Page 135 of Open To Negotiation

Jaxson jumped in, “I told them this wasn’t a good idea.”

“I heard you all muttering on the other end. Your stealth skills need some work.”

“This is why I should’ve been the one to call her, Ash, I told you!” Noah was shaking his head.

“For fuck’s sake,” Asher muttered.

“I would have been the best person for this,” Jaxson called.

“Is Theo there?” I asked, knowing full well that he was.

“We’re going to plead the fifth on that one.” Will responded in a tone I knew he used when he was lawyering.

Noah grabbed my arm and pulled me off the couch. “Come on, Q, let’s go.”

“A please would be nice, asshole,” Jaxson grumbled.

“You want to come here, Quinn.” The seriousness in Asher’s voice was what did me in.

One thing I’d learned from staying with him was that he could read me well and I trusted him. He wouldn’t tell me to come if he didn’t think I should. Theo may be his best friend, but he would look out for me, separate from that relationship.

“Okay,” I said quietly before hanging up.

Noah ushered me into his car quickly. There was clearly a plan in place otherwise Noah would’ve come here on his motorcycle. I continued shaking my leg the whole ride to Theo’s and I was grateful that Noah didn’t comment on it.

Pulling in front of the house felt like coming home. I missed this place, not just because I loved the house but because the man inside was my home. And I missed him. I’d pictured our future here together, getting a dog, building a family for our kids, filling their childhoods with love and laughter and a bunch of uncles who would no doubt get them in, and out, of trouble.

I had to forgive him for that future to become a reality. And while I hate what he did, I think I'd come to understand it over the last few days.

Asher pulled the door open and stood in the doorway waiting for me as I got out of the car.

“Hey,” I said quietly as I stepped in front of him.

He pulled me into a hug, squeezed me once and then pulled back, nodding at me. He didn’t have to say anything, with that one look he was telling me that I had this, that it was going to be okay. He stepped out of the way and I made my way to the living room.

Theo was standing in the middle of the room with a determined expression on his face. He was in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. His dark hair was perfectly messy, his beard was in need of a shave since it was thicker than he normally wore it but it didn’t dimmish from his attractiveness, and his blue-grey eyes were focused on me. The rest of the guys were there but my focus was on Theo.

“You said you were going to give me time and space.” I put my hands on my hips and cocked an eyebrow. He didn’t need to know that I was literally minutes away from calling him.

“I know, but damn, Love, I miss you. And while you’re doing all your thinking, I wanted to make sure a few things were very clear, just so you can keep thinking.” His eyes were burning with intensity.

“And you need to do this in front of an audience?” Oli winked at me as I looked around the room.

“Yes, because it’s one of the things I wanted to remind you about.”

“I can be friends with them without being with you. They’ve made that very clear to me.”

He smiled softly. “I know and I love them for that but they’re the only people, aside from you, that I would walk through hell for. And honestly, I wanted their help. I know you’ve gotten close to them, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to have them on my side.

“I want it all with you, Quinn, and that starts with all of us, a house full of love so we can have kids and loud family dinners where we’ll always have to feed Noah because you know he’s going to be single forever.”

“That’s rude,” Noah said with a frown as I held back my smile and one of the men snorted but Theo kept going.

“I want to give you everything you want and need, not because you can’t provide for yourself but because making sure you’re cared for gives me a sense of purpose. So I have a few things for you, to remind you how well I know you.”

Asher turned and left the room, heading toward the garage. Noah headed off toward the kitchen, and Will stepped forward, bringing something from behind his back.

“Your favorite flowers.” Will flourished his free hand in front of the bouquet of yellow lilies.