She doesn’t notice me at first, so I lean against the doorway and just watch her. She’s different, and yet still the same. Her darker hair falls over her shoulders. She carries herself with more confidence, and speaks up for herself. Takes less shit. But underneath it all, I still catch glimpses of the girl I first met. The one who just wanted a normal life. Who was desperate for someone to choose her and to love her right. Someone to make her feel heard and safe. I want to be that person. Or at least one of them.
I push off the doorframe and approach her. When she notices me, her face lights up. That smile gets me every time.
God, I’m a goner. Who am I kidding? I was gone the moment she wrapped her bracelet around my wrist.
“Hey,” she says, pushing up to her knees. “What’s up? How was work?”
“Nothing special. Same old, same old.” I sit on the edge of her bed and hold out an arm. “Just wanted to see you.”
My chest puffs up with pride when she curls into me like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“I missed you,” she whispers.
I kiss the top of her head, breathing in the soft, citrus scent of her shampoo. It’s my new favorite smell.
“I missed you, too,” I murmur.
We hold each other for a minute. It feels like we fit together perfectly, and maybe we always have. Maybe we’ve always made sense.
“How are you doing with everything?” I ask.
As I expected, she pulls away, tucking a strand behind her ear. It’s one of her tells I’ve learned to watch for.
“I’m okay,” she says. “Just anxious. I wish the day would come faster, but at the same time, I don’t want it to come at all.”
With just a week to go, the wedding is hanging over all our heads like a storm cloud. I still don’t get why Johnny thought a fake marriage would be the best way to pull off his plan. Don’t get me wrong, it’s clever. But it’s also brutal. He’s hurting her, and for all his promises, I don’t know if she’ll ever fully trust him again after this.
Selfishly? I wouldn’t mind if she didn’t.
Sharing her with Axel and Sean has already tested every ounce of patience I’ve got. Adding Johnny into the mix? That’s a shitshow I’m not sure we’re all going to walk away from. But she loves him. She always has. He’s always given her something the rest of us couldn’t, and I won’t be the one to take that from her.
Her heart’s big enough for all of us, and she deserves everything she wants.
“I get that,” I say gently. “I think we’re all feeling the pressure.”
She fidgets with her fingers.
“What can I do to make it better?”
She gives me a wicked smile. “Ice cream and a backrub. Preferably with you shirtless.”
I laugh. “So demanding.”
“Desperate times,” she winks, and crawls into my lap likea cat.
The tension shifts, the air becoming softer and warmer. Her arms loop around my neck and I hold her tight, just appreciating this small moment. There were days I thought we’d never see her again, but she’s here now, back where she belongs. With us.
Maybe we don’t have all the answers yet, but right now, she’s warm in my arms, and everything else can wait.
Chapter 36
Sean
The salon smells like lavender and peroxide. I sit in the corner with a latte I didn’t want and a magazine I haven’t opened. Everything about this place is too clean, too curated. It feels like an alien world.
Johnny texted me yesterday with the appointment time and a pinned location. Said the cost was covered for whatever she wanted done. I think this is his version of taking care of her. The only way he knows how.
The wedding’s tomorrow, and Aro’s getting her hair done. Though if she knew Johnny was footing the bill, I doubt she’d have come. Things between them have been tense as hell. They’ve barely said three words to each other since the family meeting.
