Brokenhearted Beauty(Divine Creek Ranch 19)(79)

The practical thing to do would be to leave it all packed until the day she had the space to display all of the old pieces. Practicality dictated that this was neither the time nor the place for such self-indulgence, witnessed by the sea of Bubble Wrap surrounding her. She’d just have to wrap everything back up. Wasted work. Sipping from her glass of blush wine, she wished practicality would stuff it.

She tilted a little sideways and sighed as the rainbow sparkles in the crystal slanted and swirled.

“Fuck it. It’s my night off, damn it,” she said softly and then giggled at her profanity. So unlike her.

A loud knock sounded at her apartment door and she carefully rose from the midst of crystal, conscious that she’d had a glass of wine. When she’d visited Emma, her doctor had told her not to live the next couple of weeks in worry about every little thing she did, ate, or drank. As an example, she’d told her that one glass of wine occasionally wouldn’t hurt anything and might actually help if she was tense, which she certainly had been.

She swayed with the music as she danced down the hallway singing along with Robin Thicke’s “Get Her Back” playing on her stereo. Wondering if it was one of her neighbors complaining about the volume level of the music, she peeked through the peephole. She squealed happily as she flipped the deadbolt and the knob lock. No neighbors complaining. It was her men.

An appreciative sigh left her lips as she swung the door open to reveal her big, sexy men, in uniform and standing in her doorway, lightweight duffels slung over their shoulders. “Hello, handsomes,” she said in a husky tone, smiling at them and stepping back so they could enter.

James chuckled and wrapped his arms around her as Vincent closed the door and locked it. “What’re you up to, honey?” She smiled up him and giggled at his amused expression.

She sighed happily and said, “Besides getting turned on by the sight of you in your police officer uniforms? I’m just enjoying my night off, something I haven’t done very much in the past.”

James’s lips were warm and succulent as he kissed her and pulled her close to his hard, sexy body. “Honey, are you tipsy?”

She giggled happily and sighed as she went into Vincent’s strong arms. “Not really. I’m just a lightweight. I decided to live in the moment and relax with a glass of wine. And I unpacked.”

“Unpacked?” Vincent asked after giving her a wet kiss that got her hot and made her want to drop her panties right then and there.

“Mmm-hmm. I had boxes in my extra bedroom that are packed with stuff from my mom. When she passed away, stored it in there. She really loved her crystal, and she gave it to me because she knew I loved it, too,” she said as she beckoned them down the hallway. “I had to leave it in boxes. My dad has the china cabinets in storage for me because I have no space for them.”

She entered the room and smiled when she heard their surprised whistles as they came in behind her. The sun shone through the window and illuminated all the sparkling crystal.

“Fluff, that’s quite a collection. What were you planning to do in here once you had it all unwrapped?” Vincent asked as he squatted down and lifted a bowl and then arched an eyebrow as he held it up for James to look at. James chuckled and nodded and whispered something she didn’t catch.

Smiling sadly, she shook her head. “Nothing. I have to pack it all back into the boxes after I get done looking at it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah,” she replied wistfully. “I haven’t seen any of it since right after Mom passed away. I have all the dishes I need so I can’t justify leaving it unpacked.”

She glanced up and smiled when she found both men staring at her. They weren’t teasing her for being slightly tipsy. They just looked at her with tender expressions.

“I love you,” she whispered suddenly and then giggled. She appreciated being able to share her heart with them without fear of being laughed at. She might be tipsy but she still had feelings.

“I love you, too,” James said, rocking forward on the balls of his feet to kiss her.

Vincent kissed her forehead. “I love you, fluff.”

“My dad is coming by the store to see me tomorrow.”

“Did you share your decision with him?” Vincent asked as he steadied her when she sat down in the midst of her collection again. She felt like a little girl surrounded by her tea set, except having two hunky guys there didn’t make her feel self-conscious.

“No. He let me know in a voice mail. I imagine that’s the reason for his visit, though.”

“Think he’ll be upset?” James asked.