2
“Seriously, babe, it’s not. I need you to promise me you’re going to be more careful. You have to stick to the speed limits and you need to be aware of your position in the road. You can’t drive like you were. If you got into a wreck…fuck, we’d lose it, Addy. We need you to be safe,” he almost pleaded, and the fear in his words hit me hard.
“I promise,” I acquiesced as I placed my hand on his thigh again and squeezed. “I’ll be more careful and I’ll stick to speed limits, okay? I don’t want anything to happen to me either. I just got carried away with the fancy car. It beats the hell out of the rust bucket I used to drive.”
“I know, and it is a sweet car, but don’t do it again, okay? You promised to come home to us every night and I’m holding you to that.”
“Okay,” I agreed easily. I meant what I had told him – I didn’t want anything to happen to me. I wanted to keep my promise to come home to him, Adam, and Kane, every single night for as long as I possibly could, hopefully until we were all old and gray and I was too senile to drive any more.
We drove the last part of the journey in a comfortable silence, my hand buried beneath Jordan’s atop his thigh, I couldn’t help but think how grateful I was for the normal day we’d had, the both of us working at The Light – our youth center. Jordan had set up some programs to bring sport to the local, under funded schools, and so he had spent much of the day supervising high schoolers playing basketball on our indoor court, or outside running football drills in the small field we had fit onto the land, that was previously planned to be parking.
I’d spent my day in the office, coordinating the classes with local schools, which Jordan was running, and working on a charity fundraiser we planned to raise more funds for the center in December. Thanks to Asher we already had a guest list filled with wealthy philanthropists and I was hopeful we would raise plenty of funds, at that, and many other fundraisers to follow, to keep the center going for a long time to come.
As the schools ended for the day the doors were thrown open for any kids who needed or wanted to come along and just hang out. Eli had been there, as he was three afternoons every week, to hold a kind of art club. It was a huge hit and we already had plans to hold an evening for all of the kids to display their masterpieces so family and friends could come along and see it all.
I ran the homework club, where kids came for help with assignments, or just for a quiet area to get peace to work. I had set up computers for them there, and there was a small library area filled with reference books they could use.
Adam, Jord, and Kane had all been there tonight, keeping the chaos to a minimum and running the sports to get the kids engaged. The kids had warmed to them immediately, even grumpy Kane, and they came back again and again to just have some fun and be kids. We had some staff from the veteran program Ash told us about too. Three men and two women, all ex-military. They brought a little discipline into the center – something some of the kids needed urgently – but they were fun too.
The Light was a place mainly filled with happiness and fun, just as I had wanted it to be. It was a place where kids got to be kids. And when one of those kids was struggling, or came to us for help, we did everything we could for them. We’d only been open for just over two months, but I was fully invested and happy to spend the rest of my working life making it work for the kids that would always need a safe, warm place to go.
Now Jordan and I were driving home, just like I had wanted us to do for months. It was so normal and regular, and it was everything I had ever hoped for.
I was excited as we pulled up to the gates of the house. It was the first time I had been there since the old place was demolished and I’d missed it, even if there were a mix of good and bad memories behind those gates. It had been the first place I ever felt like I was home though, and it was the place where I got to know my brothers and met the men I loved. I could never ever want to forget those moments.
The fence around the property and the front gates had been changed to steel frames with solid metal panels covering the length of them. Asher told me they were impenetrable and they were eight feet high too, so it was unlikely anyone would get over them without our security realizing. No one could even see past them any longer, so our home really was a private sanctuary now.
The gates rolled open and I gasped at the building it revealed. It was much bigger than the old house, which was crazy enough, but it also had a six car garage and was a whole story taller. It was modern, much like the old design, a square structure with wood cladding that seemed to fit into the trees surrounding it perfectly. There were three floors that I could see. The wood cladding covered the top half of the enormous building, but the bottom was covered with a pale gray render that just looked clean and modern. There were huge windows all along the first floor, but they were tinted so no one could look through them.
