Page 33 of Treasured By 3

“Why?”

“Your father,” he sighs. “Chase is all worried about him taking you away or hurting you.”

I roll my eyes. “He’s lost so much of himself because of drinking. I don’t know what his memory is like, I don’t know-”

Hunter covers my mouth. “That’s the problem. There’s too much we don’t know. None of us like not knowing.”

“Good to know those control issues haven’t budged,” I say against his palm.

“I know you’re sassing me,” he pulls his hand away and kisses me again. “How about we get your mother, Vanya, and Josefine together and have a conversation about things?”

“Josefine is taking care of some business in Denmark. She won’t be back until the end of the week,” I mumble.

“We’ll set it up for then,” he decides.

Hunter and I go out for lunch, but he insists on leaving a note for Chase and Lief. I go on a date with Chase, trying to shake some worry off him with laser tag. It doesn’t seem to help. Even after beating everyone else, I can tell he’s brooding.

“Chase, everything’s going to be okay. We’re all going to be at the altar. You guys will be each other’s best men, and we’ll find the officiant,” I promise as we head home.

“I’m not willing to take the risk that we’re overlooking some danger as far as you’re concerned,” he grumbles.

“You can’t control everything, even if we all wish we could. Sometimes, we just have to believe things will turn out correctly,” I say. “I’m not letting anything in this world keep me from marrying you three.”

Chase looks at me for a long moment, then sighs. “I know it seems ridiculous, but you matter to me. I know my name doesn’t invite a lot of friends and with your parents not approving of this-”

“I’m getting all the moms together to talk to them when Josefine gets back. My mom is either going to get on board or be kept in the dark. Those are the only two options, okay?” I ask.

He sighs. “It’ll have to do.”

When we pull into the driveway, I climb onto his lap. “You love me, right?”

“Of course I do, baby doll.”

“And you trust me,” I say as I undo some buttons on his shirt.

“Yes,” he agrees.

“Trust me now. I will be at that altar. After everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve survived, I’m expecting you three to be there, too. We’ll get married, have a fun and exhausting reception, then fly to Rio to enjoy a luxurious honeymoon with no worries at all,” I swear.

He presses his forehead to mine. “You’re too convincing for your own good.”

“You know it helps,” I argue, kissing his lips.

The next day Lief and I get our date–walking through a museum together as we exchange fun facts–and then it’s the weekend.

We meet for lunch and get the V.I.P. room for some privacy. Josefine gushes about the venue and the invitations, telling me how excited she is, while Vanya’s more withdrawn. She shrugs. “Hunter hasn’t spoken to me since we were all wedding planning at the mansion. I don’t believe he wants me there.”

“You two have been making a lot of progress, but it is a process, Vanya. He’s not used to being mothered, doesn’t know how to cope with it, and he’s not the same little boy you left. It will take time for you two,” I assure her.

My mother walks in, her eyes bloodshot and tired. She sits between Josefine and Vanya before giving a nervous smile. My face loses its warmth. I know it right away. Vanya gives me a proud smile, then leans back.

“Mother, is there a reason you told your husband where I live?” I ask.

She pales. “He ... he just asked how you were, if you were still being held hostage. I said you were never a hostage. I don’t know how, but I thought if you could just prove that you weren’t, he’d be done and ...”

“He showed up! He tried to take me from Lief. We had to threaten him with the police,” I say, leaving out the other threats.

“I’m sorry,” she replies. “I just..”

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