“I’m glad.” Nick loosened his grip on him, but it was only so Kelly could get her arms around him, too.
They stood there holding each other for what seemed to be an eternity. Kisses were shared between the three of them, sweet and tender, and their tears mixed together in the process.
“Where are the kids?” He asked, glancing over Kelly’s head to stare at the car. “Are they okay?”
“They’re fine,” she replied, wiping at her eyes. “They’re staying with Mrs. H. at the house. We had to come check on you. I was so worried...”
“You were?” His eyes sparkled and a shy grin spread across his lips. “About me?”
“Of course, silly. You don’t think I’d worry about you?” She searched his eyes, her own still glittering with tears. “God, Devin. Anything could have happened to you. You could have died, and...and...”
“The point is, we’re not fans of that idea, so we came to check on you.” Nick’s hand found its way to the back of his neck and he pulled him in for another kiss, lingering there for several long seconds. “I love you, Dev-o.”
Tiny bursts of electric heat tingled inside him and his heart pounded harder than ever before as those words sank into his mind.
Had anyone, aside from his mother, said that to him?
“We both love you,” Kelly chimed as she nuzzled her nose against his neck. “And we’re grateful you’re all right. Oh, if something had happened to you, I’m not sure I could handle it. I’ve already lost one man I loved. I couldn’t go through that again.”
He closed his eyes and allowed their declarations to reverberate in his soul. He had often wondered if he’d ever be worthy of a love like this – never did he dream of the possibility of receiving such love times two.
I am not worthy of this. I don’t deserve them.
“Please don’t cry, Devin. I didn’t say that to make you cry.” Gentle, warm fingertips caressed just beneath his eyes and he sniffed quickly. “Oh, please. I’m sorry. Don’t cry. Please?”
“I’m not crying because of that, Kel,” he managed to whisper in spite of his tears. “I’m crying because...well, this is the happiest moment I’ve experienced in a very long time. You two make me so happy.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” She moved one hand to his cheek, stroking her thumb along his quivering bottom lip. “I hate to see you cry – it makes me want to cry even more.”
“No, please don’t,” he sniffled. “Because I hate to see you cry, too. You’re too beautiful to cry, Kelly.”
“How about you both stop crying?” Nick asked, clearing his throat rather loudly.
Devin may have been mistaken, but it seemed like Nick was on the verge of tears, too.
“Sorry,” he laughed, kissing at Kelly’s thumb. “I’m just...really happy. I love both of you, too. And the kids,” he quickly added. “Kelly, I love those kids so much. I know I’m not an ideal role model for them, but—”
“Nonsense!” She cried, her mouth crashing against his. Kissing him once, twice, three times, she giggled and shook her head. “Devin, stop talking about yourself like that. What have I told you? Just because you used to be terrible doesn’t mean you are anymore. Even if you never remember that man, I want you to know you’re nothing like him.”
“But I am.” His voice became lower and he dropped his gaze to the ground. “And...I do remember. I remember everything.”
Kelly gasped. “What?”
“Everything?” Nick echoed. “All of it?”
“Every last awful bit,” he mumbled, feeling ashamed and disgusted by the arsenal of memories filed away in his brain. Why had he let his father’s abuse mold him into such a terrible person? Why hadn’t he risen above it – became better?
“Hey.” Those same soft, sweet-smelling hands found his face again, resting on either side of it as gorgeous blue eyes sought his. “You are not that person anymore, Devin. So much has changed about you. We’ve all seen it. Lydia and Laney, and even Jeb, has seen it. Don’t you dare let him come back. Do you hear me? You made a promise to Lydia...to all of us. Don’t break it.”
“I don’t want to. God, I wouldn’t dream of it, Kel.” He rested his hands against hers, staring deeply into her eyes and trying his best to convey his sincerity.
He knew the old him didn’t intend to keep the promises he’d made, but that was just that: the old him. The person he was now, memories included, would always be a man of his word.
