My eyes widen in shock, then relief, when I realise who has just entered my flat. I’ve never been more pleased to see someone in my life.

“Bryce,” I say on a choked sob.

Smithy lets me go and turns on his heel. “Who the fuck are you?” he growls.

“Your worst fucking nightmare. Get out of here, before I teach you a lesson that will land you in hospital.” Bryce glances at me briefly. He spots my split lip and anger like I’ve never seen before erupts across his face. He lunges for Smithy, punching him square on the jaw. The sound of bone smashing against bone is teeth grinding. He punches him a second time, and blood spurts from Smithy’s nose, causing his head to snap back. Bryce moves to hit him again.

“Bryce, don’t,” I say. I watch as Bryce’s hand hovers in the air. His whole body is shaking.

A slow smile curves across Smithy’s face.

“Well fuck me, I didn’t realise your clients would be so protective. You must be fucking spectacular in bed, Tutti Frutti. Just like Mummy was in her heyday.” He turns to me winking, seemingly unconcerned by Bryce’s threat.

“Fuck you,” I say.

Smithy laughs. “She’s certainly got a mouth like her ma. Enjoy, mate. I’m sure she’ll help you dry off,” he says, passing Bryce.

“Get the fuck out,” Bryce seethes, following him down the hallway. Smithy leaves, but not before blowing me a kiss. Bryce slams the door in his face, pressing his hands against it for a moment. I can see his shoulders heaving. He bows his head, then slams his fist against the wood. The door shakes in its frame, making me jump. He’s so angry, I’ve never seen him act like this before. I remain where I am, not certain what to do. The whole episode has left me stunned, not to mention the fact my face and lip are killing me from the slap Smithy gave me. Bryce seems to gather himself and he turns on his feet.

“Louisa, Christ… Let me look at you,” he says, striding towards me.

Shame rushes across my skin at the thought of what he’s just witnessed. I turn before he reaches me and open the door into the kitchen, walking quickly towards the cupboard which holds my first aid kit. I pull out the green box and lay it on the table, busying myself with removing the antiseptic liquid and cotton wool balls.

“Here, let me help you with that,” he says, placing a gentle hand over my own. I stiffen under his touch. He removes his hand quickly.

“Sit down, Louisa. Please,” he adds.

I do as he asks, not because I want to particularly, but because my legs suddenly don’t want to hold me up anymore. He doesn’t say a word as he pours antiseptic onto a cotton wool ball then dabs it against my split lip. I wince. He is exceedingly gentle as he cleans the wound, inspecting it as he does so.

“I don’t think you’ll need stitches, but your lip may swell and perhaps your cheek too. He hit you hard…” I notice Bryce’s free hand curl into a fist as a muscle feathers in his jaw. He manages to keep his anger in check though. “Do you have an ice pack?”

“Yes. The freezer’s over there,” I say, tipping my head in its direction. Even doing that hurts.

“Hold this against your lip for a moment, while I grab it.”

Our fingers graze as I raise my hand to the cotton wool ball he’s pressing against my lips. The brief touch sets something off between us. I can tell he feels the spark just as much as I do. Bryce brushes his fingers against my face.

“Damn it, Louisa. Why did you leave us?”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

We gaze at each other a moment before he pulls away. “Let me get that ice pack, then I’ll make us both a cup of tea and you can tell me what the hell happened, and who the fuck that man is.”

I nod my head, not able to say much else for the moment. Shock has set in, and I am shaking with the sudden rush of adrenalin. Bryce grabs the ice pack from the freezer, wraps a clean tea towel around it and hands it to me.

“Pop it against your cheek and lip. I’m hoping it will help with any swelling.” Bryce switches the kettle on and starts opening cupboard doors to find mugs and tea bags. He’s already grabbed the milk from the fridge. I don’t bother to tell him where to look, the pain has already started to bloom from my lip and up across my cheek. Plus, my back where I was slammed against the door handle is hurting too. When I press my hand against it, a sharp pain stabs me in the ribs. “Shit,” I bite out.

