Page 36 of Her Three Rangers

“Let’s go back to camp, guys,” I said, starting to stand. “We need to let her get some sleep.”

“Wait,” she said, reaching out to stop me.

The three of us froze in place as we turned to look at her. “Don’t go,” she said. “I mean… will you please stay tonight? The three of you? Stay right here with me?”

“We absolutely will,” I said, nodding as the other guys sat back down on the floor. “We’ll be here tonight and we’ll be here when you wake up in the morning.”

“Yes, we will,” Cody said.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Jaeger added.

I leaned in to kiss her on the forehead, then took the spot on the floor right next to the couch as Cody and Jaeger stretched out across the living room floor.

“Good night,” she said, softly.

“Good night,” we answered in unison.

She turned off the lamp on the end table next to her and laid back down on the couch, her arm dangling off the side, too close for me to resist reaching out and taking her hand.

She held onto it, squeezing tightly as she drifted off to sleep.

I really, really hoped we didn’t have to leave before we were all ready for that to happen. But like Jaeger said, it had to be her decision.

And we would have to respect whatever decision she made.

Chapter 11 - Grace

The three guys—my three boyfriends?—filed into my office a little after noon. The three of them together was usually a loud, rowdy, quick-talking and sarcastic affair, but today they looked like they had just come back from a funeral.

“Did you decide?” Ty asked, breaking the silence.

I exhaled. I could respect that he wanted to get right to the point, but I hated that we even had to talk about it at all.

Damn Garrick Windram.

Damn anyone else who couldn’t mind their own business.

Damn them all.

“I did,” I said, finally, my gaze settling on each of them in turn. “I don’t want you to leave. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not the next day. When you finish the kennel, I guess we’ll have to have another conversation about it, but mostly I just want things to go back to normal—the new normal, I mean. The normal where we’re all happy together, like we were before…” I paused, my throat suddenly tight. “Before that incident last night.”

The relief was palpable as it washed over them. I could see it in their eyes and on their faces. They didn’t want to go any more than I wanted them to.

But if I had asked, they would have packed their bags without arguing.

It made me realize just how lucky I was to have the three of them in my life now. I still didn’t know what we would do when the time came for them to leave again, but that was a bridge we’d have to cross another day.

I was finished worrying for today.

“That’s good news,” Cody said, finally cracking a smile.

“A hell of a lot better than it could have been,” Jaeger agreed.

Ty hesitated, though, his arms crossed. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?” he asked. “With us staying, I mean. You’re not worried about the gossip?”

I opened my hands and shrugged. “What can I really do about it? It’s already out there, right? If people really are talking about the four of us, they’re going to keep talking for a while whether you’re here or not. I think I should at least get to enjoy having you here, if I’m going to get judged for it regardless.”

“That seems fair to me,” Ty said, the corners of his mouth twitching up. “As long as you’re okay with it, we’re happy.”