The Collection (Contemporary Reverse Harem 5)

Chapter 27

KEALY

“Iheard about the break-in.”

I looked up from my computer to see Forest pulling up a chair to sit beside me.

I sighed deeply, for about the tenth time that day. “Yeah. It’s a drag. I mean, they cut a hole in my wall. Can you believe that?”

He shook his head. “I’d heard of that before, thieves cutting their way into someone’s apartment. But I’d never known anyone it happened to.”

“Well, let me be your first,” I said with a small laugh.

He shook his head. “I’m so sorry.”

I’d been on the verge of tears since lunch, when Rand told me that he and the guys wanted to do whatever they could to help me. I hadn’t had many people like that in my life. But I guess you don’t need many. A few is all it takes.

And now, Forest’s compassion was moving me to tears, literally. “Thank you, Forest,” I said, sniffling and quickly wiping my eyes.

“I heard about your sewing machine and wanted to offer you the extra one we have in storage. It’s barely been used and is yours whenever you want it,” he said.

Well, that was all it took. My chin quivered as hot tears ran down my face. I covered my mouth with my hand to stop any noises that might escape—it was one thing to cry in front of Forest, but I didn’t need to entertain the rest of the office.

“Y…you don’t have to d…do that, Forest,” I said, trying to get my emotions back under control. In spite of my recent disappointment in him, he really was a good guy.

“I know I don’t have to. I want to,” he said. “You work your ass off for me, Kealy. Don’t think I don’t notice. This is one small thing I can do for you, and I’m happy to.”

“Th…thank you, Forest.” I blew my nose and dabbed my eyes. I was back.

And a freaking new commercial sewing machine?

He patted my shoulder. “You’re welcome, kiddo. And thank you.”

Wow. Sometimes life crapped on you, but sometimes, you came out cleaner than before.

* * *

The day flew by as I got the bits and pieces of my life that had been thrown off track by my burglary back in order. Marina had agreed to let me set up her guest room as a sample-making studio until I was settled either back into my old apartment or found a new one. I’d head over there the following weekend with my new machine courtesy of Forest, my pattern-making supplies, and the piles of fabric that the robbers had thankfully either not noticed or not been interested in.

Even my landlord was coming through for me. He’d boarded up the hole in the wall so no one could get in and promised to have it permanently fixed in the next couple days. He was giving us one month free rent.

Everything was falling into place. Well, almost everything.

The guys. All four of them. What the fuck was I going to do about them?

If I were honest with myself, I was into them all.

Maybe I was even falling for them a little.

Okay, maybe even a lot.

Shit.

Marlon was so goddamn hot with his shaved head, long curly eyelashes, and glossy brown skin. He was finding his own path, which I had so much respect for.

Rand, with his messy, Nirvana-type hair, tattoos, and earrings was my Bronx bad boy. Except there wasn’t a single thing bad about him. The way he looked after his mom and tried to have a relationship with his father made my heart swell.

Shane, my Irish red head with his crooked nose and sky-high height. The scar on his chest reminded him every day that someone had gotten the better of him, but only for a moment in time. I knew he’d eventually put those demons to sleep.

And then, Cross, my blond man-bun wearing honey. Losing his wife like he did might have done in another man. But he had to step up to the plate for his little guy, and he did it with a dedication that brought tears to my eyes.

How in the hell would I ever choose one? How would anyone choose one?

Why couldn’t just one of them have liked me?

Oh, right. That wasn’t how they rolled.

But surely, they’d let me be happy with just one of them. I thought back to Marina’s confusion when I’d tried to explain the whole concept to her. No, I couldn’t be with four guys. That was just too weird.

So, after work, I headed over Rand’s for dinner with a bottle of wine in my hand. I wasn’t sure how the evening would go, but it didn’t really matter since I’d made plans to stay at Marina’s.

The big sis I never had, that’s who Marina was to me.

I crossed Rand’s magnificent lobby, my heart pounding. When I exited the elevator, Marlon was standing in the doorway, waiting for me. It was all I could do not to run to him.

Oh, fuck it. I ran to him anyway, jumping in his arms. He twirled me around in Rand’s foyer, where Shane found us in a lush kiss.

“Mmmm-mmm. That looks mighty hot,” he said in a low voice.

I jumped back from Marlon, with the kind of heat washing over my face that I knew meant I was blushing like an idiot.

“Darling,” Shane said, “you do not have to be embarrassed.”