by Nikki Ash
“Years?” I knew Brenton sold drugs in high school, but why would it have taken Keegan that long to put him away?
Kolton sighed. “There’s something you need to know, but I need you to keep it between us until Keegan speaks with Blakely. He wants to be the one to explain it to her.”
“Great. More secrets. If you’re not supposed to tell me, then don’t.” I stand, and Kolton stands with me. “I don’t know why I even came here.” Liar! You came here because you love him and miss him and need him to make it right because even though what he did was wrong, you can’t imagine your life without him.
“Sierra.” He grabs my hips and tugs me toward him. “You came here because you love me, and despite how hurt you are, you know that whatever happened was done to protect you and your sister and Zane. You can try to push me away to protect your heart, but you know I would never do anything to hurt you.”
Jesus, it’s like he has insight into my head and heart…
One of his hands glides up my side and cups my cheek. “I love you so goddamn much, and even though I hate how you and Blakely found out, I wouldn’t change a single thing because what Keegan did was to protect the three of you.” He swallows thickly. “And…” Tears well up in his eyes and then tip over, racing down his face. “He did it for me too.”
My heart tightens in my chest. I don’t understand what he means, but I can feel it in his words and in the way he’s touching me. In the way he’s looking at me. How upset he is over all of this. He means what he’s saying, and he’s right. He’s not my father. He’s nothing like him, and it’s not fair to compare Kolton to him.
“I’ll tell you everything…”
“No,” I breathe. “I… I trust you,” I choke out. “I was shocked and scared, and I felt so damn stupid. But you’re right, you aren’t my father. Neither you nor Keegan are. And yes, I do love you. So, even though I’m upset, I’m not going anywhere. I want to be with you. Whatever the reason Keegan did what he did, and your family supported him, I believe you. That it was done, not to throw us into the fire, but to save us from it.”
Kolton sighs a breath of relief, and then shocks the hell out of me with his next words. “Move in with me. I don’t want to be without you. I don’t want to wake up or go to bed without you. I want to spend my life with you. I wanted to ask you weeks ago, but with Keegan here and everything going on, I didn’t want to ask you while hiding shit from you.”
“Technically, you’re still hiding things from me,” I sass.
He nods. “Only because you don’t want to lie to your sister. Otherwise, I would tell you everything now.”
“I want to move in with you.” Kolton’s eyes go wide in surprise. “But I need to speak to Blakely first and see how she feels. If she doesn’t forgive Keegan—”
“She will,” Kolton says. “I know she will. They love each other, and when you love someone like that, you don’t throw in the towel that easily.”
I nod in agreement. “I can’t move out if she isn’t taken care of. I pay the bills, so she needs me.”
“You can keep paying them.” Kolton presses his lips to mine. “I’ll take care of everything. In May, I’m graduating, and if all goes as planned, I’ll be working at the college full-time. I can afford to pay our bills. I just want you in my bed with me every night.”
“I want that too,” I murmur against his mouth. “I just need a little time.”
“Off work today?” Blakely asks when she and Zane walk through the door. I was technically off, but like always, I had to go in and take care of shit. I considered going back after Kolton and I talked, but instead, I came home so I could wait for Blakely.
“Yeah, I spoke to Kolton. He said Brenton approached you. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay.” She pauses and glances at Zane. “Hey, sweetie, go potty and get ready for your nap, please.”
“Okay, Mommy!” he says like the good boy he is, before running down the hallway.
“I can’t believe he actually thought he’d apologize, and I’d forgive him,” Blakely says once Zane is out of earshot, referring to Brenton.
“I can’t believe he was doing that shit right under our noses.” I huff. “I feel as stupid as you do. You know he used to sell when we were in high school?”
“What? No, I didn’t know that.”
“Yep, but I just thought it was him being a stupid teenager. I never thought he would continue.”
“He thinks I’m going to come around, but it’s not happening.”
“Kolton mentioned you and Zane moving in with Keegan. He said it would be safer.”
“What else did he say?”
“That’s it. He wanted to explain the entire story, but he said he can’t until Keegan speaks to you. They feel you deserve to know the truth first.” The truth is, he wanted to tell me, but I wanted to wait. Blakely deserves to know the truth first.
“I was thinking about talking to him,” Blakely admits. “To at least hear him out.”
“I won’t tell you what to do, but I think that would be a good idea.”
“And if we moved into Keegan’s place, would you move with us?”
Shit! I wasn’t planning to say anything about Kolton asking me to move in with him yet, but I can’t lie to her… I won’t.
“S?”
“I was…” I take a deep breath, trying not to appear too excited. I don’t want her to base her decisions on me. “I was actually thinking I could move in with Kolton.”
Blakely’s eyes bug out. “He asked you to move in with him?”
“He did. He said the only reason he didn’t ask sooner was because of everything going on, but now that it’s done, he wants me to move in. But I told him I had to speak to you first.”
“I would never keep you from moving in with him,” she says softly.
