I turn in his arms and place mine around his neck. “What if you two are my thing?”
He brings his mouth down to mine. “Even better.”
We kiss for a minute until I hear footsteps above and pull away smiling. “I’ll go wake up Noah.”
Stepping out of his hold, I wander over to the other man who occupies my thoughts. He’s still fast asleep in the recliner with his feet kicked up. I sit on the armrest delicately and lift my hand to his face, stroking his cheekbone with my thumb, then I lean in slowly and brush my lips against his.
“Wake up, Casanova,” I breathe against him.
He groans, his hand coming around my waist and pulling me closer as I fall on top of him in the seat. I squeal at the sudden movement, a heartfelt laugh falling from my lips while his free hand comes to cradle my head, right before he kisses me back.
“I could wake up like this every day for the rest of my life,” he says once his lips move down to my neck.
“Stop.” I giggle. “Come on, babe. They’re gonna be here any minute. Come have a coffee.”
I maneuver myself away from him and regain my footing on the ground. He pushes the legs of the recliner down but doesn’t make an attempt to stand. He’s just sitting there with a goofy grin on his face.
“What?” I raise a brow.
“You called mebabe.”
I roll my eyes despite the slight blush and smirk that threaten to break loose. “Are you gonna get all sentimental on me now? Do you need me to get you a tissue or something?” I pop a hip and fold my arms over my chest.
A wicked smirk appears on his face, mischief twinkling in his deep brown eyes. “I love when you get all sassy with me.” He finally gets up and leans in to bite my earlobe. “It makes me want to fuck it right out of you.”
My core clenches despite me still being sore from our last session. I swat him away playfully and head back over to Gabe, who holds out a mug filled with coffee for me. A minute later, everyone joins us in the kitchen, all taking a cup of coffee greedily. Except for Morgan, who accepts a mug of hot chocolate when Gabe offers it, since there’s no decaf.
Shortly after, headlights shine through the window from the driveway, and everyone goes quiet as we wait to see what is about to walk through the door. With how emotional Emma was getting off the plane, I have a feeling it won’t be pretty.
A loud wail sounds from outside, having us all gasping. Silas quickly walks over to the door, whipping it open just as Greyson strides through the door with a sobbing Emma in his arms. “Can someone get our things in my truck?”
“I’ll get them,” Noah says as he marches out of the house.
Grey swallows and nods. “I’m going to take her to bed,” he says over her sobs as she buries her face into his chest.
We watch as he climbs the steps to their bedroom, her cries getting louder by the second until she screams.
“We should get the kids and bring them down here,” Cecilia says while rubbing her chest. I can see the tears shining in her eyes as she listens to her friend’s heart being ripped to shreds.
“I’ll get Gracie,” Aubrey tells her softly, looking just as emotional.
They hurry upstairs, coming back down a few minutes later with the kids, and Silas and Clay quickly put up the playpens to lay them back down. Despite the screams taking place on the upper floor, they fall right back to sleep.
They all come to stand around the kitchen, the atmosphere dark and gloomy as everyone holds on to each other, listening to Emma’s piercing cries and wails that reverberate through the walls. Morgan weeps softly against Clay, Cecilia sits in Silas’s lap on a bar stool as tears track down her cheeks, even Aubrey wipes at her eyes every few seconds.
Gabe removes the pan of eggs he was cooking from the burner and sets them aside. He turns and takes Aubrey in his arms, holding her close to his chest as his hand sweeps through her hair. He smiles tenderly my way, and I’m grateful to him for taking care of my friend in this heart-wrenching moment.
Noah’s arms circle my waist from behind as I lean into him. I haven’t known Emma as long as the rest of them, but she’s become a true friend to me. A sister. And hearing her fall apart nearly brings me to my knees.
We didn’t know Maddie personally, but we understand the pain Emma and Greyson feel at this moment. Some people just come into your life out of the blue and instantly gain a place within your heart. Just like everyone in this room became a part of mine, Maddison became a part of Greyson and Emma’s family.
Half an hour later, the house falls silent once more as we all sit down in the dining room situated beside the wine cellar, some of us munching quietly on the early breakfast Gabe made us. It’s only four in the morning, so the kids are still asleep for now.
Greyson shows up in the opening of the room looking exhausted. “She finally fell asleep.” He gives us a mournful smile. “Sorry about all the noise, I hope we didn’t wake the kids?”
“Don’t apologize for what you two are going through.” Cecilia gets up and rounds the table, wrapping her arms around his waist. His own come up slowly to hug her back as his head leans over hers, his shoulders rising and falling as he takes a deep, shaky breath.
When they pull apart, he sniffs and looks at us with red-rimmed eyes. “Thank you all for being here. For taking care of Gracie.” He swallows.
