Chapter 61
DEMITRI
Nyx has fallen asleep curled up on top of Graham’s desk.
She looks like the most beautiful angel curled up, her hair a mess of tangles, black streaks from her makeup is running down her cheeks and she is covered in small bite marks and bruises.
I have never once witnessed her look more beautiful to me.
I gently scoop her limp form into my arms, and carry her up the stairs to my room.
Since she was rescued from the clutches of her vindictive ex, this room has been less mine and more all of ours, and for once in my life I am completely okay with that.
Walking through the large space, I enter the bathroom and set her gently on the bench in the shower.
Allowing the shower to heat up, I take a soft washcloth and take the time to clean her up.
I do not want her waking up covered in all of our filth, not that she has ever complained before.
Once she is as cleaned up as I am capable of while she is unconscious, I wrap her in one of my dark towels.
Taking my sweet time enjoying having unfiltered access to her body, I dry her off and put her into bed.
Leaving our girl sleeping in our bed, I close the door with a soft snick of the latch.
I take a deep breath and head back to the office.
Graham is still here trying to clean up the mess we made.
When I walk in, I find him crawling around on his hands and knees trying to pick up every pen and paper clip that was thrown before Nyx was laid like a dessert buffet on top of Graham's desk.
“Hey, can we chat?” My voice sounds a lot stronger than I am feeling currently. I know this conversation we need to have is going to be rough. Graham stands up, and we both take a seat at our desks.
“What’s up?”
“So…” I try so hard to make a coherent sentence come out, but I know that it is just not possible. “Which one of us gets to marry her?” I blurt out.
“Are we really having this conversation?” He is laughing, and I am immediately concerned. “You will Dee, you will get to call her your wife.”
My jaw goes slack. Is he really going to just give her up? Not even fight me for the right to be able to call her his wife?
“You love her, don’t you? I’m so confused.” I have to understand his reasoning, if he isn’t here for the long haul, we need to know. I will not let him hurt her.
”Demitri Meadows, do you think that I would not give my left nut to make that girl my wife?
” He has an eyebrow arched like he thinks I am absolutely insane.
“I would do anything and everything for that woman. She is my world. But in the same instance, you are my brother and have stood by my side through hell and back. I have my family. I have Mom and Dad and Cal. You need someone to be your family. Not that you aren’t included in the Hutchinson family. ”
I can feel the tears welling in my eyes.
He not only has thought about marrying her, but also, what it would mean to me.
That him giving up his claim on marrying her allows me to have a family again.
I will always consider him and his family as my own, but to be able to have a wife who carries the Meadows name is absolutely everything.
He is the best friend a guy could ask for.
“Now, you will get your wedding in the mountains to the most beautiful woman we could ever pick. I still want a small ceremony even if it’s just the three of us where I commit to her myself.
I will put my foot down on you stealing her from me.
If you think for one second that I will just bow down, you are dead wrong, Dee.
” We both laugh before wrapping each other in a two-armed hug.
Embracing each other with all the love for each other between us.
Breaking away from Graham’s hug. “I could never imagine loving her without you there, brother. We are in this for life, with Nyx, and Devil Dog.”
“Now you get to call Bill. You can have fun with that one, Dee!” Graham's laugh is contagious, and the two of us burst into laughter like we were the naive, eighteen-year-olds again.
“Let’s invite him out to lunch. I feel like it’s important for us to ask as a united front. Just because I will be legally her husband does not mean we both will not be committing to her.”
I pull a bottle of whiskey out of my desk along with two crystal glasses.
We usually keep the Macallan for signing major contracts, but I think agreeing to our marriage arrangement is a time to celebrate.
I fill both of our glasses with two fingers of the very expensive liquor and hand it to Graham.
Holding up the crystal glass, I give him a smile and say, “To the rest of our lives as brothers and making a new Meadows Family.”
Our glasses clink, and we both take a sip and set back in our office chairs. Graham pulls up the camera in our bedroom, and we just watch Nyx sleep until sleep starts to claw at us.