“I love you,” she whispered, smiling up at him. “This whole adventure between the three of us has been crazy and at times it hasn’t made much sense, but that’s the one thing I know for sure. I love you.” Her eyes wandered to Nick and she held out a hand for him to take. “And I love you. Both of you. I want this to work.”
“Even though I’ve got my memories back?”
“Even though.” She nodded. “That doesn’t matter to me, not anymore.”
“And it never mattered to me.” Nick grinned and wrapped an arm around Kelly’s shoulders, hugging her close. “I knew I was a goner from the moment I first laid eyes on you. That black eye really did it for me...”
His voice trailed off as his eyes swept over him, anger sparking in his dark hues as he surveyed the destruction of Mr. Rose’s fists.
“Yeah, about that,” he commented, palming his tender forehead. “My father and I had some words. Well, he mostly had words. And a lot of punches.”
“Where is he?” Nick’s jawline tightened. “Where is the son of a bitch?”
Rubbing the back of his neck gingerly, he glanced towards his mother and lightly bit at his bottom lip. “Ah, about that...”
—————
Nick
It had been one hell of a day, and he was grateful it was coming to an end.
Since Kelly’s house had suffered quite a bit of damage from the storm—like many other homes in Prairie Town—they had decided to set up camp at his place for the night.
Or maybe the week, if he could convince her.
Mrs. Harrington agreed to spend the night with them and Devin offered to let her sleep in his room, in the brand new bed that hadn’t been touched since the day it was delivered.
Justin and Jamie were both sound asleep in the living room on the hideaway bed. Their little snores and mumbles could be heard from the kitchen, where Kelly was nursing a bottle of wine and he was tending Devin’s fresh battle scars.
“Forgive me for saying this, but it’s probably best your dad was dead before I got in there. I was going to kill him.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Devin replied softly, his eyes never leaving Nick’s face. “I think Karma was out for him. Why else would a tornado hurl a metal rod at him?”
“True.”
Did he believe the rod had ended up in Mr. Rose because of the tornado? Maybe. It was sort of plausible, he supposed. But on the other hand, whoever was responsible for shoving it into his chest – they probably had a good reason for it.
“Ouch,” Devin hissed. “That burns.”
“Stop being a baby, baby,” he chuckled, wiping the small pad over the cut above his eyebrow. “It’ll help it heal faster. And after this, I fully expect you to never get beat up again. Got it?”
“I’ll try not to.”
“Good.”
Devin’s mother had gone to stay with her sister for a few days. He didn’t blame her for that. Her husband was dead and her house was pretty much destroyed; she deserved a few days to herself, to clear her mind and process what had happened.
Devin would need a few days, too, and he anticipated that. No matter how the guy reacted to the death of his father, or the funeral, both he and Kelly would be there for him.
We love him and he loves us, he thought, biting back a happy grin. We’ll always be there for each other.
Dropping the alcohol wipe onto the table, he ran his fingers through Devin’s hair and released a contented sigh, causing both of his lovers to stare at him.
“Ar
e you all right?” Devin asked, his eyes darting back and forth between his.
“Yeah. I’m better than ever,” he replied, nodding. “I’m just glad things didn’t turn out any worse today. I’m glad you’re both here. That all of you are here.”
“We’re happy to be here,” Kelly said, tracing her fingertip over the rim of her wineglass. “And you’re right: today could have been much worse. There are so many people without a place to live right now. It’s going to take a while to rebuild.”
“Well, me and my dad are going to do everything we can to help.”
His father, that stubborn-as-mule bastard, had crawled into the hallway closet at home and narrowly escaped the wrath of the first tornado. His bedroom was pretty much non-existent thanks to the twister, but at least he made it out alive.
“That scared the shit out of me,” he’d said. “Next time I’ll listen to you, son. I promise.”
It didn’t necessarily give him any satisfaction to hear his father admit his error, but he was grateful the old man survived.
Maybe there was still a chance for their relationship after all.
