SWNOVELS My Ex-Boyfriend’s Brothers: Chapter 55
“Swear to god, I would’ve licked ice cream off that man’s ass.” Mom whistled. “I can’t believe my luck. My first time getting out in over a year and we run into Ryan Rynolds.”
“Mom, that was not Ryan Rynolds.” I had to stifle a gag at her ice cream comment and a giggle at her antics in general. “He was working at an ice cream truck. You think Ryan Rynols is working at an ice cream truck?”
“You never know.” She sighed wistfully. “This is the best day.”
I couldn’t argue with her. It really was. Her doctor had suggested we go out for a few hours. Their holistic approach to medicine meant they were looking after Mom’s mental health, too, and they knew a few hours out would boost her already pretty great morale.
Sarah pulled into the lot of Waverly Place and we all just sat in silence, enjoying the warm sun in her convertible. None of us wanted the afternoon to be over. It’d felt so amazing going out with Mom that I wanted to cry at the thought of not being able to do it again for another week.
“Alright, you sad bunch. Stop your pouting and get me inside. If I miss dinner, I’m kicking both of your asses.”
I laughed and realized that both Sarah and I had been pouting. I got out of the car and we helped Mom into her wheelchair. “I wonder if the police have ever had to come to this place to investigate an instance of sexual harassment carried out at the local ice cream parlor.”
“You’d be surprised and maybe horrified to learn about all the sexual harassment cases that happen here. Our residents can be a little handsy.” Sarah pointedly nodded at Mom. “Exhibit A.”
I grinned and waited for Sarah to close her car up. “I have a feeling I’m going to need to keep a very close eye on you once you’re out of here.”
“Once I get out of here, you may not see me for a month straight. I’ve got booties to call.”
Sarah fistbumped Mom and then frowned as we got closer to the entrance. “What in the world is going on in there?”
I was too busy being horrified by the idea that my mother had just told me she had booties to call to notice what she was talking about. “Mom, you can’t say that to me. Also, you need to be cleared by your doctor before you start going nuts. And you need to make the men you sleep with get cleared, too. The last thing I want is a call to inform me that my mother killed a man during sex.”
“I plan on sleeping with much younger men, for your information.” Mom wagged her finger at me. “Plus, I don’t remember interrogating you about your sex life when you had one.”
I scoffed and thought to myself that I wished she would’ve. Maybe I would’ve made better choices if she’d asked me lots of hard questions. A shudder ran through me. I still couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been while sleeping with Jackson, Luke, and Ryan. Condoms had never crossed my mind.
“Holy shit.” Mom’s voice was quickly washed away by a dull roar.
I followed her gaze and stood just outside the main entrance into Waverly Place. There was a swarm of older women crowding around the lounge area. It wasn’t exactly a small swarm either. “What the hell is going on? Did Clint Eastwood come to town or something?”
Mom shot me a look. “Clint Eastwood? Really?”
I hesitantly pushed Mom inside and tried to see what had sent all the ladies flocking. “This is wild. I didn’t even know some of these women could leave their wheelchairs.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Mom grinned up at me and nodded towards the crowd. “I just caught a glimpse through the mass. You’re going to want to see this.”
Before I had a chance to question her, Mom took off. I’d never seen her wheel herself so fast and I was almost too happy about her improved mobility to realize that she was charging into the crowd. I swore and hurried after her. “Mom! What are you doing?”
“Move it! Out of my way, lady!” Mom definitely ran over a few toes on her way through. “Move it or my daughter will kick your ass!”
I gasped. “Oh, my god! Mom!”
Sarah appeared out of nowhere to give Mom’s wheelchair the last push Mom needed to clear the crowd. She grinned at me. “She’s doing great, isn’t she?”
I stumbled over a pink jeweled cane and would’ve fallen on my face if two big arms hadn’t caught me. I noticed a few things while being caught mid-air. The crowd of women had made a perfect circle around the sitting area but the sitting area itself was clear, minus Mom and Sarah. The sitting area might as well have been a stage. Sitting on that stage were the three men who’d starred in more of my fantasies than I ever wanted to admit, pre and post wedding.
Well. Jackson wasn’t sitting. He was holding me after catching me. His scent hit me and I had to close my eyes against the onslaught of need crashing through me. My body was a traitor with no loyalty to my heart or mind.
“Alright, you old perverts! These men are spoken for! Go back to your rooms and mind your own business!” Mom waited a second and when no one moved, she tried a different tactic. “If you leave now, I’ll have the guys take off their shirts later.”
I extracted myself from Jackson’s hold and inched closer to Mom. Wrapping my arms around myself, I watched as the crowd vanished like it’d never been there at all. The promise of muscles had worked. I almost wanted the crowd back. Facing the guys alone seemed way more daunting.
“Maggie.” Ryan said my name quietly, almost reverently. The sound of it left goosebumps across my body.
“Well, you three finally showed up.” Mom grunted. “It took you long enough.”
I gaped at her. “Mom.”
“What? They should’ve been here from the start.” She crossed her arms. “I’m not going anywhere. If you think you’re going to win my daughter back and not have me listen in, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“Same goes for me.” Sarah flashed me an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
“That’s fine. You should hear everything. That way there’s no confusion later.” Luke’s stern tone drew my eyes to his. His eyes didn’t match his voice. His eyes looked worried.
I looked between the three of them and had to turn away. They were there. They were really there and I was terrified of what they were going to say.
“I can speak for Ryan and Jackson when I say that we’ve wanted you for over half a decade, Maggie. I’ve dreamed of a reality where you’re mine for way longer than is appropriate, considering you were with Brad for three of those years. You gave us everything we ever wanted at the lodge and it was better than I even imagined. Having you as ours changed something in my brain, Maggie. I don’t give a shit about anything else. I just want you. You’re all I think about. You’re all I dream about.” He took a deep breath. “We fucked up. We never should’ve left you behind. I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I was destroyed at the idea of you even looking at another man. It was such a crushing idea that I didn’t stop for a second. I just ran. I’m sorrier than you’ll ever know. I regret very few things in my life and leaving you behind will always be my biggest regret.”
Sarah nudged me. “Breathe.”
I sucked in a gasping breath and gripped the back of Mom’s wheelchair. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be sick or pass out but my body was on the fritz.
“I don’t want to live without you.” Ryan smiled at the sharp gasp I released. “Don’t worry, I’m not ready to end it all. I’m just really motivated to get you back. I’m done with traveling constantly. I’m done with living my life not knowing where I’m going to sleep each night. I want to wake up each and every morning knowing that I’m coming back home to bed with you, Maggie. I’m so sorry that we ran. I’m sorry that we needed Christina to tell us what we should’ve known. Blame it on our head and not our hearts because our hearts are yours, Maggie. They belong to you.”
Jackson stepped closer. “I’m a really big asshole without you, Bubbles. I’ve missed you. I spend all my time angry at myself for not stopping to think for a fucking second that night, angry at these two for not being smarter than me, angry at the fucking world for carrying on like everything’s fine. We know you. We know your heart. If we’d stopped for just a moment, we would’ve laughed at Brad. You loved us. You gave yourself to us completely and no woman who loves like that would ever cheat. I’m hoping you love us enough to forgive us.”