Elizabeth wipes at the corners of her eyes, teary-eyed from laughter.
“You’ll have to excuse us. We have our own story in a confined space.”
I cork a curious eyebrow, “oh…”
Ethan pulls Elizabeth from Alex’s arms and lays a hot and heavy one on her. When their mouths finally part, she snuggles into his chest, turning a smile our way.
“I was stuck in a limo with these savages for an entire day.”
Vaughn leans into her to nip at her ear. “And you loved every second of it.”
Fuck. Could we really have this? Can it be this natural and easy? This good?
My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Yasin’s heels on the wooden floor. And she barely shadows the entrance to the family room that all three of us are up on our feet, striding to our girl.
Yasin is a vision for sore eyes. She traded her sweater dress for a dark brown leather skirt that flares around her knees, a thin black turtleneck, and replaced her small purse with a larger model. Her hair looks freshly brushed, her discreet make-up refreshed, and the closer I get, the more I drown into the cloud of subtle feminine fragrance surrounding her.Fuck, our girl. Bonus, she kept on her tall leather boots.
She stares at us with an expression that’s a mix of desire, hesitancy, and fierce bravado.Fuck, yeah.
* * *
CHASE
I’m not sure we properly said goodbye to our hosts. All I remember is Elizabeth’s departing joke about Yasin not missing curfew, us men exchanging chin lifts, the girls hugging, then we were out of there and back into the fresh late afternoon air. Yasin looks good enough to eat in her classy, feminine attire. Her knitted hat and thick scarf give her an adorable air. I can’t wait till we get home and remove the layers she’s wrapped in.
Thank God for this small town and its short distances. In a matter of minutes, we arrive at the door to the house we bought and have been renovating while we’re in Hopeton. This is what we usually do. Take on a sizable housing project and at the same time invest in a fixer-upper we stay in and remodel on our down time. By the time we’re done, the house is ready for sale and we can make a nice profit from it. And since we’ve been working on this project for the last six months, this one is essentially finished.
It’s a large farmhouse. Not as big or luxurious as Elizabeth and her men’s. But it has heart and charm. Lots of woods and stone, too. Large fireplaces. Open plan floors. A breathtaking view of the nearby mountains from the back porch. It’s a family home. A place to plant your roots, fill with kids, and live a long, happy life.
We fell in love with this house and the beautiful patch of land it sits on at first sight. But we would not have stayed in Hopeton just because of it. We may have kept it as a vacation place. But now… now I wonder if it was all fate helping us get ready for our girl, the family we’ll start and grow, our life.
We all watch Yasin closely as she takes in the big oak trees planted on the property, the jagged lines of the mountains in the distance, the solid frame of the house. It extends more in width than in height.
“This is your home?” she asks in a voice filled with genuine wonder.
I’m the first one to answer, “yeah, baby. From the cobbled path to the fence over there.” I point to the fence delimiting our land.
“It’s beautiful, Chase. I love it.”
My heart swells. “Thank you, baby. That means a lot.”
Yasin gives me a puzzled look, but before I can explain, Luca jumps in. “We renovated the house, and Chase is our main construction guy. Sweetheart, you should have seen this dump when we first got it.” He slaps my shoulder before grabbing me by the back of my neck in an affectionate brotherly gesture. “This guy is a magician.”
“You mean a fucking genius,” Asher adds his grain of salt.
I feel the tips of my neck start burning.
“Alright, alright, now let’s get in before our girl catches a cold.”
We all file inside the house and it’s a pleasure to watch Yasin take in the warm interior. All clear woods, apparent stone, Native American blankets thrown on heavy, comfortable furniture, and the most modern appliances.
We leave coats, hat, scarf and boots in the mudroom and guide Yasin into our spacious family room. A quick glance exchanged between us and we all get in motion. Asher turns on the fireplace and sets the sound system on a jazz radio station. Luca makes his way to the kitchen and returns with an assortment of fruits, cheese, and bread on a platter. I set Yasin on our huge tobacco brown leather sectional with a chaste kiss on the crown of her hair and have to summon all my self-control to leave her there. I heat some water and return with mugs, coffee, tea, sugar, cream and cocoa. We’re doing everything we can to take it easy, make her feel welcome and comfortable.
Once we’re all seated, Yasin clears her throat.
“Thank you for having me,” she says in her soft, throaty voice. “This is too much. Absolutely lovely, but too much.” She makes eye contact with each one of us, a soft smile adorning her sexy lips.
“Anything for you, love,” Asher rasps out. “Can I make you a plate, pour you something to drink?”