“Are you upset?” I stand and walk over to her. Blakely and Zane will always come first. If she doesn’t want me to move, I won’t.
“No… I guess I’m just a little sad. It seems like everything is changing. I just learned Keegan is a cop, and now you’re talking about moving in with your boyfriend. Brenton was my best friend for years, and now he’s being cut out of my life. It’s just a lot to take in, you know?”
“I know.”
“Mommy! I’m ready for bed,” Zane yells, making Blakely and me laugh.
“I wonder if all kids love to nap the way Zane does.”
“I doubt it,” I tell her. “Watch, you’ll have another kid one day, and he or she will despise naptime, and you’ll never have a moment to yourself.”
“Wow, you’re not only knocking me up, but you’re cursing me. Thanks.” She stands to go tuck Zane into bed, and there’s a knock on the door.
“I’ll grab it while you tuck him in,” I offer, already heading to the door.
I open it up and find Brenton standing there, only before I can yell at him and tell him to go fuck himself, an officer steps between us. “Sir, there’s a restraining order.” The officer hands him a piece of paper. “If you come within fifteen hundred feet of Blakely, Sierra, or Zane Jacobs, you will be arrested. This is your one and only warning.”
“This is bullshit,” Brenton hisses, but does as the officer says and walks away.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
He nods once. “Someone will always be here to make sure you’re safe.”
“Who was it?” Blakely asks as I close the door.
“Brenton.”
“What? He came here?”
“Yeah, but he only made it to knock on the door before a police officer stopped him and made him leave.”
“I think maybe I should take Keegan up on his offer to move in there with Zane.”
“I think so too,” I agree. Even if they can’t make it work, I know Keegan will keep them safe.
“I’m going to speak to Keegan today. Let him explain. I don’t know where we’ll stand afterward, but at least that way you and Kolton can move forward.”
Chapter Twelve
Kolton
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I jump up and sprint to the door, hoping like hell it’s Sierra. She texted me earlier that she was watching Zane so Blakely and Keegan could talk. Then, a few minutes ago, Keegan sent me a text that said he told Blakely everything, and they’re okay. I was dying to text Sierra to ask her to come over to talk, but I didn’t want to appear too crazy.
“Hey,” she says when I open the door.
“Hey.”
“My answer is yes.”
“Yes?” I quirk a brow up, confused.
“I’ll move in with you.” She steps inside, and I close the door. “I needed you to know that before we talk. No matter what you have to say, I need you to know that I’m one hundred percent in.”
We sit on the couch, and as much as I want to pull her onto my lap, I refrain, needing to tell her everything. But before I can start, as if she can sense what I really need, she edges closer and then climbs on to me, straddling my thighs.
“Talk to me, Kolton. Tell me everything.”
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, then open them, ready to tell her the entire truth. “When I was nineteen, and in college, I did the stupidest thing someone could do. I was struggling to keep up with my classes, and I went in search of drugs to help.”
I search Sierra’s face for judgment, but she doesn’t give anything away as she waits patiently for me to continue. “A friend of a friend referred me to this guy, Miguel. He sold all types of shit, including pills he swore would help me stay awake and focus. One pill turned into several, and soon, I was addicted, relying on them to help me function. I didn’t know it at the time, but my brother Keith was a narcotics officer investigating an influx of drug dealing on campus…”
Sierra’s arms snake around my neck, and I grip her hips, needing to feel her to keep going. “I was buying another bottle from Miguel when Keith approached. Miguel took one look at Keith’s badge and pulled a gun on him. Shot him dead right there.”
Sierra gasps, and her hold on me tightens.
“That’s right. I was buying drugs from the man who killed my brother. Everyone went into panic mode, and Miguel got away. Keegan became a narcotics officer, determined to follow in Keith’s footsteps. A few months back, there was a whisper that the dealing was happening again. Keegan was brought in undercover as a college student to catch the guy.”
“Brenton,” she breathes.
“Yep, he was selling. Only, he wasn’t doing it on his own. The man running the operation was his ex-stepfather… Miguel Sanchez.”
“Oh, my God!” Tears prick Sierra’s eyes.
“Keegan not only brought Brenton down, but he also brought down our brother’s killer,” I choke out. “It won’t bring him back, but…”
“But your family will at least have some closure.”
I nod. “Yeah. I can’t bring him back, but at least I could give them that. I went in and identified it was him.”
“Oh, Kolton. I can’t imagine that was easy for you. Having to see that piece of shit.”
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but something I deserved because it was my fault…”
“Stop it,” Sierra demands. “That man choosing to kill an officer was not your fault.”
“If I hadn’t been buying from him—”
“You can’t live like that. It’s unhealthy. But I get it,” she says. “When my parents first died, I used to blame myself. I overheard my dad hurting my mom so many times, yet I never told anyone. I used to think, what if I would’ve told someone: a teacher or another parent. Or what if I would’ve told my mom I knew. Maybe she would’ve left him sooner… But eventually, I realized that there was no point in wondering what-if. We all make choices, and many of them are mistakes, and most of the time, we get a chance to right them.”
