Page 7 of The Prizes We Win
Like I will until the end of time.
Sitting on the edge of the bath, I cup her cheek with my hand, lightly brushing the pad of my thumb across the cut on her cheek. “Hey, Mama.”
“Hey,” she says as she gently wraps her hand around my wrist and says softly, “I’m okay. It’s just from a piece of glass on the ground when he pulled me out of the car.” I try to rein in my anger as the image of her being dragged across the ground plays in my mind. “Honestly, it’ll probably make me look cooler than I already am when it scars.”
She winks in an attempt to calm what I’m sure she knows are my racing thoughts. “You don’t have to worry about it scarring. Doc’s the best at what he does.”
“Well, damn. Maybe I’ll just have to get in another fight,” she says, giving my wrist a gentle squeeze.
“Not on my watch you won’t. Let us do all the fighting for you from now on, okay?”
She chuckles softly. “Not likely. But you can try.” Suddenly her eyes go as wide as saucers, and she asks, “Please tell me I smell lo mein?”
Now it’s me who lets out a low chuckle. “Sure do.” Standing up, I quickly grab the towel she has lying on Sebastian’s sink and hold out my hand. “Come on. Let’s get some food in you.”
Joe stands from the tub, and I take my time watching as each bubble and drop of water cascades down her perfect body and into the tub below before she carefully steps out. I wrap the towel around her, then wrap her in my arms. “Always so eager to take care of me, Dante DeLuca.”
I want to say it. Right here. Right now. I want to tell her how much she means to me, but something is stopping me. I’m not sure whether or not it’s my innate fear of not being able to love her the way she deserves, the fact that all four of us are clearly never returning to a life without Josephine Jenkins at the center of it, or because falling for someone as intensely and as deeply as I am for her means I also have to fear the thought of it all being ripped away from me. And out of everything that has happenedto mein my life, I’m not sure that’s something I could come back from.
So instead, I don’t say it. Not now at least. Instead, I kiss her deeply, pouring all of the unsaid words I can into her. And when the kiss is over, I whisper against her lips, “Always, Josephine Jenkins.”
“Thank you for helping them today,” Josephine says softly as she hugs Ronan goodbye. “For saving me.”
Mac, the big lovebug he is, steals her from his big brother and wraps her in his arms. “Whenever you need us,” he says as he holds her. In any other circumstance, the sight of her touching another man who isn’t Seb, Enzo, Luca, or me would be enough to have me clenching my fists. But the four of them are so deeply in love and obsessed with their wife, Harper, that there is not a cell in my body that is even the slightest bit worried. Actually, it makes me feel that much better knowing she has three more people that would go to bat for her. Three people who would drop everything to ensure she’s okay. There may have been a time where I thought they were doing this simply because we helped them find Harper all those months ago, but as I watch them watch her, I know that they mean every word.
Once Mac finally lets her go, she makes her way over to Finn, who hugs her just as deeply before leaning back and holding her gently by the forearms. I don’t miss the way Finn’s eyes dart to the cut on her cheek before he smiles softly. “Didn’t stand a chance, did he?”
She beams up at him and winks. “Most of them don’t.”
“Should have you come over and give our girl some lessons,” he replies.
“I’d love to,” she answers proudly. “If that night at Kings was any indication, I’m sure she and I would get along just fine.”
“That’s what I’d be worried about,” Ronan says under his breath, and we all smile.
“I’ll get her number from the guys, okay?”
“You got it, Milseán,” Finn says as he gently rubs his palms up and down her arms.
Luca steps forward and wraps his arm around her waist before pulling her back toward us. With the raise of a brow, he asks, “What was that you called her?”
Despite everything in him, I watch as Ronan rubs a hand across his jaw, trying to cover the shit-eating grin covering his face. “Guess you’ll have to find out for yourself. Serves you right for this dickhead always calling Harper, Bella,” he says while pointing at Enzo. Ronan claps Luca on the shoulder before the three of them turn around and head toward the elevator. They offered to stay and help us deal with John, but we could tell they were anxious to get home to Harper. We told them we’d call them when we needed their help after they insisted we at least keep them in the loop.
“Tell Harper to keep an eye out for my text,” Joe says, calling after them.
“Will do, Milseán,” they all say in perfect unison as they turn to face us in the elevator. And just before it closes, Ronan sticks out his middle finger and says, “Bye, Brother.”
And after the colossal shit-fest of a day, and despite the fact that we still have no idea what the fuck is really going on, the five of us stand in front of the elevator, laughing until our sides hurt, and at the center of it all isher.
6
Josephine
The guys came to the unanimous decision that none of them wanted to spend the night without me. So, despite each of them having their own incredibly comfortable and luxurious beds, the five of us are all currently cuddled up in the living room.
Enzo and Sebastian took all of the cushions off the couch and spread them out on the floor in front of it, including every other pillow and blanket they could find. It’s actually surprisingly comfortable. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel better with them all here.
After he assured us he was feeling okay, Sebastian was the first to pass out. He’s lying behind me with his arm draped over my waist. The feeling of his chest rising and falling against my back comforting me. Enzo’s lying behind Sebastian, his face nuzzled in Seb’s neck, and Dante’s lying on his back on the other side ofLuca, with his hands clasped together as they rest on his chest and snoring softly. Luca’s lying next to me, with one arm tucked underneath my head and the other hand resting gently on my cheek. His deep-brown eyes are locked with mine as the two of us lie together, neither of us able to drift off to sleep.
