Page 155 of Shattered Silence Duet

“Kitten,” I say, rubbing my palm along her cheek. “You’re going through so much right now with your parents, Simon, Jeff, and Brad. But the one thing you never have to worry about is us. I know I speak for my brothers when I say that we all knew from the moment we met you that you were it for us. I love you, baby, and if I thought my brothers would let me, I’d haul you down to the courthouse and marry you on the spot.”

Her eyes go wide, but I also see desire there as well. I think, although the idea shocks her, she isn’t totally against it… interesting.

A few of my brothers groan around the room. When she doesn’t say anything, I prod her. “So, Kitten, what do you say?”

Her mouth opens and closes as her eyes go comically wide, and Ben laughs. “He’s not proposing, Princess. He’s asking about the rest of it.”

“Oh…” Her shoulders drop, and she stares at her hand as she strokes the scar around her ring finger. “I’m sorry I freaked out. I came out of the first panic attack to hear those words, and I just took them the wrong way, I guess.”

“Next time, if you hear something that upsets you, confuses you, or frustrates you, I want you not to panic. You are to ask us about it first. Even if you have to pull one of us aside to get clarity, you do it. If you want to yell at us, do that. I don’t want you ever getting upset like that again. And no matter what, you never give up like you did and stop breathing. Kitten, you almost gave me a heart attack,” I chastise her.

“You almost gave all of us heart attacks,” Gideon adds seriously.

She looks around the room at everyone with tears in thecorners of her eyes as she tells us, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again. Please, please don’t be mad at me.”

She looks at me with the biggest puppy-dog eyes I’ve ever seen, and my face softens. I stroke her face as I stare down at her lovingly.

“I could never be mad at you, Kitten. Now, why don’t you say bye to the four that need to head to school?”

I let her crawl away from me as she moves to the end of the bed, where the twins and Tucker are. She sits up on her knees, and Jasper pulls her into a hug. He pulls back and gives her a quick peck on the cheek. She repeats the same thing with Max and Gideon.

When she turns to Tucker, he takes her hand and asks, “will you come out in the hall with me for a minute?”

“Oh, sure,” she says, climbing off the bed and letting him lead her out of the room. Right before he steps into the hall, he turns around and gives me a wink.

That action tells me everything I need to know. He’s tired of waiting, and he’s ready to start groveling to our girl. I couldn’t agree more.

Chapter 28

Mina

Tucker leads me a few steps from the door before he pulls me to a stop and steps in front of me, so we’re facing each other.

“Sugar, I know we have a lot to fix between us, and I’m ready to start building that bridge. Will you go on a date with me tonight?” His words sound confident, but I can see the worry on his face. Is he worried I’ll say no?

My eyebrows raise with surprise at his question, I didn’t expect that. I open my mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. I’ve been so mad at them, felt so betrayed, but how long could I hold that grudge? I gave myself a panic attack over that thought of living without them. I owe it to myself, and to them, to try.

So I take a deep breath, lift my chin, and reply, “yes, I will.” His smile is huge as he pulls me in for a hug, kissing the top of my head.

“I’ll pick you up right after school. Be ready to go at three-thirty. Wear something comfortable and warm enough to spend a few hours outside. See you later, Sugar.” He gives my head another kiss before he turns and heads towards the stairs. I watch him walk away, and the other three also leaving for school pass me with warm smiles as they all head downstairs.

A set of arms gently wrap around my shoulders as I’m hugged from behind.

“Is this okay, Mina?” Ben asks near my ear.

Am I okay with him touching me? I didn’t want him to stop, so I guess, once again, my heart was way ahead of my head in terms of forgiving and moving on.

“Yes,” I reply, my mind thinking about a million things at once.

“Why don’t the three of us do something relaxing today? We could watch some movies, or how aboutThe Office?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” I tell him honestly. A low key day on the couch is just what I need.

“Are you sure I look okay?” I ask Ben, as he leans in my doorway, watching me stare at myself in the mirror.

“Princess, Tucker will love you in anything. Wear what you feel comfortable in.”

“It’s just… I’ve never been on a date before, I don’t want to mess it up.” I look up at him with worry and he smiles at me with an understanding look on his face. He steps towards me and takes my hand with both of his, kissing my fingertips.