POV: Lark
I could hear the guys moving around in the kitchen as they got the food together. Listening to them talk and joke around with each other brought a soft smile to my lips, and I was once again struck by the normalcy of it.
I still can't believe I told them everything.
Part of me felt a sense of relief so strong that it brought tears to my eyes. The other part of me felt guilty for potentially putting them all in danger. Aidan's words helped to quiet that part of myself. We were a team and they wanted me to trust them.
I knew without a doubt that I could.
I turned the faucet on in the upstairs bathroom and splashed cool water on my face. Colt had shown me the bathroom when he brought me up to my room before our family meeting, but I hadn't gone inside to explore it. I'm glad he wasn't with me when I stepped inside for the first time as I know my face looked ridiculous.
The bathroom was huge and decked out in beautiful modern appliances. I knew the guys had money now. Obviously they wouldn't be able to afford a penthouse apartment in New York City without it. I just don't think I really wrapped my head around how much money.
Patting my face down with the plush, dark green towel I started to feel my nerves settle back down as Luka's voice penetrated my thoughts.
"Lark! Food is ready!"
Leaving the bathroom, weightlessness settled over me that I hadn't felt in a very long time. It was a feeling of safety and comfort and happiness. As I walked down the stairs and headed into the kitchen I promised myself that I wouldn't take this feeling for granted. Nor the people who helped me get it back. Greyson, Aidan, Luka, and Colt helped bring me back to myself and I was going to do what I could to keep our family intact and show them the same support they had always shown me.
The guys' laughter welcomed me into the kitchen as I grabbed one of the plates that had been set out and started piling food onto it. Now that my nerves had gone away I was starving."What joke did I miss?", I asked. Smiling at them as I scooped a large portion of strawberries. Luka opened his mouth to respond to my question, but Greyson beat him to it.
"You didn't miss any joke, but you did miss Aidan chucking grapes at Colt after he brought up boxing".
As I looked around the floor I noticed a handful of grapes laying at Colt's feet. The unamused frown and crossed arms that he was sporting filled in the rest of the moment I had missed and made me laugh as well.
"Well, I'm sorry I missed that. Next time you guys are going to have a food fight I'd appreciate an invite", I joked.
I saw Colt crack a smile and knew that he wasn't really upset about being pelted with grapes. He was always the most serious out of our little group, but he always loved to see us happy. Even if that was at his expense.
Colt gave me a kiss on my head as he walked past me to grab a plate. "Don't worry", he said, "Next time a food fight breaks out just let me know your target and I'll hold them down for you". He started piling a couple of sandwiches on his plate as well.
The rest of the guys followed behind him and made a sort of snake throughout the kitchen as they all got their food piled on their plates. I made my way out of the kitchen and claimed my earlier spot on the couch. Not bothering to wait, I took a bite of the sandwich.
Holy shit it was good. An embarrassing moan escaped me as I savored the flavor. I was about to ask what was on it when I opened my eyes and saw the guys standing awkwardly as they entered the living room.
"What", I asked. "Do I have food on me or something?". I looked down at my shirt and saw I was clean.
"Uhhh no. You're good Lark. We were just umm.. deciding where to sit", Grey told me. He offered me a reassuring smile but something was off about it. Deciding to let it go, I went back to enjoy my food. The guys settled down around me and started talking about their days.
I could tell this must have been a normal occurrence. Them all eating dinner together. There was an easy flow to the conversation that pulled me in and made me feel like I had always been a part of these conversations.
Looking around at these four men, I knew that I had made the right choice in telling them about my past.
They were like bright shining stars that appeared out of the dark; guiding me home.