Page 92 of Claimed By 3 Mountain Men

But something holds me in place.

I stand, moving slowly around the room, my fingers brushing over the surface of the wooden dresser. It feels strange, being in this space that’s so distinctly them.

With a heavy sigh, I gather my things from the chair by the bed—my clothes, my gear, the few belongings I’ve brought with me. It’s not much. I pack quickly, methodically, my heart sinking a little more with each item I tuck into my bag.

This is it. It’s time to go.

I sling the bag over my shoulder, glancing one last time around the room, the weight of what I’m leaving behind pressing down on me. I’m not sure what I expected, but there’s an emptiness in my chest that I can’t ignore.

It’s gnawing at my heart, chewing at it.

Taking a deep breath, I head for the door. My hand hesitates on the handle for just a moment, but then I turn it and step out into the hallway, my boots echo softly against the wooden floor. The lodge is quiet, the kind of quiet that comes after a storm, and I feel like an intruder in this place that’s become so familiar but is still not mine.

As I make my way toward the front door, my heart heavy with uncertainty, I hear footsteps behind me. I turn to find Ben, Hank, and JT standing there, their eyes trained on me.

“Going somewhere?” Ben asks, his voice soft but steady, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

I swallow hard, my heart suddenly pounding in my chest. “I was just… I figured it was time for me to go.”

Hank crosses his arms over his chest, his expression serious but not unkind. “You think you can just walk out of here without saying goodbye?”

I hesitate, my fingers tightening around the strap of my bag. “I didn’t want to make it harder than it already is.”

JT steps forward, his eyes never leaving mine. There’s something raw in his expression, something that makes my throat tighten. “Mac, you don’t have to leave. Not like this.”

I blink, caught off guard by the intensity in his voice. “I—what am I supposed to do? I’ve got a job. Responsibilities. I can’t just stay here.”

Ben steps closer, his gaze soft but steady. “We know you’ve got a life outside of all this, but that doesn’t mean you have to disappear.”

Hank nods, his voice low and thoughtful. “You’ve done a hell of a lot for us, for this land. We’re not letting you just walk away without knowing where we all stand.”

I feel my pulse quicken, my heart caught somewhere between the fear of staying and the fear of leaving. I open my mouth to speak, but the words catch in my throat.

JT takes another step forward, his voice quieter now, but filled with something I can’t quite name. “Mac, we need you here. I need you here.”

My breath hitches at his words, my chest tightening. I glance between the three of them, my mind spinning with a thousand thoughts and questions.

“I—” I start, but the words die on my lips.

JT closes the distance between us, his hand reaching out to gently touch my arm.

“Mac, we… we know this is sudden. We know it’s a lot. But…” He trails off, and I can see the nerves flickering in his eyes, the vulnerability that matches my own. “We want you to stay. We want to see where this goes. All of us.”.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” I manage, my voice a little more than a whisper.

“How about yes?” Ben says with a soft smile. Their eyes are on me, waiting, and for the first time in my life, I don’t have aplan. I don’t have a roadmap or an escape route. All I have is my heart, and it’s pounding in my chest.

And for the first time, I realize that maybe, just maybe, this is where I belong.

“The truth is Mac, we’re more than just fond of you…”

“We’re…” Hank trails off, his cheeks flushing a deep red.

I swallow hard, my heart racing in my chest. I can’t believe what I am about to say, the weight of the words, and the weight of this decision. The logical part of my brain screams at me to walk away, to go back to my life, but my heart… My heart is an entirely different story.

“What he’s trying to say is that we’ve fallen in love with you, Mac,” Ben admits for them all.

I blink, my heart pounds like a wild animal in my chest. I never thought I'd hear those words from him, let alone from all three of them. They're like the three sides of a whole, and I've fallen for each of them

---