Chapter 16
LEAH
Josiah's eyes swivelled to the door. "Fuck." He hurried to put my panties and leggings back in place, then fixed his own clothes.
"Who is it?" I twisted my upper body around to look, before pushing myself to my feet.
He glanced through a window that looked out to the front of the house. "Take a wild guess."
"Oh." It didn't take a genius to figure it out.
Josiah looked back over his shoulder. "Yeah, oh."
I stood beside him as Connor's truck pull in beside my car. Of course his was better equipped for the snow than mine. I should have realised that. Their job included making their way around the mountain in conditions like this. If it wasn't his truck, it would have been a snowmobile.
"Looks like they've come to rescue you." Josiah sounded bitter, like he was contemplating keeping the door locked against them.
"I could have told them I don't need rescuing," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Turns out, you're not the big bad wolf after all."
He grunt-laughed. "If you believe that, I haven't worked hard enough. I should have bitten you harder."
"You didn't bite me," I pointed out.
"Yet." He leaned over and nipped my earlobe.
"I stand corrected, you are the big bad wolf," I teased. I turned back to the window and watched Connor, Riley and Brooks climb out of the truck. Connor looked irritated to be here. Brooks looked irritated at the presence of snow. And Riley, he was grinning like it was already Christmas morning.
"Does that make them the three little pigs?" Josiah asked.
"I dare you to call them that," I said with a straight face.
He smirked.
"Or you could all be nice to each other," I said. "Are you going to open the door?"
He looked like he might refuse, but he moved over to unlock it. He waited for a beat or two, swinging it inwards as Connor was about to knock.
Connor stopped with his fist in the air, but managed not to pitch forward into the cottage. Eyes flashing with further irritation, he lowered his hand.
"Leah, what are you doing here?" He eyed me and Josiah, as if he could tell what we'd just been doing.
"Catching him up on things," I said lightly. Which was exactly the purpose for my visit. I wasn't going to apologise for it.
"Can we come in? It’s cold out here." Brooks rubbed his hands together.
Josiah stepped back to let them in, muttering something that sounded like, "Little pig, little pig."
Holding back a laugh, I gave each of them a hug as they stepped inside.
"This is cosy." Riley took a good look around.
"It's all right." Josiah shrugged. He wandered over to the kitchen to put on more coffee.
I quickly made the introductions before they all got comfortable. Brooks sat right in front of the fire, so close he was almost sitting in it.
"Who is this guy?" my stepbrother asked.
I exchanged glances with Connor and Riley before deciding now was as good a time as any to explain everything to Brooks. Using as few words as possible, I told him everything I knew. Right down to the DNA test I sent off.
"What the fuck?" Brooks squinted at me. "You think you're some kid that went missing?"
"I don't know," I said. "That's what I'm trying to find out." I was sixteen when he and I met, so all of this happened long before we knew each other. Unless my mother confided in him, then he knew as much as I did.
"This is wild." He ran a hand through his blonde curls. "You're not actually related to any of these guys, are you?"
That was met with a stunned silence before all three of them shook their heads.
"Unlikely," Connor said.
"Not a chance." Josiah handed cups of coffee around. "My parents never would have cheated on each other."
"Mine probably wouldn't either, but I don't give a shit," Riley said. "Even if Leah is my half-sister, it doesn't change anything." He shrugged when we all turned to look at him. "I feel how I feel, okay?"
"That's fucked up, bro," Connor said.
"I don't care." Riley crossed his legs at his knees, not backing down an inch. "Like I said, it's not likely, so this conversation is unnecessary."
I had a feeling he might feel differently if he actually was my half brother, but that was a whole other can of worms. One we didn't need to open right now.
“So, you believe her." Josiah lowered himself back into the chair where he was sitting when I had my mouth around his cock.
"Yes, we do," Connor said. "Is there any reason why we shouldn't?"
"None at all," Josiah said coldly. "You didn't believe me. Seems like a sudden change of heart."
"We were dicks," Riley admitted.
"Yes, you were," Josiah said flatly. "Why shouldn't I throw you back out into the snow?" The question was rhetorical and he got no answer other than a snort or two.
"Seems your nickname was appropriate," Connor said calmly. "You really did dash after a car to stop them from taking Coral."
"Don't fucking start with that nickname," Josiah growled.
"Who's starting anything?" Connor shrugged one shoulder as if he wasn't shit disturbing the whole time.
"That would be you," I told him. "I know being nice to each other is new, but maybe you could try it. You might even like it."
All three men gave each other doubtful looks.
Brooks caught my eye and made a face like he wondered what the hell I was doing with them.
I rubbed the heel of my hand over my forehead. No one ever said this was going to be easy.
"Do you want them to leave?" Josiah asked. "Because I have no trouble kicking their asses back out the door."