“Lydia’s father-in-law is also recruiting a team of volunteers to come out and help us,” Kelly added, pushing up from the table and approaching them. “Devin, he said he wouldn’t mind a bit if you wanted to assist. He might even pay you for it.”
“But the point of volunteering is not being paid,” he argued, pulling her down on his lap. “And why would he want to let me help? He hates my guts.”
“People change all the time,” she replied sweetly, kissing his cheek. “Just like you.”
He loved watching the affection between the two of them. As Devin cupped the side of her face and pulled her in for a kiss, he put away the first aid kit and began to clear off the table, listening to the happy little giggles escaping their girl.
Their happiness is my happiness.
“All right, you two. Knock it off,” he joked, finishing off Kelly’s glass of wine. “Let’s get to bed. We’ve got an early day ahead of us.”
“Mm, do we have to?” Kelly asked, batting her eyelashes.
“Yes, we do.”
“I am pretty tired,” Devin admitted, patting her rump as she stood up. “And if we’re really going to help rebuild the town, we’ll need our rest.”
“Exactly. So off you two go. I’ll finish up down here.” He nodded towards the doorway and waited patiently for them to exit the room.
It only took about five minutes to clean up the small mess they’d made since returning home. Justin’s favorite plate and Jamie’s sippy cup were placed in the dishwasher – he’d run it first thing in the morning, if he remembered to do so, and the first aid kit was returned to the bathroom because with Devin’s track record, he couldn’t afford to lose it.
He turned off the lights, one by one, and stopped by the hideaway to tuck Justin back beneath the blankets.
Though the kid wasn’t his, he felt a paternal draw to him.
No, he didn’t know the first thing about being a father, but he was willing to try if Kelly would let him.
“Sleep tight, little man,” he whispered, smooching the top of his head.
Jamie received the same before he headed upstairs, feeling exhaustion as it finally caught up to him.
Kelly and Devin were already in bed and he didn’t waste any time in joining them. Peeling off his pants and tossing his shirt on the floor, he crawled in between them and felt like the luckiest son-of-a-bitch alive as two sets of arms wrapped around him.
“Goodnight, my loves,” he whispered, kissing each of them in turn. “Sweet dreams.”
“Goodnight,” Devin mumbled tiredly. “I love you.”
“I love you.” Kelly yawned, and buried her face against his chest.
Closing his eyes, he smiled broadly and pulled them a little closer. Everything was finally just as he’d wanted, all along. His beautiful single mama and his little boy lost were his just as he was theirs, and each other’s.
“I love you two.”
Chapter 21
Devin
He wasn’t sure what time it was when he finally stirred from the best sleep he’d had in ages, but he knew he had to get out of bed because the sound of his phone vibrating on the night stand meant someone needed to talk to him.
It could have been one of his brothers for all he knew, and though he didn’t particularly want to talk to any of them, with what had recently happened, he knew he didn’t have much of a choice.
Carefully, very carefully, he wiggled free from beneath Nick’s arm and slipped out of bed, instantly missing the warmth of the blankets. Glancing down at the sleeping forms of his lovers, he smiled to himself.
I am the luckiest man alive.
His body still ached from the beating he’d taken – but he somehow found comfort in knowing it was the last beating he’d ever get.
Hopefully.
“Hello?” He asked, his voice husky with sleep.
“Devin? This is Doctor Thompson. Good morning.”
“Doctor Thompson?” He echoed, lowering his voice. Hurrying from the room, he stepped out into the hallway and closed the door, clearing his throat and gaining his bearings. “Hi, Doc. Good morning.”
“You sound like you’ve been asleep. Did I wake you? I apologize. It’s only a little past nine; I thought you’d be awake by now.”
“Nine? I didn’t realize it was so late already.” In reality, nine wasn’t late to him. It had been a long day for all of them. They’d earned their right to sleep in. “How are you? Did you get any damage from the tornadoes?”
“I’m fine. My family’s fine,” the doctor replied. “The institute is fine as well. We were very fortunate with the weather yesterday. The storms barely hit us here. But I saw where your area took quite a bit of damage. Are you all right?”
