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Chapter thirty-three

Bower

M y entire body freezes at her words and I clutch her even tighter against me. My wide eyes meet King’s and West’s as we all stare at each other in shock.

I’d always thought there was more to her arrival on this island than she had told us.

She refused to talk about the crash or her father.

But I never imagined this. All three things she just told us are enough on their own to warrant some serious hours in therapy, but to have all three happen to her at once? And when she was only thirteen?

Perhaps the worst part is that she was left here on her own to deal with the aftermath of that entire situation. Nobody to help bury the bodies, nobody to help her grieve, nobody to be there for her and help her recover.

I kiss the top of her head as I gently sway her back and forth. West and King step closer and wrap their arms around us, offering her their silent support in a giant group hug.

Her body starts to shake as she erupts into sobs, damn well breaking my heart as she does.

I hate seeing her like this. I hate that she’s been holding onto this pain for fifteen years.

This could very well be the first time she’s ever let herself truly feel the pain of what happened.

She’s been running in survival mode this entire time.

“Let it out, baby,” I whisper against her head as we all continue to hold her. Her fingers clutch my shirt tightly where her hands are trapped between us as she continues to cry.

I start humming a soft tune as I think about what set her off.

I hate to see her upset, but in many ways, this was necessary.

She needed to tell us what happened to her, and I’m pleased it happened now before things got any more sexual.

This is vital information that we, her boyfriends, need to know so that we can properly care for her and make sure we don’t trigger any bad memories.

She stirs beneath me, and we all pull back to let her lift her head. Her eyes are red and puffy and her cheeks are wet. I gently cup her face and try to wipe away her tears with my thumbs.

“I’m just going to go splash some water on my face, can you guys give me a minute… please?” She gestures over her shoulder towards the ocean.

“Of course, take all the time you need,” I say, reluctantly letting her go. She whips at her face as she walks away. West and King move to my sides as we all stare at her in silence.

She doesn't go far into the water, just up to her calves as she starts scooping it up and splashing it on her face and arms.

King lets out a long breath beside me. “This explains so much.”

“What do you mean?” I turn my head towards him.

“The nightmares, the fear she had of us when we first arrived, how she tried to stay hidden. I… I thought there might be more to her story, but I never imagined anything like that.”

“And she hasn’t even told us the whole story yet,” West adds .

“She might not want to,” I say with a frown as I turn back to watch her, not willing to let her out of my sight for more than a few seconds right now. Dark clouds gather in the distance, telling me we’re due for another storm.

“She might open up more now she’s told us the worst of it,” King says.

“Fuck!” West lets out a deep exhale, running his hand through his short hair. “I wish there was a gym here, I’d love to punch something right now. I just keep thinking about her going through all of that, and then being stuck here alone… for fifteen fucking years.”

“She’s faced more pain and loneliness than anyone should have to endure,” King says, sounding frustrated and angry on her behalf.

“That’s why she needs all three of us,” I tell them. “So she never has to be alone, and we can all help make up for everything she’s been missing for the last decade and a half.”

We watch as she heads back towards us, her eyes downcast as her fingers fidget in front of her.

She stops in front of us and finally lifts her head, looking at each of us with hesitancy written all over her face. “I’m s—”

“Nope!” I cut her off, pressing my finger to her lips to silence her quickly.

“Don’t even think about apologizing for what just happened, Zee,” I tell her, moving my hand to cup the back of her neck as I step closer to her.

“You should know by now that no matter what happens, past or present, we are here for you,” King tells her, grabbing her left hand and holding it up to his chest .

“And, baby,” West says, grabbing her free hand, “What you went through is terrible. You have every right to get upset. And just know that when you do, we’ll all be here for you. Every time.”

She pulls a hand free to wipe at her eyes. “You guys are too much. I don’t deserve you.”

“Tink, are you kidding me? You are amazing, and you deserve every good thing in this world. I’m not sure that the three of us will ever be enough to make up for what you’ve been through, but we’re sure gonna try.”

I tilt her head up so she meets my eyes and give her a crooked smile, which she returns, easing the tightness in my chest.

