Page 114 of Laila Manning
Zeke ran the pad of his thumb over my cheek tenderly, “I’ve worked my entire life for other people’s glory, and I’ve saved every penny of my money the entire time. Waiting for a rainy day to spend it. Waiting for someone worthy to spend it on.” His face softened, “And I have that now, with you. And with Kade.” I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn’t come up with anything. So, Zeke kept going. “You deserve a home, Laila. And I know this place isn’t the biggest house out there, and it’s not as modern or updated as it could be, but we can make it whatever we want. We can make a home here. We’d still be close to Elora and Carly, we can put a gate in along the property line, or we can sell this and buy a house wherever you want. I don’t care. I just want to get you both out of the barracks and into a home where you can both start building something. With me.”
“Jesus Christ.” I flung myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck as he lifted me into his arms. “I don’t know what to say, I don’t know how to feel worthy.”
“You are. And you don’t have to say anything other than yes or no.” He pulled back. “This house or a different one, but I want you, me and Kade to have something like this. Something that we can fill with loveand laughter and happiness.” Pushing his nose into mine, nuzzling me, “God knows the three of us could use some fucking happiness to settle into.”
“Yes.” I whispered, nodding emphatically, “Yes we do.”
“Good.” He grinned, beaming at me as I slid down his body, looking around the home he wanted to give to me. I pushed down every doubt-filled, unworthy feeling that tried to surface, and embraced the gift of love I never imagined finding. I forced myself to let the excitement and happiness fill me instead of worrying about the catch or the fallout on the other side like I normally would.
I deserved this.
Zeke deserved this.
Kade deserved this.
And my god, I was going to make the house a home worthy of both of them, as if it was my only purpose in life. The three of us were going to find our own happiness within the walls of this home, and we were going to heal.
No, fuck that.
We were going tothrive.
Chapter 31 – Zeke
“Idon’t understand.” Kade blinked with a blank stare, and I could feel the anxiety radiating from Laila at my side. “What do you mean,welcome home?”
“We bought this house.” I looked around the expansive kitchen that Laila spent all day organizing with the brand-new appliances and dishes she picked out. Last week I told her the news, and she had secretly spent all week turning the empty house into a home, worthy of a little boy who never had one. “And we’re staying here, from now on. We’ll grab everything from the barracks as we go.”
He looked at Laila and then back to me before glancing around the open living room behind him. “I’m happy for you two.” He said, “But can I still stay at the barracks? Or should I plan to leave there now that you guys are moving out?”
“No, Kade.” Laila rushed on. “We want you to live here, with us.”
“But—” He shook his head, “Don’t you want to be alone?” His eyebrows pinched in the center as he shrugged, “You’ve both beenincredibly generous to me and stuff, and I’m grateful. But don’t couples want to be alone to be freaky and stuff?”
I groaned, and Laila blushed.
Walking around the massive island, I pulled a stool out and motioned for Kade to sit as I took the one next to him. “See, the thing about a house this size is there’s plenty of space for all three of us to exist without being on top of each other.”
Kade’s eyes squinted slightly, and I could tell he was weary of openly accepting what we were trying to give him. Which meant I had to come clean with him completely about the circumstances. “There’s something we haven’t told you yet, something I wanted concrete proof of before I opened my mouth.”
“Okay.” He replied hesitantly.
I pulled a photo from my pocket, unfolding the worn paper that I’d stuffed in a safe years ago. It had felt like a piece of my past at the time, something I didn’t want to think back on. Yet it had come to be part of my future when I met Kade, even without knowing it. “This is a picture of me when I was three years old.” I said, forcing myself to be brave. “It’s the only picture I have of my mother.”
I laid the picture down and slid it across the marble countertop to him, watching his face as he picked it up and stared at it.
“Does she look familiar to you, Kade?” Laila asked gently, leaning over the counter with her hands laced together.
“I don’t understand.” He shook his head gently. “She looks like my mom.”
“She does.” I nodded, “Because it is. She was just a lot younger in this picture.” His icy blue eyes snapped to mine, and I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to offer him something akin to comfort as I told him the news. “I hadn’t seen her for almost fifteen years before that day at the restaurant. But it didn’t matter, it’s hard to forgetthe face of the woman who chose everyone in the world over you, even decades later. Even as a grown man that no longer needs her.”
“You’re my—” He stumbled, so I caught him.
“Half-brother.” I finished, fighting the emotions of claiming the only blood relative I knew of besides our mother. “She was only thirteen when she had me. And I was already a grown man when she had you.” Taking a deep breath, I went on, “I had no idea that you existed, Kade. I walked away from her when I was your age. I ran for my life from the abuse and drugs she exposed me to, and I never looked back. But had I known about you—” My voice broke as his eyes teared up. “I would have saved you far earlier than I did. I would have taken you from her had I known, Kade. I’m sorry that I didn’t. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”
“You’re my brother.” Kade whispered as he took a shuttering breath. Turning to look at Laila he shook his head dumbfounded. “Did you know when we met?”
“No.” Laila whispered with teary eyes. “But I don’t doubt for one second that it was why I was so drawn to you, even without knowing why. I think God put me in your path that day for a reason.”
