When there’s a lull in the conversation, after everyone has started to eat, making little sounds of approval or outright telling me how good it is, I know it’s my turn to step the fuck up. I clear my throat, nervousness filling me. I push it aside because this is the right move and now is the right time.
I hold tight to that knowledge and forge ahead when everyone looks my way.
I look at our girl and feel my heart clench at the love I see in her eyes. “Edison, pretty girl. You’re ours.”
She swallows the food in her mouth and takes a drink, feeling the shift in the room and knowing she needs to pay attention to what happens next. “We want to talk to you about moving in here.” When her eyebrows pull together, I add on, “Permanently. We want to talk to you about moving all your stuff here and letting your apartment go.”
“Really?” Her voice breaks before she clears her throat. She looks at each of us in turn, gauging our reaction. “Are you sure?”
“We’re certain, little one,” Killian tells her softly.
“Your place is with us,” Jude adds on.
“I hate it when you mention needing to go back to your place,” I admit. “There shouldn’t be your place and this place, as if there is a divide. This is your home. It’s our home.”
She nods slowly as her eyes become glassy with tears. She chokes out, “I would love that.”
I smile so big that it starts to hurt my cheeks and when I look around the table, I’m not the only one. We all have goofy grins on our faces. We’re one step closer to where we need to be.
I know what’s next, but I don’t want to tell her like this, around the table. I want to be able to touch her, to be able to show her the truth of my words.
We sit and finish dinner, talking over plans about the where and how of getting her packed up and moved in. Since I’ve been to her place, I know she doesn’t have much, and it won’t take us long. Hell, we could probably go right now and get her packed up in no time, but I don’t want to rush her.
Well, not too much at least.
After we’re done with dinner, we all help to get the dishes cleaned up, sharing stolen looks and touches. Edison shines under the attention and she’s not the only one. It seems like we all come alive together.
When we snuggle into the couch, I can hardly sit because I’m so fucking hard. I know we won’t be spending much time here tonight, even though it seems Edison is snuggling in for the long haul as she starts looking through options on the TV to find something to watch.
Killian gives me a questioning look; one I don’t have to read too deeply into to know what he’s asking. I give him a small smile and a nod before I tuck our girl into my side. Jude scoots closer on her other side and Edison lets out a small sigh of contentment.
“Edison,” I whisper and when she looks up at me with so much trust, my breath catches in my throat.
I’m a big guy. I rely on my strength and my skill for my livelihood, but this slip of a woman has the power to bring me to my knees. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We’re really happy you’re moving in here, with us, and we’re moving forward.”
She grins at me and winks. “I’m happy about it too. I love our bed,” she presses a hand to her heart and pretends to swoon.
We all laugh, and I tease her, “So, you’re just moving in for the bed?”
She gives me a cheeky smile, “Well, and the hot man meat I’m surrounded by every day.”
I know she’s joking; I know it’s more than that, and I find her cute as fuck, but I take on a serious expression and watch as she searches my face. I prompt her gently, “What about love?”
She sucks in a breath, “What?”
I reach up and cup her cheek, rubbing my thumb back and forth. “I love you, Edison.”
She gasps before the words rush out, but they aren’t obligatory, I feel each one of them, “I love you, Coyle.”
A burst of warmth fills me, and I kiss her lips softly before she’s ripped away from me and Jude places her on his lap. She straddles his hips, and her tits press against his chest. As he rubs his hands up and down her back, the tattoos there make them look like a dichotomy of sin and salvation.
“I love you, little mouse,” he says the words softly, but I can see the strength of the impact they have on her.
A tear slips down her cheek as she whispers hoarsely, “I love you, Jude.”
He kisses her sweetly, a growl of protest coming out of him when Killian steals her. I can’t help but chuckle. Jude shoots me a dark look which has me raising my hands in surrender.