The Bucket List (A REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE)

BONUS CONTENT

***BC: KIERAN: FOUR YEARS LATER, TWO DAYS BEFORE THEY WENT TO ALBANY***

A grunt fell from my lips as I slowly lifted the weights and moved them back to their respected places. I hated it when they didn't put the equipment back where they found it. They fucking used it so they should put it fucking back. I made a mental not to add it to the rules of the gym.

Straightening, I turned and glanced around. Pride filled me as I took everything in again. All the money and sleepless nights was well worth it. I was the proud owner of my own fitness centre and gym. Everything had been built from the ground up.

I pressed a hand to my chest when a sharp ache flashed though me. Everything was great but I was missing Albany and funny enough Thomas too. He took off and if it wasn't for Steven's reassurance that he was okay I might have thought he died.

Severide, Steven and I still met for drinks at Red's every Friday after work. For a while after the break-up none of us had stayed in touch but it was Severide who had taken the first plunge and made the call. We'd been meeting everyday like it used to be in the old days since then, without Thomas of course.

The last time Steven spoke to him were a few weeks ago but he still hadn't said anything about returning home. What if he decided to never come back? For some fucking reason the thought of him not returning home was even worse than never seeing Albany again.

Shaking away the disturbing thoughts, I focused on what I still needed to do before I could head over to Red's where Severide and Steven had to already be waiting for me.

There was an undercurrent of awkwardness between Severide and me. He hadn't mentioned the conversation we'd had the night he broke the news about Albany and I hadn't had the guts to start it again. It was no lie that I was attracted to the man.

I was just waiting for the right time to make him realize that he wanted me too.

Another sigh fell from my lips as I made my way down the hall towards the main part of the building where the gym was located. My eyes darted up then dropped to the floor but I did a double take. I sucked in a shocked breath as my steps slowed before they came to a complete stop.

"Are you here to beat me up again?"

He frowned. "Are you going to keep that over my head forever?"

My lips twitched. "Yes, until I find something else to use."

We stared at each other in silence for what felt like hours. He was the first to move and what he did caught me completely off guard. The distance between us grew smaller as he moved. Stopping in front of me, he stared at me silently and then hugged me. My hands fisted at my sides to stop myself from hugging him back.

I only now realized how much I missed him.

I blinked and swallowed. "W-what. . . Y-you're back."

He smirked. "I am."

"I. . . you. . ." I trailed off and ran a hand through my hair, unable to find anything to say.

"I can't tell you how much I fucking love seeing you speechless," Thomas muttered. "You look good."

His eyes slowly trailed over my body, from head to toe, before locking with mine again for a few seconds. Thomas turned away and glanced around. He walked back down the hall and I slowly followed him. We stayed silent as he walked around and took everything in.

"Does your brother know that you're back?"

"Not yet." He paused when one of my staff members walked into view. "Is there a place where we can talk privately."

I nodded and led the way to the back where my office was located. Entering it, I walked around the desk and took a seat. His sudden kiss was a surprise and I wanted to put as much distance between us until I knew where exactly we stood.

"Congratulations," he said as he took a seat. "In opening the gym I mean."

"Thank you."

I swallowed. Nerves made me twitchy. It's been so fucking long. We haven't exactly talk after he beat me up. There was nothing to say then but I knew that there was a lot we needed to talk about now.

Thomas looked great. He'd packed on some more muscle and even grew a fucking beard. It made look grownup. Different, but it was a good different.

"Are you back for good or just passing by?" I asked to break the silence that hung between us.

"I'm here to stay." He shifted in his seat. "I think that it's time I explain why I reacted the way I did after the amazing night we had together."

***

Red's was crowded by the time Thomas and I finally reached it. We'd talked for two hours straight before we left he gym. I texted Severide to make sure that they were still at Red's before we left.

Thomas had said a lot of things that made me regret all the shit I had said to him over the years. I was lucky enough to not be bullied when it came out that I was Bi-sexual, but Thomas hadn't been. He suffered endless bullying and what his parents had done didn't make things any better.

His reaction made sense.

"Steven doesn't know," Thomas whispered close to my ear as we made our way through the crowd. "Can you not say anything until I talk to him myself?"

I reached back to grip his wrist and squeezed. "Of course."

Severide spotted us first. His eyes widened and his hand paused halfway to his mouth. He muttered something to Steven that made him turn in his seat.

I slid into the booth next to Severide and gave him a nod as the brothers greeted each other. Taking a seat across from us, we all stayed silent until Thomas's drink had been delivered.

They talked about his travels and everything we'd been up to while I stayed silent. I was remembering the first night they showed up with Albany. It was the night we staked our claim and Steven came up with the stupid idea. . . or was it Severide?

Without asking, I grabbed Thomas's glass and took a sip of his drink. His eyes narrowed and his lips parted but before he could utter a word, I smirked and spoke.

"I think it's time we go get our girl."

They fell silent. Thomas smirked, instantly on board while Steven and Severide hesitated. Next to me, Sev leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. His brows were dipped into a frown and his lips pursed.

"I think we need to wait," Sev said.

"Wait? We've been waiting for four years, Severide." Thomas downed half his glass. "We've followed the ultimatums she set."

"It's not that easy," Severide muttered.

"Four years is a long time," Steven said. "She could've already moved on."

I hesitated for a moment. "She hasn't. I stopped by her new bakery a few days ago. I saw no ring and there was no talk of a boyfriend."

"You spoke to her?" Steven nearly yelled.

"No, I watched her and then left before she saw me." I placed a hand on Severide's shoulder and squeezed. "It's time. I'm going whether you want to or not."