Chapter 17 ~
Rory ~
I play back the words Luc said. The unwavering, clearness in his tone tells me he’s committed to this.
This is my dream of five days on a silver platter. Holy. Shit.
“Why so serious?” I jump about ten feet in the air, hearing Mason behind me. Luc’s hands reach out to steady me, a twinkle in his eyes.
I try to slow my heart beat that ramped up when Mason scared me.
“You need a bell.” I point my finger at him when he walks around to our side of the counter, unfazed by mine and Luc’s close proximity. Maverick’s rocking on his heels looking very,very, not innocent. Though that may be the huge grin on the twin’s faces.
The rest of the guys trail in after him. Jace slides in and wraps his arms around me. He kisses my nose.
“Little bit of flour,” he tells me before nuzzling his face into my neck.
“Bullshit,” someone coughs.
I struggle against Jace when he rubs his five o’clock shadow into the sensitive part of my neck.
“J,” I growl, squirming. I feel him grin against my speeding pulse. I look up away from Jace when I hear Alec flick the kettle on.
“What were you guys doing?” I ask the group who disappeared except for Luc.
“Getting firewood,” Dominic informs me, coming to stand beside Jace and I. “There’s a fire pit out the back we thought we’d light later.”
“Your conversation with Luc looked intense,” Jace whispers beside me. I glance across, seeing concern in my best friend’s grey eyes. God, I missed them.
I shrug, not ready to talk about it. I love J but when he’s one of the people I’m considering being in a relationship with…I can’t talk about this with him.
Alec leans against the bench, opposite us. His fingers tap onto the countertop.
“Did you want to read for a bit while we wait for the cake?” Alec asks, not quite meeting my eyes.
“Yeah, for sure,” I say, enthusiastically, relieved for the distraction.
Alec finally meets my gaze and smiles at my grin.
“Are you making tea?” I ask, moving out of Jace’s arms over to Alec.
“Yeah, do you want one?” Alec asks. He gets out his cup before awaiting my response to grab another.
“Please.”
Once our teas are ready, Alec and I excuse ourselves and go to my room, stopping to get Alec’s kindle on the way.
We get settled on the bed and Alec downloads the book onto my kindle so we can read it together but on separate devices.
“Is there anything you won’t read?” Alec asks.
I pause to think about it before nodding. “I can’t read self harm. I don’t know why but I just can’t.”
Alec gives me a knowing look. “I normally try to avoid bully romances,” he admits.
“Me too,” I tell him, smiling. He returns it, looking less nervous. I drag my doona up my legs to rest my tea on it. Alec does the same.
Alec rests his phone on the doona. “I set an alarm for when the cake should be ready.”
“Thanks.” I gently bump my shoulder against his.
He surprises me when he laces our fingers together before picking up his kindle with the other hand. I can’t help the flutter of butterflies that swarm to my stomach.
Oh. My. God. Clearly I need Alec to pick everything I read because he chose an amazing series! I’m hooked immediately. The characters are fresh with instant chemistry in a way that isn’t love at first sight but the connection’s there.
I look over a few times and see Alec seems to read at the same pace as me so we’re reading everything at the same time. I’m a pretty quick reader so I’m glad Alec appears to read at a similar speed to me.
I’m so stuck in the story, I barely hear the door open. Maverick comes in and shuts the door behind himself.
“Hey.” I smile, lowering my kindle.
“Hey,” Maverick returns. “We took the cake out. Jace told us it was ready.”
“Thanks,” I tell him.
“Do you mind if I lay down with you guys?” Maverick asks, looking uncomfortable. The dark circles under his eyes look worse than yesterday—exhaustion preying on his mind.
I pat the bed beside me and Mav trudges over. He slips under the sheets, facing me.
I’m at the perfect height and advantage to run my fingers through his hair. Mav exhales heavily, his eyes shut as he moves closer to me.
Within minutes, Maverick’s fallen asleep.
Alec and I have both given up on reading—our concern for Mav to great.
“I don’t get it,” I say to Alec quietly, still running my fingers through Mav’s soft hair. “I thought he slept okay but he’s been exhausted today and yesterday.”
My gaze shifts up to Alec when he responds. “I think it’s because Mason’s sleeping with you.”
My eyes widen, guilt slamming into me. Alec mirrors me as he hurries to correct himself. “No! No, no, no. I meant, Mason and Maverick have slept in the same room for years. Despite Mase’s sleeping habits, Mav’s been used to having someone else sleeping beside him,” Alec explains.
“But now Mase is sleeping with Luc and I,” I finish.
