Page 33 of Yours To Keep
“Every female in this house knows you pierced your clit, Kelsea Blake. Do you really think they haven’t told their husbands?” Everett says, still laughing.
“She did what?!” Dalton gasps, but I see the mischievous look he’s trying to hide.
“Oh, she did,” I smirk, and I watch his eyes darken as he looks up and down my body. “Don’t even think about it!”
“Oh, I’m already thinking about it, angel. But why ruin a fucking masterpiece?” He whispers, kissing the side of my head. I can’t help but smile when he says sweet things like that. They’re so simple and nonchalant to him, like he doesn’t even have to think about being the most perfect man that’s ever lived. But to me, a woman starved for love and kindness from a man who treats me like I’m precious to him, those moments are everything.
“We all know now! Moving along!” Ember shouts, coming into the kitchen with Scarlett balanced on one hip. I’ve watched Ember grow into such an incredible mother, it still amazes me to this day how quickly the future we always dreamed of sneaks up on us.
“Uh, no. We did not all know. But we do now!” Dalton says, smirking at the accomplished grin on Everett’s face. Kelsea’s face is bright red, but she still gives her husband a playful laugh.
A deep, throaty grunt comes from the open door leading to the basement. Breaker stands in the doorway, a stern look on his face. He jerks his head and the men follow behind him down the stairs. Dalton places a sweet kiss on my temple before jogging down the steps. I can feel the tension, heavy like a weight in my chest. Am I responsible for all of this? Logically, no. I know I didn’t ask for any of this, but the guilt is still eating at me.
“Well, here we all are. All of us. Here.” Ember rambles, looking anywhere but at my face. I know they wanna grill me, but they won’t. Not unless I open the door to it.
“Let me have it,” I say, smirking back at them.
“Oh, thank god! I was worried we were gonna have to small talk about a bunch of bullshit when all we really wanna know is if Iris is folding you like a lawn chair on the daily,” Rory blurts out, and Kelsea barks out a laugh.
“Jesus Christ, Aurora,” Ember says, rubbing her forehead, completely exasperated by Rory’s brash attitude.
“What?! We were all thinking it!” Rory says with a shrug.
“He… I’ll just say he definitely exceeds the hype. Not just in the bedroom, though.” I think back to the way he wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my stomach this morning while I was reading. I’ve never been one for physical affection, but I could’ve stayed in that bed for days, just letting him hold me.
“Iris is a good man. Sometimes a silly goose, but always a good man,” Ember adds.
“A silly goose? Are you three?” Kelsea asks, and Ember just laughs.
“Listen, the twins are starting to make adorable toddler sounds, ok? We can almost understand them now and the last thing I need is for them to call Uncle Iris a dipshit or something like that!” Ember says, taking a sip of her drink.
“He is a good man. I don’t think I’ve ever known someone who would be so willing to put themselves in danger for me. Sometimes it’s still crazy to me,” I say, shaking my head and picking at the sleeves of my hoodie.
“Why? You’re more than worth every ounce of effort, Magnolia. Iris should be literally bowing at your feet,” Kelsea says, and I scoff.
“All I’m saying is, even if this is temporary, I’m happy to be where I am now.” I say, staring at the closed basement door.
“Why would it be temporary?” Rory asks.
“How could it not be? The only reason he agreed to our arrangement in the first place was just to help me, not because he actually had feelings for me. You know what they say about people in traumatic situations. As soon as the world calms down, the excitement dies. I’m not naïve enough to believe we’re actually endgame. I would love for that to be the case, but I don’twant to count on it. Honestly, I’m terrified to believe him.” I say, drowning in self-pity at this point. The girls are silent for a while, exchanging looks I can’t quite decipher.
“Are you high?!” Aurora finally asks, and Kelsea snorts. “No really, are you? Do you think any of us thought ourhusbandswere endgame? No, none of these men were ever the type to ‘settle down’. But look where we are now, practically the Stepford wives in here!”
Kelsea laughs loudly at that, and Ember rolls her eyes.
“Nobody in this room is Stepford level, but still. You’re selling yourself short, babe. You are an amazing woman and any man would be lucky to have you. If Iris is the one you want, then take him. Because we all have eyes, honey. The man is gone for you,” Kelsea says, and I give her a confused look.
Did he really mean the things he said to me in the car earlier? Am I truly worth it to him? It terrifies me to even consider getting my hopes up over something like that. But if I’m being honest, there isn’t anything I want more than for that man to wrap his arms around me and never let me go.
sixteen
“I’m notsure any of us really realize how deep in the bullshit we are now,” Breaker says, huffing an exhausted breath as he pulls up several screens of emails and data. “Not only is this Aaron asshole a fucking weasel, he’s also committing several insider trading felonies, political crimes, and at least a half dozen other white-collar crimes that could get him put away from the rest of his life.”
“Any idea why all this shit leads back to Magnolia?” I ask, tension building in my shoulders.
“Unfortunately, she’s a key player. She just doesn’t know it,” Breaker says, highlighting a section of emails between Adam and Patricia Monroe.
I read the back and forth of a conversation where Magnolia’s mother seems to barter with Aaron. He’s offering her a huge slice of stock in his father’s company in exchange for her daughter. She’ll be a rich woman and he’ll have a pretty heiress on his arm until they can eliminate Magnolia’s father from the equation and split the large sum Magnolia would inherit. This is borderline Regency Era, selling your kid to the highest bidder,and it makes me fucking sick to think Magnolia actually came from this woman.
