Page 97 of Ours to Keep

River shakes his head. “Yeah, good luck with that,”he replies, stroking the back of Elliot’s neck.

“I just don’t want to take advantage of his generosity.”

I squeeze her hand. “Not possible, Sunshine.”

Jax clears his throat, and if I didn’t know him as well as I did, I might’ve missed the rare glimpse of nerves that crossed his face. “Duchess, how would you feel about us all spending Christmas and New Year’s with you and Mia?”

“We know you might not be up for celebrating, but we want to be where you are,”Elliot says from the opposite sofa.

She swallows hard. “What about the rest of your families?”

Rivers’ expression turns serious. “Vixen, you areourfamily.”

Lily chews on her bottom lip. “Then yes, that would be nice, thank you.”

I lean in until my lips graze the shell of her ear. “You don’t have to thank us, Sunshine. We love you.”She turns her face towards mine.

“I love you too,”she whispers. We’re drawn together like two magnets, her lips ghosting mine in a tender kiss.

Hearing her repeat those words, ones I will never take for granted, helps soothe the most broken parts of me.

Chapter Forty-Six

LILY

Two weeks later. New Year’s Eve

It has been somewhat cathartic since returning to England and staying at the house in Torquay. It’s given us time to try and process everything over the past few months. Caleb, Noah and Jessica came up the day before we returned to ensure the fridge and freezer were well stocked in preparation for Christmas Day.

They put up a Christmas Tree, and Jessica even made sure there were gifts for everyone, including extra for Mia, for which I was beyond grateful. I rang her to say as much, and we agreed to meet next time I’m in London.

Due to Jackson and Mason’s connections, Richard’s body was returned to the UK, and after speaking to Mia, we opted for an unattended cremation and a short obituary in the local news. She’s grieving, and with everything she’s been through, she deserved a choice. No matter what my feelings are on the matter, her well-being will always come first. I hope the counselling we have lined up individually and together will help in the coming months.

George was involved in a hit and run outside his office anddied at the scene. It was around the same time Richard’s body was found. The guys think it’s far from a coincidence. The thought of him still makes my skin crawl and if I’m being honest, I’m glad he’s not around to hurt anyone else.

I glance at Jackson as he talks to Mia about whatever they’re watching on the TV. Out of all the guys, he’s surprised me the most. He’s so good with her, even more so now that they’ve formed a connection. I don’t know if it has something to do with him being the one who found her on the Yacht, but he’s a good male role model for her. All the guys are.

As if he can sense me staring, he looks over his shoulder and smiles.

“Ugh, you’re doing it again,” Mia says, pretending to gag.

“Doing what?” he asks, not taking his eyes off of me.

“Making heart emoji eyes.”

He shrugs, not even in the least bit affronted by her observation.

“Can’t blame him?” River says as he walks towards me and kisses me on the cheek.

Mia just rolls her eyes. She began questioning our dynamics a few days after we arrived back in Torquay, and as we agreed not to lie, I gave her the PG13 explanation.

She just replied, “What can you do? Love is love, right?”

I didn’t really have a response to that, but there’s been an unspoken agreement between me and the guys to keep any public displays of affection appropriate. It would be so easy to get caught up in the mind-blowing kisses these guys deliver, so I’m grateful they’re the ones who pull it back and keep them chaste.

They demanded we all dress up tonight, even though, if I’m being completely honest, I don’t feel much like celebrating. However, after seeing Mia excited about it, how could I refuse?

“Mia, shall we go get ready?”

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