Shit. I didn’t think about that. Maverick slept okay when it was us and Mase but he gave up his spot for Luc.
“I’ll make sure he sleeps with us tonight,” I tell Alec.
“You’re going to need a bigger bed,” Alec jokes and I laugh quietly.
My fingers accidentally move from Maverick’s hair to brush down the length of his face. A deep rumbling noise coming from his chest has me smiling at his unconscious response.
I do it again, my fingers brushing his cheek. Mav shifts before throwing his arm over my legs. I watch in amusement as Mav—still asleep—snuggles closer before laying his head on me.
He looks completely peaceful when he sleeps, never waking even after Alec and I start quietly talking about the book.
“Do you…” I abruptly stop, losing courage to continue. Alec gives me an encouraging look, squeezing my hand.
I look down at Maverick who’s still sleeping. He exhales slowly into the doona, his head on the side where I was stroking his cheek.
“Do you think it’s realistic?” I finally ask Alec.
I can’t believe I’m asking him this. He’s just so easy to talk to. I feel like he would tell me the truth.
Alec’s quiet. “Luc told you, didn’t he?”
I nod, meeting his eyes to see his reaction.
Alec puts down his kindle and turns to face me. His eyes are full of understanding and patience as he waits for me to gather my thoughts.
I bite my lip before releasing it. “I don’t have anyone else to talk to about this. Jace is my best friend but…”
“It’s hard when he’s one of the people you’re thinking of being romantically involved with,” Alec says bluntly. He winces, looking guilty for speaking the truth but I nod.
“Yeah. I know the guys will try and convince me that it will magically work out without any problems but I don’t want that. I know you’ll be honest with me.” I search out his eyes.
Alec’s silent for a moment, confliction in his hazel eyes before he nods.
I look down at Maverick watching the rhythmic rising of his chest as he sleeps, praying he stays asleep through this conversation.
Alec gets our kindle’s and puts them to the side. He gently takes my hand into his.
“Sunshine,” Alec says carefully. “Why are you most afraid this couldn’t work?”
I know my answer immediately. “Our lives are so different—complicated. This isn’t a fairytale and I won’t jeopardise your friendships. I’ve known you guys for five days, other than Jace.” I stare at our interlocked fingers.
“Does that bother you? That you’ve only known us for a short amount of time?” Alec adds.
“No,” I say in a small voice. “Not really. It feels like I’ve known you guys forever.”
“Sunshine.” Alec reaches up to my face with his other hand. He tilts my head up with his gentle fingers under my chin.
Alec leans forward until he’s a hair's breath away. My heart skips a beat as I stare into the swirling depths of those hazel irises.
“When Dom and I…ended.” Pain flickers in and out of Alec’s eyes. “That’s when I knew that this would work.”
My eyebrows furrow as I try to understand his hidden meaning.
“When you came to get me, you didn’t try to make me fight for him or to accept that I should be happy with half of his love. You helped me pull myself together and stand on my feet again,” Alec whispers quietly.
His thumb pad brushes over my knuckles, the fading scars there from the time I’m healing from.
“I might be upset with Dom but I can’t deny the connection between you too. The connection between you and all of us.”
I open my mouth to interject but Alec’s growing smile has me swallowing my words.
“Dom’s parents have been trying to get him to stop hiding his accent for years. He met you once and came home like it was never gone,” Alec says amazement is his voice.
“I love his accent,” I admit.
Alec grins. “Me too.”
His amusement fades. “Jace’s done a complete three-sixty since you’ve been back, Rory. He’s been getting better but as soon as he was reminded of you or Declan, he’d take two steps back. We’ve never seen him like this, Sunshine,” Alec says softly. “He’s completely at ease—he’s happy around you.”
Tears burn my eyes. I clear my throat when it tightens with emotion, casting my eyes away.
“The twins have had their coping mechanisms since Elodie passed. Mason draws. When he can’t sleep, or feels the pain remembering his mum, he throws himself into his drawings.
Since he’s been sleeping with you, the only time I’ve seen him lift a pencil was for your covers.
We rarely see his drawings because they’re a piece of his soul. ”
That’s why he looked like he was going to be sick showing me the drawings. I look down at the kindle in my lap. The gorgeous cover protecting it. My gaze shifts to Maverick when Alec continues talking.
“Before the twin’s mum died, she was really sick. Early onset of Alzheimers. There were times when she couldn’t tell the difference between her children and—” Alec hesitates, studying Maverick closely before continuing. “It was nearing the end when she forgot Maverick existed at all.”
A hand flies up to my mouth as tears start to prick at my eyes. Alec sighs.