“Do you want to talk about it? What happened fifteen years ago?” I ask her, wanting to give her the option of getting it all out.

She shakes her head and licks her lips. “No, I… I don’t think I can get through that right now. But one day, I promise I’ll tell you guys the whole story.”

King puts his arm around her shoulders, and she leans against him. “There’s no rush now. We just ask that you let us know if you have any triggers or if anything we do starts to freak you out or upset you, okay?”

“We can’t read your mind, baby. This is really important. You have to communicate with us, especially when we get more physical. Understand?” West asks before placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

“Yeah, I understand. I don’t know if I have any triggers, but maybe… don’t hold my arms and legs down?” A small grunt leaves my throat at the reason she’s asking that.

Before I get the chance, West pulls her into his chest and wraps his arms around her, sinking his face into her neck. I look at King and he looks as pained as I do. This is going to take time to get used to. The thought of someone doing that to her literally causes my chest to ache.

I look out towards the ocean and suddenly realize how dark it’s getting. “We should head back, it’s gonna rain soon.”

West and King each take one of her hands and I lead the way back to camp. We’re all silent as everything we’ve learned swarms through our heads. In some ways, this changes nothing between us, but it also changes everything.

Now I know what’s happened to her, I just want to cover her up in bubble wrap and never let the world get close to her. But she is far too wild and independent to allow that to happen, which is part of the reason I love her.

My eyes widen, and I freeze with one hand and foot on the ladder. Holy shit, I love her!

“Bower?” she says softly. I let go of the ladder to spin and face her. “Are you okay?”

Unable to stop myself, I step forward and push a few stray strands of hair behind her ears, then clasp her face in my hands and lean down, kissing her hard. I try to hold myself back, but the sudden realization that I love this woman has my body begging to be close to her.

It takes her a moment to relax, but when she does, her lips move against mine and I groan in appreciation. When I pull back to look at her face, she slowly opens her eyes, looking at me with heat, happiness and maybe… love?

I smirk as I swipe my thumb across her lower lip. She looks as if she’s trying to figure out what just came over me.

A drop of rain hits my nose, breaking me out the trance her eyes were holding me in. I glance up and my face is hit with a few more rain drops .

“Alright, up you go, Tink, quickly now, before you get wet.” I guide her to the ladder and she quickly climbs up with me right behind her.

When all four of us are in the hut, West closes the door just as we hear the rain start to come down hard. I look at Zee, who’s staring up at the ceiling, listening to the rain. Remembering how scared she was during the last storm, I grab her hand and pull her towards the hammock.

“Come here, Tink, lay down with me.” I lay in the hammock first and she sits on the edge before carefully turning and laying down beside me.

I help position her with her head against my chest and her leg pulled up over mine.

She’s on the outside of me so she can see the other two while we lay here, swaying slightly as we listen to the rain pour down outside.

West and King sit on the mattress, their back against the wall as they face us.

“You’re not scared,” West states. It’s not a question and a glance down at her and realize she’s not trembling. And there’s not a sign of fear on her face.

“No… should I be?” she asks in confusion.

“It’s just that last time there was a storm…” King trails off, not wanting to relive what happened when we found her under that raft.

“It’s the thunder. I’m okay if it only rains.”

I consider that for a moment, several questions screaming to be answered.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask instead.

“Not today, if that’s okay?” she asks shyly.

“Of course it is. You don’t ever have to tell us if you don’t want to. But we want to know everything about you, and everything you’ve been through. When the time is right,” King tells her. She nods against my chest .

I gently glide my fingers up and down her bare arm and close my eyes. The warmth of her body against mine, along with the soothing sounds of the rain, has me relaxing as I drift off to sleep.

I groan as my cock twitches, and soft fingers tentatively glide up and down my shaft. I must be dreaming. I know I was wearing jeans when I fell asleep, but these fingers are clearing touching me over only my boxers.

Suddenly, a full hand wraps around my cock, and my eyes fly open. Zee looks up at me, mischief written in her eyes, as she squeezes me through my boxers.