DAHLIA ALDRIDGE
There was nothing better than going home after a long trip.Usually.
Yet, as we rode in the car, the early morning sunlight highlighting each of my boys, I found myself feeling a bit off. Sure, we were on our way to figuring out what was going on with security, and just to make sure we were double secure, we had called in Callum’s contacts.
Apparently, the FBI had a vested interest and were willing to send their people to keep a perimeter on Wildberry. I wasn’t positive if the head of security for the Ross company was aware or if they were still just trying to figure out where the weak link was in the fence. Either way, I planned on just staying with my men until this all blew over. I knew I could trust them, and that meant more to me than anything.
The guys were so paranoid, they hadn’t even used our normal driver. Instead Dermot drove our SUV with King up front next to him, the two talking quietly. The familiar drive home from the private airstrip felt different this time, and I had a feeling why that was exactly.
I intertwined my fingers together as I looked out the window, examining the familiar green landscape that should have made me feel a happy sense of contentment. When we drove past the gates of the golf club entrance, I closed my eyes, experiencing a weird wave go over me, and tried to quell the anxiety growing in my stomach. The others were talking around me, and I had no idea if they could tell where my head was at, but I was relieved when they didn’t say anything or try to ask questions. I was in a very odd mood, and I had a feeling there was very little that could make it better.
Maybe sleep.
Yeah, sleep sounded amazing to be honest.
“It’s Wednesday, right?” I asked softly. We had been traveling so much, I needed to make sure.
“Yep,” Yates murmured from next to me.
I frowned and nodded, realizing that I would most likely miss my first class today. It wasn’t a photography one, so I wasn’t terribly upset, but suddenly the idea of going to school in general left me with a sour taste in my mouth.
Truth be told, I’d been doing it because I felt like it was expected. I mean, what else was I supposed to do? I felt stupid just telling my parents I wanted to take pictures, travel, and have a family. I shouldn’t because I knew they would support it, but I had still signed up for classes because it felt like the ‘thing’ to do.
It was true, though—those were the things I wanted. I wanted to study photography, not for a job or even a career, but for the opportunity to travel and take unique pictures. Outside of that, the thing I wanted the most, the thing I’d always wanted the most, was to build a family.
Not just having children, either, although the idea of having a baby with the boys was extremely appealing… I just wanted to build a home. I wanted to be surrounded by the people I love, like I had been my entire life, and spend every day doing things that we enjoyed.
Now that I knew these men were mine… I wanted everything.
Everything I thought I would never have.
I wanted to live together, get married, and wake up every day surrounded by my men. I wanted to go down into the kitchen after waking up the kids and help them with breakfast before packing up lunches. I wanted to spend my days taking photos and organizing things to do as a family before all of us sat together for dinner each night, enjoying each other’s company. I just wanted that peace and contentment, and I felt like I was so close to getting it.
So freakin’ close.
“Bunny?” Yates asked softly. I blinked, realizing that the car had come to a stop. I looked around, noticing there were no obnoxious media trucks. Security, both the newly hired guards and others with FBI vests, was no longer trying to hide. They stood prominently at the gates, looking threatening and leaving me with a sense of security and safety. Not as much as I got from my boys, but still a ton.
“Sorry.” I squeezed his hand. “Just tired.”
“Let’s take a nap.” He led me out of the car as I noticed each of my boys heading towards their houses. I frowned, wanting to be together, but Yates’s words calmed me. “They are dropping off their stuff and showering, but coming over right after. We are going to my house today. I want to have access to everything Mr. Ross or the FBI possibly needs so I don’t have to leave your side.”
I kept forgetting how much intel Yates had, and not just from watching me. I almost blushed at that, still not over the knowledge of how hyper-focused he was on me. It was extremely flattering.
“Can I borrow something to change into?” I asked.
“Of course.” He answered, and when we entered his bedroom, he went into the closet as I flipped off the dress I’d been wearing. A yawn slipped from my lips that was overshadowed by Yates’s groan. I arched a brow as his gaze ran over my body with heat…before he tugged a hoodie over me aggressively.
I let out a squeak of surprise. “What the heck was that?!”
“If you weren’t so damn tired, I would take you right now,” he threatened, helping me slip on a pair of oversized sweatpants, then picking me up and carrying me towards his bed. I knew that everyone would fit in this room—hell, even on this bed—but none of that mattered to me because when Yates dropped me onto the bed, he crawled over me and brushed his nose against my neck. Despite his words and how hard he was, I knew that he just wanted to hold me.
“Tell me what you’re hiding,” he demanded after a moment.
“Hm?” I asked curiously, tilting my head as he pulled back to look at me.
“What were you thinking about in the car, bunny?”
Oh.