Page 66 of Stone

We are all together.

As if unable to help himself, he pulls me against him until our chests collide. It’s clear I’m taller and broader than him, but in this moment, he feels like the strongest man in the world. Then he raises me up to stand beside him.

The familiar scent of my mother’s perfume has me tilting my head to see the woman who appeared in my dreams, chasing away my nightmares and filling me with hope without realizing it.

Her features are older than I remember. There’s nervousness in her eyes, more silver streaks in her signature bun, but there’s comfort there too. There always was.

“Son?” Her soft hand grazes my cheek while the other clutches her heart, as if it pains her to do so, and tears stream down her face onto the gravel. I close my eyes at the force behind her gentle touch as it strikes me in the chest, rendering me breathless.

“I’ll always help take away the pain, son,” she whispers as she tenderly lays a Band-Aid on my torn-up knee.

“Is he okay?” Con peeks his head around the doorframe, guilt coating his features. He pushed the skateboard too hard, and I flew off, hitting the ground with a nasty thud.

Ma turns to face him, and she smiles softly, then ruffles his hair. “He’ll be fine. He has his big brothers to protect him.”

Con steps into the kitchen, widens his stance, and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’ll never let anyone hurt him. Ever.”

The memory twists in my stomach, knowing how they failed so miserably, and when I find the strength to reopen my eyes, her face is full of wonderment, and her bottom lip trembles. “You’re here,” she whispers in disbelief, and I can only nod in response.

I want to tell them I was hurt, and they never came. I want to tell them I was in pain and screaming for mercy, but I see the pain reflected in their eyes. I see it and embrace it, swallowing back my own. My family are good, caring people who mourned me, and ultimately, they want me.

My dry throat is scratchy, and I clear it to speak. “I’m here, Ma.” Relief. Her face floods with relief as if she was ready to be rejected, and I hate that. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Calling her ma is familiar and natural to me, and reassurance spreads through me as my brothers create a circle around us. Their clear sign of support and protection encompasses me, creating a shudder. Her small hand entwines with mine, anchoring me with their strength.

Oscar was right; I can trust them. They’re here for me.

They’re family.

Every ounce of feeling like never belonging slips from me in the blink of an eye.

And like that, I’m home.

Their light has led me through the darkness, bringing us together.

The hell, the torture, every nightmare I ever endured, has brought me to this moment.

But as Sienna’s teary smile catches my eye, I know I wouldn’t change a damn thing about how I got here.

“Sometimes, we have to search inside us and follow the beat of our heart. If you listen hard enough, it can guide us home.”

THE END

Epilogue

Sienna

Creeping into the nursery, I smile to myself as Eli and Evie snuggle together. Stone adjusts their nightlight, and a smooth lullaby starts playing as the illuminated animals dance across their bedroom ceiling. Their soft, contented coos fill the room, their eyes become sleepy, and they nuzzle into one another, seeking comfort. They’re seven weeks old now, and Eli dwarfs his little sister in the crib. He will become her biggest protector.

Stone’s thick hand bands around my throat, and he tugs me back against his chest. “Look what beautiful babies we make, Sienna!”

A moan escapes me as I smile against his hold. I love this side of him, the dominant and controlling part of him that he tries to keep locked down but fails epically when it comes to sex. It’s like his mind takes over his body, and he becomes feral in his need to consume me.

And I’m here for it. Jeez, am I here for it.

My panties pool with arousal, and he walks us backward toward the door. As soon as we’re in the hallway, he spins mearound to face him, and the gleam in his eyes is my undoing. I reach up on my tiptoes and crash my lips against his, then wrap my arms around his neck. He moves quickly, lifting my sundress over my head, and I unclip my nursing bra, desperate to feel him there too. The ache in my breasts to provide for him is as strong as it is for the babies. “Fuck, Si,” he groans as he pops open his jeans and frees his cock from his boxers while I slide my panties down to the floor.

Then he lifts me up against the wall, and with no preparation, he slams me down on his length, causing my head to fall against the plaster on a whine. “Fuck, you’re so tight, Princess.”

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