"Only if you want your ass kicked." Connor looked about ready to start swinging punches.
"No one is kicking anyone's ass," I said. "Kissing is optional."
Josiah and Connor grunted in unison.
"Is it me, or are they both hot?" Riley whispered loudly.
I smiled. "They both are. You all are. I care about all of you. I'd like to try to make this work between us, but if you can't get along…"
"Then you can come back to Vancouver with me," Brooks finished for me.
"Not without me," Riley said quickly. "Except, I'm not leaving. So you both have to stay."
"I'm not going anywhere either." Connor gave Josiah the side eye.
Josiah gave it right back, before letting out a long, slow breath. "Look, I can try to put the past behind us, but since you were the asshole all this time, you need to make a fucking effort."
Connor was on his feet, hands curled into fists. "I didn't—"
Josiah rose as well, standing chest to chest with the other man. "You fucking did. I know you were only listening to what you were told. That's the reason you're standing here right now. You didn't know any fucking better. Now you do."
Connor looked like he wanted to argue, but he hardened his jaw and lowered his hands. "I'm making an effort." He sat back down.
Josiah regarded him for a few moments before he too sat back down.
"That was hot," Riley said.
Brooks looked conflicted. "I've heard about mountain men…"
"We're even better than anything you've heard," Riley said.
"I think I can see that," Brooks said softly. He still looked confused.
For a moment, I wondered why, then it dawned on me. He'd just figured something about himself that he hadn't known before. He wasn't just attracted to women. I had to admit, there was something about these men that would make it difficult to ignore those urges. I certainly couldn't.
"I know this isn't going to be easy," I said slowly.
"There's a lot of water… Maybe that isn't such a good expression to use in this situation.
" I winced. "A lot of history between Connor, Riley and Josiah.
And history between Brooks and me. If this is going to work, then we need to learn to communicate with each other. "
"I'm down," Riley said. "I admit this is weird. It wasn't that long ago that the idea of you even talking to Josiah made me want to punch him in the face. But shit changes and I'll roll with it."
"Whatever," Connor muttered. "I'm not giving Leah up."
"Neither am I," Brooks said quickly.
Josiah scrubbed his face with his hand. "Do I have a choice?"
"There's always a choice," I told him. "I know you feel the connection between us. I do too. I'd like to see where it can go. If you don't want to, then…"
He looked thoughtful for a solid minute before saying, "I do want to. As long as those two keep their heads out of their asses." He nodded toward Connor in particular.
"Back at you," Connor told him. "You weren't innocent in all of this. Yeah, we gave you shit, but you gave it back."
"Wouldn't you do the fucking same?" Josiah demanded. "If everyone told you to stay the hell away from Aurora Hollow, how the hell would you act? You'd come out swinging."
"Josiah is right," Riley said softly, as though worried he was going to spark an inferno in the form of Connor's temper. "We were shitheads. Classic case of monkey see, monkey do. Worse, we knew the way our fathers talked to, and about him was wrong, and we copied it anyway."
"Allegedly," Connor said. "We still don't have proof he's telling the truth."
Josiah glared at him. "If you're going to be a prick—"
"Okay," I snapped. "Can we all calm down?”
"It's not too late to go back to Vancouver," Brooks said.
All three of the other guys turned to him, and in unison said, "No."
"At least they agree on something," I said with a sigh.
"We should get back to town before the roads become slipperier and we need a snowplough to get out of here," Connor said.
Josiah gave him a look to suggest he could have stayed in town if he'd wanted to. "The snow has stopped falling. You'll be fine."
I glanced at the window to see he was right. How long had it been? I hadn't noticed it stop.
"I was hoping for a blizzard," Riley said with a sigh. "Half of that will be melted by morning."
"Good," Brooks said, rubbing his hands together as if they were still cold. They looked red from the fire.
"Don't worry, it'll be snowing its ass off properly in no time," Riley told him, knowing he'd get a rise out of Brooks.
He was right. Brooks looked at him like he was out of his mind.
"You'll be too busy at the pub to give a shit," Connor said. For the first time since they arrived, he actually seemed pleased about something. Of course he did, he no longer had to worry about his father insisting he take over from him. As long as Brooks was around, he was off that hook.
"I can't wait," Brooks said. He spoke with a hint of sarcasm, but he looked genuinely excited to take up the challenge. I couldn't remember having seen that expression on his face. Like for once in his life he wasn't being forced to do something he hated.
I was happy for him. For Connor too. And Riley, because I knew he wanted to grow their business as much as Connor did.
And Josiah? Things were going to take longer for him. Once we had all the answers we needed, the whole town would know the truth. I didn't expect them to welcome him back with open arms straight away. For that to happen, they'd have to admit they were wrong.
That might be the biggest hurdle of all.