Nico’s face broke into a full-blown cheesy-as-fuck grin that sent my heart racing thunderously in my chest. He looked so fucking proud of himself. We were a block away from the old rental house and I just knew in my heart, that’s where we were headed. “This one wasn’t all me. Marcos spoke to the relator about the house. Jason delt with all the financial shit. I just helped pay for shit and pointed Jason in the right direction when he got stuck on the remodels.”
I sat in silence, completely speechless as I listened to him explain everything. He had spoken so matter-of-factly, like it was nothing life-altering.
My guys had bought a fucking house. Our fucking house.
I had loved that old farmhouse and every day of our lives there. Even on the bad days, I had loved our life together. I often wondered what had happened to the old house back then; the guys still haven’t said what exactly went down after I left.
I gasped as Nico pulled the car into the long driveway that passed the house on the right side to the large pole barn of a garage in the back. The wrap-around porch and the beautifulshutters were in need of a paint job, but it looked the same. It looked fucking amazing.
Nico pulled Marco’s pickup truck in front, where two very recognizable Harley Davidson’s were parked. “Nic,” I breathed his name when he shut the truck off. “What are we doing here, Nicolai?” I needed to hear him say it.
Nico turned to me with a cheshire grin on his face. “Welcome home, Little Dreamer.”
Tears welled my eyes. My hand covered my mouth as it sank in.
He brought me home.
Marcos and Jason walked out the back door onto the deck. Standing at the railing next to the driveway, they both waited for me to get out of the truck. I couldn’t move though. Tears began pouring down my face as the reality of what they had planned crash over me. “Nic, I can’t.” I barely got the words out before Nico was unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the truck.
I watched him walk around the front of the truck, still in a daze as he reached my door and opened it. “Come on, Little Dreamer. They’re waiting for you.”
I didn’t want to think about how I was going to get down from the truck, I had barely been able to climb up into it at the hospital. Nico didn’t seem to have those same worries though, because he slid his hand around my waist, and undid my seat belt. Once it was back in place, Nico slid his arm under my legs and the other one around my back, and carefully lifted me out of the truck.
I immediately looped my arms around his neck, holding on. “Nico,” I muttered.
“I got you, Little Dreamer.”
I turned my attention toward the three steps up to the deck from the driveway, and to where Marcos and Jason were watching. Both men had their eyes on my face and I didn’tbother to wipe the tears away. They wouldn’t stop falling, anyway.
“Mi Vida,” Marcos said, moving toward us.
“I got her.” Nico shook his head.
“I can walk.” I complained.
“I’ll put you down inside,” Nico conceded.
I glanced at Jason, finding his intense stare to be a little much for me right now. I was emotionally raw and was already tearing up, I was afraid if I looked deep into his stormy gray eyes, I’d see too much emotion there that would break me.
I wasn’t ready to break. Not yet.
Nico walked through the backdoor, into the mudroom and then carefully set me down.
I was in awe as I stared around the small laundry slash mud room. It was completely different from when I lived here ten years ago. It was white and modern and airy. A wooden countertop was set atop the washer and dryer and there was a set of cabinets and open shelving. All empty. A blank slate. It looked fantastic.
I turned away from the mudroom and walked through the door into the kitchen—the completely remodeled kitchen. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the room. The upper cabinets were painted white, while the lower cabinets were painted black. There were granite counters now with a marbled finish and a white subway tile backsplash. It was modern and clean and sleek. Everything I had wanted back then.
Stainless steel appliances—and were those new floors?
I turned to face my guys, only to be startled when all three of them were watching me intently. “What is this?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
“It’s your home,” Jason said. “We thought we would update things while it was empty, before we all moved in.”
“All moved in?” I asked.
Marcos nodded. “Yeah, Mi Vida. We’re all moving in here. Together. Like it was before.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything. Wiping away my tears, I turned back to Jason. “Nico said you’ve been remodeling the house?”
