Chapter 32

32

Melissa

A s spring comes rolling over the hills of Nebraska with cherry and apple blossoms aplenty, I find myself preparing for a whole new chapter of what has already been a rather eventful life. Melting into my seat, I gaze out the window of the courtroom. In the distance, past the town, I can see the hills with their patches of crude green and pale pinks, whites, and yellows galore. The world is coming out of a long and heavy slumber, and so am I.

“Your Honor, we’d like to call one last witness to the stand,” my attorney, Mr. Wilkes, says.

His voice pulls me out of my thoughts, my mind having wandered somewhere far over those beautiful hills. I should be more focused on what’s going to be my full exoneration, but I’ve been so strung out over the past few years, I’m actually glad I’m able to let my mind fly away like this. It’s been three months since I’ve had a panic attack. It’s amazing what true peace can do for a person.

I glance across the courtroom. The prosecutor, Mr. Vaida, gives me a long, regretful look. It’s better than the contempt with which he treated me the last time we met—the day I was sentenced to five years in prison for a crime I did not commit. Time has not been too kind to this man. His brown hair is thinning. His eyes seem more tired than ever.

“Laurel Buchanan,” my attorney replies.

“Wasn’t she a witness for the prosecution?” Judge Hennesy mutters.

Ethan leans in and whispers in my ear. “Keep cool, baby.”

He’s not alone. Mitch and Colton sit with him, right behind me, and it’s the greatest feeling in the world to be here and know that I have their full support. Cradling my growing bump, I give him a soft, over-the-shoulder smile. “I’m as cool as cucumber,” I whisper back.

“Yes, she was,” Mr. Wilkes says. “She has, however, recanted her testimony and agreed to a deal with the prosecution in exchange for leniency on the perjury charges.”

“I can confirm,” Mr. Vaida sighs deeply. “This case was an absolute sham. We have no objection to Ms. Buchanan’s revised testimony.”

“Then you may call your witness,” Judge Hennesy says.

I hear the courtroom doors open and glance back and watch Laurel as she enters the courtroom. She combed her red hair in a tight bun, and she picked out a simple but neat black outfit for this occasion. She looks at me for what seems like forever—just enough time for me to see the regret, the guilt swirling deep within her soul.

“Here we go,” Colton mutters.

Laurel takes the stand, and the bailiff swears her in. This time, I know she’s telling the truth. Mr. Wilkes gets up and begins his questioning while the judge and the prosecutor watch in silence. There’s no jury for this hearing. There are hardly any people in the courtroom, except for my men, a handful of town reporters taking notes, and a couple of lawyers who knew about my case from the papers. It’s fine, though. I don’t need an audience for this.

Laurel gives her testimony, and the prosecutor nods his approval.

“We rest our case, Your Honor,” Mr. Wilkes says, giving me a quick but confident smile. “And it is hereby our most ardent request that Melissa Carson’s sentence be vacated, effective immediately, and all charges removed from her record altogether.”

“The prosecution seconds that motion.”

“Of course you do, Mr. Vaida. This was your mess to begin with,” Judge Hennesy scoffs, then nods my way. “Miss Carson, I cannot begin to express how sorry I am that you had to spend three years in prison for the crimes of another. The justice system may be flawed, but it worked with the evidence and the testimony available at the time. While we cannot give back the time you lost, we can only offer our sincerest apologies and immediately proceed to vacate your sentence. As of right now, you are a free woman, clear of any and all charges.”

Suddenly, an ocean of relief washes over me.

I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long that I didn’t even register its magnitude and its importance until now. As I take a deep breath and stand up, I can feel every ounce of fear and misery, every sliver of anger and sadness leave my body. It’s over. It’s finally over, and all I can do is smile and nod and let Mr. Wilkes shake my hand.

“Congratulations, Melissa,” he says.

“Thank you,” I mumble, tears filling my eyes.

Colton is the first to take me in his arms, while Ethan and Mitch give Mr. Wilkes their thanks. He’s one of the ranch’s top lawyers, of course. They wanted to make sure I had the best representation after everything that happened with Jake and the cartel.

“Well done, honey,” Colton says to me. “You made it to the end of the tunnel, huh?”

“It’s so bright and warm now.” I am laughing and crying at the same time.

He gently wipes the tears from my cheeks and plants a kiss on my lips. In public, he’s the one I’m with. We agreed on this in order to keep our relationship safe, especially with the twins on the way.

“You’re a free woman,” Mitch says as he steps closer, leaving Mr. Wilkes to have a final exchange with the prosecutor and his assistant. “What’s the first thing on your to-do list?”

“I’d kill for a burger,” I reply, prompting a hearty laugh from my men.

Ethan offers a wink and a smile. “We could stop by the Cavalier before we head home.”

“Home,” I mumble.

“It’ll be your home for as long as you want it,” Colton lovingly reminds me.

I give him a fluttering kiss on the cheek, reveling in the feel of his sandy stubble against my lips. “I absolutely want it forever, Mr. Avery. Our children will love growing up there.”

After a generous lunch at the Cavalier, where Louisa is no longer working, since she’s serving a one-year prison sentence for helping Jake with my abduction, much to her family’s chagrin, we head back to the ranch.

As soon as Colton’s truck passes the front gates, it’s as if the world is finally opening itself up to me again. Everything looks better. Everything smells fresher—including the manure. It’s ridiculous, what true freedom can do to one’s senses. You don’t even realize how precious freedom truly is until you’re stripped of it.

Darla and Sammy come out on the porch to greet us

“So?” Darla asks, her eyes wide with excitement as Ethan helps me out of my seat. I’ve gotten heavier, sluggish at times. Carrying twins takes a toll on the body. “How’d it go?”