“But sometimes, our choices are deadly.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “But in our case, they weren’t our choices. My dad chose to put us in the car and drive drunk, and Miguel chose to pull that trigger. They don’t deserve to be let off the hook. They made those choices, not us.”
I lean forward and nuzzle my face in Sierra’s neck, so fucking thankful for her. “You’re perfect,” I murmur. “Don’t ever leave me, please. I need you. Forever.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she says, lifting my face and kissing me hard. “It’s like you said. You and me… we’re inevitable.”
Epilogue
Sierra
Five Years Later
“Holy shit.” I stare down at the test, then look up at my sister. “Tell me I’m reading this wrong.”
Blakely laughs. “Sure, you’re reading it wrong…and so am I.”
My head pops up. “You’re…”
She nods. “Yep.”
“Babe!” Kolton yells from outside my back office. “Get out here. We need to celebrate! I ordered some apps and drinks.”
“I’ll be right out,” I yell back even though the last place I want to be is out there, in my new restaurant, smelling all that food and not being able to have a single drink.
Blakely giggles. “I can’t believe this is happening…again.”
“That’s what we get for marrying brothers.”
We both walk outside to find our families sitting at the table. Kolton and Keegan are each nursing a beer while Zane plays a game on his phone.
“Mom! Can I borrow your phone?” Colby, Kolton’s and my four-year-old son, asks. “Mine is dead.”
“Mine is too!” Finn, Blakely and Keegan’s son, who is also four years old, says.
That’s right. A couple of months after I moved in with Kolton, and Blakely moved in with Keegan, we both found out we were pregnant and due the same week. Neither of our guys knew, but they found out at the same time when they both proposed together.
Six months later, we were married on Cocoa Beach alongside each other, and three months after that, we both gave birth to our little boys only three days apart.
“There she is,” Kolton says, wrapping his arms around me. “That article in Foodie is amazing! And the critique was right on all accounts.”
I smile, replaying the article in my head. When I found out a food critic had stopped by anonymously, I freaked out. What he wrote and published could make or break me. But Kolton told me it would be okay. What I’ve built here is solid, and I had nothing to worry about. The article came out today, and he was right. The critic loved the restaurant and gave it three Michelin stars, the highest compliment a restaurant can receive.
I’m so proud of what I’ve created, but I’m also scared. It took four years of saving to come up with enough down payment for a loan to open my own restaurant. I decided to buy one that was failing and resurrect it. I couldn’t do it with The Orange Sunrise since it closed less than a year after I predicted it would. I had just given birth and wasn’t in a position to save it.
I’d busted my ass for almost a year getting the restaurant ready, and for the past six months since it opened, I’ve been working even harder to make it a success… only to find out tonight that I’m expecting again. I knew it was a possibility, but I kind of thought it would take a little longer than a month for it to happen. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited, but I have no clue how I’m going to juggle running a new restaurant, raising a four-year-old, and being a wife while baking another little one in my oven.
“We have shots,” Keegan says, handing one to Blakely and me.
“To Sierra,” Kolton says. “For following her dreams.” He leans over and kisses my cheek. “I knew you could do it, baby. I’m so damn proud of you.”
The guys both throw back their shots and then look at Blakely and me in confusion when neither of us does the same.
“What’s wrong?” Keegan asks Blakely.
“I’m pregnant,” she blurts out.
“What?” His entire face lights up. “Are you serious?” He stands and pulls her into his arms. “Hell yeah! That’s what I’m talking about.” He releases her and glances at his brother. “Looks like you owe me a hundred bucks.”
“For what?” Blakely asks.
“I knocked you up first.” Keegan shrugs.
“You bet on which one of us would get pregnant first?” Blakely laughs, smacking her husband in the chest.
“The other night while we were watching the game, Kolton mentioned they were trying again, and I told him we were too, so we made a friendly wager… Whoever’s sperm was stronger wins.”
Blakely snorts out a laugh, glancing at me knowingly.
“I’m pregnant too,” I announce.
Kolton’s eyes go wide before a shit-eating grin spreads across his face. “You’re pregnant?” He looks from me to Blakely and back to me again. “You’re both pregnant.”
“Yeah,” I tell him, rolling my eyes playfully. “We’re both pregnant.”
He fist pumps the air before he pulls me onto his lap. “I’m so fucking excited,” he murmurs into my neck, kissing the sensitive spot beneath my ear. “I can’t wait to see you growing my baby again.”
“I’m a little scared,” I admit. “Do you think maybe we’re taking on too much?”
Kolton pulls back slightly, his eyes meeting mine. “We’ve got this, Sierra. You and me together… we can handle anything.” The moment his mouth connects with mine, my entire body visibly relaxes. He’s right. We’ve got this. Not a single day has gone by that Kolton hasn’t been my partner in all things. Supporting and encouraging, standing by my side.
“So…” Keegan starts, making Kolton and me look his way. “Which one of you is further along?”