Page 237 of Second Sets Omnibus
“Like we always did, brother,” I murmur, squeezing back.
Finally, our hands drop to our sides.
“I bet Callum has some cream for those bruises somewhere in this place. It will help take some of the pain away if you still have any.”
He shrugs, rubbing the back of his neck.
I know what he’s thinking by the sadness clouding his eyes. He doesn’t want it. He wants to suffer because he wants theremnants of what we did to him to remind him every day that he fucked up.
“Don’t worry about it,” he says, waving a hand. “Have a good night. I’m heading back to bed.”
“Thanks for taking such good care of Ly,” I say, catching him before he leaves the room. “You’re not a bad guy, Asher. You just made a shit decision.”
He gives a humorless laugh. “Yeah. I am a bad guy, though. That’s the problem.”
“But you wouldn’t do it again, right?”
His shoulders stiffen, and he shakes his head. “Fuck no. Never again.” He scratches his neck. “I’ve felt empty as fuck, and I finally feel full again just being around them. Being with Ly and having her call me daddy. It’s bringing me back from the grave I put myself into.” He heaves a breath as his watery eyes meet mine.
“You and me both. I love ya, Ash. I know we still have a lot to work out,” I say, giving him a respectful nod and heading to my bedroom.
When I enter, I stop dead at the dress pooled on the ground and River sitting on the edge of the bed in my oversized T-shirt. How the fuck am I supposed to keep my hands to myself all night long?
My heart fills with so much love when I change into my sweats and climb into bed. Lyric’s sleeping form rests between us, snoring.
“Should I tell her she snores, too?” I murmur, marveling at her little face.
River snorts, snuggling close to Ly. “She’ll fight you tooth and nail,” she murmurs, giggling. “Like father, like daughter.” I swear my chest puffs out a million times more at the thought of Lyric gaining my stubborn streak.
“Night, River Blue.”
“Night, Knight,” she whispers with a whimsical smile crossing her lips. “See you in the morning.”
What the hellis going on with me? I promised I wouldn’t cave, but goddamn, I’m falling into the darkness with only them as my guides. Again! It’s so easy falling back into their arms. It’s like time never slipped away from us.
Even as I sit in the basement, remarkably similar to Callum’s old house, watching the boys jam out with smiles on their faces. For the first damn time, joy ignites in them. Completely different from a few weeks ago.
Lyric dances before me, lip-syncing the lyrics to the song she’s memorized from years before.
“Again!” she yelps, stomping impatiently, staring at me until I relent.
The last thing I want to do is subject myself to Kieran’s sultry voice. But I can’t deny those big, weeping eyes staring daggers into me.
“If you say please,” I murmur, hovering my finger above the first song of their new album.
“Pwease, Mommy. I want to listen to daddies sing!” Yup. I’m whipped despite hating the voices blasting through the speakers of our home.
“Okay, one more time.” Let the record show it wasn’t one more time. It was twelve more times that day and beyond. Every day from then on out, Lyric demanded Whispered Words on repeat. I tuned it out as best I could, but you can only do it for so long.
“Hold on,” Kieran says, raising a hand. The loud music dies down as the guys watch him with curious gazes. “Come here, Little Blue,” he says with a grin, curling a finger in her direction. She doesn’t hesitate a second, barreling into Kieran’s legs with a squeal. “I see you’re singing. Do you know all the words to this one?”
“Every song, Daddy,” she says with a huge grin and a clap. Kieran quirks a brow in my direction. I nod, biting the inside of my cheek. No way in hell am I admitting our spawn forced me to listen to them every damn day until I fell asleep to their voices rattling inside my brain. Nope. Not gonna happen. “I listened to them every day!” she whispers directly into the microphone, letting everyone hear our dirty little secret.
My cheeks heat when all their eyes fall on me. Can the ground please swallow me up, I’ll never hear the end of this shit. Not until I’m six feet deep with flowers blooming above my decaying body.
“Every day?” Rad grins, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Fucker.
