Page 95 of Promiscuous Lies

“How is Bentley?” he asks, changing the subject.

“He’s good. He’s showing your mother his room.”

He nods, and I notice he’s changed his clothes.

“Did you get blood on your other clothes?” I ask, nodding to his shirt. He smirks and glances at me as he hooks an arm over my shoulders and leads me back to the house. Dawson is standing by the door, waiting. He and Dutton exchange a brief glance and nod as if silently communicating something.

“Did you save me some food? I’m starving,” he says to his father. I go to slip into the kitchen to grab him a plate, but he grabs me around the waist and pulls me into him. “Stop worrying. I got you.” And for the first time, I believe that.

“Come in and eat,” Dawson says.

I step back just as Dutton kisses my forehead and whispers, “I’d rather have my dessert.” And I know exactly what he’s talking about. Shaking my head, I turn and walk to the kitchen. His arm stays around my waist.

I decide to leave Dutton and Dawson alone in the kitchen to speak for a few minutes, and I go check up on Bentley. It’s late in the evening, close to Bentley’s bedtime. Honey is sitting on the bed with him, reading a book. She glances up when I walk in.

“Dutton loved me reading to him every night,” she explains. Bentley is rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“Can Mrs. Honey finish the story before the bath?” he asks.

“Sure, sweetie.” I smile at him and then step back into the hallway. When I do, Dutton is there, grabbing me from behind and turning me before his soft lips, which are known to be ruthless when speaking to others, land on mine in a gentle kiss. When he kisses me, he takes my breath away, and I can’t help but press into him. He cups my cheek tenderly, being careful of my jaw. When he ends the kiss, he looks down at me.

“Marry me,” he whispers. This time, I smile at him and shake my head.

“Stop asking me like that.”

He raises a brow in question.

“She wants you to get on one knee and make it romantic,” Honey calls out from the bedroom. I cover my mouth with my hand to stop the laughter as Dutton frowns.

“Romantic?” he asks. “I suck at romance.”

I lay my hand on his chest.

“You actually don’t. So try harder, and the answer might be different.” I grin up at him before I step out of his grasp.

“That’s just teasing,” he grumbles, following me back to where his father is seated in the kitchen. Having these two powerful men in my small home feels strange, but I’m realizing it’s something I’ll have to get used to.

CHAPTER 50

Dutton

SIX MONTHS LATER…

“Hooray!” Everyone claps and cheers as Bentley blows out the candles on his birthday cake. He’s lost his front tooth, and I was scolded when I tried to put a hundred-dollar bill under his pillow. Apparently, the Tooth Fairy isn’t so flush with cash. So fuck the Tooth Fairy. I bought him the newest Transformers LEGO set instead so that I could get credit for it.

Bentley claps his hands excitedly as I hold Posie from behind while she takes photos. My mother helps Bentley cut the cake.

We’re in the backyard of my brownstone. Ultimately, we gave Bentley the choice as to where he’d like to live, and he wanted this one because he thought it was cool that it had a fireplace. I felt rather smug at having them installed.

It also felt like a fresh start for me and Posie.

After everything that happened with her ex, we needed it. Eli tells me that everything with the Boston Delinquents has been going swimmingly.

“We need more plates,” my mother says, and I release Posie, kissing her on the cheek.

“I’ll go grab some.” I excuse myself, nodding to Will and Alina, who have been traveling so much lately that we haven’t seen much of them, so it was nice that they could make it today. Especially for my mother since she and Alina have been good friends for so long.

I walk through the back door into the kitchen and hear it before I see it.

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