Page 24 of Room Thirty: Perfect Little Doll

We won’t let you regret taking a chance on us.

One day, you won’t doubt our forevers and always.

We’re going to show you, prove to you day in and day out how much you mean to us. How important you are to us.

Important.

I had only been important to one person, and my sweet Abuelita was gone. My gaze dropped to the small gold frame that sat in the corner of my desk. It was one of the two of us at my high school graduation. One of my favorites. The smile and pride were clear as day on her face, and that was saying something for my viejita, who never showed much in the way of emotions. The old lady was a tough cookie.

She had to be with the cards life dealt her.

Orphaned and then hitched to an abusive husband who died and left her to raise a rebellious daughter all on her own had been hard enough to give anyone gray hairs. But then she’d been saddled with raising her grandkid when she should have been done with parenting and live life for herself.

It wasn’t until the end that she let herself show how much she cared. She never skipped on telling me she loved me. Telling me was the best thing that had happened to her. That she didn’t regret having to raise me. I picked up the small frame and stroked my grandma’s face.

“Que hago, Abué?” I asked the imaged, but of course, no one answered. My nose stung and my eyes burned. I felt so alone.

What would she tell me?

She would look at the three men in my life and wink at me. Her own dark eyes would sparkle with humor and joy before telling me to go for it. She’d tease me and tell me if she were twenty years younger, she would fight me for them. As emotionally distant as she might have been, my grandma had always been funny. I missed that, too. I sniffled and set the frame back, pressing a kiss to the tips of my fingers and onto her face.

“Miss you,” I whispered before clearing the emotion from my voice. I was at work.

Regardless of whatever my bosses were up to, I still had things to get done. All of us did. I picked up the contract and kept reading. I loved contracts. It was why I had wanted to go into contractual law.One day.I sighed. I glanced at the clock on the screen of my computer and groaned.

It was late.

Really, really late.

Focusing had been hard after kissing Carey and Fox. Both their voices had drifted in and out my head while I was trying to work. I was waiting on pins and needles for Ronan to show up, but he never did. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Ronan wasn’t the kind of man to push.

A little after eight, the sun had long set, and night filled the sky. I still had to stop at the grocery store, but I had a feeling I was going to put it off once again. I slipped out of my heels. My feet ached from wearing them all day, and I put on the flats I kept in my bag for when I had to walk to my car.

I usually said goodbye to each boss when I headed home, but after Fox’ encounter in the breakroom and Carey’s late lunch in his office, I had been shamelessly avoiding them. And surprisingly, they’d let me. None of them had stopped by like they normally did.

I made it to the elevator and pressed the button for the ground-level parking lot. My phone buzzed in my purse. I went to dig for it. I felt him before I saw him. A dark shadow loomed over the doors that had just started to close. They opened, and my eyes caught his black loafers.

Ronan.

My gaze moved over his black slacks and caught sight of the light blue dress shirt he’d worn today, and I felt my lips start to tip upward. The sleeves were already rolled up his forearms, displaying the sinewy muscles and tanned skin.

“Heading home?” he asked. His eyes felt darker than usual.

“Yeah.” I answered, taking a step back when he entered the elevator. I knew he hadn’t missed it when he pressed the same button as mine and backed up against the far wall to stand right next to me.

“Long day?” he asked. I coughed. Long day was putting it mildly.

“A little bit, yeah.” His knowing gaze touched mine. It was more than evident he knew what had happened. Fox had all but admitted the three of them wanted me. The three of them wanted me?

As handsome and powerful as they were together, each man was as different as night and day. If that was the case, Ronan was day. He was warm sunshine and soft breezes.

But I was nervous. Anxious. Was Ronan going to make a move? It made me feel like I was holding my breath, like he was about to pounce.

“I almost finished the contract,” I said, filling in the silence, and watched him nod. His hair shifted into his face, and I was tempted to brush it away from his forehead. “I will have it to you by tomorrow and, umm…” I was rambling. Nerves were getting the best of me.

“Serena.” His hand found mine. His long warm fingers tangled with mine as his large palm closed. I turned to look at our connection. “Baby, look at me,” he gently ordered, and my eyes immediately moved to his.

“Are you going to stop the elevator and corner me in here?”