could.
We’ve all talked with her about what she’d like to do for her future, but the one thing she keeps coming back to is growing trees. We haven’t told her yet, but there was a small, five-acre field about half a mile from the house we wanted to show her. It’d be perfect.
I drop my chin to my chest and grin down at her when I feel those nimble fingers walk up my chest.
“About time you woke up. We’re all starving, waiting for you to haul your ass out of bed.”
I holler out a laugh when her hand shoots up to pinch my ear, tugging hard. Flipping her, I hover over her, enjoying her bright eyes dancing playfully. Every time she looks at me, I fucking fall just that much further in love with her. I’ve gotten so bad lately that sometimes she’ll ask a question and I’ll completely miss it because I’ve become so mesmerized by them.
“How long until dinner’s ready?” she asks, feigning indifference, but we both know she wants to know if we’ve got time.
Leaning down, I run my nose up the side of her neck, then nip the side of her jaw. “We’ve got a minute. You need more sleep?”
“Hmm,” she hums, sliding her arms out from between us and stretches them over her head. The movement forces her back to arch, thrusting her chest toward me.
I challenge any man to not let his eyes fall down to get a look between those mouthwatering peaks. I’d also like to place bets on the fact that she’s changed up her lotion routine and is actually adding in extra vanilla and sugar for me. Her skin literally has me drooling. I crave her nipples rolling in my mouth and her tongue on my…
“Vincent?”
Shit.
Looking up at her sheepishly, I give her my best ‘my bad’ smile of apology. “If you asked me a question, then my answer will always be yes.”
Mina snorts and shoves at my shoulders. “What if I asked you to go clean up Walt’s poop?”
“Yes.” I fucking would too, if it meant she didn’t have to.
Pushing me onto my back, she straddles my waist and taps her chin in thought. “What if I asked you to kiss Max right on the lips?”
Chuckling, I smooth my hands up her thighs. “Yes.”
My chuckle turns into a full-blown laugh when her mouth drops open in shock. “Really?”
Pushing up quickly, I hover my mouth over hers. “Why, sweetpea? You wanna see me and Max make out?”
She gives me a firm, “No.”
“Why not?” My lips brush along hers, but I don’t press closer, wanting to know her answer.
Sliding her arms around my neck, she tilts her head in thought. “For starters, neither of you are attracted to each other like that, not that I’d mind if you were, but you’re not. Also, I’m fairly certain that Max would knock you on your butt.”
“Probably. Now I’m tempted to find out, just to fuck with him.”
Groaning in exasperation, she kisses me to shut me up. I give in for only a moment before pulling back. “Wait, what did you ask me earlier? I was distracted by these beauties.” I run my finger over the swells of her breasts, pausing to dip my finger in between them.
Her breath hitches when I touch her, and my grin turns evil.
“I don’t remember,” she says distractedly. “Shouldn’t we go downstairs?”
“Probably,” I tell her, before slipping my tongue back into her mouth and rolling us over once again, settling my body between her legs. She’s taken to sleeping in our t-shirts, so when she opens her legs to wrap them around my waist, it slides up past her belly button.
Our kiss turns heated until we’re both jerked out of the moment by a loud knock at the door and Max’s voice. “Wrap it up, you two. I’m fucking hungry, and I haven’t seen you all day, dove.”
“Greedy fucker,” I mumble against her lips, making her giggle. “Come on. We’ll finish this later.”
“Promise?” she asks, warm eyes blinking up at me, full of love and need.
Pulling her close, I grip the back of her head and pull her against my chest. “I promise, love. If I could promise the moon, I would. I love you so goddamn much. You know that, right?”
She nods her head as she holds onto me tighter. “I love you too, so freaking much.”
“Let’s go downstairs. Also, someday I’m going to get you to swear again. It’s my new mission in life,” I tease her. I’ve only ever heard her swear that one time down at the station, and hearing her say something so out of character is honestly a bit of a turn-on.
Laughing at me, she climbs off the bed and pulls on a pair of leggings, keeping the over-sized t-shirt on. “We’ll see.”
Following the sway of her hips to the door, my eyes are locked on her ass until she stops and looks at me over her shoulder. “Eyes up here, buddy. Not on my ass.”
Then she runs out the door, giggling when I lunge forward to smack it. Christ, I fucking love this woman.
Epilogue
Orchards
Mina
Reaching out, I run the tip of my finger over one of the baby leaves that’s just made its full appearance this spring. A fist tightens around my heart, overcome with the knowledge that I did this.
My loves assisted where I would allow. The three of them wanted to help me with every step, and Lord help me, there were a lot of steps. Between purchasing the vacant land, setting up a business license, researching which trees would be best for this growing zone, and then choosing the variety of apple trees I wanted, it was an obscene amount of work.
