30. Jace
Chapter 30
Physical therapy fucking sucks.
It’s been a month since my accident, and the work they’re putting my body through is grueling. I lost a lot of muscle tone wasting away in that bed, and I have to work ten times harder to get it back. I still can’t put weight on the broken femur, but we’re getting there. The hardest thing has been the broken pelvis.
“Three more steps,” my therapist, Misty, encourages. If I didn’t like the girl, I would have whacked her upside the head with my crutch by now. “Come on.”
“The only reason I haven’t crushed you yet is because I need to be able to stand for my commitment ceremony.”
Misty laughs easily. “He has to say yes first, and you couldn’t catch me to crush me.” I roll my eyes and walk the three more steps to my chair. She helps me sit down and gets my leg propped up on the recliner. “I hear they’re letting you go home today.”
“Thank fuck,” I mutter. “I’m sick of looking at these walls and your face.”
“The feeling is mutual.” She gives me a sweet smile, and my lips twitch. I’m glad she can put up with my grouchy ass. “Your guys went home to get the house in order.”
“They really went to get away from you,” I joke. “I just hope they bring something that this fucking cast will fit in.”
“I’m sure they will. They take good care of you.” I can’t argue with that, so I give her a nod. “The doctor should be around soon to send you home. I’ll see you in a week.”
She leaves the room, and I think about everything that’s happened.
On the day of the accident, I left the office later than usual because I had a meeting with someone overseas. I normally take a driver, but I just felt like driving the Maserati since Toby didn’t steal it. I was driving home on cloud fucking nine when a car came out of nowhere. I remember them hitting the driver’s side, I lost control, and then…nothing. Hearing Oliver recount how bad the car was and what the paramedics did to save me feels like it happened to someone else. The only constant reminder is the broken bones, casts, scars, and bruises. At least the bruises are almost gone.
I want to kill Trent with my bare fucking hands for what he did to Aiden. I don’t give a shit that the pussy decided to come after me. He hurt Aiden again. Aiden’s face healed pretty quickly, but I’ll never forget how bad he looked when I first opened my eyes.
The surprising rock in all of this is Oliver. He stepped up to the plate and doesn’t take my shit when I try to do something myself that I’m not supposed to. He’s not afraid to put me in my place but still has that submissive respect when he does say it. I’m not sure how he pulls it off, but he does.
Toby has been beyond overbearing, but I love him even more because of it. I know how hard Toby has to work to regulate his emotions, but I’ve been so fucking proud of him. Oliver told me Toby held it together for him while they were waiting to get any word on me. The surprise in that statement can’t be described.
Vince and Zac have been taking care of everything else. Vince made sure Oliver’s contract with Trent was null and void now that he’s locked up. They’ve even been taking care of business meetings I haven’t been able to attend in deals they’re involved in. I even heard a few whispers about them talking to Leland on a regular basis. So, I guess something good did come out of this.
I also feel like it brought me and my guys even closer than we were before. They banded around me, and I’ve never felt more cared for in my life. I’m normally the caregiver, so it hasn’t been easy for me to take a backseat. But I really haven’t had a choice. You can’t pass out punishments with a cast on your arm and leg.
“What up?” Leland announces, walking into my room and flopping down on the bed. “I hear you’re busting out of this place today.”
“Finally. What are you doing here? Oliver is at home.”
“I actually need to talk to you.”
“Go for it.”
Leland clears his throat. “I don’t want to overstep here, but Toby told me about you guys asking Oliver to do a commitment ceremony. I talked to Payton, and she was able to get something for you guys.” Leland digs through his pocket and pulls out two rings. “These were Oliver’s mom’s engagement and wedding rings. I thought maybe you could get them customized to work for him.”
I hold my hand out, and Leland lays them in my palm. “This is awesome, Leland. Thank you.”
Leland shrugs. “Payton tried to talk to Oli’s dad, but that was a no-go. She said he was too drunk to care.”
“We can’t all have parents that make a complete turnaround like Aiden’s dad.” That still shocks the shit out of me. Aiden has let him start to get to know all of us, and he hasn’t shown any sign of his usual judgment. He’s actually a decent human being and trying to be a good father.
“You can add mine to the shitty parents club for other reasons,” Leland says. “Your parents and Toby’s mom are cool as hell, though.”
“They are.” Mom and Dad hung around for as long as they could after I woke up but had to head back home. Toby’s mom is usually here every day fussing over everyone. “Vince and Zac have good parents.” Just like I suspected, Leland rolls his eyes.
“That doesn’t matter. I’m not anything to Vince and Zac.”
“Right,” I say sarcastically. “Is that why I heard your voice over the phone when I talked to Zac yesterday?”
“We hang out. That’s it.”
“Keep lying to yourself.”
“See if I do anything for you again, asshole.”
That makes me laugh, and I’m still laughing when Dr. Bartlett walks in. He sits beside Leland on the bed and looks at me. “I’ve never seen someone come back from an accident like this. Most people wouldn’t have even survived. You’re one lucky guy, Mr. Masters.” He flips through some papers on my chart. “They already have your appointments set for the casts to come off and your physical therapy. Those you cannot miss. I’ve added some information to your discharge packet about exercises you can do at home. You still need to take it easy and keep as much weight off your pelvis as possible.”
