Page 79 of The Companion Love Trap

His cheeks pinked, and he smiled, his eyes shining bright. “I love you, too.”

“Good. It would be weird if you didn’t,” I teased. Jace rolled his eyes. “Now, are you done obsessing over this shoot? Everly has requested you come swimming.”

Jace sighed and nodded. “Yeah. It’s good. I was just…I dunno.”

“You were being your amazing and perfect self. But you don’t have to do it alone. If you need help, just ask.”

“I’ll remember that for next time. Thank you, Cruz.”

I kissed his forehead before releasing him. Neither of us grabbed our clothes as we headed out to the pool. We stepped into the outdoor shower first, rinsing the cum and lube off of us.

Jace ran to the pool, cannonballing into it and splashing Everly and Kieran, who’d been making out on the float. At Everly’s shriek, I followed and added my splash. The float upended, flipping Everly and Kieran into the pool, and a water fight broke out. That was until Everly wrapped her legs around my waist and took matters into her own hands, effectively winning this round.

Kieran and Everly’s swimsuits quickly disappeared, and the four of us found pleasure repeatedly under the moonlight.

This place had only been a house four months ago, but now it was our home. They made the difference, and I’d do everything in my power to ensure the four of us stayed together forever for whatever else life gave us.

part four

JACE

SIX MONTHS LATER

Everly bounced on her toes, wringing her hands in front of her as she watched out the front window. Kieran stood stoically next to her, his shoulders tight and his arms crossed over his chest. I wasn’t sure who was more nervous between them. Cruz nodded to me before walking up and wrapping his arms around Everly from behind, pulling her into his chest.

Following his lead, I massaged between Kieran’s collarbones until he relaxed. He peeked over at me, his fear showcased plainly on his face. Taking his hand, I squeezed his fingers to reassure him.

“We’ve got this, Kier.”

Kieran nodded, exhaling a deep breath and relaxing his shoulders more. Everly and Cruz turned toward us, the four of us making a half circle at the window.

“Did we jump in too soon?” Everly asked, biting her bottom lip.

“No. Jace’s right. Between the four of us, we’ll figure it out.” Kieran nodded firmly, pushing his shoulders back and confidently lifting his head.

Like his assurance had summoned the car, it turned down the long driveway and stopped at the side of the house. We all watched it, and I was pretty sure none of us were breathing. The driver’s door opened, and Mrs. Winters stepped out and opened the back door.

Bright-colored tights with flowers appeared first, connected to a little girl with unruly blonde curls. She stood tall despite her petite frame and sized up the house, her eyes lighting up with joy while the four of us watched like creepers. She reminded me so much of Everly that it was uncanny.

Mrs. Winters said something to her, and she nodded, reaching into the car and taking her brother’s hand. He appeared more slowly, casting his more suspicious eyes around the place. His dark hair was flat against his head, starkly contrasting his sisters. They were about the same height, but he seemed smaller. His shoulders were hunched inward, and he peered around, looking for the danger to jump out. For a second, it was like I was seeing Kieran when he first arrived at boarding school.

Mrs. Winters opened the trunk and removed two small suitcases and a violin case that had seen better days, held together with duct tape and love.

“Should we open the door and stop creeping?” I asked as they headed toward us.

“Right.” Everly’s eyes widened, and she hurried toward the front door, flinging it open as they climbed the front steps. “Hi,” she greeted cheerily, her nerves dissipating at the sight of the two children.

“Miss Everly!” the little girl cheered, rushing up the steps and throwing her arms around Everly’s legs. My firecracker melted, hugging the little girl back and smoothing her curls down. “You can just call me Everly, Zoe.”

“Okay.”

Everly peered down at the little boy, smiling softly at him as he stood back watching. “You too, Zachary. I’m glad you’re here.”

Mrs. Winters smiled before dropping down to Zachary. He’d stayed at the bottom of the steps, watching anxiously. “It’s okay to be nervous, Zachary, but I think you’ll like it here. You already know Everly, Kieran, Cruz, and Jace, so it’s not a stranger this time.”

The little boy bit his finger, eyeing us all. His twin sister clung to Everly, a massive grin on her face. She held her hand out to her brother. “Come on, Zachy. We get to stay together.”

He nodded, dropping his finger and climbing the steps. Mrs. Winters followed, giving us all smiles. “They don’t have much stuff, but you should be able to get by for the weekend. I can take them shopping next week.” She handed over the two small suitcases to Cruz, and the violin case to Kieran.

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