When he pulled back, his face was full of pain, hurt, and anger. “I’m so fucking mad at you right now.”
I reached up with the hand that didn’t have an IV poking through it and gripped one of his forearms. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Nothing had gone as expected. Sure, I had managed to take care of Morris all by myself, but I had never accounted for the insanity that happened with Walker.
“Don’t you ever do that shit to me again, pretty girl!” There were tears in his eyes as Ry’s gaze roamed over my face.
“I won’t,” I whispered.
Gage moved closer and placed a hand on Ry’s shoulder. Ry looked back at him with a glare, but stepped back, allowing Gageto come next to me. I could feel the intensity of his stare as his eyes ran over every inch of me, before settling on my face. “You don’t have to do things alone anymore.”
A tear escaped the corner of my eye and trailed down my cheek before he stopped it with one of his fingers. He gently swiped the tear away as another quickly took its place. A groan seemed to tear from his chest as he watched.
“I don’t want to see you cry anymore.” His voice sounded raw and so full of pain it made my heart clench. “You don’t know what it does to me to see you like this,” he said brokenly.
“Gage,” I whispered.
“Walking into that cabin and seeing you lying there on that table, knowing what that man was planning to do to you…” He dropped to his knees beside the bed. “God, Cherish. Fuck.”
His hands gripped my free hand tightly in his. As I stared at his bent head, I hated myself for what I had done to him. I lifted my gaze and found Dante and Ry, seeing the same agony that Gage was feeling reflected in their eyes.
I choked on a sob. “I’m so sorry.”
Gage lifted his head, his eyes rimmed in red. “I can’t do this anymore, Cherish.”
I sucked in a breath at his words. Was he telling me that he no longer wanted me? Did he want me out of their lives for good? I would accept whatever they wanted, even knowing that it would kill me slowly inside every day.
“I need you to decide.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Cherish,” Gage said, “you made each of us fall in love with you just by walking into our lives. We need you to decide if you want to stay here with us. If you choose to leave, we won’t stop you. But I can’t keep wondering where your heart is at.”
My heart beat rapidly, the heart monitor telling the whole room in an instant. I looked between Ry and Dante again to see that, once again, they were in agreement with Gage.
“You want me to stay,” I said it as a statement instead of a question. “You—you love me?” His previous words finally penetrated my shock.
Gage smiled at me. “How could I not?”
A short, disbelieving laugh burst from my chest. “I don’t know what to say,” I choked out.
Gage’s smile faltered, then slipped away. The brightness in his blue eyes dimmed as I watched, my heart clenching at the sight. Before he could pull his hands from mine, I jerked my hand free, then I covered both of his hands with mine, stopping him from moving.
“That’s a lie,” I whispered. “I know what to say, it’s just hard to say it.” I glanced between the three of them again. “You three have shown me more patience, more tenderness, more compassion, and more caring than anyone has since before my sister died. When you approached me with your proposal, I accepted because I wanted more of what you had already given me. I knew it was only temporary, and I knew it would hurt when I left, but I wanted it anyway, knowing it would be enough to carry me for the rest of my life. Only,” I shook my head. “I was wrong.”
“Cherish,” Dante said quietly.
“I was wrong because temporary could never possibly be enough. I love you. I love all of you more than I could ever have imagined I could love another person. You took my broken soul and pieced it back together. You showed me how beautiful life could be just sitting by a pond.” I looked at Dante.
“You showed me how someone could look past the scars of the past and see the strength that grows from those scars.” I looked at Ry.
“You showed me that there’s beauty that can come from the pain,” I whispered to Gage. “I can’t live without you. I never want to try.”
“So, you’ll stay?” Dante asked, and I turned to look at him, seeing his beautiful face, not marred by scars, but enhanced by them, because scars don’t mar someone’s soul. They make your soul brighter when you survive them. Ry taught me that.
“I’ll stay,” I agreed without hesitation.
“Then there’s only one thing left to discuss,” Ry said with a grin.