“That means sex is out of the question,” Leland says with a sly grin. I know it’s payback for giving him shit about Vince and Zac, so I can’t even be mad.
“For now,” Dr. Bartlett laughs. “That’s going to take some time. Other things, though…” he lets that thought trail off, leaving it up to my imagination. “All your prescriptions have been sent to the pharmacy, so all someone has to do is pick it up. Come back to the hospital if you experience any dizziness, abnormal swelling, or bruising. Other than that, you’re good to go.” He gets up and shakes my hand. “I wish you all the best, Mr. Masters.”
“Thank you for everything, Dr. Bartlett.”
Now it’s time to go home to my family.
Coming home went smoother than any of us anticipated. It took almost four months for my left leg to heal, but as of today, I’m officially cleared and walk only with a slight limp. Toby said it makes me look like a pimp, and he finds it hilarious. I’ve had to find creative ways to punish him since I haven’t been cleared for sex, but it’s given me ways to punish him in the future. Plus, it’s given us all ways to be intimate that doesn’t involve sex. It’s actually been really good for our relationship.
Now that I’m cleared, today is the day that we’re going to ask Oliver to do a commitment ceremony. The rings Leland gave us have been customized into a wedding band, with the diamond from the engagement ring split to fill the band. While I was at the doctor, Toby was picking that up. Leland is distracting Oliver so Payton, my mom, Toby’s mom, and Aiden can decorate the house. Everything should be ready by the time I get there, and it’s the first time that I’ve been nervous. He accepted my collar without a second thought, but this goes even deeper. He can’t legally marry us all, but we want to give him something. Oliver deserves it and so much more.
My driver pulls in front of the house, and Cass is waiting to open the door. “Everything is in order, Sir.” Cass has actually become Oliver’s full time driver, and he’s very protective over him. Oliver thinks the world of him, and I can relax when he’s with Cass. The only reason he’s not with him today is because I wanted to give Oliver and Leland time together. “Oliver should be back soon.”
“Thank you, Cass. Is Toby back?”
“Yes, Sir.”
I make my way into the house and hear Payton laughing in the living room. She’s been around a lot more lately, and I couldn’t be happier. She’s an amazing girl, and I owe her everything for protecting Oliver when his father wouldn’t. I follow the sound, and my eyes widen when I see the living room. They’ve moved all the furniture to the side so it’s a big open space. They’ve decorated with fairy lights, candles, and flowers.
“This looks amazing,” I comment, walking in.
Mom comes over and gives me a hug. “All clear?”
“He said everything looked good, and I shouldn’t have too many problems.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” She gives me a kiss on the cheek and links her arm through mine. “I have no doubt Oliver will say yes.”
“He better say yes,” Payton says. “Or I’ll kick his ass.”
“He’ll say yes,” I say with more confidence than I feel. “Where’s Aiden?”
“He’s putting in an order for food,” Toby’s mom answers.
Payton checks her phone and grins. “Oliver will be here in like two minutes. Toby went to change clothes, so he’ll be down in a minute.”
“Thank you, guys.”
They each give me a kiss on the cheek and disappear out the front door. Toby comes jogging into the living room with a huge grin.
“You ready for this, Dirty boy?”
Toby snorts. “If it was up to me, I would have done this the night I met him.”
“Of course you would, psycho,” Aiden says, walking to stand beside us.
“He’s here, Sir,” Cass says, sounding like a proud dad.
Aiden nervously adjusts his button-up and takes a deep breath. We’re standing side by side when Oliver walks in. He gasps when he sees us and looks around.
“What’s going on?” he asks, coming to stand in front of us.
I nod at Toby, and he steps forward to grab Oliver’s hands. “I never thought agreeing to a fantasy would lead to finding the love of my life. I thought I had all I needed with Jace and Aiden until I found you. You’re everything to me, Baby. I love you.”
Toby steps back, and Aiden steps forward. Oliver already has tears in his eyes, but his smile is breathtaking. “Growing up, you’re the only person I ever wanted to be mine. Although I didn’t have the courage to tell you then, I can tell you now. You make me the happiest man on the planet. We got off to a rocky start, but I promise to be the man you deserve, Darling. I love you.”
I walk forward and cup Oliver’s cheek. Just like he always does, he nuzzles into my palm. “Watching you fully accept who you are has been the best thing to witness. You not only learned how to give us your body, you learned to give us your heart and soul. You let me be me without any judgment and with so much understanding that it makes my chest ache.” Oliver sniffs, and I wipe a tear from his cheek with my thumb. “In return, we want to give you our commitment.” We all drop to one knee, and Toby pulls the ring from his pocket. He opens the lid, and Oliver starts crying even harder.
“This was your mom’s, but we had it customized for you so you could carry a piece of her with you,” Toby explains. “Will you do us the honor and be ours?”
“Yes,” Oliver says without hesitation. “A million times, yes!”
We all get to our feet, taking turns kissing him fucking senseless. His entire body is vibrating with emotion, but the smile on his face is huge. Toby, Aiden, and I always thought it would just be us. But all it took was one fantasy and Oliver to prove us wrong.
It made us realize that fate really does exist.