“What is it?” Bryce asks.

“When he hit me, I stumbled back against the door handle. It hurts when I press here,” I say, my hand hovering over the spot.

“Let me look.” Bryce squats down next to me, and lifts my pyjama top up. He gently presses against the sore spot. I almost jump out of my skin.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Louisa,” he says, smoothing my top back down gently. “It looks like you might have broken a rib. There’s swelling, and it’s already started to bruise.” Bryce slams his fist on the table. “If I see that arsehole again I’m going to fucking kill him. We need to get you to a hospital. I want you checked over.”

“There’s no point. They can’t do anything for a cracked rib. I’ll take a couple painkillers.”

“Louisa, I think you should let me take you to the hospital.”

“No. My mum got in enough fights with her boyfriends for me to know what warrants a hospital trip and what doesn’t. I know how to deal with a cracked rib and a split lip.” My response comes out sharper than I intend, but Bryce doesn’t try to insist. He simply nods and makes the tea.

“Where is your mum, Louisa?” he asks gently, pulling up a seat next to me and placing a cup of tea on the table.

It takes me a while to answer, and when I do I’m not surprised by the hollow sound of my voice. “She’s dead.” I can’t look at him. If I do, I know I will dissolve into tears, and I can’t. I must be strong.

“I’m so sorry,” Bryce says, placing his hand over mine. I close my eyes against the tears.

“Is that why you left?”

I nod my head. “I got a phone call from Richard the night we returned from Petite Cabane. I was in a state. I just wanted to get home. I’m so sorry I left the way I did. It was wrong.”

“It makes sense now. None of us could understand what we did wrong…” His voice catches, and my head snaps up. For a moment, he looks like a lost boy and I realise the extent of the damage my leaving has caused him. If I’m honest, I am taken aback by it. I knew it was wrong to leave without saying goodbye, but when I had allowed myself the time to consider what I’d done, I truly didn’t think they would care. It was a holiday fling to them, nothing more. I’d almost convinced myself of that. Until now.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”

“You didn’t think we cared about you? You didn’t think we would worry about you? You didn’t think we would feel rejected, cast aside? Louisa, it wasn’t a fantasy. Not for us.”

It hadn’t been for me either, not at all, but I don’t feel able to say that right now. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think men like you would ever really care about someone like me…” I drop my head, feeling a thousand times worse now I truly understood how I’d hurt them and how I’d hurt myself in the process. Low self-worth does that to a person.

Bryce lifts my chin. “Why? You’re perfect,” he says, his gaze unflinching. “I’ve missed you. We all have. That’s why I’m here. Why I came to find you.”

I shift in my seat. My back is beginning to throb now.

“Did you hear what I said? I’ve missed you…”

Looking at Bryce, I raise my hand to his face, feeling the now shorter beard. “You trimmed your beard and cut your hair,” I say, avoiding answering him. I can’t say how I feel right now, because I feel all over the place.

“You don’t like it?”

My fingertips graze over his cheeks. He leans into my touch a little. “I love it,” I say. My hand falls away and the action causes me to wince, a sharp pain stabbing me in the back.

“You need painkillers. Do you have any?” Bryce asks, jumping up.

“There’s some Tramadol in the cupboard up there,” I say, pointing to the cupboard above the sink. “It’s an old prescription of my mum’s. I’ll take one for the pain.”

“It’s not your prescription, though.”

“It’s fine. Please, Bryce, a paracetamol won’t cut it.”

“Okay, look. I’ll get it for you, but tomorrow you’re getting checked out by a doctor, so you can get your own prescription.”

“Fine,” I agree reluctantly. He grabs the medicine and passes me the packet. I pop one out and swallow it with a mouthful of tea.

“So, this man who hurt you? Who is he?”

“I’ve not met him before today. He came here looking for my mum. Turns out she owed him a lot of money, five thousand pounds to be precise. Apparently, her debt has passed to me as her next of kin.”

