Be With Me(6)

They walked to the front porch and Cam inserted the key into the lock. Though they’d visited the house often when it was in the building stages—(Cam had been more than obsessed with making sure every single detail was perfect and exactly according to the plans he’d drawn up)—Sawyer couldn’t help the sense of wonder that slipped over him when he stepped into the foyer.

No expense had been spared in the construction.

While it looked and felt masculine, it hadn’t been built or decorated with their tastes solely in mind. No, it had been built for Reggie. It was her dream house.

He meandered to the stone fireplace and ran his fingers lightly over the mahogany mantel. Then he walked over to the French doors leading to the deck and stared out. She’d like it. Several trees shaded the sprawling terrace, including one large oak that they’d built around. It was intended to mimic the banks of the creek where she and Hutch had spent so much time nestled among the tree roots.

The deck overlooked a three-acre pond down a gentle incline from the back of the house. They’d stocked it with bass and catfish, and Sawyer was looking forward to chal enging Reggie to see who could land the biggest.

“You think this wil work?”

Sawyer turned in surprise to see Cam standing next to him at the doors. More surprising was the worry in his voice. Cam . . . he was the steadfast one. He’d been the one from the start to tel him and Hutch when they had doubts that it would work out. It had to. They loved Reggie.

Now Sawyer realized that Cam needed that reassurance too.

“Yeah, man. It’s going to work. It’s not us she’s running from. It’s herself. She’s afraid. Of what, I’m not sure.”

Cam nodded. “It’s just that sometimes I think we made a mistake. That maybe we pushed too hard.” Sawyer eyed him before turning his gaze to the outside. “We didn’t push, Cam. It just . . . happened. I wouldn’t have let you or Hutch force her into anything, just like you wouldn’t have let me. We wanted her.

But we’ve wanted her a long damn time.”

“I turned on the air and made sure her room was al set. We can head back to the hospital now if you want.”

Sawyer turned, accepting the abrupt change in subject. Yeah, he was anxious to return even though he knew Reggie was going to fight them tooth and nail about coming home with them, especial y when she learned that home was here and not in Houston.

Hutch listened to Reggie’s quiet breathing and gently rubbed his fingers up and down her shoulder. She lay sleeping, her head against his chest, her body nestled into his. His arm was numb and had been for the better part of an hour, but he didn’t want to move it and disturb her.

With his other hand, he ran his finger up her slender neck where the vivid bruises marred her skin. The idea that she’d come so close to death scared the hel out of him. He knew her job as a cop put her in danger every day, but this just brought that fact home with a punch to the gut.

He didn’t want her putting herself out there like that. He wanted her at home, in his bed, where he could take care of her. If she had any clue of the direction of his thoughts, she’d kick him in the bal s.

Of the three guys, she considered him her al y.

If she only knew that he wasn’t nearly as tolerant as Cam or Sawyer. She’d been his for longer than she’d ever been theirs. There were times when he had no desire to fol ow through with the agreement he’d made with Cam and Sawyer. He knew they loved her. Like he loved her. But he was tired of waiting.

One of them didn’t scare her, but the three of them did.

He sighed. She wouldn’t choose between them.

They al knew it too, which was why they didn’t have any desire to make her. None of them wanted to lose her, and so they were wil ing to take the biggest gamble of their lives. Convince her that she belonged with al three of them. And hope to hel jealousy didn’t eat them al alive.

She stirred and let out a smal groan. He kissed the top of her head, and she went stil .

“Hutch?”

He smiled. She knew him even coming out of a drug-induced fog.

“Yeah, baby. I’m here.”

He felt her smile against his chest, but her words contradicted that action.

“You shouldn’t have come. I’m okay. No need for you to al come running over when you have work to do. Birdie said this is a real y busy time for you.” He shifted, careful not to bump any of her injuries.

His arm was screaming for mercy, and so he slid it out from underneath her and turned on his side.

“We’re busy, Reggie. But never too busy for you, and you should damn wel know that by now.”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” she said softly. “I just meant that there wasn’t a need for you to come. I’m fine. I don’t need . . .”

He put a finger to her lips, and she went quiet. Her blue eyes were cloudy from the remnants of pain and drugs, but he could also see anxiety brewing there.

He slid his hand over her face down below her ear and beyond to the back of her neck. His thumb stroked over her cheekbone as he simply stared at her.

She was beautiful, and he doubted she knew just how much. Or that as beautiful as she was to everyone else, she was that much more to him. And to Cam and Sawyer.

“Don’t say it.” He ran his finger lightly over the seam of her lips. “You need us, Reggie. You’re fighting that, and for now that’s okay. But at some point you’l have to admit to us and to yourself that you need us as much as we need you.”