Page 173 of Priceless

“That makes sense.”

Sighing, I leaned back into him and let him spin me away from Micah. “It’s overwhelming too. What I’ll have to do to figure out the Estate’s finances now that it’s mine. How to take care of it or modify the house. Or find something to do with it. Something Mom would have wanted.”

If my mother were still here, I had no doubt that the Caldwell mansion would have been turned into something else by now. Something for one of the many charities she donated to or something that helped the world. Something beautiful. I didn’t know what it would be yet, but I wanted to do that.

“It’s the same for you guys. All the work to undo the damage Joseph and Frank did. Both behind the scenes and publicly. Not to mention the money it will take.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Everett said. His bowtie was gone, the first few buttons of his shirt undone and hair ruffled in the breeze. He was fucking stunning, and I felt through our bond that he thought the same thing about me.

“I know you have enough money to do it, and I know you’re not worried about it. That doesn’t make it right.”

Rett smiled, but it was soft. Amused. He came to stand in front of me, using the moonlight to search my face before lifting his hand to my cheek. “That’s not what I mean. I mean that it doesn’t matter. All of it doesn’t matter. Even if they’d succeeded and ruined us. Even if we were bankrupted and penniless because of the things they did, I wouldn’t change a fucking thing.” He moved to my face, dropping his forehead against mine. “Let them come again. Let them try to take everything. I would change nothing.”

The depth of feeling swirling between us in the bond nearly sent me to my knees. And the others, now standing at my sides, surrounding me with warmth and love, felt the same.

“Why? If you could know what was coming, why wouldn’t you change it?”

We were so close I could barely see it, but Everett smiled. “You,” he whispered. “There is nothing I would not lose, no injury I would not take, and no price I would not pay in order to find you.”

“You’re ours,” Cam turned me to him, thumb brushing over his bite at my neck. “Body and soul. But we know how close we came to never meeting you, sweetheart. We’ll never forget it, and we’ll never not be grateful for the things that brought us together. Even the bad ones.”

My eyes filled with tears. Happy ones. Barely minutes ago I’d thought the same thing—that finding them and loving them made all the bad worthwhile, no matter what.

Micah turned me back to the ocean, tucking my back against his chest. He lifted my hand and kissed my wedding ring. “Everything in this world costs something. Money or time or sanity. And before you, there was nothing we couldn’t have if we chose. Nothing that eclipsed all of it. Until you.” My tears spilled over. I couldn’t stop them, and Micah held me tighter. “You’re priceless,” he murmured.

Suddenly I was surrounded on all sides. All of them holding me together and me holding them back. My voice was muffled in Cam’s shirt. “Warn a girl before you’re going to make her cry.”

They laughed, one by one starting to purr.

“I only ever want to make you cry happy tears,” Cam said. Then he grinned. “Well, that, or you crying because we’re drowning you in pleasure.”

A snort came out of me, mixing with the tears, and I swatted at his arm. “We were having a moment, Cam.”

“We’re still having a moment, wife.” He tilted my chin up. “We’re going to have a million moments. Every moment we can with you. But,” I felt the change in his bond. Both the heat and the joy as he traced his fingers along the top of my dress. “You did make me a promise.”

“I did?”

“I believe you promised me I could unwrap you. Slowly.”

My own smile appeared despite trying to hide it. “I don’t remember promising any such thing.”

“Then I’ll just have to remind you.”

He swept me off my feet and started toward the house. “Wait,” I wiggled. “Put me down.”

“Ocean—”

“I just want to say one more thing.” My feet hit the sand, and I pulled them all close again, throat thick with emotion. “I love you. I love you and I never thought I would get to have this kind of love with anyone. And every bad thing, I’d do it all again for you. Every time.”

Their words of love didn’t have to be spoken. I felt them loud and clear. Micah’s eyes were glassy. “No more bad things, Princess. Okay?”

“Okay.”

My feet didn’t touch the ground on the way to the nest. From now on, there would only be good things.

BABY’S BREATH

(ALSO: LOVE CHALK, SOAP WORT)

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