“That’s bullshit,” Bryce says.

“That’s what I said. He wasn’t too pleased about my response,” I say, smiling half-heartedly.

“Well, whoever this prick is, he can’t enforce it legally.”

I scoff. “Legally? This guy’s a criminal, Bryce. He won’t do anything legally. If I don’t pay up then this,” I say, indicating my injuries, “will be nothing in comparison to what he’ll do to me. It’s a mess.” My shoulders slump with the weight of my worries.

“He won’t get the chance,” Bryce says, squeezing my hand tightly. “There is no way that animal is going to touch you again. I won’t let him near you.”

“And how are you going to do that? You can’t protect me. I’m just going to have to find a way to get the money together somehow.” But how? That was the question. I am barely surviving as it is. I owe Richard money, I have rent to pay, bills, and as of today I’ve walked out on the only job I had.

“I can protect you, we can protect you. This isn’t on you. You shouldn’t have to deal with this burden. We’ll deal with it together.”

“We?”

“Max and I…” Bryce takes a deep breath. He looks troubled. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that he’s failed to mention Hudson. My heart constricts.

“What about Hudson?”

Bryce swipes a hand through his hair. “Admittedly, at first we were all upset and angry when you left without saying a word. We dealt with that rejection differently. Max partied. I threw myself into work and Hud… Hud dealt with it the worst, Louisa. He’s not been himself at all…”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve had a shit day already. I didn’t come here to make it worse. I just wanted to persuade you to come see us.”

“Bryce, don’t avoid my question. What do you mean?” I insist.

“He’s withdrawn, angry. He doesn’t go out but when he does it’s to get pissed. He doesn’t want to work. He barely eats.”

“Oh my God, I had no idea. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry, this is all such a mess.” This time I can’t prevent the tears from falling.

Bryce scoots closer to me and pulls me into his arms. “Don’t, okay. You couldn’t have known that would happen. You were upset, you acted on instinct. You didn’t think we cared enough about you, and that is our fault for not making it plain, for not convincing you enough. Jesus, we were lotharios, we did use women. You saw first hand what we were like. But believe me when I say, Louisa, you mean the world to us. Hudson wouldn’t have taken it so hard if you didn’t. Max and I have better coping skills. Hud’s past is the most fucked-up.”

“What should I do?” I say, pulling out of his arms slightly.

He wipes gently at the tears on my cheeks. “Come home with me. You can have a room at our place. Stay with us for a bit. We can look after you, we can make sure you’re safe.” He is completely sincere, and I am utterly taken aback.

“Move in with you? I can’t.”

“I think it would be a good idea while we sort this situation out. Then you can decide whether you want to stay permanently.”

“You want me to move in permanently?” I don’t know what to say to that. Yes, we had a few amazing weeks in France, and a couple of mind-blowing days, but I barely know them. I want to get to know them, but moving in? That’s just crazy talk.

“Don’t do that Louisa, don’t discount it until you’ve had time to consider,” Bryce says, frowning. “Look, come stay with us for a few days. Let’s try and figure out what it is we are doing here. All of us. Then we’ll decide how we move forward.”

I remain stunned for a moment. Don’t get me wrong, a huge part of me loves the idea of it. I’ve missed them all. I don’t know how many times I’ve thought about them over the last few weeks. But I’m nothing if not a realist. It’s one thing being with all three men in the confines of the cabin, quite another here in real life.

“But… this isn’t normal. There’s three of you and only one of me. What will people think?”

Bryce laughs. “I don’t give a shit what people think. Besides, who wants normal? I sure as hell don’t.” I smile at that.

“What do Max and Hudson think? What about Nisha, I can’t just leave her.”

“Max knows I’m here. Hudson will be okay once we explain why you left. I know he will… Who’s Nisha?”

As if right on cue, Nisha steps into the kitchen.

“I’m Nisha. Who are you and what the hell have you done to Louisa?”