Page 111 of Stay Little Fighter

RONAN

NOW

It’s not uncommon for us to wake up and find Chloe has already gotten up, and despite trying to implement a rule that she has to tell one of us where she’s going, she’s never once done it.

Padding down the stairs, I glance toward the library Kingston had installed for her last week and find it empty, so I continue through to the living area.

King’s been organizing renovations one room at a time to make sure we each have the space we need so we don’t end up killing each other, but unsurprisingly he’s prioritizing Chloe.

I frown when I don’t find her in the kitchen or on the couch, but then I see her.

She’s ankle-deep in the ocean, her attention focused on the horizon with her arms wrapped around herself.

It’s been freezing the last few weeks since we’ve been back in Maine, but my girl never lets it stop her from going outside. I guess those years in New York helped prepare for this, but I’ll admit I’m struggling.

Going from Florida to Maine weather has been a far bigger adjustment than I expected.

I tug on a sweater from the coat rack by the door and head outside. The cool sea breeze brushes over my face, but it’s a nice morning, albeit freezing.

My bare feet carry me across the sand until I’m standing beside Chloe, trying not to wince at how cold the ocean is.

Maybe I should be worried about her losing a toe from hypothermia.

“What have we told you about coming outside without us?”

Big green eyes look up at me, and I can’t help but think how fucking lucky I am to be loved by her. She’s so beautiful I can hardly believe she’s real, let alone that she’s mine, and I’ll never take it for granted. Not for a single minute.

“Sorry. It’s just so beautiful here.”

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and tug her against me. I’m not too proud to admit that I need her body heat to stop me from running back inside. “It truly is.”

“Are you happy?”

Huffing out a laugh, I consider how to answer that question, but I don’t know that “happy” is a strong enough word. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted right here in my arms. How could I not be?”

“But you’ve lost a lot through all of this. I don’t want you to regret being here. I don’t want you to regret the choices that brought you here.”

I’m shaking my head before she can finish, because can’t she see that she is the center of my universe?

“I promise I’m happy with every choice that I’ve made. I’m happy here with you and the guys. I’m happy I no longer have the Lombardi name hanging around my neck like a noose. And I’m happy that I’ll get to spend the rest of my life making my own choices, instead of having my path chosen for me by a man I can’t stand. I wake up every morning excited for the day ahead, and I can’t see that ever changing.”

“I love you,” she whispers.

“I love you, too.” I drop a kiss to the top of her head. “Now, how about we go inside and make breakfast for the others? You know what Damon’s like if he doesn’t eat the second he wakes up.”

“He does wake up hangry, doesn’t he?”

“Probably has something to do with his insatiable girlfriend.”

Her cheeks heat, but she doesn’t deny it. “What can I say? When you’ve got four boyfriends as hot as you guys, your libido reflects it.”

I chuckle and turn her to head up the beach, just to pause when we find the others standing on the deck watching us.

“You’re never going to get a moment of peace with us around, Sparrow.”

A smile tugs at her lips as tears gather in her eyes. “The only time I ever feel at peace is with all of you.”

Life may be different to how we pictured it when we were teenagers, but I can’t help but think this is exactly how it was always meant to be.