Page 55 of Billionaire Daddies Next Door

Smith sighed. “No, Joanie. Why would we plan this?”

“You just asked me to move in with you. I can’t even say no because my house has been taken over by wild animals.” I eased away from the door and joined the guys by the front of Chase’s truck. “What do I do? Is it just their house now?”

“You can say no. I’d find something else for you if you wanted, Princess. Or you could go back to wherever you were hiding from us at. It’s not a trap we’re offering. You don’t have a home. We live next door. If you don’t want to feel rushed, you can stay in one of the guest rooms.” Bear shrugged. “As long as you’re not giving up on us, I don’t think any of us feel the need to push you into something you don’t want.”

“What about the girls?” I was panicking with the speed at which we were going. Moving in felt huge. Plus, the girls might not be ready for a woman moving in. And if we didn’t work out, what then?

Bear pulled me into his arms and sighed. “They’ve been obsessed with you since meeting you. It’ll probably feel like a giant sleepover to them.”

“What if this doesn’t work out, though?”

“What if it does?” He stroked his hands over my hair and down my back. “I care about you, Princess. I want things to work out. I’m willing to try.”

I nodded without hesitating. “I do, too. I just don’t want to hurt the girls.”

“As long as you don’t give up on us without a fight, you won’t.” Bear cupped my face and smiled. “I don’t expect you to take over as their mother. You can just be their friend, Joanie. If that changes down the road, we’ll all cross that bridge then.”

I turned my face into his hand and breathed out a sigh. “Thank you. It’s just a lot of changes at once.”

Smith rubbed my back. “It doesn’t have to be. If you aren’t ready to move in, that’s okay. I’m sure it won’t take too long to rescue your house…”

I turned in Bear’s arms so I was leaning against his chest and looking back at my house. “I don’t hate the idea of being closer to you guys. I don’t like admitting it but I was lonely without you three this week. Even when I wasn’t alone, I just felt like something was missing.”

“Us too. It was rough being away from you. Even if I’m not touching you, I like knowing where you are and that you’re safe.” Chase lightly squeezed the back of my neck. “I was serious about what I said earlier. I just want to love you, sweetheart.”

I met his gaze. “Do you?”

He smiled. “Yeah, sweetheart, I do.”

I twisted so I could wrap my arms around Chase. I blinked back tears as I thought about what that meant. “I don’t think anyone has ever loved me without having to before. Even then, I don’t think they did it very well.”

“I don’t want to diminish what I feel, but I need you to know how much the people in this town love you. They’ve asked about you constantly this week. They’ve all commented about how things aren’t the same without you around. Maybe no one in your old life truly understood the gem they had, but we do. Lilyfield does.” Chase held me tight. “I love you more than all of them, Joanie.”

“Not more than me, though.” Smith smiled, seemingly so at ease. “I love you so much and I can’t guarantee I won’t chase you forever if you try to leave us again.”

“I love you, too, Princess. I want you for as long as I can have you. Even if I lose it all, I’ll never regret trying again.” Bear pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “So. What do you say? Is it us or the raccoons?”

I laughed through my tears. “It’s a hard choice, but I choose you guys.”

Smith winced as a raccoon ran out of the house and right by our feet. “You’ll have to clarify which guys you mean.”

I reached over and gently pushed his shoulder. “You human guys.”

Before we could say anything else, loud barking and shrill little girl screams came from the direction of their house. I stepped out of Chase’s arms just to be tackled by Mack. When I was flat on my back on the ground Mack set about licking every inch of my head, even my hair. Before I could get my breath back, the girls were there, climbing on top of Mack on top of me.

“Where were you, Joanie?” Maggie slid down Mack’s body and squatted next to my head. “Were you sick? Sorry about your house, but when I’m big, I’m going to live with raccoons just like that so maybe we did you a favor.”

Macey nodded and looked down at me from on top of Mack. “Are you crying? Why are you crying? Did you not get a nap today? Don’t worry. You can nap in my bed. I don’t want you cuddling my stuffed friend, Lionus, though. He doesn’t like strangers.”

“She’s not a stranger, Macey. She’s Daddy’s girlfriend. Duh.” Maggie rolled her eyes and started picking at my hair. It was wet with Mack’s drool and she quickly made a face and dropped it. “Um, Joanie? I think you need a bath.”

I snorted out a laugh and gently rolled to the side to get Mack and Macey off me. Once they were off, I sat up and laughed harder when Mack sat in my lap and rested his giant head on my shoulder. “I think Mack missed me.”

“We all did. Daddy was so cranky. Ms. Belle said the only reason she wasn’t quitting was because she needs the money to pay for her new boobs.” Macey shrugged and bounced to her feet. “After your nap, do you want to have another tea party?”

“I think Joanie’s going to hang out with Daddy today, girls.” Bear saw them get ready to argue. “Or would you rather Daddy be cranky some more? If I run Ms. Belle off, I’ll have to do the cooking.”

Both girls screamed. “No!”

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