“It’s huge!” I gasped as Jordan drove onto the smooth black driveway and parked right before the entrance. The double front doors looked to be made of solid oak, and they were led up to by a gentle path that sloped upwards slightly, and was lit entirely along the way with warm lights that were recessed into the stone.
“It really is,” he laughed. “Your brother planning a lot of kids in his future?”
“He’d need a girlfriend first,” I threw back with a smile. I no longer worried about Asher.
He seemed to have found a path for himself that made him happy. He had set up a new business, and this one was way more important and meaningful than the money hungry company his father had left to him.
It was early days and Asher was still recruiting staff and making a name for his company – Egis. Asher had told me it meant safety, or protection, and that was what he wanted his company to offer to those who needed it. Effectively he was starting a security company that took on private contracts, for anything from personal protection, event security, or handling ransom situations to government contracts. These parts would pay the wages and cover the expenditure. But Asher’s real aim and the thing he had set the company up for, was to do unpaid work tracking down more criminal organizations that were trafficking people, and use the resources he had to save as many victims as he could. Victims like I’d been. He wanted to save as many as he could, and he was only willing to employ people who shared that attitude and had the skills needed to help him in his mission.
I had cried when he told me his plans. All I could think of was people just like me, who were trapped and ready to give up, all hope lost, being saved from the bowels of Hell that they found themselves trapped in. Harris and his team were already doing everything they could to help too, especially Aleks and his computer skills, and the business was already growing fast, despite the fact it had only been running for a matter of weeks.
With that important focus Asher had seemed lighter lately. It was obvious he loved what he was doing, and he seemed happy, especially now this amazing house was finished and we all got to move back home again.
I opened the door of my car and stepped out just as the front doors opened and Asher walked out, followed by Eli, Adam, and Kane.
Adam and Kane had left an hour before we closed the center to go and grab some groceries so we could all eat together in the new place that night. It had been just over an hour since I last saw them, and yet I couldn’t stop the little flutter of my heart as I saw them. It was always that way with the three of them. I hated being away from them, and when I got them back, I lit up inside with happiness. I didn’t know if I would always feel that giddy feeling, but I did know that I would always love them just the way I did in that moment.
“What do you think?” Asher asked, a huge grin on his face.
“I want to know who the heck is going to be living here with us,” I laughed as I took in the sheer size of the place all over again.
“I know it’s big, but I wanted to plan ahead. You might want kids someday, and if you still want to live with Eli and I, you’ll need plenty of space.”
“Fuck Ash. Calm the hell down,” Adam gasped. “One day maybe, but I don’t think we need to be talking about it right now.”
“I agree. It’s hard enough keeping Addy safe. Imagine trying to control mini versions of her. There aren’t enough of us,” Kane agreed, looking genuinely stressed at the idea.
“Hey! I’m no trouble. I’m an angel and you know it,” I scolded him with a glare.
“Why’s Jordan driving?” Adam asked, obviously having just noticed Jordan was climbing out of the driver’s side. “What happened?” Kane looked from me to Jordan, then back to me, running his eyes over me assessingly.
“All good, guys,” Jordan told them. “Addy just got a little hot and bothered, so we switched.” When I turned to him he sent me a wink and I knew I was blushing. Asher and Eli weren’t idiots. They were going to know exactly what that meant and I was so embarrassed.
I knew I shouldn’t. We lived with my brothers and planned to for the foreseeable future. It wasn’t like they thought I was a nun. They knew fully well that I was in a relationship with three guys, after all.
We had discussed finding our own place before the new build started. It had appealed for a moment, having our own space where we didn’t have to worry about getting caught doing anything embarrassing by my older brothers, but I just couldn’t do it. I liked having my brothers close when I needed them. I had gone for so long without family and I wasn’t ready to give that up yet. Plus it just made sense, since Kane worked for them. Adam and Jordan seemed to like being close to Asher and Eli too, because they were all family, and always had been, even before I came along. Maybe it was weird that we all lived together, but it just worked for all of us.
