Jersey was down for the count. Luckily still alive, but that was about it. He groaned and curled in on himself, unable to get up.
I blew out a breath as Shay was declared the winner.
I was getting too old for this shit. What was so wrong about fighting with rules? Why did they have to go for the neck, balls, and head?
“How long are you gonna be mad?”
“I haven’t decided,” I bit out. Backing out of the parking lot, I buckled in and adjusted the rearview. “We’ve fuckin’ told you, boy. No kicks to the head. It’s like you’re itching to detach someone’s brain.”
“I knowww… I couldn’t help myself.” Shay huffed from the back seat. “He was goading me. Kept calling me pretty boy—and, and saying I should have my twin dogs come save me.’”
River snorted quietly.
I just shook my head. So he’d fallen for cheap tricks. Christ.
Shay leaned forward between our seats. “Can we talk about the fact that I walked away with another six grand for TJ’s and Levi’s college funds?”
Aw, fuck.
I was so goddamn whipped. Whenever he played that card, I couldn’t stay mad. Despite his idiotic method to help his brothers. Levi was only eleven, but given his ambitions, he’d attend a college that robbed you blind.
“We wish you’d let us help you with that instead, pup,” Riv murmured. “But we’re proud of you. You know that.”
I nodded. My response wasn’t going to be more diplomatic. We truly fucking did wish he’d let us help him. My brother and I were by no means loaded, but we’d secured our future somewhat. The land where we’d build our first proper home as a triad next year was bought and paid for, we kept our expenses down, and we wouldn’t need to take out a loan for the construction.
“But no more kicks to the head,” I warned.
Shay flashed a grin and kissed my cheek. “I swear, Daddy. I love you. Do you love me?”
River laughed.
I shot the boy a sideways scowl, but the kid knew how to melt my damn heart. “Maybe.”
At around five in the morning, we lost the last of our heat—as had become usual the past couple of weeks while the weather had turned.
Considering Shay’s fight last night—and how late we’d returned home to the cabin—we hadn’t been able to get the place as warm as we preferred it either. By the time I’d killed the fire downstairs, it’d still been a little chilly.
I yawned and pulled the duvet higher up, and I pressed myself closer to Shay’s body. He was perfectly tucked into Riv’s arms and probably not sensing the cold whatsoever.
“Are you awake?” Riv asked quietly.
“Mm.” I buried my nose in Shay’s hair and felt River’s fingers trail up my arm. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Maybe we should buy that radiator we saw on sale.”
I wasn’t sure it was on sale anymore. We’d gone back and forth on that thing since after the fire. Fire, which was the way we heated up the founders’ cabins. Fire, which Shay was deathly afraid of, for obvious reasons.
“I don’t wanna mess up his progress,” I murmured.
Shay already felt bad. He’d come far; his nightmares weren’t as vivid anymore, and he could handle us keeping a fire on while we were awake, but as soon as it was time to hit the sack, he was eyeing the fireplace anxiously, waiting for us to put it out.
When we’d mentioned buying a portable radiator a couple weeks ago, he’d pushed himself straight into a panic attack. Not only because he’d tried to force his progress, but because he was wary of electrics too. The house he’d grown up in had burned down partly because of faulty wiring.
As long as he was making progress, I wanted to be patient. We could manage. We could buy another duvet and add some blankets.
I kissed Shay’s neck and stroked his hip, and he shifted slightly and made a sleepy sound.
“Lemme do it,” the boy mumbled in his sleep. “That’s not how River likes it.”
I looked up and met Riv’s tired gaze, where confusion mingled with amusement.
“Because he adds a teaspoon of sugar when no one’s lookin’,” Shay muttered. “It has to be perfect.”
I exhaled a silent laugh. My fucking heart. He was dreaming about River’s coffee habits. Jesus.
“That’s right, baby. You tell ’em.” Riv kissed the top of Shay’s head and settled on the pillow again.
I linked my fingers with his and kissed his knuckles. “Think you can sleep some more?”
Shay wasn’t the only one who’d struggled with nightmares from the fire.
Riv yawned. “Yeah. Would you mind, uh…”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll stay awake till I hear your snores.”
He closed his eyes and grinned sleepily, and I made sure the duvet was drawn up as much as possible without suffocating the boy between us.
A rush of contentment filled me, joining the ever-present need to keep these two men safe. They were everything to me.