“Oh my god,” I mumble around a mouthful, throwing any manners out the window. “This is delicious.”
“We would have cooked, but Thomas is the best at that, and he was busy helping you, so we ordered in instead. Melinda said it was your favorite Thai restaurant, and I’ve gotta say you have great taste. Everything is great,” Oliver agrees.
“So… What is it you wanted to talk about?” I ask, not wanting to put it off. The suspense is killing me, and if it’s bad news, then I really just want to get it out of the way.
Everyone looks to Jaxon, who finishes his mouthful and puts his bowl down next to himself. He takes a sip of his beer and clears his throat a little nervously.
“The guys and I have been talking,” he starts, but Holden quickly interrupts.
“No, this was Jaxon’s idea. We’re fully on board, but he deserves the credit.”
“As I was saying,” Jaxon growls at Holden, who just grins. “And let me preempt this by saying we discussed this before today’s happenings. I…wewould like it if you would take the abandoned house and its run-down zoo and turn it into a sanctuary for animals, like Nyx and the babies. Maybe it could even be an education center for school groups, or… I don't know, whatever you want it to be, really. If it was alright with you, we thought we could all move in and live together. Just the seven of us.”
My stomach is in my throat, and I don’t know what to say. My mouth sort of opens and closes like a fish, but no words come out. Jaxon hurries on. “I mean, if you like the place. The keys were delivered to Dad, so we can go have a look as soon as we get home. He said that he’s having a temporary enclosure built for the animals since he has a friend in construction. The crew’s coming out to build it tonight. It won’t be fancy, but it means that the cubs and Nyx can come home on the flight with us. They’ll have somewhere to live until we can get the zoo up to scratch. Dad and Nana have already started working on getting a license and sourcing staff from other zoos to consult, and he’s set aside an amount of start-up capital like he did for Oliver when he started Neighpalm Ink. He believes in you, Harlow.Webelieve in you, and we think that your dream—and most importantly, your happiness—are worth all of this.”
Holy shit! Am I hearing him right? He’s giving me his inheritanceandtelling me I can start up my own sanctuaryandI can keep Nyx and the cubs? I blink a couple of times, and he starts to frown.
“Harlow, are you okay?”
I carefully place my bowl to the side and launch myself at him. He grunts as he catches me, and I start to pepper his face with kisses. Laughter fills my ears, but I’m too busy mauling Jaxon to pay attention to who it is.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!” My mouth finds his, and I try to pour everything I’m feeling into the kiss, not caring that the other five are watching.
“Fuck, lucky bastard,” I hear Oli say, and then there’s a thud. “Hey, fuck! That hurt.”
“Don't be a jealous bastard; he deserves all of that and more. He’s making her dreams come true,” Kai scolds.
I pull away. “He sure is,” I whisper. If I could look like an emoji at the moment, my eyes would be filled with alternating stars and hearts. Jaxon, and the rest of them, are giving me things that I never knew I needed. Well, okay, I definitely knew I needed them on some level because my dreams are what I’ve lived for for so long, but I guess I just never thought I’d ever get them.
“Is that a yes to us moving in as well?” Holden asks carefully, and I move away from Jaxon enough to see the others without losing my comfy lap spot.
I look around at the guys who have all wormed themselves into my heart despite our rocky start. I couldn't imagine my life without them anymore, and although it seems quick, I really don't want to go back to the way I was—guarding my heart like a dragon guards its hoard. I’m ready to allow myself to love and be loved by others, and hopefully, we can create a healthy and loving relationship that works for all of us.
“Are you sure about this? I don't want to stop any of you from walking away if this isn’t what you want. There will be no hard feelings. I mean, there will be disappointment and sadness but nothing that I’m sure we can’t all move past eventually. We’ll all still be family.” I don’t want to put any kind of damper on the moment, but I have to voice my biggest concern. They all start talking at once, but Declan holds his hand up to silence the clamor. There’s that smugness on his face that started off as kind of dickish, but now it’s pretty damn attractive.
“Harlow, I think I can safely say we’re all in. We all know that if there are problems, we need to bring them out in the open.”
“Communication, the key to every good relationship,” Holden says from Oliver’s arms. The two of them are lying side by side, looking so cute together. I’m glad it’s not weird for the other brothers; they accept it, no questions asked.
“Maybe we need a moment each week where we all touch base. A family meeting of sorts,” Kai suggests, and the rest of the guys agree. I really like that idea, and I especially like how proactive they’re being about making this work. For a bunch of men who probably aren't used to compromise, they sure are doing a good job.
“And if we’re not physically capable of attending, then we can do it via FaceTime or whatever,” Thomas adds in. “Dad has shown us that family takes time and effort, or it’ll never work. We can and want to give our effort to you and this family that we’re making with the seven of us.”
“And I want to make sure that I’m spending equal time with you all, but I don't really want to keep a schedule because that’s just weird. If you feel like you're missing out on time with me, speak up. Don't let it fester until there’s nothing but resentment between us. Ok?”
They all agree, and I blow out a big breath. “Well, cool, I guess we’re doing this then.”
“Orgy time!” Oliver shouts, sitting up. Holden rolls his eyes and drags him back down while the others throw bottle caps and napkins at him. Staying in Jaxon’s lap, I pick up my food and quietly finish the delicious curry while the others talk around me.
“You’re making lists in your head, aren't you?” Jaxon whispers in my ear, and I nod, swallowing my mouthful so I can speak.
“Yeah. I’m so happy we can take the cats with us. I need to let Doc know he doesn’t need to find them a proper facility.”
“Dec already did that when you went into the house.”
I climb out of Jaxon’s lap and crawl over to Declan’s. He smiles as I get comfortable, and he wraps his arms around me, placing a kiss on my neck.
“Hey, baby, everything okay?”
