Atlas grumbled, “Yeah, and we can throw in that we practiced kink with her, asked her to call us Daddy, and want to marry her.”
Although the original problem stemmed from our parents, we were complicit. My brothers and I had spent the counseling session and the entire night coming to the realization that we loved Penny and wanted to marry her… one big happy family, not one that keeps secrets and snoops on each other.
“I’ll call Dad as soon as I get a break—tell him that we have to meet her mom and that she needs to trust Penny more.”
“Yeah, cause we’re going to take over as her protectors.” Everest’s comment would have been sarcastic if it wasn’t how we really felt.
“Wait, is that her car?” Atlas pointed.
All of our heads whipped toward the road.
“She’s leaving?” I reached for a fastener on the armor but that wasn’t going to happen without help. I sure as hell couldn’t run. “We’re never going to catch her.”
“Get on the horses,” Atlas said, but how the fuck was that supposed to happen? “Samuel, help us. We have to stop Penny.”
Aside from being shocked that Atlas asked for help, I was thrilled with his quick thinking. Samuel helped Atlas, and two service subs helped Everest and me.
“We’ll bring the horses back, but for now, the party has to wait.”
Chapter Eighteen
Everest
Penny was almost to the gate.
We got the horses moving, and once I could see the guardhouse, I yelled for the guard manning the gate to stop her, but yelling inside a metal helmet was a terrible idea. I held the reins with one hand and motioned to the guard with the other.
He gave an affirmative motion then paused, presumably to be certain Penny was coming to a stop. Then he stepped onto the road, crossed to the driver’s side, and motioned for her to roll her window down.
He turned and pointed at us as I remembered that these horses probably weren’t trained as cutting horses, ready to stop on a dime. I slowed the pace and noticed Phoenix and Atlas do the same.
Gently bringing the horses to a halt, we faced the next problem—how to get off without hurting the horse or ruining the armor? Even as Penny motioned toward the gate, the guard was shaking his head, one hand now planted on the roof of her car.
He lifted his walkie-talkie, seemed to listen, then drew Penny’s attention to the golf cart Master Derek, Catherine, andSamuel were arriving in. The two men came up beside us and assisted with the dismount.
While he was helping me, I told Master Derek, “If we have to, we will leave. She shouldn’t cut her time here short. And if we do, I’m betting you and Samuel would be a hit as knights in shining armor.”
Atlas and Phoenix had taken their helmets off as they rushed to Penny’s car, and I did the same.
“Please finish hearing us out, milady.” I instantly regretted that silly salutation. Now wasn’t the time for humor. The look on her face told me she agreed.
“I’m going home.”
Master Derek interrupted, “You don’t have to interact with them if you don’t want to. I’ll send them to their rooms. You have every right to enjoy the party, Penny.”
Samuel added, “And they understand that you might not want to talk to them anymore. Catherine and I had an extended session with them last night, and they’ve had some pretty big revelations that I hope you’ll give them a chance to explain… someday.”
She stayed inside her car, left it running, and stared straight ahead. “Say what you have to say.”
Atlas jumped at the chance. “You have every right to be mad at us. But I’m telling the truth when I say that what happened between us would have happened no matter who you were, related or not.”
“How could you tell me to be honest and open, and that I could tell you anything, but you weren’t doing that for me?”
I motioned for a chance to speak and explained how conflicted we had been, and Phoenix added the stuff about never expecting to fall for the same woman, much less our way younger stepsister.
He could have left theway youngerpart out.
Atlas took back over. “Here’s our offer to you. All three of us are in love with you, Penny.”
