How am I supposed to ignore that?
My mind wanders on nothing and everything as I lie between them, but despite the many things I think about, none of them brings me the same level of panic it did yesterday.
I trust them.
It’s terrifying but true, and even though I still worry one day they will wake up and wonder why they ever wasted time with me, I’m starting to think that might just be my own self-consciousness self-sabotaging me.
I don’t know how long it is before finally my stomach rumbles, letting me know it’s time to get up and start the day.
As if on cue, Des rolls over and snuggles into my neck, his hand gripping my breast as he throws his leg over mine.
“There’s no more perfect way to wake up.”
Oliver shakes his head at him, but his arm around my waist tightens, pulling me close as he presses a kiss to the top of my head, and I nuzzle into his side.
“For once, I’m inclined to agree with him.”
I can’t help it; I bark a laugh that has them both laughing as well, and damn does it feel good.
We get up and wake Addy, make pancakes, and eat together, and I’m not sure where anyone else is, but I tell myself they’re at the office.
It works pretty well all day, too, until Vince suddenly appears in the living room and scares the hell out of me.
“Sorry, I was just coming to see if you wanted to say anything before we… take the trash out.” He looks at Addy, who is on the floor doing a puzzle with Oliver, while Des mindlessly scrolls through the TV, looking for what, I don’t know.
“What?”
Des’s hand closes around my wrist, pulling me back onto his lap and then further down until his lips are pressed to my ear.
“He wants to know if you had any last words forhim.” He doesn’t say his name, but he doesn’t have to. I know from the disgust who he’s talking about.
Carter.
I pull away as if he struck me.
“Why would I want to speak with him?”
“That’s what I’m sayin’.” Des snaps, glaring up at Vince, and I get the feeling this isn’t the first time they’ve talked about this.
“We don’t want her to regret it later,” Vince tells Des, and yeah, they’ve definitely talked and argued about this already prior to just now. “This is your last chance for closure after everything that happened, Kat. Some people need to cut ties, burn the bridge, so to speak.”
“And what if she ends up regretting going to see him?” I turn to find Oli near the head of the couch and quickly look to ensure Addy is still busy with her puzzle. Thankfully, she is, but I still don’t like having these kinds of conversations around her.
“She doesn’t have to go in. She can simply look through the glass. If she wants to say something, she can. If not, that’s fine too.” Oliver asked the question, but Vince isn’t talking to him; he’s talking to me, and despite my reluctance to agree, I know I will.
He’s right after all; I could regret it, and I don’t ever want to live my life with regrets again.
“I don’t have to see him if I don’t want to?” I can’t help but ask, even after hearing him just say that.
I need to be one hundred percent sure of it before I agree to anything because seeing him last night shook me more than I wanted it to.
“Not if you don’t want to. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Vince holds out his hand, and despite knowing he’s telling the truth, I hesitate, looking at Oliver and then Des.
I don’t want them to be mad at me.
“Don’t look at me like that, Kitten,” Des says, reaching out to take my face in his hand, gently running his thumb over my lips. “I just don’t want to see you hurt anymore. Go, put this asshole behind us so we can never think about him again in all of our happiness.”
His reassurance squeezes my heart, and I’m not sure how he read me so easily, but I’m grateful. Oli offers me a nod as well, and with it, I let my hand fall into Vince’s still outstretched one. He pulls me up and out of Des’s lap, leading me out of the room, but I pull him to a stop before we leave, pulling my hand free and moving back to Addison.
