Except he’s not.
He’s staring at me with a knowing look. “Ollie…”
“Et tu, Brute?” And here I thought Alex would be on my side.Traitor.
He winces and rubs the back of his neck. “He’s kind of right.”
I huff and shake my head. “You’re both never seeing me naked again.” I walk away from them and towards the gate.
“Now let’s not be hasty, princess!” Theo calls, sounding a little panicked.
“Ollie, sweetheart, don’t say things you don’t mean,” Alex says, also sounding nervous.
A small smile curls on my lips. That’ll teach them.
I turn as soft hoofbeats grow closer behind me. Elise steers a tired-looking Bean towards me, relief stark on her face. Ketchup must have already flown off. “Thank you so much for letting me ride Bean,” she says as she stops the mare in front of me.
Bean shoves her nose into my chest and blows out a breath. I huff out a laugh and stroke her nose. “No need to thank me. You’ve taken great care of her the entire way.” It’s made my life a hell of a lot easier since I can trust Elise to look after the mare.
“She’s a great horse.” A soft smile spreads across her face as she pats Bean’s neck. “I’m going to see if anyone knows where the fields are so she can have a good rest and grass.”
“Thanks, Elise,” I say as she steers Bean away from me and nudges her onward into Haven.
I follow them. As I step through the gate, I notice my brother standing off to the side, a stunned expression on his face as he glances around the community. I sidle up to him and bump my shoulder against his.
“You okay?” I ask him softly as I watch Harlow dart forward to sniff anything and everything within reach, her stubby tail wagging so hard her entire bum is wiggling.
“I knew the settlement was big from what the others told me of it, but I wasn’t expectingthis.”
I nod. “Same. It’s so different from the cottage.”
He turns to me, his expression suddenly serious. “I think I should bring Lauren here, especially with a kid on the way.” His eyes flick over to where a group of children splash and play in the puddles while laughing and cheering loudly. “They might actually have a good life here…Wemight have a good life here.”
I already knew I was staying here with the guys, but to know my brother and Lauren will be living here too… It’s a dream come true. All the people I care for safe and in one place.
“When do you want to leave to go get her? Tomorrow?” I ask, already planning the route in my head.
He nods. “Tomorrow sounds—”
“Tobias?” a familiar feminine voice shouts, cutting him off.
Both of us whip our heads to the side just as someone barrels into him, laughing and crying as they cling to him. Both of us stand there, staring in shock as Lauren clings to him.
Tobias is the one who reacts first. He snaps his arms around her and hauls her up against him. She immediately wraps her legs around his waist and clings to him like a koala while sobbing into his chest.
“Lauren, babe, I can’t believe you’re here,” Tobias croaks as he buries his face into her neck. “How did you get here?”
“Andy and I left home with the ponies and headed here a week after you disappeared. We figured we’d be safer here than there in case… you know…” She sucks in a shuddering breath. “But you’rehereand you’realive!”
I back away from them as they descend into desperate, sobbing kisses. It’s a relief to know that she’s unharmed and we won’t have to leave Haven to go grab her or my ponies. While I’m under no illusion that I’ll stay behind the tall walls of Haven forever, the idea of diving straight back into the dangers of the outside world has my stomach in knots. I need some time to rest and decompress.
As I walk further into the settlement, my eyes taking it all in with awe, a hand grabs my shoulder and spins me around. A moment later I’m enveloped into a massive bear hug.
“I can’t believe you did it,” Andy says, his voice sounding suspiciously thick. “You actually saved my daughter and your brother and brought them back home.”
He squeezes me hard, causing me to wheeze as he forces the air out of my lungs.
“Can’t… breathe…” I pat his arm.
