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Chapter 13

Addie

We walked hand in hand down the hall and to another room. The tension between us hadn’t completely abated - I hated being lied to more than anything - but we both knew it wasn’t the end for us. Not by a long shot.

My nerves were haywire as we stepped inside a room similar to the one Fallon had been in. King-sized bed, a television mounted on the wall, two tables flanking the bed. Asher and Tamson sat on the bed, whispering to each other, while Declan leaned against the wall. Ronan and Ryder were resting on the two chairs positioned in the corner of the room. All five of them glanced up when we entered, eyes zeroing in on me with a heat and intensity that left me reeling.

Declan signed, “Did you work everything out?”

Only when we both nodded did the tension drain from their shoulders. I hadn’t even realized how stressed they had been, how worried. I didn’t know how much they knew about Fallon’s secret (from his explanation, next to nothing), but they had obviously sensed the life-shattering news he had planned to drop.

“I’m happy I don’t have to kill you for hurting my Kitten,” Ryder joked, but it fell flat. The room was still amped up with a thickening tension. Ryder tried to smile, but it appeared more like a grimace. Ronan shifted from foot to foot.

Were they…?

Were they nervous?

“What’s going on?”

Newton’s Third Law of Physics or whatever: when your boyfriends were nervous, you get nervous as well. Fact.

I grabbed a strand of my brown hair and fiddled with the ends. It was in desperate need of a cut. My split ends were getting split ends.

“We have something we want to ask you,” Tamson began softly. His cheeks, as usual, were a bright crimson. When I met his eyes, he ducked his head with a sheepish smile.

“Yes?”

Oh god. Is this it? Are they breaking up with me?

“No!” Ronan said quickly, hands raised as if fending off an attack. “The exact opposite actually.”

He exchanged a look with Declan who nodded. Fallon moved from behind me to stand beside Tamson and Asher, both of whom had risen from the bed. Ronan and Ryder joined the line of solid muscle. A sexy wall I wanted to climb like a rock wall…

As one, the men dropped to one knee.

I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t even hear over the erratic pounding of my heart. It thrummed against my rib cage, but instead of a soothing song, it was a cacophony of noise.

Tears pooled in my eyes, and like a protagonist from a cheesy eighties movie, I put my hand over my mouth.

My entire life, I dreamed of someone loving me enough to want to spend eternity with me. To see six men who had never knelt for anyone, six men who personified strength and love, on one knee for me? It was only a testament to how much they loved me.

It was Declan who procured a tiny, velvety box. With bated breath, he opened it to reveal a ring straight out of my dreams.

The band was silver, glinting like starlight in the candle glow. The center of the ring consisted of a shimmering amethyst stone surrounded by seven diamonds.

The tears in my eyes cascaded in a steady torrent, and I was helpless to stop their steady flow down my cheeks.

“We love you,” Ryder said softly. The usual playful banter was gone from his voice. In its place was a tenderness and love that caused my heart to lurch.

“And it’s only going to ever be you,” Ronan added. I was stunned to see tears in his eyes.

“You brought me out of my shell,” Tamson jumped in. His voice was quiet but sure. “Showed me love even when I was at my lowest.” His eyes tightened with pain, and I knew he was thinking of the confrontation that had caused me to get shot. He had acted cruel, crass, and had treated me like a whore. It had all been an act, but I knew he was haunted by his actions despite my own forgiveness of them long ago.

“You’re our world,” Asher added simply. The tears were falling in earnest now down my face, and Asher flashed me a small smile. It was a smile he perfected, a smile he reserved only for me, a smile that made me feel comforted and warm and safe. Seeing that smile was coming home to a roaring fire and hot chocolate after trekking through a snowstorm for days.

Fallon grunted. He didn’t like to show his feelings, especially in front of others, but our conversation reverberated through my mind. He loved me.

I glanced lastly at Declan. Ducky. My oldest friend. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he opened his mouth, and slurred, beautiful words escaped.