“What kind of answers?”
Declan pressed his lips to her temple. “You said you thought we’d be happy without you. That we should be together, just the two of us. To be honest, there was a time when I thought you were right. But Trick and I talked it out honestly for the first time in our lives and realized it wasn’t true. We love each other, we always have, but no matter how strongly we felt, we never quite came together. Never balanced out.”
Trick’s fingers curled into her skin. Caressing. Massaging. “The first time I saw the two of you in the same room, it all fell into place for me. I knew we’d fit. I knew you were the missing piece.”
“We are happier together with you, Jennifer Finn. We don’t work without you.”
She smiled at their words, another tear slipping down her cheek. “I love you both so much.”
“I love you, too. I have for a while. But just so you know, you don’t get to do that to us again,” Trick warned her, a vulnerability in his voice that broke her heart. “Leaving like that? I don’t think either one of us could take it, Jen.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“My turn.” Declan tilted her face to look into her eyes with all his heart there for her to see. “I love you. I didn’t know I wanted a family until you showed me what it meant. I didn’t know I could live in more than one little room. Will you come back and make our house a home again?”
She started to nod but then bit her lip. “I have a condition.”
Trick’s chin dropped to his chest. “Fuck.”
“What is it?” Declan asked.
Jen smiled down at her two beautiful men. “You have to sneak through a senator’s house and help me break in his guest bed.” Or break it entirely.
“Is that all?” Trick asked, shaking his head. But his smile was wicked.
“Isn’t that enough?”
Declan surprised them both by picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. “I’m in.”
“I thought you said you weren’t a very good criminal, Professor.”
Trick laughed and opened the door, leading the way. “I’ll protect Professor Hot Lips,” he promised. “I know how Stephen fights. I can take him.”
“New condition. No one tries to take my brother anywhere, and I’ll wear those lace panties you like.”
“Deal,” Trick and Declan said at the same time.
She smiled. She loved her men.
***
Declan was nervous. It had taken a few weeks and a lot of his famous “talking people to death”, but he and Trick had finally put it together. The Finns had agreed to have the family dinner at his house.
They needed to accomplish more than one goal tonight. Survival was just the first step. The next was getting Jennifer to talk to her mother. And Declan was determined to talk privately with Shawn Finn.
The bribe for Jeremy and Owen would just be icing on the cake.
Trick was dressed handsomely in tailored, ironed clothes for a change. Jennifer was anxious about doing this without Tasha, but she was still basically confined to her bed until the C-section, and Stephen didn’t want to take any chances.
Seamus was the first to arrive with his children. It was an obvious show of support for Jennifer, who hugged him tightly and then laughed when Wes and Penny ran around her in circles, asking questions about the house. Young Jake was just taking everything in with wide eyes, his hand firmly clutching Little Sean’s.
“She looks good with kids,” Trick murmured.
He couldn’t start thinking about that or he’d never stop. “She’s got field work next semester and a master’s degree to focus on first. Look, Owen and Jeremy are here.”
“I’ll give them a tour and get the plan rolling,” Trick said with a smile, going over to greet them, and stopping on his way to grab two beers. Smart man.
Noah came up to Declan first with his brother Wyatt, holding out his hand. “Good to see you again. I wasn’t sure I was going to. Wyatt? This is the man with the wall who teaches college girls about sex.” He winked at Declan. “You’re his new life goal.”
“I’ll stick to putting out fires.” Wyatt smiled easily. “You just keep starting them, Professor.”
Trying not to choke in surprised laughter, Declan nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
He noticed Shawn and Ellen Finn hesitating in the foyer and excused himself. This had to work, he told himself. He’d make this work. “Mr. and Mrs. Finn, welcome. Thank you for giving us the chance to host the dinner tonight. Jen’s really been looking forward to it.”
Ellen Finn was looking around his house with raised eyebrows, but she sent him a tentative smile and took his hand. He counted that as a win. Shawn, who looked a lot like Owen with more gray in his hair, put his hands in his pockets and leaned back on his heels. “Got a place you and I could sit and talk, son?”