Seeing this new house, I wasn’t too worried anyway. The place was enormous, so it wouldn’t be hard to find places for me to spend alone time with each of my guys.
“Are you feeling okay, sweetheart?” Asher asked.
“Fine,” I replied as I turned to him with a smile that I hoped didn’t look as guilty as it felt.
“Let’s head inside then. There’s so much to see and it’s getting late,” Eli suggested. I happily grabbed Jordan’s hand, and hurried towards the door, Kane, and Adam right behind us as we followed Asher and Eli inside.
“The security office is behind that door, and beyond it is a kitchen and living room for the security staff to use, so they have no need to come into the main house, other than your personal protection,” Asher said as he nodded between Eli and I.
“Above the garages Simon and Mal have a two bedroom apartment with their own private entrance. Apart from me, obviously, they’re the only security who will live on site,” Kane added.
I had agreed that I was happy for my security to live on the grounds with us when Kane asked me. It meant that they were close to join me if I were left alone, and it made Kane feel better to have them on site if we ever needed them. Not that it should be the case with the new team we had working in shifts and the crazy security Asher had built into the new house.
When we passed through the first entrance, there were another set of huge double doors, and they opened into a second entrance hall, this one grand and welcoming. The walls were tastefully painted in shades of gray and a sage green that fitted in with the wooded area we lived in. There was a sweeping staircase off to the right with a chunky oak balustrade and the same sparkling pale grey marble tiles up the stairs as there were on the floor of the entrance.
“Up those stairs there’s access to a huge games room with cinema screen TV, and a small reading nook that’s lined with shelves of books.”
“Oooh!” I cried as I headed that way, but Jordan stopped me when Asher continued talking. “Eli’s studio takes up the remainder of the space up there, but I’ve made sure it’s fully soundproof, so you don’t have to worry about disturbing him at any time.”
“Have you been up there?” I asked Eli excitedly. He had missed his studio so much and I was so happy for him now that he could finally get in there and let his creativity flow. I didn’t really know what his plans were, but he seemed happy enough just at the notion of helping us at the center and spending the rest of his time painting for the joy of it. He was so much more relaxed and carefree now that the drama was all over, and his father could no longer unleash any more destruction from the grave. He smiled all of the time and he got excited about the art pieces he had planned. Painting was his passion and now he got to do it to his heart’s desire.
“It’s amazing. Ash had panoramic windows put in through the whole space and the light is perfect. I can’t wait to show you,” Eli told me with just as much excitement as I was feeling.
Asher led us through the entrance and into a living room, kitchen, and dining room that were almost exactly like the old place. It was open and spacious, filled with light and welcoming. There was a huge log fireplace for the winter and the kitchen looked even bigger than the last one.
“I tried to keep this as close as I could to the old layout, since it always worked pretty well for us,” Ash explained, and I turned to him with a joyous smile. All of our furniture and belongings had already been brought in and unpacked, so it just looked and felt like home right away.
“It’s perfect, Ash,” I sighed.
“This is where I changed things up a bit though. That door over there,” Ash pointed to another closed double doorway to our right, off past the large dining table. “And this one here,” he pointed to one just behind him, the same double doorway leading off of the back of the living area. “They both lock, and behind them are two separate spaces that can only be accessed through this room here. That one,” he pointed to the door off to the right, “Is yours. It’s a private space just for the four of you. Behind the door is an entrance with some storage space, then you have your own living room, laundry room, kitchenette, and downstairs wash room. Up the stairs there’s six en suite bedrooms and up again you’ll find a large office that has room enough for all of you to set up workspaces if you need to.”
“This side’s ours. It’s set up the same except we used one of the bedrooms for Asher’s office and used the top space for a bar and pool table,” Eli added with a grin.
“I thought you guys needed your own space and who knows, maybe we will too, one day,” Asher laughed. “Just in case I made our side easy to split into two three bedroom spaces if we ever find girlfriends who can put up with us.”
“Of course you both will!” I cried tearfully. “You’re both amazing men and any woman would be lucky to have either of you.”