“All good,” I say with a bright smile. “I’ve been exonerated. My record cleared. My sentence vacated. It’s truly over.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so glad,” she exclaims and rushes to hug me, albeit careful so as not to squish me and my growing bump.

“We were just about to take the lasses out on the pasture,” Sammy tells the guys. “If you care to join us, that is. The ranch hands are at the stables, getting our horses ready.”

“How are they coming along?” Colton asks Sammy, a tint of sadness lingering in his gaze. The memory of Kyle and Jason is still strong on the ranch. They were good men who didn’t deserve what befell them. Not a day goes by that they’re not missed. “Are they giving you any trouble?”

Sammy scratches the back of his head. “Not really. Omar’s a tad slow, but he’s a hard worker. And Jessie’s a real firecracker. I reckon he’ll break the grey filly by next month. Something tells me she’s gonna let him ride her before summer comes around.”

“That’s good to hear,” Colton replies with an appreciative nod.

“We’re not going to be able to join you, though,” Mitch says, snaking an arm around my waist. “We just had a monstrous lunch at the Cavalier, and we’d like to put our feet up for a while. It’s been a long morning, to say the least.”

Sammy chuckles and gives me a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I can’t blame you. Y’all rest up, Melissa, and what can I say? I’m glad you’re free of all that nonsense. I’m also glad you’re stickin’ around with us, sweetheart. You would’ve been missed. This place ain’t the same without you.”

“Thank you, Sammy.”

The house still feels strange at times.

I expect to bump into Kyle or Jason at any hour, but then I’m immediately reminded that they’re no longer around. It’ll take a while for this sadness to wash away, but the prospect of little kids darting about, laughing and squealing, quickly brightens my mood.

My room was recently turned into the master bedroom—our safe haven away from the world. It’s still my space, but I spend my evenings here in the company of my men.

“Gosh, you’re so beautiful,” Colton says, smiling as he and his brothers walk in.

I’m fresh out of the shower and wrapped in a delicate, rose-pink robe made of fine silk, one of the many gifts they’ve been gracing me with since the whole nightmare with Jake and the cartel came to a drastic end. My hair flows freely over one shoulder, capturing rays of sunlight in its dark waves. For the first time in a long time, I feel like my truest self.

“You fellas are quite easy on the eyes as well,” I say and laugh lightly.

With slow but sure steps, I walk up to them just as the door closes behind Ethan, his gaze shifting from a light blue to the very night sky that will soon grace the heavens above.

“Take that off, darling,” he says.

“Yes, sir,” I reply with a playful smile and let the robe fall to the floor.

I watch as their eyes travel from my head to my toes while they remove their clothes, one layer at a time. First, the shirts and the boots. I’m graced with a splendid view of their gorgeous torsos, muscles bulging and stretching seamlessly as heat gathers in my core.

Without hesitation, I touch myself as they get out of their jeans.

My breasts are swollen and tender. My hips have widened, and my baby bump is growing beautifully. Yes, I feel heavy and sluggish most of the time, but my men make sure to also make me feel like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world, their most prized possession, theirs to love and share until the end of time.

“I’m afraid none of us will last long,” Mitch says, stroking himself as he watches me. He’s big and hard and aching for me, much like his brothers.

Their cocks are twitching, veins pulsating along the shafts as pearls of precum gather at the tips. I get on my knees and take each of them in my mouth, tasting them, enjoying them and memorizing each of these extraordinary men to the deepest detail.

Ethan runs his fingers through my hair when it’s his turn. “I didn’t think I’d be able to love someone as much as I’ve come to love you.”

“Then we’re in luck because it’s more than mutual,” I reply.

Colton slides deep down my throat, and I welcome all of him, relaxing my jaw to fit as much as possible. His cock throbs furiously against my tongue, causing liquid heat to trickle down the insides of my thighs.

“You’re perfect,” he whispers.

“And you taste like heaven,” I tell him.

This is my first time with them as a free woman, and it hits differently. Mitch pulls me up and moves us to the edge of the bed, showering me with kisses as Ethan and Colton run their hands all over my body.

“Come here, baby,” Mitch says as he lays on his back.

I climb on top and straddle him, letting him stretch me and fill me to the brim. “Oh, yes,” I groan excitedly as all my nerves endings light up. “You’re precisely what I needed.”

“Got more for you right here,” Ethan says and gets behind me.

He joins Mitch inside me while Colton stands next to the bed and holds on to the canopy frame as I part my lips and let him glide down my throat again. It’s incredible precision and a feat of perfection as I’m claimed by my men, hard and deep and insanely intense.

A rhythm builds between us.

My breasts bounce, but Mitch makes sure to lovingly tease each, taking my nipple in his mouth and letting his tongue flick over it. Again and again, until an orgasm builds up within my core. I let my hips move back and forth, moaning with a mouthful of Colton while Ethan goes faster, deeper. I come hard and gushing all over them, panting and sweating as they take me straight to heaven.

“Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life, Melissa,” Colton grunts as he tightens his grip around the base of his cock.

I suck him harder, shuddering in the aftermath of my climax while Mitch exhales sharply and comes with a brusque jolt. Ethan’s hand comes down, slapping my ass before he lets loose and fills me with his seed.

“I love you so much,” I whisper as Colton leans down to kiss me. “So, so much.”

“And we love you,” Ethan rumbles in my ear, nibbling on the side of my neck. “Just as much. You’re ours, Melissa.”

“You’re mine, too,” I say.

Mitch puts on a lazy smile, while I linger on top of him. “Damn right we’re yours.”