MIRANDA POV
Ihugged Simon at the door as I said what felt a bit like a final goodbye to him, which was crazy since we had plans to enact the following morning. But the plans were potentially deadly for all of us. The sooner we put our plan in to action, the better.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked him sadly, trying my hardest to read the expression plastered across his face. “Because I don’t want you to get hurt, Simon. I don’t want anything else bad to happen.”
He grabbed me and pulled me back in for another hug. He really did have the warmest, sweetest hugs I had ever known. I was so grateful that we still got to be friends after everything that had happened between us. If we all got through this, I knew that we would be in one another’s lives forever. This bond would last no matter what.
“Miranda, you are important to me,” he replied firmly. “And there is also a part of me that needs to do this to help come to terms with my past as well.”
“What do you mean?” Curiosity got the better of me.
“Well, I couldn’t save Kat. I wasn’t there when she got attacked. There was nothing I could do. But I have always felt guilt anyway. Like that wasn’t a good enough reason. I should have been better for her, I should have been there, I should have saved her.” He swallowed hard, and in that moment it was challenging for me to bite back my emotions as well. This was hard to hear, to know that he had been struggling for such a long time. “I can’t go back and change that, but I can help you now. That’s what I want to do.”
I couldn’t argue with that logic no matter much I wanted to. If he wanted to make up for something from his past that definitely wasn’t his fault, who was I to deny him that? I would just have to make sure nothing happened to him.
“I understand. And thank you. I will see you in the morning, then.” I leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek, grateful to have come to Twin Lakes and met all these amazing people.
Simon nodded, gave me a reassuring smile, and left my house. Seeing his smile actually helped make me feel a little calmer, which was a miracle considering what tomorrow was going to bring. In the morning, I would finally have my showdown with Brady. But at least I wasn’t going to be alone. I would be with three men who cared about me deeply.
Eventually, Simon was out of sight, so I closed the door and headed for the living room, where I found Ivan and Cole sitting on my couch in deep and quiet conversation. I was happy to step back and just watch them for a moment.
Thank goodness they were okay now and much closer than they used to be. None of this would have been as easy without them talking like this. And not just this thing with Brady. But all of us in a relationship of sorts, presuming there was going to be an us after all of this. There were deep and intense feelings there, but would it be enough to pull us through? I guess we were just going to have to get through this mess with Brady first, then we could figure it out.
“Oh, Miranda.” Ivan’s face lit up when he finally saw me in the doorway. “You’re back. Was Simon okay? I bet he’s anxious about tomorrow.”
“Yeah, he’s alright. Just a little nervous. But aren’t we all?”
Cole’s face was dark with unease. He wasn’t happy with any of this, and he wasn’t afraid to let me know. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make him understand that I could do this. Was I ready for it? No, but that was only because I didn’t think I would ever have to face Brady again after that dreadful day at Lake Arrowhead when I saw him with the dead body. But that wasn’t going to stop me. It didn’t matter if I didn’t feel brave enough to face him. I was going to do it anyway.
“Cole, don’t do this to yourself,” I said as I closed the gap between us and perched on his lap. “You know it’s going to be fine. I have sworn to you that I won’t do anything that puts me in danger. I’m just going to work toward getting him locked up. The end goal is worth it.” I leaned down and pressed my lips to his, kissing him with the reassurance I needed him to feel from me.
Cole wasn’t resistant, he happily kissed me back, losing himself in my lips for a moment. Thank goodness I could find a way to ease his pain somewhat. It was going to be fine. We were going to be fine because we had to be. There was no other way this could end.
I pulled back and rested my forehead against his so I could stare in to his eyes. Emotions flew through his eyes, and I could see the struggle there.
“I just worry about you,” he whispered, his breath tickling over my lips. “I have fallen in love with you, Miranda. I can’t stand the idea of anything bad happening to you. I want you in my life forever.”
I slid my eyes closed as I took in those words. He loved me. Hearing him say it was nothing I would ever get tired of. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love again, especially not with twin bear shifters, so soon after my traumatic relationship with Brady, but did that make it wrong? It couldn’t. Not when it felt so good.
“I love you too, Cole,” I replied, then crashed my lips to his once more. I craved to this, not wanting to fight it because it was perfect for me. “You have no idea how much.”
As the kissing intensified, I felt the warmth of Ivan slipping up close behind me, his hands running up my body. I hadn’t forgotten he was there, he was always a part of what was going on between Cole and me, but I had to admit that having him physically connected to me was incredible. I leaned back into him, resting my body against him.
“I love you too, Miranda,” Ivan whispered as he stroked my hair off my neck and brushed kisses all over me. “Nothing will ever be able to change that. Nothing and no one.”
All of a sudden, all the stress that had been clinging to the atmosphere around us melted away. Sure, we had a hard task ahead of us in the morning, but that didn’t have to matter now. Not when I twisted my body around so I could kiss Ivan too.
It wasn’t long before clothing was peeled away and our naked bodies intertwined with one another. Hands, teeth, lips, tongues were everywhere, setting us alight. I was more than happy to give myself over to the sensations and to experience this bliss that only these two men could give me. Not because I was worried that we could lose each another tomorrow, because I was trying my hardest not to think those sorts of terrible thoughts, but because I wanted to savor as much happiness as I could while I could do so. Before things took a turn. Before I had to face the demons of my past so I could go on to explore the wonders of my future in Twin Lakes with these two amazing men who I could not get enough of. I wanted to touch them all over, to feel them everywhere, to get to know their bodies as well as I knew my own. As well as they seemed to know my own, because the way they touched me had me addicted.
* * *
What am I doing?I thought to myself as I clutched my backpack tight, forcing my feet to keep walking into the woods even though this place had such a bad vibe to it that it scared the living shit out of me. After the amazing night I had last night, this all felt so insane, but it was a necessary evil I had to go through, no matter what.
It will be fine.I kept trying to convince myself of that as nerves zigzagged through my system. But I couldn’t make myself believe that because the thought of seeing Brady again was so terrifying that I could hardly stomach it. I tried to play it cool in front of Cole, Ivan, and Simon because they had been worried enough about me, but I couldn’t lie to myself. I was freaking out.
I had wanted to marry Brady. It really wasn’t that long ago that I was going to ask him to finally set a date. It was so bizarre to be here now, hating that psychotic rapist and killer and in love with two men who absolutely adored me.
I headed down the path toward the house Brady was staying in while he was in Twin Lakes. Isolated and remote, freaking scary but also the way he liked to live his life. For obvious reasons.