Promise of Eternity: (Promises Book 4)

Chapter 14

The blanket covering me was soft, and I curled up in the corner of the couch. Victoria sat next to me, munching on popcorn as we watched a romantic comedy about two high school students who were fake dating. It was ridiculous and over the top–something that should have gotten my mind off of the events of the evening.

It wasn’t working, though. The popcorn beside me in a bowl tasted like ash, and my stomach did somersaults. What if they weren’t okay? What if they had been shot? Or worse?

Victoria patted my leg and sighed. “They’re fine.”

“It would be better if I were with them,” I replied, my voice coming out small. I knew why I couldn’t go with them. The doctor had ordered me to rest. It was what was best for the baby and myself. The problem was that I had been too stubborn and too independent my entire life. I had done everything on my own. And after taking over Inferno, I learned I was also a control freak.

In my brain, it made perfect sense that if I was with my guys, I could prevent tragedy from striking. They would be okay if I were there to protect them. That was the farthest thing from the truth. Dr. Matthew’s words about stitching me up from a bullet made me shudder. Not on account of me—on account of the tiny child growing inside of me.

“I know.” That was all I could think to say because, in the back of my mind, the words what if played on repeat.

Time seemed to span for an eternity, and the clock on the wall ticked slowly as we waited. When the movie was over, Victoria scrolled aimlessly through the streaming service’s selections. She was nervous too, even if she didn’t express it.

Finally, Joey walked out of the elevator to the penthouse with Dominic, Ethan, Hunter, and Rory in tow. “Guess who I found? And they even look like they’re in one piece.”

He’d been teasing me earlier in the night about being worried. “You’re the woman who set fire to Wayne Ayers’ business and, two months later, kidnapped him while he was with a prostitute. You tortured him in a warehouse. Are you really worried about those three?”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him I was. That those three men had changed me in ways I could have never imagined, and my life wouldn’t be what it was without them. Not even financially. They were the ones I leaned on when I had a bad day. They were the ones who took care of me when the world was falling apart. What did I even offer them in return?

“We are all in one piece, but we need to discuss Ethan’s actions. Again. He went against everything we discussed and stabbed Butch in the first two minutes of being there.”

I lifted an eyebrow at Ethan. “Was that necessary?”

He shrugged as he sat on the couch beside me, placing the popcorn on the coffee table. “It got the message across. I wanted to get back to you as soon as possible, and actions speak louder than words.”

I lay my head on his shoulder and hid my face to hide my amusement. Dominic was exasperated at him, and from the look Hunter had given him, he wasn’t exactly pleased either. Ethan’s impulsiveness had led me to the three of them. If it hadn’t been for Ethan setting fire to one of the Thorns’ bases of operation, we wouldn’t have met.

When my face was finally a blank slate, I looked at them. “I’m glad that all of you are okay. You too, Rory.”

He gave me a nod before holding out his hand to Victoria. “I want a shower, and since we don’t have the kids, to have some alone time.”

Victoria grinned at him, knowing exactly what he meant. Between the businesses he ran for his father and her restaurant, their lives were as busy as ours. “Thanks for the help tonight. And for loaning me Victoria to keep me company.” Her presence was probably the only thing that kept me from pacing the penthouse floors.

“It was nothing.”

Victoria elbowed him in the ribs. “What he meant to say was anytime. Text me tomorrow and let me know how you’re feeling.”

Ethan embraced me tightly by encircling his arm around my waist after they left. “Now that they’re gone, I want to talk to you about something.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Hunter and Dominic groaned at him.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Hunter said, pushing his hand through his hair.

My heart leaped in my chest, wondering what was going on. Everyone seemed to know except me. “What?” I asked. It was only a jewelry box, and they had given me things before. Initially, it made me feel uncomfortable because there was no way I could ever pay them back. I wasn’t used to getting nice things, but now I enjoyed the gifts.

Ethan’s grasp on me loosened, and he slid to the floor, positioning himself on one knee. When he opened the box, I gasped. In it sat the most beautiful rose gold ring with four intertwined bands. It was covered with tiny diamonds and sparkled in the light. My vision blurred–which I blamed on hormones.

“I can’t ask you to marry me. The four of us can’t legally do that, but it’s been weighing on my mind for months. What I can do is make you a promise.” He slid the ring on my left ring finger and smiled. “I can promise you all of my eternities. Tonight made me realize that there was nothing we wouldn’t do for you or our child. You’re our forever.”

I choked up, unable to verbalize what I was feeling. Happiness was too small of an emotion and didn’t encompass how my heart thudded with every word he spoke. I could only nod at him while tears rolled down my cheeks–which I also blamed on the pregnancy.

It was a perfect moment after the past few months’ trials. We were all safe and secure. And most of all, we had each other. “I love you,” I whispered. “All of you.”

Given our backgrounds, I wasn’t exactly sure how we had ended up at that exact moment. Love was precarious and fragile, fickle, yet somehow that was what we shared.