But I’m here, and it’s done. Now, I get to nurture and care for every single tree I planted by hand. Two years in the making, but standing in the middle of my field, my head is level with their heights, and I feel… proud.
My smile grows as I wrap my arms around my stomach and dig my teeth into my lip to hold back my squeal of excitement.
Max has been working for the past month on a handmade, old-fashioned apple press, which he insisted on making instead of me going out and purchasing one. He refused to let me pay for the materials, wanting to gift it instead, and after a small argument, I gave in. I hired contractors to build me a small, heated barn where I can process the apples in the fall, and he’s bringing the press over today to set it up.
I doubt I’ll have many to process this year. Though there are so many buds on the branches that I think I may have underestimated how many apples these little babies could produce.
The crunching of steps over the mulch alerts me to his arrival before his scent reaches me on the breeze. He knows that I know he’s here, so I don’t turn around to face him just yet. I just can’t pull my eyes away from the long rows of my orchard spanning over a full acre. I’ve got five of them, but I’m going to fill the land slowly so I can try my hand at grafting next year.
Max’s warmth hits me before I feel his chest press against my back. He wraps his arms around me, one across my stomach and the other across my chest, holding onto my shoulder as he pulls me into him. Settling his chin on top of my head, he breathes me in.
“Little dove,” his deep, rumbling voice murmurs, and I shudder at the feel of having him surround me. My heart rate picks up its pace when he marginally tightens his arms. I feel enveloped. Consumed.
Loved.
Wrapping my hands around his forearm, I lean my head against the hard muscles of his chest. “What do you think?”
“I think this is incredible. Just imagine what it’ll all look like in just a few years.” I can hear the truth in his voice, so I kiss his arm between my hands in thanks.
I love that he’s not just placating me, trying to make me feel good. He truly cares. Max has always been the one to build up my ideas and ask, ‘Okay, so how do we do this, then?’ He’s the one that wanted to be involved from the very first step. I learned very quickly that he wasn’t irritated with me when I said no. He was irritated that he wasn’t allowed to be by my side while I built this orchard.
Vincent is my forever cheerleader, showing more enthusiasm for my accomplishments than I even feel. He’s the one that told me he was ‘so fucking proud’ of me for the very first time. An unfamiliar feeling of warmth swelled through me when he uttered those words. I know he loves me, but hearing those words did something to me. It boosted me and gave me a surge of confidence that I know I can do whatever I put my mind to. It’s the faith he has in me that’s pushed me to work harder.
Ethan. My silent giant. He helped me explain to Max why I needed to do this alone. He’s always understood me, better than I understand myself, since the first day we reconnected at the police station.
Where Max understands what I’ve gone through on a physical level, Vincent understands through visual experiences as he’s worked different cases over the years in his job. But Ethan, his empathy feeds my soul. He’s never felt sorry for me, but he always prioritizes my needs. He’s my white knight, tattoos and all.
Turning in Max’s arms, I reach up to him on my tiptoes and press my lips against the underside of his chin. “You’re always looking ahead, aren’t you?”
Placing a curved finger under my chin, he holds my face up so he can lean down and kiss me back. His kiss is firm, and forceful, but always full of unspoken words he finds difficult to get out.
Pulling back from me, he tilts the side of his lip up in a half-smile. “Someone once told me that we need to focus on what’s in front of us and where we’re going in life. It was a pretty smart woman, so I’ve always done my best to listen to her.”
Kissing me again, I smile against his mouth.
Moving away from me, Max takes my hand and tugs me toward my barn. “Let’s go inside. The other fuckers are in there waiting. I’ve got the press here that I need to set up, but we want to show you something.”
Grinning to myself, I hold on to him as we make our way back. Thoughts of that night, lying with Max, and the conversation we had flashes like a stop-motion film through my head. The two of us struggle a lot with our frustrations over the injustices we’ve faced. But there is one memory that I don’t mind repeating in my head. Well, three memories, actually.
I wasn’t a virgin when I found my way to these men, not physically. But my ex-husband never once showed me what it should be like when two people come together. These men, my God, these men have floored me. The way they worship my body and make my body sing should be a sin.
Vincent’s playfulness, Max’s passion, and Ethan’s power all melt me in different ways. They make me feel alive and beautiful, precious and revered. How does a woman only choose one? I could never. I would never. I’d only be a speck in the universe that they created for me. They’ve made me their center, so I give them warmth to grow with me.
“Do you trust us?” he whispers, stopping us in front of the door.
I look up at him, confused by his question. There’s no hesitation in my answer. I just don’t know why he’d ask. “Of course I trust you, Max. Why would you think I didn’t?”
