Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Annie

So it's totally uncool to drool over your best friend's dad, right? It's probably even worse when you find yourself lusting over both of them. I don't even really understand it. There have been hundreds of video calls over the last year and a half where I've seen one, the other, or both of them on screen, talking with Suzie. Yes, I might have seen them as attractive middle-aged men, because they were. But in real life? Those two men are fine as fuck.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have unlocked a preference for older men. Or perhaps it's the fact that my heart is pining over Daddy Jackson and trying to replace him with something completely opposite. Regardless of what it is, the second I lay eyes on Lorcan and Montgomery in the living flesh, my heart stops beating, certain parts of me quiver and I want to kneel in front of them.

I nearly climb back into Ethan's car and beg him to take me back to the airport .

Thank fuck Suzie doesn't realize anything is amiss because she is just too excited to see them. Over the last almost two years she could have gone home to visit, and they could have even come to England for her, but her time off and their free time from their business never quite lined up.

Suzie bursts into tears as the two handsome older men envelope her in warm hugs. And I stand there, awkwardly clutching my bag and watching the overwhelming display of affection with an empty feeling in my stomach. I am used to extended periods of separation from my parents. As soon as they deemed me old enough, I was sent to boarding school. And never, not once, not even after the first time I came home from the year away, did they seem so excited to see me.

Before I can let the doubts about myself creep in too far, Lorcan, the salt-and-pepper god with blue eyes, looks up from Suzie's head, straight at me. "Annie! It's so lovely to finally meet you in person. Mont and I were so excited when Sue told us you were coming to stay for a while!"

I'm not sure what surprises me more. The complete sincerity I can hear in his tone, or the deep gravel in his voice that never sounded so tasty over the phone. My knees nearly buckle under the effect the sound of his voice has on me.

I clear my throat before tucking a long strand of purple hair behind my ear. "I'm incredibly grateful to you and Montgomery for opening your home to me like this. Thank you for having me." As always, my hard-earned manners win the battle.

Montgomery—or Mont, as Lorcan had referred to him—slowly steps away from Suzie, but neither of them lets go of her. My heart melts for my best friend and the honest affection between her and her parents. In the last six months, her homesickness has gotten steadily worse, and I've been so sad for her, so seeing her here with them like this makes me happy.

We make our way up the stairs into the large front doors, both men keeping their hands on Suzie's lower back, leaving Ethan and me to bring up the rear with the bags. Ethan doesn't seem bothered to be carrying his sister's stuff, and as soon as we step through the doors he tells me to leave my bags in the foyer and follow the rest of them to the kitchen.

I'm not about to argue about doing manual labor—what kind of spoiled rich kid would I be if I did?—I dump my luggage and follow my nose to the kitchen. It smells heavenly, and the rumbling in my tummy reminds me I haven't eaten in way too long because I slept through the meal on the plane.

And when I step into the kitchen, I'm more than satisfied to find an island filled with just about every breakfast food I can think of. Suzie snickers as she sees my hungry face before explaining, "Annie here managed to sleep just about the entire flight so she hasn't eaten since like yesterday."

Lorcan laughs as he rubs at the back of his neck. "Oh, good. We weren't sure what you guys would be in the mood for, and we knew Ethan would join you. He eats more than most football teams. So we just ended up getting a bit of everything."

I smile in response, not sure what to say other than ‘thank you'. Luckily Suzie knows me better than that, so she steps in, grabs a plate and hands it to me .

"You better go first. If Ethan gets in before us, there won't be anything left," she says in a stage whisper.

He pretends to look offended, but is stopped from saying anything when the other hot man speaks up. "She's not wrong. I've seen him eat three-quarters of a Thanksgiving turkey. One big enough to feed ten people."

Montgomery's voice isn't as growly as his husband's. Instead, his silky-smooth tone wraps around me like a warm blanket. His green eyes sparkle as he teases his son before lightly punching him in the shoulder.

Everyone bursts into laughter, and I force out a few chuckles so I don't look like the odd one out, but it's really hard to keep a straight face when all I can think about is how sexy these men are.

Thank goodness Suzie and I have our days pretty much planned out, as they will mostly consist of spending time in the pool or her new studio. I don't foresee either of her dads being around there too often.

Breakfast goes by quickly, and I eat way more than I should, but pretty soon Suzie yawns her ass off, and I nudge her under the counter we sat down at. "I think you need to have that nap so we can get into our busy schedules after lunch."

"Yeah. Shit. I could sleep for a year right about now. But you won't let me stay down for more than two hours, right?" She rubs at her bloodshot eyes before opening her mouth for another enormous yawn.

"Yeah, bud. Two hours max. Then we'll climb into our swimsuits and make use of the very warm, very convenient indoor pool for the rest of the day. I'll make you swim laps and play Marco-Polo with me all day long to keep you awake. "

Everyone around the counter laughs with me before I push up off the stool and start collecting the dishes.

"No!" Lorcan objects, taking the plate from my hands. "You two head on up. Your bags should be in your rooms by now. We'll get the leftovers put away and everything cleaned up in here. You're on vacation now, remember?"

Sending a shy, thankful smile his way, I grab Suzie's hand and drag her out of the kitchen to the foyer. I have no idea where her or my room is, but I do know we'll probably need to go up the very impressive marble staircase.

"So, what do you think?" Suzie says to me as we slowly make our way up the stairs.

"Your house is the bomb. Breakfast was amazing. Your brother is the coolest, no matter what you say, and your dads are awesome." I sum it all up for her in as few sentences as possible because I know she won't be happy until she's got all the information she wants or needs.

"Good enough to convince you to stay longer than a few months?" She checks me with her hip before leading me down a long hallway. "My room is that way," she says, pointing in the opposite direction. "Lorcan and Mont have a suite on the ground floor. They've put you in the guest suite here because I didn't think it would be kind to subject you to Ethan's old room, even if it is next to mine." She rolls her eyes as she explains, and I nod along to show I'm listening.

When she pushes open the door and shows me the lush suite, I feel a relieved breath huff out of my chest. I couldn't give two flying fucks what it looks like inside, but I'm so ready to just have five minutes to myself to just be.

"Okay, honey. I'm down the hall. It's the first door on the right. The door still has all my Pride stickers plastered all over it, so you can't miss it. Two hours and then you come bashing it down, pretty please?"

"Deal," I whisper before giving in to the hug I know she's dying to give me.

And once she closes the door behind her, I fall face down on the bed and give in to the overwhelming emotions flooding through me.