She needs time to digest everything we’ve told her.
“How did you get into my apartment?”
I chuckle. “I’ve had a key since the first time you invited me over.”
She stares at me for long seconds, a mix of anger and annoyance swirling around her eyes.
“We wanted to make sure we could get to you if you were ever in danger,” Rowan adds helpfully.
“So you just cut yourself a key?” she snaps.
“Yep.” I shrug. She may as well find out now that there’s no line I won’t cross in order to have her. We’ve spent enough time lying to her to last a lifetime.
She shakes her head and scrambles off Rowan’s lap.
“What are the chances the lock on the bedroom door will keep you out?”
“Zero,” I reply with a smug grin.
“You’re an asshole.”
She turns on her heel and heads toward the stairs, picking up the leather bag on her way past.
It’s not until the bedroom door slams on the other side of the house that I move, stretching out my sore muscles. I haven’t had a chance to have a proper workout today, and my body is punishing me for it.
That’s the thing they never tell you about being a professional athlete. You can never just stop. Your body is conditioned to train, and it will punish you if you don’t do just that.
“Well, that could have gone worse.”
Rowan scoffs. “Could have gone better if you’d let me explain.”
“She’s going to find out eventually that we’re a little crazy when it comes to her. We may as well show her that side of us sooner rather than later.”
“And give her more reasons to run?”
“We both know she’s not leaving this house until she can prove to us that she’s not planning on going anywhere.”
He brushes a hand down his face and sighs. “We can’t keep her prisoner here if she doesn’t want to be with us, Ash. You know that as well as I do.”
We’ve spent years talking about this moment, and Rowan always gets stuck on all the things we’ll be taking from her if she decides to be with us.
He thinks their age will be a problem in the long run, that she’ll miss out on a real wedding, and that she’ll crumple under society’s pressures for a normal relationship.
But I know Hannah.
I’ve seen how she looks at the Scarlet Lounge owners and their wife. It’s with longing, even if she doesn’t realize it.
Elias and Wyatt have a similar age gap with Leighton that he does with Hannah, and as far as I can tell, it doesn’t cause any issues in their relationship. So why would ours be any different?
“I guess we have to give her every reason to stay then, won’t we?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
HANNAH
Why do these sheets have to be the softest I’ve ever felt?
I grew up surrounded by wealth. It’s not like this is my first time sleeping in expensive bedding, but there’s something about this bed—hell, the entire bedroom—that feels right.
