Page 33 of Letters to the Lost

“Thank you, but I think the others would have agreed with you.”

“Maybe, but I wasn’t going to take the risk. Nearly losing you destroyed me Cupcake. If I lost you because we didn’t allow you the opportunity to try to heal like you have, I would have burned everything to the ground before I followed you,” he tells me, completely seriously as he looks me in the eyes.

I open my mouth to reply but a thunderous voice interrupts.

“What the fuck are you doing here Dominic?!” Dad's voice booms from the doors. An angry-looking Brenn stands behind him, his arms crossed over his chest as he narrows his eyes at Dominic.

“He was keeping me safe,” I tell them, standing slightly in front of Dominic’s tall frame. Not like it could stop them if they wanted to do anything, but it’s my first day of freedom in six weeks and I just want to get home and see the rest of my men.

“I’ve had men here keeping you safe,” Dad argues.

“And if you just let him explain once we’re home, he’ll explain everything. I just want to get home now please.” I’m already moving past them to the car waiting for us, my bag clutched tightly in my hands, “Hi, Brother Bear.”.

Brenn’s eyes still fixated on Dominic as he quietly argues with Dad.

“Hi, Mon Petit Ours. I’ve missed you,” he pulls me in for a tight hug.

“You look tired,” I chastise, taking in the dark purple bruises under his eyes, his brown hair is messier than normal, and his blue eyes are dull “Have you been sleeping?”

“I’ll be fine, now you are home. I just struggled to sleep without you there. I worried the whole time.”

“Hey, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere,” I tell him, patting him on the back and attempting to soothe him.

“Come on, let’s get you home.” He pulls back, discreetly wiping under his shining eyes, dragging me to the car and grabbing my bag from me.

“Get in,” he nods to the car door, rounding the SUV and climbing into the passenger seat.

Dominic and Dad follow shortly after, climbing into the car, Dad driving while Dominic seats himself directly next to me. An uncomfortable silence fills the car as we make the long drive home, none of us daring to speak. Dad’s face is still thunderous, and Brenn passes out not even thirty minutes into driving.

Finally, after a long and tense car ride, we pull up outside of the house. The sky is an array of orange and red, casting the house in a glow.

“Happy to be home?” Brenn asks me as he turns around in his seat to look at me, looking a little less tired than earlier.

“Sure,” I tell him, the nerves clear in my voice as I twist the fabric on my sleeve around my finger, a hole appearing from weeks of repetitive action.

“Come on, let’s just go inside,” Dominic says as he exits the car, walking around to my side to help me out.

“I am so fucking happy you’re home! I’ve missed you!” Atlas shouts as he spins me in his arms before he lets my feet touch the ground and then pulls me in for a heated kiss.

“I missed you too,” I whisper against his lips, kissing him again. Tears spring to my eyes as I look at my men, all of them looking tired like they haven’t slept since I left.

“Hey Babygirl,” Tobias says from behind me as he spins me around into his arms, stealing me from Atlas. He pulls me into a bone-crushing hug, his arms banded around me as he buries his head into my neck.

“Hey Spider-Man,” I mumble into his shirt, holding on to the material as I hold him just as tight.

“Come sit down and tell us about how it went,”Dad interrupts, pulling me from Tobias’s grasp and leading me to the sofa. Zander and Sebastian steal a quick kiss before I’m made to sit on the sofa.

Plopping down, I bury myself into the cushions, a fluffy throw-over is laid on my lap from Sebastian, a lopsided grin on his face as he does. His reddish-brown hair is shorter than when I last saw him but somehow just as messy.

“You cut it.” I smile up at him, loving being surrounded by all of my men again.

“I did, but I must admit that Zander made me. He threatened to shave it off in my sleep if I didn’t.” Zander's deep laugh sounds from just behind me as he mutters a ‘too right’ under his breath.

“I like it.”

I breathe out, finally feeling the last of the nerves that have sat in my gut for the last five weeks disperse.

Zander’s face appears over the back of the couch into my line of vision, his upside-down goofy grin bringing a wide smile to my face.

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