“What about Mann?” Matt asks, referring to Charlie. “Want to fight him?”
“McQuaid, I’m not fighting anyone,” my dad huffs.
“That’s no fucking fun,” Matt grumbles.
“Well, I’m glad our moms are happy about us,” I try and joke.
Asher pulls me into him, pressing his lips against my hair. “Wouldn’t matter either way, we aren’t going to let you go.”
I look up at him with a small smile. “Good, because there’s no one that could ever take me away from you guys.”
Matt’s voice draws my attention. “I’m just saying, if I were you, I’d do something about it.”
“I think now would be a good time to remind you thatyouare in a polyamorous relationship too,” Colton emphasizes.
“I don’t want either of my girls with a guy like me either.” He throws his hands up and drops them down.
“That’s reassuring.” Chandler shakes her head at her partner.
“To be fair, I don’t really want them with a guy like you,” Vince adds unhelpfully.
“I don’t remember asking you.” Matt turns to him.
I look up to Asher. “Did you miss this?”
“Did I ever tell you about the coaches at the gym I trained at?”
I furrow my eyebrows, not sure what this has to do with anything, and shake my head.
He nods. “I will, but this isn’t anything new to me.” He tilts my head up to tease a kiss over my lips. “And yes, I did kind of miss this.”
After we manageto convince the cops, paramedics, and our entire families to leave I let out a sigh of relief. Though, walking back into my house has a wave of panic coming over me again. Even with Grayson and Asher with me, I turn around, unable to look at them.
“I don’t want to be here,” I state firmly.
“Then we don’t have to be. Let’s go to my house,” Grayson suggests easily.
I expect Asher to argue with him, but he doesn’t.
He does, however, guide me to his car and when I expect Grayson to argue with him, he doesn’t.
I don’t know if they’re being civil for me and what I went through tonight. Or maybe they are truly accepting this as our reality.
As soon as I sit in the seat, my head lolls back and I close my eyes, the weight of everything hits me. I can’t even open my eyes when I hear Asher climb in and start the car.
We start to move, the jolt has the flash of a memory of Collins hand whipping out with the butt of the knife and hitting my head. My eyes shoot open as I gasp, and Asher looks over at me, immediately grabbing my thigh. I take his hand inmy own, trailing my fingers over the wrap the paramedics put around his knuckles, even though he tried to insist he didn’t need it.
Neither of us say anything at first, I just hold onto his hand while it rests on my leg, and he follows Grayson’s car to his house.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” he admits, and I can hear how much it bothers him.
“You couldn’t have known.” I shake my head. “But you came.”
“We always will.”
I smile at him saying “we.”
Again, we’re quiet, but I don’t mind it. I feel grounded with his hand on me, but I can’t close my eyes again. I don’t want to remember everything right now. As tired as I am, I don’t even know if I’ll be able to go to sleep without the painful memories resurfacing.
