Page 46 of Broken Love

“Christ, no. Of course, he came. I’m sorry, sweetheart, I was only teasing you.” When she gifts me with a bright-ass smile, I know I’ve been played. “You little brat,” I growl, leaning down and nipping her lip, sucking the morsel between my teeth until she hums and melts into me. “Be good, sweetheart, or tonight will not be as enjoyable as you’d like.” With that warning, I guide her to our private room with one hand on her back.

“Oh, my goodness!” I grin like a loon at her exuberant squeal as she enters through the doors. Benton closes them behind us, blocking out the noise from the main restaurant.

Candlelight flickers. A dining table set for three is situated in the middle of the room, with a bouquet of pink and white rose blossoms adorning the center of it. Soft music plays from hidden speakers in the corners, and as a server enters with three wine glasses and a bottle of Windsor’s favorite Moscato d’Asti, a sweeter white wine, she gasps with delight.

“Hi, baby.” Tanner wraps his arms around her from behind, kissing the bare skin of her shoulder. “You are the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen.” She preens at his words. Too many years have gone by where she hasn’t received the compliments she deserves. I’m happy as hell we get to do this forever now.

“I can’t believe you guys did this.” She squeezes each of our hands as she moves to the table and smells the roses. “I love it.” She turns back around as the waiter pops open the wine, places it in the ice bucket for when we’re ready, and then leaves us alone.

Pulling out a chair for her, I help her slide it in as she sits down. “We’d do anything for you,” I tell her, leaving a chaste kiss on her cheek before sitting on one side while Tanner takes the other.

“I’m beginning to believe that.” She reaches forward to play with the petals of the flowers.

“I admit, I already ordered for us.” She raises an eyebrow in question at Tanner’s confession. “Freshly cut and mixed ambrosia salad to start, with chicken and spinach, lemon, and parmesan pasta for a main.”

“Dessert?” She appears apprehensive. I don’t blame her one bit after what happened before.

“Vanilla bean panna cotta. The chef himself is preparing our meal; nobody else is permitted to touch anything. Not even to serve us.” The tension releases from her body, and I’m glad we could give this night to her.

“So, are you going to explain all of this yet?” Windsor waves her hand around the room.

“We know life has not treated you well, nor your mother. We wanted to make up for that.” I hold up a hand when she tries to interrupt. “Not our fault, I know, but it’s our responsibility and desire to make you feel like a queen. Our queen. We have the means and ability to do so, and we want to.”

Her demeanor softens as she leans over to kiss me. Our lips touch, and passion ignites. Never have I had a connection with a woman the way I do with Windsor, and I know I never will again. Which is why I’m so desperate to hang on to her.

Tanner

Losing the game to be Windsor’s escort inside Clancy’s was worth all the griping I did, solely for the look on her face when she entered the room. Pure pleasure and absolute delight graced her eyes, distracting me from how sexy she looked in her dress.

Now, seeing how happy she is just to be with us lights me in ways I can’t explain. I never told Tucker this, but there was a time when I wasn’t sure we’d ever find a girl who would want to be with us forever.

Windsor accepted us from the moment we met. It was like she anticipated that we fit together—like a set, and she was the glue holding us together. Keeping things honest and real is how we’ll keep our relationship together.

Which is why I’m the one to broach the tricky subject when they separate from their kiss. Lifting her hand, I bring it to my lips and kiss her knuckles. “Everything Tuck said is true, but I think there are other things we need to discuss as well.” Tucker pours each of us a glass of wine as our ambrosia salad is brought in.

Taking a bite, the light but sweet flavors explode on my tongue, making me crave the bittersweet taste of our woman between her legs.

“Such as?” Windsor asks as she swallows a bite on a low moan and follows it up with a sip of wine.

“What happened last month was a tragedy. Losing something none of us knew we wanted was the most heartbreaking experience of my life.” As I say this, I hate that I’m making her sad all over again. “I, we…Tuck and I…want what you want.” She nods, swallowing roughly as I reach for her hand. “If you don’t ever want to try for children, we’ll never pressure you. But if you do, should you want to take that chance with us, we would want that too.”

Pulling her hands away from us, I’m unsure what to expect when she picks up her napkin to dab at her mouth and looks down for a few minutes before speaking.

“I haven’t…” It’s clear she’s having trouble, and I want to kick my own ass as much as Tucker’s glare burns a hole in my head. “I hadn’t thought much about it recently.” Her eyes glance up at us briefly, and a flood of emotion consumes them. “I want children. I always have, and what happened hasn’t changed my mind. It’s terrified me, but I also know that what happened isn’t our fault. It’s whoever wants to hurt me.” Reaching for us, we’re gifted with a reassuring smile. “However, I’d like for us to continue getting to know each other. It’s been like three months, and I’m living with you, and we’re engaged.” Her eyes drop to her ring. I wanted flashier, but Tucker talked me down to reasonable. “Everything has been so fast; why rush?”

“Good, I’m glad we got that settled.”

Dinner carries on with twenty questions from each of us. Talking about the most ridiculous things and our deepest secrets.

“I don’t think you’ll have anything to worry about,” Tucker reassures Windsor as he feeds her another forkful of dessert—something we both took a taste of first. She and Lux have been terrified about reaching out to their sister, Cecily. She’s only nineteen and still living with her mother. From what they’ve been able to get out of my brother-in-law, Boston, is that their father spent more time with the youngest James sister than the older two, and I think there might be some bitterness about that.

“Easy for you to say. Your sister has kept you on your toes since she was born.” This is true. Arden was a late baby and spoiled rotten. She’s grounded, though. You’d never know she was an heiress if it weren’t for the fact the tabloids blast her everywhere. Well, they used to. Boston and Dare keep a tight lid on things now.

“True.” I feed her another bite, licking the side of her mouth when a bit of cream stays behind. “But Lux was so excited to have you. Both of you were lonely growing up, wishing you had siblings. How do you know Cecily doesn’t feel the same?”

“Stop being reasonable,” she grumps, crossing her arms. She’s so afraid. It’s the same fear she felt when approaching Lux. The anxiety must be debilitating. “I don’t have a way to approach her like I did Lux. There’s no opportunity to introduce ourselves without it being intrusive.”

A knock on the door interrupts Tucker’s reply.

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