Going Back Home

After the unexpected breakfast at the warehouse, the guys and I made our way back home to gather our stuff.

As we stepped through the front door, Shay was coming down the stairs with a bag slung over her shoulder. I quickly moved to her, taking the bag from her and carrying it the rest of the way.

“Zane!” she protested, her arms folded over her rounded belly. “I can handle a five-pound bag, you know.”

Setting the bag down, I could feel her gaze drilling into me.

“Honey, I told you to leave the bags in our room. I would’ve taken care of them when I got back. And by the way, thanks for keeping the secret.”

She hummed, a playful glint in her eyes. “I had to! Conner and Noah threatened to kill me if I spilled the beans.”

Both guys whipped their heads around, their mouths hanging open. “We did not!” they exclaimed in unison.

She laughed, patting them on their chests as she descended the last few steps.

“Boys, we agreed last night that I couldn’t leak even the tiniest detail. You said I’d be dead if I did.”

Conner grumbled, “You know we didn’t mean it like that. And we’re not boys.”

Noah gestured between them. “No, we’re not. If Zane wouldn’t kill us, we could prove we’re men, not boys, right here and now.”

I chuckled at his words. “Save that for your girlfriends who are upstairs packing. My woman isn’t allowed to see anything like that.”

Shay was laughing so hard she was doubled over, clutching her stomach. Tears streamed down her face.

“Okay, I believe you without proof,” she managed to say. “If I really wanted to find out, I’d just grab a handful.”

All three of us blanched at her words.

I cleared my throat. “That’s never going to happen. First, these guys wouldn’t let you anywhere near them. Second, you’d be in deep trouble with me if you tried.”

She waved a dismissive hand as she headed for the kitchen. “I know that,” she said. “But I’m sneaky. They’d never see it coming.”

We followed her into the kitchen. Conner raised his hand as if asking for permission to speak. “I have to know, how would you pull that off?”

Shay turned around, an impish smirk on her face. Oh shit, he just challenged her. He should know better.

She sauntered up to the guys, Conner on her right and Noah on her left. “That’s for me to know, and you to wonder about.”

She stepped closer, then, quick as a flash, her hands grabbed their belt loops. They stood there, stunned. Smirking, she patted their cheeks before turning back to the kitchen.

“Damn, she could’ve had us by the balls that fast. We wouldn’t have seen it coming,” Noah said, his hand protectively covering his crotch.

“Be careful what you wish for, boys,” Shay said, drawing out the last word.

“You two knew what you were getting into when you challenged her,” I said. “She wasn’t going to touch where she shouldn’t, but she showed you she could if she wanted.”

I set the plate of food I’d brought back from the warehouse for her on the table where she’d taken a seat.

“We made a mistake,” Connor admitted. “But we’re still ~not~ boys. Please stop calling us that.”

He leaned over the table, glaring at her. She just smiled at him. “Okay, I’m sorry for insulting you. I won’t do it again, my child.”

I burst out laughing. She was on fire today. I raised my hand.

“Enough, Shay. Don’t rile them up before we leave. You still have to share a cabin with them. We don’t need a boxing match on our way home for our wedding.”

She pointed her fork at both of them as Noah came over with drinks. “You weren’t there last night at the movies. They teased me and the other girls all night.”

The guys both grinned.

“We did, but they gave as good as they got,” Connor said.

“Those three together are like a submarine against a fighter jet. We got in some good hits, but in the end, they burned us pretty good.” Noah handed me a drink.

Taking a sip, I shook my head. “I don’t even want to know. Let me go get our bags so we can be ready to leave when she’s done eating.”

We finished our drinks and tossed the cans in the trash. Then we headed upstairs to grab our packed bags. It took two trips to bring everything down.

After my second trip, Shay got up and took her plate to the kitchen. The other two girls came downstairs with their bags, and we loaded everything into the two cars waiting outside to take us to the plane.

Shay chatted with the other girls about how beautiful our destination was as they walked to the front door.

“You ready, Boss? The plane is fueled and ready to go whenever you say,” Conner said, grabbing the last of their bags.

I picked up the last two of mine and we walked out, locking the house and setting the alarm. The water park had its own alarm, which I left off, but no one could get into the house with the house alarm on. Then we headed to the plane.

The girls climbed the steps first to find their seats, while we loaded our luggage into the compartment.

“Handle everything while we’re away,” I told the guy I’d put in charge of my home. “You’ve got Conner’s and Noah’s numbers if anything comes up.”

“Don’t sweat it, sir. It’ll be smooth sailing while you’re gone, just like always. I’ll see to it.” He shot me a quick nod before hopping back in the car to head to the house.

We climbed aboard the plane, prepping to jet off to my home country for our wedding.