Gabe’s face fell; the situation was becoming decidedly uncomfortable. Jayce kicked at the old wood floor. “Of course. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“For not…you know…” He looked to Gabe for help, but his younger brother just shrugged.
She tipped her head to the side and waited. Jayce wished he could find the right words when he needed them. Instead, he just spoke the truth. “I—I don’t know what to say, Chloe.”
“I think that’s why it took us so long to check on you,” Gabe added. “None of us knew what to say.”
“And why is that?” She folded her arms but didn’t look angry.
Shit.They should have sent flowers or something. But no one disobeyed their father, and Antonio Fierro had issued his edict. Leave her be until Ryan could decide what to do about her. And he wouldn’t be back in human form until—well, any day now.
“I called your mother a couple of times, just to ask how she was doin’,” Chloe continued. “She sounded all right. I figured your mother was gettin’ through it because she had a lot of support. I would have liked some too.”
Jayce groaned.
“We figured you were, you know…okay,” Gabe said.
“But you didn’t ask. How could you know?”
Jayce began to fidget. “Yeah, you’re right…”
She waited, but he didn’t finish his thought. He just tried to get past her to the desk. “Let me get that chair.”
She stepped back, and when he rounded the end of her bed, he couldn’t help noticing the back half of a naked man trying to jam his big frame under it.
“Oh!” he said. “Oh, I didn’t realize…”
She batted her eyelashes innocently. “Didn’t realize what?”
“That you had company.” He pointed to the figure on the far side of her bed.
She crossed to the door and shut it. Gabe followed his brother’s gaze. The two of them stared at the form of a man, buck naked, wriggling out from under Chloe’s bed.
When Ryan rose and turned around, Chloe must have seen his brothers’ wide eyes and known that they’d had no idea he was there “in the flesh.” She grabbed a bath towel off her dresser and tossed it across the bed to her lover.
Gabe whooped and hugged Ryan briefly. He backed away and let Jayce shake Ryan’s hand.
Grinning, Ryan set his hands on his towel-covered hips and addressed his girl. “Yup. No dust bunnies under there. You passed inspection, Chloe.”
All three brothers burst out laughing.
Mr. Fierro burst through Chloe’s door and dropped a paper bag on her bed—he must have discovered Ryan was no longer in their home. Upon seeing his son, alive and healthy, he sighed with relief. “I knew you’d come to her first.” Then he asked him, “How much does she know?”
Ryan smiled at Chloe with pride. “Everything. She knows everything.”
“And she’s still standing?” He grabbed Chloe up in his arms, whooped, and gave her a huge impulsive hug. Jayce was impressed when she didn’t cry out or act like he was squeezing her to death. Instead, she laughed and gave as good as she got.
When he’d put her down, he strode around the bed to his recently reincarnated son and shook his hand. “Welcome back.”
Mrs. Fierro appeared in the doorway, huffing and puffing. “Thanks, Antonio.”
“Sorry, love. I couldn’t wait to see if Ryan was really here.”
His wife strode around the bed. “Neither could I. It’s just that some of us don’t have such long, strong legs.” She winked at Chloe, who was also petite. Ryan had said more than once how impressed he was with her ability to keep up with any man.
Mama Gabriella hugged Ryan hard, and he returned the hug more gently. As they stood there, his towel fell off. Chloe closed the door while everyone laughed.
