Chapter 43 JADE
JADE
The afternoon light spills across the kitchen floor in golden rectangles. I trail my fingers through it as I pass, watching dust motes dance in the beams. The house is quiet, but it's a different quiet now. Not the hollow emptiness of abandonment, but the gentle hush of anticipation.
Three days since the pool. Three days of hospital rooms and police statements. Three days of coming home to this house that suddenly feels too big for just one person.
I pause at the kitchen counter, running my hand over the smooth marble surface.
The last time I stood here, I was staring down at an envelope that would change everything.
Now that envelope is evidence in a case against Becky and against my mother.
The detectives assure me there's enough to put them both away for a very long time.
My camera sits on the table where I left it this morning. I pick it up, feeling the familiar weight in my hands. For so long, it was my shield, my way of seeing the world without being seen. My fingers trace the contour of the lens, then set it gently back down.
I don't need to hide behind it anymore.
The silence wraps around me, but it's not oppressive. It's expectant. Like the space between breaths. Like the moment before a shutter clicks.
The sound of car doors closing outside makes my heart leap. I don't run to the window to look. I don't need to. I know who it is.
I take a deep breath, smoothing down the simple white sundress I chose this morning. My hands are steady as I walk through the living room, toward the front door.
It opens before I reach it.
Ethan enters first, his posture military-straight despite the exhaustion I can see in the lines around his eyes. He stops when he sees me, something soft replacing the usual guardedness in his blue gaze.
Mateo follows, his golden eyes brightening when they land on me, a smile breaking across his face despite the shadows beneath his eyes.
And then Declan, his massive frame filling the doorway, left arm in a sling against his chest, moving more carefully than usual but still solid, still here.
They're home.
No dramatic entrance. Just three men stepping back into the space where they belong.
This time, I don't wait for them to come to me. I cross the distance between us, stopping just a breath away.
"You're here," I say, the simplicity of the words belying the emotion behind them.
"Where else would we be?" Mateo asks, his voice gentler than his usual teasing tone.
I lead them to the living room, the same room where I broke their hearts just days ago. The same room where I put on the mask of the Ice Queen and pushed away the only people who had ever truly seen me.
Now I will show them everything.
We sit, me on the couch, Ethan and Mateo on either side of me, Declan in the armchair across, leaning forward despite what must be considerable pain.
"I need to explain," I begin, my hands clasped tightly in my lap. "About that day. About why I said those things."
They fall silent, waiting. Patient. I take a deep breath and tell them everything.
About the envelope that contained not just Declan's record, but a letter threatening to destroy Cross Security if I didn't send them away. About how Becky promised to make public Declan's past, how she threatened to destroy not just their business, but their friendship, their lives.
"I couldn't let that happen," I say, voice trembling despite my efforts to keep it steady. "Not when I could protect you by just... letting you go."
Silence follows my confession. I force myself to look at each of them, to face whatever judgment I might find.
Mateo shakes his head, anger flashing in his eyes, but not directed at me. "Next time, trust us," he says fiercely. "Let us fight with you, not just for you."
Ethan's jaw works as he processes. His eyes, when they meet mine, are clear and steady. "You don't get to make those sacrifices anymore," he says finally, his voice rough with emotion.
My eyes find Declan last, afraid of what I might see. His dark gaze is intense, unwavering.
"I need to explain to you what happened. Why I was in prison..." he begins.
"You don't have to. I know you. It wasn't because of that..." I start, but he carries on.
"I want to tell you. I feel ashamed but I don't regret what I did, if that makes sense.
.. Long story short, this neighbor of mine was violent to his wife.
One day I interfered and... let him taste his own medicine.
The police came, took me to jail and the woman refused to testify. So I was convicted of assault."
Something breaks inside me then, the last wall, the final defense. Tears spill over, running hot down my cheeks.
"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I thought I was protecting you, but I should have trusted you. I should have told you the truth."
"Hey," Mateo says softly, his hand finding mine. "We found our way back, didn't we?"
"I just..." My voice catches. I look down at our joined hands, then up at each of them in turn. "I love you," I say, the words rushing out before I can overthink them. "All of you."
The room goes still. For a terrible moment, I think I've misread everything.
Then Ethan's arm slips around my shoulders, pulling me gently against him. "Jade," he murmurs, his lips against my hair. "I love you too."
Mateo lifts my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to my palm. "Te amo, mi reina," he says, dimples deepening as he smiles. "Always have."
Declan rises from his chair, crossing to kneel in front of me despite his injury. His good hand reaches up to brush a tear from my cheek.
Something settles in my chest, a weight lifting, a space filling. I lean forward, resting my forehead against Declan's, one hand still in Mateo's, Ethan's arm warm around me.
For a moment, we just breathe together.
"You should be resting," I tell Declan eventually, reluctant to break the moment but concerned about his injury.
He gives me a rare smile. "I'm right where I need to be."
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving," Mateo announces, rising from the couch with a stretch. "Let's see what we can scrounge up in the kitchen."
The domestic simplicity of the suggestion makes me laugh through my tears. "I think Gloria stocked the fridge yesterday."
Ethan helps Declan to his feet, and we move as a unit to the kitchen, the heart of the house, the place where we first began to feel like a family.
Mateo takes charge, directing operations with his usual flair. Ethan chops vegetables. Declan's massive frame leans against the counter, offering suggestions. I set the table, pour wine, move among them in a dance that feels both new and familiar.
Conversation flows easily, punctuated by Mateo's jokes, Ethan's dry observations, Declan's rare but impactful comments.
Under the table, our feet touch, our hands find each other. The boundaries that once seemed so important have dissolved.
Later, as we clear the table together, I realize I'm smiling, a real smile, not the practiced one I've worn for cameras all my life. I catch Ethan watching me, a softness in his eyes I'm still getting used to seeing.
"What?" I ask.
"You look happy," he says simply.
I glance around at the three of them: Mateo singing softly in Spanish as he loads the dishwasher, Declan carefully wiping down the counter with his good arm, Ethan watching me with that quiet intensity.
"I am," I reply, and the truth of it settles deep in my bones.
Outside, rain begins to fall, a gentle patter against the windows that only enhances the coziness within. We migrate to the living room, bodies gravitating naturally toward each other on the large sectional.
I find myself in the middle, Ethan's arm around my shoulders, Mateo's head in my lap, Declan's solid presence at my side.
The weight of them, the warmth, the steady rhythm of their breathing, it feels right.
It feels like something I've been searching for my entire life without knowing what I was missing.
"We should talk about..." Ethan begins, ever the practical one.
"Tomorrow," I say softly. "Tonight, let's just be."
No one argues. Tonight isn't about logistics or arrangements or what the world might think. Tonight is about this. This fragile, beautiful thing we've found together.
Tomorrow there will be decisions to make, a future to plan. But tonight, there is only this moment, these men, this love that defies definition.
I close my eyes, surrounded by their warmth, their scent, their presence.
This is what safety feels like. This is what love does.