Page 92 of Four Fiances & I

“I don’t, but I’m so tired it's giving me a headache,” I lie. I close my eyes and pull the blanket up to my neck as I snuggle underneath it, desperate to be warm and cosy. I don’t open my eyes as I listen to Sean chuckle to himself as he stands and heads over to me.

“Go to bed, Princess. You had a busy day yesterday, and we were up until the early hours of the morning.” He runs a hand over my head lovingly, and I sink further into the sofa, wishing he would stay and just play with my hair while I sleep. However, he’s already told me how much he needs to do today, so I could never stop him from doing that. No matter how much I want to. So, instead, I shake my head.

“I want to be here when Daddy gets home.” Christian won’t risk waking me if I’m in bed.

“Okay, I’ll work from the office. If you need me, send me a text.” He leans in to kiss my head and starts to walk away.

“My head thanks you, Daddy.” I grin as he looks over his shoulder, laughing, and leaves the room. Finally, I have the sitting room all to myself, bar Embry curled up beside me.

The second the room falls silent, I regret making him leave. I don’t like it here when I’m alone; I prefer to have one of the guys with me whenever I’m home. For some reason, the house feels bigger when I’m alone.

Curling under the blanket, I keep my eyes closed and listen to the sounds of the house outside this room. As usual, there is silence. All I can hear is Embry snoring lightly on the floor in his bed. Sean will have gone to find somewhere else to work, Jason and Maximus have gone to one of their bars to sort out a few things with admin, and Christian won't be home yet.

I missed him when I woke up with the others this morning. I hate it when he has to work away, and I wish he had been here last night when I returned. As amazing as the sex was with the others, I always know when one of them is missing, and lately, it always seems to be Christian.

I know he is the one who deals with most of the shit that gets thrown at them, but just for once, I wish someone else would deal with it so I could have all four guys with me for more than a day at a time. Not that I would ever tell them that. I would never expect them to put me over their work; I know how much they have to put in to ensure that they don’t need to work much this week before the wedding or the week after when we are on our honeymoon. I asked them once why they didn’t have assistance, and Christian told me he won’t pay someone and do most of the work himself. In other words, he is a control freak and doesn’t trust someone to do everything to his standard. Maybe it’s something I could bring up while on our honeymoon?

The thought of the wedding being so close causes my heart to race and my stomach to come alive excitedly. I can't believe I’m about to get my happily ever after, the thing my mother told me I wasn’t worthy of over and over again. She made me feel like no one would ever love me, but here I am about to marry not one but four remarkable men who make me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. The love they show me is unlike anything I thought possible. There is nothing they wouldn’t do for me, and I would do absolutely anything for them.

Embry starts to whine beside me, and I look to find him staring at the closed door. He whines and lies back down, his paws under his face as he continues to watch it.

“Who’s out there, baby?” I ask, looking at the door, trying to hear who it is. Embry must hear him seconds before me as he jumps to his feet and rushes for the door, just as I hear his voice on the other side.

Embry barks and yelps the second it opens, desperate for Christian’s attention.

“Daddy!” Christian looks at me as I rush from the sofa and leap into his arms. He laughs, holding me tight while I wrap my arms and legs around him.

“Anyone would think you missed me, Sweetheart,” he grins before I kiss him. I hold his face to mine before leaning back in his arms.

“That’s because I have.”

Christian smiles as he walks over to the sofa and sits with me on his lap, the puppy still jumping up and down, trying to get his attention. I reach down and pick him up, holding him up for Christian to stroke him. As much as he says he dislikes the dog, I have yet to see any confirmation on the subject. As I lower the pup to the floor, Christian leans his head back against the sofa as he unfastens the top button of his shirt.

“Hard night?” I ask, leaning forward to rest my cheek on his shoulder. He tightens his arms around me and sighs.

“Yeah, but it's dealt with now.” He doesn’t go into detail, and as much as I want to know what he was dealing with, I know it's best to keep quiet until he tells me. Especially when he is looking this exhausted. Christian buries his nose into my hair and takes a deep breath. “How was your day yesterday?”

I sit up, smiling.

“It was amazing, just what we all needed. Verity did a great job organising it all.”

“You have a good friend there,” he smiles. Reaching over, he tucks some hair behind my ear.

“She's the best, just like my fiancés.” I may be teasing him, but I mean every word.

“Did you enjoy yourself after when your Daddies looked after you?”

“We had fun, but I missed you.” Leaning forward, I press my lips to Christian’s, wanting him after missing him. For a moment, he kisses me before leaning back. I run my hands up his chest seductively.

“Sweetheart?” There’s a question in his voice, which makes me smile at him. I lean in to press kisses to his neck, but he takes my hands and moves so I can't reach him. “Not now, Sweetheart. I’m not in the mood.”

Those words hit me in the gut. Christian has never turned me down before. He must see the shock and pain on my face as his eyes change.

“I mean-” Christian gets cut off when there is a knock at the door. I instantly climb off his lap and go to sit next to him, but when he stands, the pain from his rejection hurts deeper. “Come in,” he calls, straightening his shirt. I watch him take a deep breath and want to be anywhere but here.

Alasdair McIntire walks into the room, and I see Christian looking concerned about his presence.

“I made it back as soon as you emailed. What's going on?” Christian asks as he walks further away from me and towards the bar to grab a water bottle.

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