Page 10 of Love is Blind

“Good afternoon, Princess.” Jax replies. A smile lights my face as he wraps me up in his big arms.

“Hey, don’t hog her. I missed her too, asshole.” Mav growls before I’m being pulled out of my big bear’s arms and into Mavericks. “Hey Angel. How’s your first day back?”

“Exhausting, but that’s just cause I don’t like paperwork.” I lean against Mav’s chest, my ear laying across his heart, the sound of it thumping away, calming to my nerves.

“Me too, sweetheart. You hungry? We bought lunch.” I pop up at Jax’s mention of food.

“Starving. I knew you were one of my favorites.” Mav snorts at my words as he leads me to the back, but before we make it very far, the front door rings again. I almost let out a groan before I remember this is my shop, and I wanted to come back today.

“Miss Wren?” A small voice calls out.

“Miss Wren, are you here?” A second small voice sound after the first.

“I don’t see her, mama.” The last tiny voice has me turning in that direction and stepping around the counter, a wide smile on my face.

“Look, it’s Miss Wren.” Three sets of tiny feet stampede down the aisle in my direction. I barely have time to brace myself, as I’m practically tackled to the ground by my three favorite little bookworms. Michael, Mason, and Mia Williams. “We missed you, Miss Wren.”

“Why did you leave?”

“Are you going to read to us again?”

“Where did you go?”

“I’ve been reading every day. Just like you told me to.”

“Whoa. Who are they, Miss Wren?” The last question is a loud whisper as the three tiny terrors finally climb off and I’m lifted from the ground by arms under mine.

I’m flustered at the question, not knowing how to answer the triplets’ curious minds. “Well, umm. These are. Well.” How do I explain to 5-year-olds that I’m in a relationship with three men? Or that I was kidnapped by said men. That’s why I wasn’t here. But that the kidnapping turned out to be okay since I’m now sleeping with the men who took me. Oh! God, I’m spiraling. I can’t explain that to them. I never thought about how I would have to explain my relationship with these men to people. People are going to call me names, think I’m a horrible person.

I’m about to have a complete and utterly disastrous emotional meltdown when Abby, the saint she is, speaks. “And who do we have here?”

“I’m Michael and this is my brother Mason and my sister Mia. Who are you?” I almost giggle at Michael’s firm tone. He has always been so protective of his siblings.

“I’m Abby. I’m Miss Wren’s friend and I work with her now.”

“Who are they?” he asks again, and my panic rises. Why is this so nerve-wracking?

“Oh, those big guys? Those are Miss Wren’s friends too. They do all the heavy lifting for her.” Mia lets out a little giggle. Luckily, the triplets have the attention span of all small children.

“Miss Wren, can you read to us?” Mason asks, causing me to relax my stiff shoulders.

“Of course, sweetheart. Why don’t you three go pick out some books? We have a lot of reading to catch up on. That way, your mom can run some errands.” A chore of yay’s sound before the running of feet.

“Wren, darling, you’re a saint. I’ll be out for an hour, tops.” Mrs. William says.

“No worries. I missed these three.” As I hear her walk back towards the door, she calls out to the kids to behave. Arms wrap around my waist before hot breath flutters across my cheek. Jax’s scent of gunpowder and a woodsy aftershave fills my noses.

“I’ll show you how much I’m not just a friend tonight, Princess. I’ll make it very clear where I stand with you.” And then he’s gone.

“Miss Wren, are you coming?”

My cheeks heat red as my thoughts stray to the gutter. Yes, I will be tonight.

Chapter eight

XANDER

It’sbeenanentireweek since Wren has been back at her little bookshop. The guys and I have been taking turns with who goes with her daily. We even started having lunch with her because no one wants to be away from her for too long. Not with the piece of shit Adrian still loose. The little weasel has been clever enough to evade us so far, but his luck will run out. He will make a mistake and we will be there to put the bastard down like the rabid dog he is.

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