Chapter 38 Hannah
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
HANNAH
“What the fuck, Rowan?” I snap as I burst into his office.
He glances up at me over the top of his laptop. Something I didn’t know until I moved in here was that, despite already being a walking, talking wet dream, Rowan also wears slutty little glasses.
“Hannah,” he greets, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “What can I help you with?”
“The clothes in my closet. Where did they come from?”
He shrugs. “I’ve been collecting them for a while.”
“You’ve been collecting them?” I repeat, making sure I heard him correctly, and I haven’t suffered some kind of head injury between the bedroom and his office.
He nods. “They’ve been there since before you moved in. I’m surprised you’re only just finding them now.”
“I’ve been living out of boxes the movers dropped off last week.”
To distract myself from the fact that I’ve somehow found myself living with my ex-stepfather and his son, I’ve been throwing myself into my work more than usual and haven’t bothered starting the process of unpacking.
Not to mention, I’m still not convinced this is real. At any moment, they’re going to rip the rug out from under me, or I’m going to wake up from this dream back in my lonely apartment, visiting the club a couple of times a week just to feel some kind of connection.
He nods in understanding.
“So…the clothes?”
“What about them?”
I stare at him incredulously, as if the closet full of designer labels and items that are exactly my size and style isn’t sitting upstairs.
“Why did you buy them? Who were they for? Can we return them?”
Sighing, he pushes himself to his feet and rounds the desk before perching on the edge in front of me. “They’re yours. I bought them because I would give you the world if I could, but clothes are a consolation prize. And no, we cannot return them. They’re gifts.”
“But…but…it’s too much!”
He shakes his head slowly. “No, Hannah. When it comes to you, it will never be enough. I’ll never be able to repay you for what you give Asher and me, but I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying.”
I open my mouth to respond but quickly snap it shut again. I could have spent the rest of the day imagining what he was going to say, and I wouldn’t have come close to that.
“Now, I’m going to accompany you into the city for your work meeting, and then Asher and I will take you out for dinner.”
“Like a date?” The words tumble from my lips before I can catch them.
“Exactly.” He chuckles. “Will you be ready to head out in an hour?”
Abouquet of roses sits on the passenger seat when I open the door.
Thankfully, my meeting was short. My client just wanted to go over his portfolio before he spoke to his bank about a line of credit, and honestly, I needed an excuse to get out of the house.
As much as I love being around the guys all the time, it was nice to be in the company of another human being, even if it was just for an hour.
There’s a part of me that recognizes how important it is to keep part of my life separate from them, because there’s always a possibility that they’ll leave the same way everyone else has.
“Are these for me?” I ask, my voice giving away how my heart bursts at the gesture.
“They’re certainly not for Asher.” He chuckles, then reaches over, grasps the seat belt, and wraps it around me, clipping it into place. His lips brush over mine, only lingering for a second before they’re gone.
A soft whine escapes my throat, earning me a smirk, but he doesn’t comment. Instead, Rowan pulls away from the curb and heads deeper into the city.
I hadn’t realized how much I missed being in the heart of things. For the first three nights after I moved into their house, I woke up in the middle of the night from the silence.
I’m not used to the quiet. If I’m honest, I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it, not when the loud city has come to feel like home.
“How was your meeting?”
“It was good. Landon is one of my original clients, so I’m always happy to make time for him. He’s looking at expanding into the hospitality space and wanted me to talk him through his current investments before taking the leap.”
Rowan nods along, showing more interest in my career than anyone other than Asher ever has.
Every time I think this can’t be a good idea, that being with them is bound to end in heartbreak, I remember how much they actually care for me.
It’s not dependent on what I can give them or what they have to gain. It’s just pure affection, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to give that up when it’s all I’ve ever wanted.
“I’m proud of what you’ve built, Hannah. Knowing your family the way I do, I doubt they were very supportive of the path you’ve forged for yourself.”
I scoff. “You’ve got that right.”
We pull up in front of my favorite Italian restaurant, and my stomach growls with excitement, earning me a chuckle from the man beside me.
“Hungry?”
“Now I know there’s pasta in my immediate future, I am.” I laugh.
Things between Rowan and me have always come naturally, even when he was just my stepdad. We never had the awkward small talk phase, and now that we’re together, it’s like this is always how our relationship has been.
He climbs out of the car, but I barely get the chance to unclip my belt before my door opens and Asher’s face appears, a wide smile tugging at his lips.
“There’s my girl.” He drops a kiss to my lips before holding his hand out to help me climb out of the car.
“You saw me this morning,” I remind him.
“Far too long ago.”
I shake my head, but butterflies burst to life in my belly. From the first night we met at the club, he’s always made me feel so special. Why am I surprised four months in that he’s still doing exactly that?
Because people have usually shown you their true colors by now.
Without missing a beat, he wraps his arm around my shoulders and tugs me to his side as he guides me toward the restaurant, trailing after Rowan.
Nerves tug at the edge of my mind because this is the first time I’m out in public with two men.
What are people going to think of me?
Are they going to judge me?
Will it get back to my grandfather?
That’s probably the thing I’m most worried about if I’m really honest with myself. Because eventually, he always finds a way to take away the things I care about.
He’s tried more times than I can count to discredit my business, even going so far as to attempt to devalue stock just to make my clients question my abilities.
There’s nothing Jeffery Malone won’t do to get what he wants, and that includes ruining everything his granddaughter has built.
Asher pauses, a frown tugging at his brow as he stares down at me. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head, but don’t get a chance to respond before he cuts me off.
“You’re going to earn yourself quite the spanking if you think about lying to me or telling me nothing.”
“I’m worried my Granddad will find out I’m with both of you,” I admit.
“Are you embarrassed to be with two men?”
“No.” I shake my head. “But he’ll do anything to preserve the image of the family, even destroy what we’re building. I don’t know how I’d survive losing you both.”
The vulnerable words tumble out before I can catch them. It’s too soon for me to admit how I feel about them, but the words are on the tip of my tongue, begging to be set free.
His face softens. “You don’t need to worry about that, Little Doe. You let me and Rowan deal with Jeffrey.”
“But—”
“No, Hannah. It’s our job to take on your worries, and I can assure you, things with your grandfather are well in hand. It’s not something you need to fret about, and if I find out you’ve been stressing yourself about this again, you’ll find yourself being edged for the next week without relief.”
My eyes widen. I may be partial to a punishment, but I can only handle denial in small doses. A few hours is more than enough for me, thank you very much.
“You guys okay?” Rowan asks from his place at the server podium.
“Just reminding our girl who does the worrying in this relationship.” He tugs me against him and presses a kiss to the top of my head, and despite all the worry swirling around my mind, I can’t help but melt into him.
Because all I’ve ever wanted is someone to walk through life with, to share the burden with, and somehow I got lucky enough to get two of them?
Maybe all those years of longing were what brought me here, to a place I finally feel like I belong.