“This is amazing, Asher. You’re a genius,” Jordan said as he gave the arm he had around me a squeeze.
“Why’d you tell him that, Jord? Isn’t his head already big enough?” Adam groaned.
“Don’t say that!” I defended Asher as I moved towards him and wrapped my arms around his waist. Tears were flowing, but they were of complete, unbridled happiness.
“Thank you. This place is everything I didn’t even know I wanted,” I told him with a sniffle.
“I haven’t even finished yet, little dot. There’s the pool and gym in the basement level,” Asher chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight.
“I don’t think I can handle any more. You’re killing me with this beautiful home,” I sniffled.
“You deserve a place that feels like home, sweetheart. You deserve to always feel safe and loved, and I hope this place can at least be a small part of that.”
“It is,” I assured him, “But you guys are the biggest parts of it. You and Eli. Adam, Jordan, and Kane. It’s all of you that are my home really. This amazing place is just the cherry on the top.”
“We love you, Addy. There’s nothing Ash and I wouldn’t do to see you smile, shortcake,” Eli added as he wrapped his arms around both Asher and I. It was an emotional moment, but for once, there was no sadness or fear in that emotion as it bubbled over. It was just happiness and gratitude for the day that these two amazing men, that I was lucky enough to share blood with, walked into my life and saved me. I had been drowning in terror and loneliness and I had no hope for anything resembling a future, but they grabbed me and they pulled me up. Without them I knew there was no way I would have survived more than a matter of days, lost in the justice system, and charged with the murder of the monster who had truly broken me.
“Why don’t you all show her the gardens? I’ll grab some beers,” Asher suggested as he pulled back from our hug and took a deep breath.
“Come on, angel. You’re going to love this,” Kane said as he took my free hand and pulled me towards the huge bi-fold doors that were open, leading out to the garden.
I stopped at the doorway and looked out with a huge gasp. The whole garden had been relandscaped and it was breath taking. Flower beds had been build to hip height up both sides of the huge space, and inside them were the most beautiful. brightly colored flowers and plants, all of them seeming to burst from the beautifully built walled planters.
“Come on,” Adam said as he took my other hand, then he and Kane led me outside and down a path.
The large lawn had been split into four with a white stone path that led around the perimeter of the space and crossed the lawn. At the cross where the paths all met, at the very center of the vast space, stood an enormous, white stone fountain that was spraying water up into the air in elegant arches, and it was back lit by soft lights under the water. Around the fountain were benches, made of the same white stone, where I could see myself happily sat, just watching the hypnotic movement of the fountain. I looked back to the house and realised there was a large patio there, filled with a massive table and chairs we would all easily fit around, and some loungers I would love to lay out on in the summer. Plants, blooming with even more flowers in pots, surrounded the patio and made it look beautiful in the light of the setting sun.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Jordan asked as he appeared over my shoulder, wrapping one of his arms around my back and draping the other over his brothers shoulders.
“It’s spectacular. If you’re looking for me, I’ll probably be out here,” I sniffled tearfully. The garden had always been where I went for peace, even in the depths of winter in the snow. Now Asher had made it a place where I could find that peace even more easily if I needed to, especially in the tough times.
“Are you happy, Addy?” Kane asked.
“How could I not be?” I grinned as I looked between all three of them surrounding me. “I have everything I ever could have wished for, and so much more.”
“So do we,” Adam said as he brought my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss there.
“Hey, don’t settle so easily, princess. We don’t have a pony. You should totally ask Asher for a pony! Or a dog! A dog would be awesome out here. Ask him for a dog!” Jordan cried.
“You’re crazy!” I laughed as I looked to him with a huge grin.
“Crazy for you maybe,” he told me before he pressed a long and loud kiss to my lips.
We were all laughing at Jordan’s list of things he thought I could still wish for, as we walked together back towards the house, to meet my brothers who were bringing out beers, a soda for me, and a huge [platter of snacks. We were home. We were safe. We were loved and we were happy. We had a lot to celebrate.
THE END (for now)