Unexpected (The Protectors 10)

“You’re not going,” Nash announced before I could even say anything. “Not alone, anyway.”

As badly as I wanted to touch both men, I knew I couldn’t. Not without knowing where Reese was.

God, when would this sneaking around end? It was too damn reminiscent of my time with Pierce. But I also knew I couldn’t stop, either. It’d been almost a month since Gage, Nash and I had had sex for the first time. I’d been telling myself every day since then that I needed to put a stop to it, but I couldn’t. My only saving grace, and it wasn’t much, was that Reese still wasn’t interacting with me enough to make me feel like I was lying directly to his face.

I was just lying by omission.

“You know I’m safe with him,” I said to Nash. “You guys can follow as soon as Charlie gets home from school.” I looked at Gage. “Reese will accept that you were invited because you and Vincent worked together in Montana.” To Nash I said, “And your presence will be obvious. It’s a chance for the three of us to have some time where we don’t have to hide every second while we’re in someone else’s company. And Gage, you could actually sleep through the night with us.”

I could see the idea appealed to both men, and while I wasn’t proud of the fact that I was encouraging something that I knew would only hurt my son, I needed this moment of normalcy. It was wrong, but I wanted to pretend for one night that Nash, Gage, and I were allowed to be together… that what we felt for one another wouldn’t hurt one of the most important people in my life.

“I need this,” I whispered.

It was true. I’d been cooped up at the Fortier house for more than two months now and as much as I felt at home here, I was going stir-crazy. I couldn’t even do something as simple as run to the grocery store for Phillipe or drive Charlie to the end of the driveway and wait with her for her bus, for fear of being recognized. If that happened, any chance I had with Reese would go up in smoke as reporters descended.

“We’ll head out as soon as we get Charlie and my dad settled for the night,” Gage finally said.

I nodded.

“Text us every half hour,” Nash said. Gage nudged him in the side before I could say anything. “Fine, every hour.”

“Jesus, Nash,” Gage muttered. “Text us when you get there,” Gage said.

I wanted to hug them, but that wasn’t allowed, so I had to settle for brushing my fingers over each of their hands, a move that no one inside of the house would’ve been able to see. I met up with Vincent at the top of the ramp. His eyes were on my men. “You good?” he asked me.

I nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

As we began walking down the ramp, Vincent draped his arm over my shoulders. But as soon as he began letting his hand head south, in full view of my guys, I said, “So help me God, Vincent, if you touch my ass, I’ll kiss your man the second I see him.”

“Touché,” Vincent said with a laugh as he returned his hand to my shoulder. He tugged me against his side and kissed my temple. “I’ve missed you, Ev.”

“Me too,” I admitted.

More than I wanted to admit.

I wasn’t proud of it, but I had another reason for letting Vincent steal me away. As much as I loved Gage and Nash, I needed a dose of reality that only the brother of the man who’d been the first love of my life would be able to give me about what I knew would be the last two loves of my life.

“Shit,” Vincent muttered as he tore the silky material from around his neck. I jumped up to save it from his temperamental hands. “Damn Nathan and his deal-making.” At my look of confusion, Vincent pointed to the bow tie in my hand. “He got to pick between the bow tie and the tie – he picked the tie.”

“And what did you get for the right to let him pick first?” I asked. “Wait,” I said, putting up my hand. “I’m not sure I want to know.”

Vincent snagged the bow tie and drew it back around his neck. “He agreed to let me get guard dogs for the new house. Dom’s brother trains them.”

“Would this be the same brother who gave Dom and his husband that sweet German Shepherd downstairs? The one appropriately named… Sweetie?”

Vincent glanced at me. “What? No, he… wait, how do you know about that?”

“I asked Logan about her. He said Dom’s brother is giving them another dog for their ten-year anniversary, but he’s not going to bother training it since Dom and Logan will just spoil it like the first two.”