Chapter Thirty-One #2
I’m gifted with a beaming grin, all guilt and worry washing away from him like water off a duck’s back.
It’s beautiful, so much so that my breath catches right there in my chest. I have to actively remind myself I need oxygen to live, begging my lungs to get their shit together and take in air again.
Ryan squeezes my pinky with his before he lets go and nods. “We missed you, too, trouble.”
“I should think so. I’m a fucking delight,” I joke, and he laughs before releasing my hand and heading toward the rest of the groceries to put them away.
As he’s putting some things to the side, makings for a mean pasta dish, he speaks over his shoulder. “So, what did you get up to all week, other than mistreating your poor stomach?”
Leaning farther on the island, my chin dropping to my hands that I’ve flattened against the surface, I mutter, “That about sums it up, really. I kind of spaced out a lot at work, and I ate chips in between. Not much else besides that. How about you?”
He shrugs, placing the penne pasta beside a pan he pulled out of the cabinet when we got home. “I didn’t do much, just the usual work and constantly checking my cell to see if a blue-haired menace had finally texted or called.”
I cringe. “I’m sorry.”
Ryan laughs. “Don’t be. I get it now that you’ve explained. We’re going to do something about that headspace Toby has installed in your brain’s software, though. Because if I know one thing for sure, it’s that you’re absolutely not too much. More like, there isn’t enough of you.”
Perking up, I lift my head and stare at him questioningly.
Ryan flashes that panty-melting smile again before he explains.
“From day one, you’ve captured each of our attention.
Every single day since that morning, we’ve all wanted to know more.
You’ve had us on a hook, Maddie. And the more we learn, the more we want to get to know you better.
Your personality is the best thing about you.
You’re fearless, funny, considerate, and sweet.
You’re charming, you’re bold and quirky, and you live your life just as you were meant to.
You’re all of that in a beautiful package that would make any man fall to his knees. ”
Hell, can someone swoon right off their chair?
Because I’m pretty sure I’m about one more sweet word away from melting into a puddle right at his feet.
My carrot stick has been abandoned, my focus firmly planted on the man before me.
There are tears teasing the corners of my eyes, my hands have formed tight fists that I have to hide under the counter, and my heart is beating fast enough that I’m sure it’s about to make the greatest prison break.
“What I’m saying is, don’t censor yourself around us, okay?
We like you just the way you are. If you want to talk during movies and shows, we’ll listen.
You want to dance in the kitchen, I’m pretty sure Caid or Bax will join you.
You want to send memes? That’s fine, but you’ll have to fight Caiden for the top spot of meme sender.
Want to hold someone’s hand walking through stores?
I’ll keep one free for you at all times.
” He turns and leans against the counter, his expression open and genuine and utterly devastating, before he continues.
“Taking photos? We expect it from you. It’s what you’re brilliant at, so snap away, whether it be on your camera or phone.
So long as you’re happy with us doing the same.
Gift buying? We love giving and receiving. ”
That’s a loaded statement if I ever heard one, and I can’t help but snort through the threat of tears. It’s like he knew I needed the break of humor to stop myself from blubbering like an absolute baby.
Ryan flashes another grin that scrambles my insides and teases my vagina before he says, “Date nights are a given, if you plan on dating four guys. We’ll plan them when you’re not feeling up to it, and we’ll let you take the reins when you want them.”
My heart stalls right there in my chest, and the realization dawns on me quickly that they must all be very aware of the conversation Rayne and I had.
I haven’t had time to fully wrap my head around it yet, but with the way Ry is watching me right now, it’s proof of Rayne’s words that they’ve discussed it and are open to trying this crazy relationship.
I’m apparently a very open book, because Ryan nods and informs, “All four of us are on board, and Rayne told us we’re to give you time to think about it.
That’s fair, because taking on four guys who have been rapidly growing obsessed with you is something that should take a great deal of consideration. ”
I choke on a fucking laugh, because fantasizing about it and discussing it in person are two wildly different things, and I still can’t quite believe my luck that this is happening to me.
“That is to say, we’re in this because it’s you.
Because of who you are as a person, because of the chaos you bring to our lives, and because we would be lost without it.
The past week proved as much. I’ve never seen the guys look so miserable, and all it took was one glance from you for things to feel right again,” he confesses, and I think I might actually combust. Kaboom.
Poof. Gone. Thankfully, he continues before I perish.
“We’re in this wholeheartedly. All four of us.
We’ve discussed it, we know what we’re getting into, and there’s no one I would trust more with the girl I really like than the three men I would trust with my life and hers. ”
Nope. Perishing. This is my demise.
Heart beating so fast that it resembles the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings, my pulse skittering rapidly enough that I feel jittery and almost faint, I swallow hard and blink at Ryan as I try to gather my brain that has actually short-circuited.
Without putting much thought into it, overwhelmed and sinking deep into the well of my feels, I hop off my stool and round the island, beelining straight for him.
My body damn near collides with his when I collapse against him, wrapping my arms around his waist and tucking my head beneath his chin.
My hands fist his T-shirt against his back, and I absolutely melt into him when he chuckles, his chest vibrating against my cheek.
Ryan doesn’t waste time, wrapping me in his embrace like I was made to fit there, banding one arm around my back while his other hand cups the back of my head. His fingers sink into my hair and scratch gently, and it almost brings those pesky tears back to my eyes.
With a hearty sigh, I close my eyes and absorb everything about this hug. The warmth, the comfort, the rightness of it. Everything about it feels like it was meant to be, and I realize the same feeling came to me as I was using Rayne as my own personal body pillow.
So, with a tight squeeze that he reciprocates, I admit, “I’m a stage-five clinger, just so you’re aware. Like, Velcro kind of clingy. No, like that slime stuff that gets stuck in your hair and you have to cut it out. So, if that starts getting too much, you guys will tell me, right?”
Ryan freezes, and I wonder if being a grade-A octopus is too much when he releases a long, deep sigh, dropping his cheek to my head before he asks, “Are you trying to scare us away, or are you telling me you’re on board?”
I snort. “I’m saying that you should take it into consideration while I ponder that I have a tendency to want to crawl into people’s skin just to be closer to them.
For example, I sat in Zelda’s gaming chair, hugging her back through an entire gaming session once, just because I’d been on vacation for two weeks and missed her.
The very next day, I broke into Ashton’s house and crawled into bed with her, and we slept and cuddled most of the day away.
The next morning, I hijacked Henley’s ride to work and shadowed her all day.
And that’s just with my best friends. I’m too scared to tell you the lengths I’ve gone to with my parents. ”
Ryan has started shaking, and I’m pretty sure he’s trying to stop himself from laughing, but I’m being totally serious. I’m the person who means it when she says she’s a clinger, and it would terrify normal people to learn every other creative way I’ve found to be near the ones I love.
“Consider this your warning while I think it over,” I warn. “Because as soon as I agree to this thing, you guys are mine. And I get crazy possessive of things that are mine. You don’t even know the word clingy yet.”
Losing the battle, Ry breaks out in laughter, but he hugs me even tighter, right before he says, “Trust me, trouble. That’s not a bad thing, because it suits us more than you even know. Now, how about that pasta and garlic bread?”
I couldn’t think of anything better to eat right now, and neither can my stomach, the growl that gurgles from its depths something a horror movie could use for sound effects.