As they work, their low rumbles and soft murmurs fill the bathroom. They talk to me, praising my strength, my beauty, my courage. They tell me how much I mean to them, how perfect I am, how utterly theirs I am. Each word, each touch, is like a balm to my soul, healing the remnants of the day’s shock.
When they’re done, they don’t just pull the plug and leave me to do the rest. They lift me out of the water and wrap me in a thick, fluffy towel. They dry me, their hands warm and assuring, before leading me back to the bedroom.
And all I can think is I’ve never felt so completely seen, so completely adored…I’ll never let this feeling go.
CHAPTER FOUR
MELANIE
Never in my life did I think I’d be listening to Eartha Kitt’sSanta Babywhile decorating an impromptu Christmas tree with three fine ass brothers as the fire place cracks in the night while sipping on hot cocoa after I’ve gotten my back broken in separately and together by all three of them,THOROUGHLY and multiple times at that,but here the fuck I am and chile…would 1,000/10 highly recommend!
As I sit on my white sofa, a mug of cocoa warming my hands, I watch the three of them tackle the massive fir tree in the corner of the living room, and it’s a sight I never want to avert my eyes from.
“Enzo, Mama said don’t put all the gold ones in one spot,” Slater grumbles, his ears twitching back toward his brother. “It looks unbalanced.”
“But baby likes the gold ones!” Enzo whimpers, ears perking forward, and his tail is a blur of motion, occasionally thumpingagainst the tree skirt. He’s already managed to get a strand of blinking LEDs wrapped around it, but he’s so focused he doesn’t seem to notice or mind.
All while Yamir is currently crouched low, his dark brow furrowed in concentration as he tries to hook a tiny wooden reindeer onto a sturdy branch. I have to hold back a chuckle as I watch his large, clawed fingers handle the delicate ornament with such gentleness.
When he finally gets it, his eyes light up, and he looks over to me, pointing.
“Mama, look!” Yamir grins, glancing over his shoulder, but as soon as he moves, it falls to the floor, and his shoulders sag, making me throw my head back laughing.They are so damn cute.
“I love it, Yamir,” I whisper, wiping my eyes, a smile still tugging at my lips.
When Yamir reaches down to grab the ornament, Enzo’s lit-up tail sweeps it across the floor, making Yamir glare at him while Enzo grins mischievously.
“Oops,” he chuckles, adding more gold to the tree while Slater laughs. Apparently, that’s all it takes for the decorating mission to turn into a wrestling match. They shift halfway, claws out, ears pinned back as they growl and roll over each other. The tree shakes dangerously as Enzo’s tail thwacks a low-hangingbranch, sending a shower of pine needles onto the floor, making me laugh at their antics.
I watch them wrestle for a bit before Slater manages to pin both of his brothers down, his heavy weight silencing their giggles for a split second before all of them look over to me.
“Come here, love,” Slater calls out as he holds out his hand. “It’s time forourstar to put the star on the tree.”
I set my cocoa down and walk over. They all stand, surrounding me. Each of them grasps me by the waist and hoists me up until I’m level with the very top of the tree, where I place the glowing star on the highest branch, and as I do, I feel three sets of hands steadying me before they lower me back down, but they don’t let go.
They stay close, their tails lashing gently behind them, their ears soft and relaxed while we all stare at the beautiful white tree packed with honestly… all the gifts are for me pretty much like every year but this year they went overboard.
“It’s perfect,” I sigh, looking at the twinkling lights.
“Not more perfect than you,” Enzo whispers in my ear, making me look out at them.Seriously, how is this my life right now?
I stand in my silk bonnet and my plush, oversized red Mrs. Claus robe, looking crazy as fuck compared to their towering, shirtless frames. But even though I know I look ridiculous, the way they’re looking at me, you’d think I was wearing a diamond crown.
Slater is the first to move, stepping in close to tuck a loose coil back under the edge of my bonnet before he cups my face, his thumb stroking my cheekbone with agonizing tenderness.
“He’s right, love, you look so beautiful like this,” he tells me, his tail giving a soft, rhythmic thump against the floor. “All warm and soft. Ours.”
Yamir sinks to his knees in front of me and wraps his thick arms around my waist, burying his face in the soft fleece of my robe. I can feel the low, steady rumble of a purr vibrating against my stomach, and I rub his head, smiling at how his ears are relaxed, draped softly to the sides.
“Sweetheart, we could stay right here… like this with you forever,” he mumbles into the fabric.
Enzo steps behind me, and his heat radiates against my back as he wraps his arms over the top of mine, pulling me flush against his chest. He rests his chin on top of my head, his heavy tail curling around me and his brothers.
“You make us just want to forget everything,” Enzo hums, and I blink, tears almost stinging my eyes, and my chest aching.
“You guys make it seem like there are a lot of things you want to forget,” I tell them. They go still and look to each other before holding me tight.
“No, it’s just we never want to be away from you, love. You mean everything to us,” Yamir grumbles.
