Page 61 of Their Virgins Secret

The tears coursed down her face. She’d hurt them, made them worry about their relationship with their son. Made them doubt what they needed. God, she hadn’t meant to.

“We can only try, Burke. We’re going to love him. We’re going to be the best fathers we can, and that starts with cutting back on work. We can’t risk ourselves anymore. He needs us. Even if Jessa doesn’t want us around, we have to be here for him. I love Jessa, but I owe this child. ”

They wouldn’t leave Caleb—or her—again. Deep down she’d known it all along. She’d known that they would be good fathers, but she was still afraid that the only reason they would settle down would be for Caleb’s sake, and she wanted to mean more to them than a successful breeder. Her fear and insecurity was roaring in her head. And a single quiet voice spoke below it. A little whisper.

You are more than that.

She’d let her grief and fear lead her. She was allowing her need to protect herself to keep her from them.

But she wasn’t the girl who was going to let fear trump happiness. She was a woman who knew what she wanted. She’d been brave enough a year ago to take them on, and damn the consequences, because she knew that it was better to try than to regret. She’d turned away privilege and money because they came at too high a cost. She’d been braver in the past. She’d been a woman two men could fall in love with. She’d been enough for them.

If she’d dig for a little courage, she could be enough for them again. She had to dig for it. She didn’t want to give them up, either.

Cole finally passed Caleb to Burke, whose arms curled around his tiny body. His lips curled up in a smile.

“Hey, buddy. We’re your dads. You’re lucky. You got two. We’re not very smart, but we’re tenacious. We won’t let you down. ” Burke kissed his forehead.

“And we won’t give up on your momma. We’re going to be patient. We’re going to show her. We’ll move. We’ll buy a house close to you. We’ll build another business, one that won’t take us away from you. ”

Jessa pressed on the door, pushing it completely open with a little smile. She was done with fear and doubt. She was done with pessimism. She was going to live her life the way she wanted, with hope in her heart. She was going to be the mother Caleb deserved—a brave woman who followed her heart and didn’t regret. If it all went wrong, then at least she’d know that she tried. She would open her heart to love because that was the only way to find it.

“Jessa?”

She moved to the doorway, revealing herself. “Hi. ”

“Hi yourself, sweetheart. ”

God, they were so beautiful it hurt. Her two men had traveled a hard road, too, looking for so long for a woman who could accept them as they were. They had never compromised. They had held fast, looking for what they needed.

They’d decided what they needed was her. Jessa’s heart skipped. She was taking a leap. They could decide tomorrow that they’d rather return to their dangerous lives. They could decide they didn’t really want her, after all. The world could end. Any number of things could happen, but she only had control over what she did. At the end of her life, she would only be able to look back on what she had done and find some modicum of pride. She would be damn proud that she’d stepped out of her shell and tried to be brave. She would be proud that she’d loved with her whole heart. She would love them until she took her last breath. Then she would love them more.

“Come to bed. ”

The rocking stopped.

“Jessa?” Cole froze, stared.

It was funny that other people couldn’t tell them apart. It was so obvious to her. “Are you going to make love to me or are you just going to rock our son and say my name?”

“You didn’t want us earlier. ” Cole stood.

Burke remained rocking, as though he wasn’t sure what to do about the baby in his arms. “We should talk about this. ”

“I still don’t want to talk. I want to make love. I want to lose myself in your arms. ” She grinned, the love she felt for them suddenly light and buoyant. It was crazy, but jumping off the edge of her cliff of fear felt…good.

“I love you both,” she murmured. “I want us to be a family, and I won’t force you to move. I can handle it here in Texas. I can two-step and eat steaks. ” There was one thing she was immovable on. “But you’re finding a new secretary. ”

Cole nodded, easing closer. “Fuck, yeah. We kind of left her tied up and gagged. I’m sure someone is going to find her tomorrow. They have a maid staff at the motel, right?”

“You left her tied up in our motel room?” Jessa stared, stunned.

Burke flushed. “Yeah. I wasn’t sure what else to do. Maybe we should call someone. ”

Maybe they should stop what they were doing and call someone to help out the woman who had kept them apart and tried to have her killed and attempted to steal one of her men? Hilary could rot…until the police came for her. “Put Caleb to bed, Burke. His parents need to be together. ”

Burke stood, his movements slow and steady. He would get more sure of himself, of that she had no doubt, but she would always remember this time when he treated Caleb like a precious, fragile gift.

Cole pulled a blanket over the sleeping baby’s body, then both men turned to her. She backed up, drawing them into her room.

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