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Nicole wrinkled her nose at him. “Mean, JoshuaBarnes-Fleetwood. My new baby is a sweet puppy.”
“I mean I wouldn’t call him a puppy,” Grim argued and thenmanaged to avoid the playful slap that came his way from Nic. “Not because he’snot a dog. He is. I checked and everything, but he’s at least three years old.You can tell by the teeth.”
“You guys have to be nice to Buddy.” Nicole sat in the backseat with Buddy’s crate, though the dog was still asleep and would be for hoursaccording to Grim. In the morning they would start letting him get used tobeing around the family. “And no. I didn’t call your mom. Do you think she’sgoing to be mad?”
“That you brought home a sad stray?” Grim asked with a shakeof his head. “Absolutely not. She loves a stray. I’m proof of that.”
“And me,” Nicole said, sounding happier than she had inweeks.
“Neither of you is a sad stray, and one of you is going toget in serious trouble if she continues down that line of thinking.” His innerDom knew he’d lost the war to fire Alyssa, but he was holding the line on thistopic.
“So Grim gets to put himself down but I don’t?” Nicole askedlike that was a normal, natural question to have.
“I’m not going to spank Grim’s ass if he talks bad abouthimself, but I might kick it,” Josh replied.
“I’d like to see you try, brother. You sit in an office allday, and I wrestle large animals,” Grim said confidently. “But I get yourpoint. Why don’t we pull up to the big house so Nicole doesn’t have to walk.”
Because he didn’t want to drop her off at the big house andcome home without her. He wanted her in the bed they shared, nestled in betweenhim and Grim. He wanted to wake up next to her and leisurely make love to herbefore they all got ready for the day. It hadn’t been long, but he’d come tolove their mornings together. And afternoons. And nights. “Yeah, that’s a goodidea. For such a small critter he needs a lot of stuff.”
“Or we could stay here and I could accept the inevitable,” asoft voice said.
The words sent a shock of hope through him. “Nicole?”
Grim had turned in his seat. “Baby, I think we should talkabout what happened tonight. You don’t have to make any decisions. I’m fine.”
She looked to Josh, confusion on her face.
“He thinks you might be willing to sleep with us because youfeel bad about what happened earlier,” Josh translated. He might be doing a lotof that in the future because Grim and Nicole sometimes had trouble talkingabout their feelings. It was something they could work on.
“I’m not asking to come home because I feel bad for you,Grim. I’m asking because I miss you both so much it makes me ache inside. I’masking because I love you and I think you love me, too, and I’m ready to bedone with letting what happened to me in the past control my future,” she saidquietly.
The whole world suddenly seemed warmer. Kinder. “I love youso much, Nic. Nora. What do you want to be called?”
“I like Nicole. I think I want a fresh start,” she admitted.“Nora was a name given to me by two people who didn’t care about me. I pickedNicole because it sounded happy. I feel like Nicole. But guys, I don’t think Ican handle Nicole Barnes-Fleetwood-Burch. Maybe I can keep my fake last name,too.”
Josh was having none of that. He was about to do one of hispatented lay-down-the-law things that might get him kicked to the couch, butGrim saved him.
“I’ve decided I can love my biological father withoutclinging to his name,” Grim said with a sure nod. “He would have wanted me tobe happy, and part of that is having this family. I want us to share a name. Iwant us to have kids someday and have all the things a family has. I’m going tochange my last name to Barnes-Fleetwood. This is my family, and I’m never goingto let you down.”
Emotion welled inside Josh. It had been a hell of a night,and it wasn’t through because he doubted Nicole wanted to sleep in the guestroom. When she was in, she was all in.
There would be a wedding on the ranch, and it wasn’t yearsaway.
He put a hand on his brother’s arm. “I’m glad. I know ourparents will be thrilled to have you take the family name. It’s your right. Dadwould say it’s been your right since the day we brought you home.”
“Since the day I finally found my home,” Grim said.
“And I found mine,” Nicole agreed. “So let’s get our sweetboy inside and let me show you how much I love you both.”
Josh and Grim had that dog settled in no time. When Buddy’scrate was set up and Nicole was satisfied the little guy was nestled down forthe night, she took their hands.
“I missed this place,” she said solemnly. “I missed beinghere with you.”
Josh’s whole body came alive, but he had to be sure.“Nicole, if you stay with us tonight, it’s forever. I want to give you all thetime you need to be sure.”
“As much as I want you,” Grim began, “I have to agree withJosh. I can’t love you tonight and have you be unsure again tomorrow. Tonightwas a lot. Baby, I know you handled my stepfather well, but he won’t stop.”
She shrugged as though it wasn’t a problem. “He might oncethe women of this town start applying pressure. I think once we all startyelling back, he’ll figure out he’s not welcome. And if he wants to come forme, well, he’s going to have to deal with my family. They’re kind ofintimidating.”