In a sense, there were aspects that weren’t all right. After what he’d been through with his father, and knowing deep in his gut that his mother had done something terrible to keep him safe, things weren’t exactly peachy keen.
But on the other hand, he knew the silver lining wasn’t far away. Life would get better, for all of them.
“I’m good,” he finally said, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. “I’m really good, Doc. We’re all okay.”
“I am glad to hear it. Have you made any progress with your memories? We haven’t had a chance to spend much time together since you left—which I’m not complaining. I don’t blame you for wanting to take a breather from my office, but as your doctor I need to make sure you’re okay.”
“I really am.” He promised, slipping into the bathroom to gaze at his reflection. Upon seeing himself in the mirror, he winced. The fresh bruises on his cheeks and the angry red fingerprints around his neck caused his knees to tremble.
Never again.
“Well, good. That’s all good.” Doctor Thompson sighed heavily. “I suppose I had just hoped that being back in a familiar setting would help jog something, anything.”
He opened his mouth to say it – he wanted to be honest about his recovery, but then a sudden fear overwhelmed him.
What would happen to him, to what he had with Nick and Kelly, if he told the truth?
I would, without a doubt, go to prison.
It’s what he deserved though, wasn’t it? He remembered it all so clearly now. It was just as much his fault as it was his father’s; just as much his fault as it was Mia’s. Even if it was the evil bastard’s plan, and even if Mia was more psychotic and cruel - he’d gone through with it without a second thought. He’d hurt Laney and Benji. He’d put Lydia and Callum through hell.
He had to be held accountable. He had to face the consequences.
“Doctor Thompson, I—”
Strong arms locked around him from behind and his eyes snapped to the mirror again. Nick stood behind him, their gazes connecting.
Though he didn’t say anything, Nick was pleading with his eyes.
And he knew exact
ly what he was trying to tell him.
‘Don’t do it.’
“Yes, Devin?” Doctor Thompson asked after a few beats of silence. “What is it?”
“I...I, um...”
Soft, warm lips caressed the side of his neck and tears glittered in the eyes he’d gotten lost in hundreds of times.
‘Please.’
His voice became lodged in his throat and he found himself incapable of completing the sentence. In fact, all he could do was turn around and wrap an arm around Nick’s body, pulling him closer.
“Stay with us,” Nick whispered into his free ear. “Stay with me.”
“Devin? Are you there? Are you all right?” The doctor asked, concern evident in his voice.
“I love you, Dev-o.” Nick kept his voice low, probably to keep the doctor from hearing him. As his lips landed against his cheek and a tear splashed against his jaw, it took everything in Devin to keep from breaking down. “Don’t.”
No matter how guilty it made him feel for withholding the truth about his memories, he knew he couldn’t live with himself if he hurt Nick in such a way. He would never forgive himself for abandoning the love he’d found with the two of them.
I can’t leave Jamie and Justin.
His fingertips dug into Nick’s side as he sucked in a quick breath and collected his emotions. It probably wouldn’t make sense to anyone else, but the truth had never been more profoundly clear.
In spite of his need to be honest, and despite his promise to be a changed man, he couldn’t do the right thing—the honorable thing—because he knew how much it would hurt the two people he loved most.
“Devin, please talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong,” Doctor Thompson prompted. “That’s what I’m here for. You can tell me anything.”
“I’m still here, Doc,” he murmured, resting his forehead against Nick’s. “Sorry about that. I just, uh, I just wanted to tell you that I’m feeling much better and I’m still working hard to remember. Maybe someday I will.”
“Oh.” A sigh of relief sounded from the man on the other end of the line. “That’s all right, truly. I understand you may still feel frustration from time to time, but patience will eventually pay off. I’ve got big hopes for you, Mr. Rose. But, if I may add, coming to see me at least once a month will greatly improve your chances.”
The Lost Days (Prairie Town Book 3) Page 35