Page 52 of Room One Hundred and Eleven

“Dream bigger.” Carter takes her shoulders in his hands and shakes her a bit. “You deserve the world. But we hope you’ll settle for us instead.”

“To show we’re serious, we thought a lot about what’s important to you, and we hope you’ll take our deal.” I draw her attention. “Whether or not you do, though, you should know we already paid your tuition for the rest of your program.”

Okay, so we actually did that plus set up a scholarship in her name for other students in need.

“What do I owe you?” Her eyes narrow.

“Nothing.” Carter’s clear on that, at least. “We also filed paperwork to found a charity focused on home healthcare in your dad’s name. You can run it if you wish. Work at it, if you want. Stay at home with our family if you’d rather. Or we can manage its operations together. I’m happy to assist, if you don’t mind our fingers in your pie.”

“She loves your fingers in her cream pie.” Knox snorts.

Poppy shakes her head at him but quickly refocuses on Carter. “You mean that?”

“I have the paperwork here.” I draw an envelope from the inside pocket of my suit jacket.

“We all know I don’t read that stuff.” Poppy cracks a tentative smile, reaching for me instead.

Her hug unwinds all the knots in my guts.

“Thank you.” She lifts her face toward me, and I accept her offer.

It’s the sweetest kiss I’ve ever shared with someone.

“Whether or not you want us too,” I whisper against her lips. “You get that, right? It’s not some kind of buyout. Nor a transactional exchange. No strings. This is a gift. An apology. Proof we wouldnevertry to turn you into your mother.”

She yelps as if we’ve hit the sore spot.

Knox is there to catch her when her knees go weak.

“You get it.Me. You really do.” She sniffles as tears slip down her cheeks.

“Of course.” Carter shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “You told us you don’t need to beg for love from someone who doesn’t care enough to stick around. You’ll never have to beg us—or anyone else—for anything ever again. Not only that, we don’t plan to let you go. You can run, but we’ll always follow.”

“Beauty…” A strangled groan escapes as I take a different approach and hope she understands how damn serious I am. How critical it is to me that she knows the truth even if she’s not—or maybe never will be—ready to say the same to me. “Poppy, I love you.”

“Me too.” Knox has fewer words but a ginormous smile that radiates pure bliss. “I do too.”

Carter clears his throat and adds, “From the first moment I saw you, I thought you were made for us. But now I see thatwewere made foryou.”

So close.

She wants to leap, I can sense it through our connection.

And yet…she still hesitates. “Even if I decide never to have a child? Or to keep working on my own dreams outside of the ones we share?”

“Of course.” I’m first to reassure her, especially since she knows I’m desperate for a family. Suddenly, without her, that dream seems incomplete.

“What made you change your minds? It feels a little too good to be true. Just like our weekend. What’s the catch?”

“Gunner told us to pull our heads out of our asses and do this right.” This time Knox’s lopsided grin doesn’t seem to amuse her. She tenses in his hold as if she might bolt after all.

“Gunner?” Poppy’s face drains of color. “He promised he wasn’t going to tell you!”

“Tell us what, beauty?” I tip my head as Carter spins away, aggravated to have been so close and not sealed the deal. “He said you missed us and that we needed to understand you better if we were going to have any shot at loving you.”

“Oh. Yes.” She reaches out to the side as if the room is spinning. “That. Well, then, before you decide to be too perfect, there’s something I need to tell you?—”

Is there someone else?

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