"So that was hard to hear," Cassidy interrupts with her nose scrunched in disgust. "I'm just gonna lock myself in my room forever now."
"I expect to see you back out here still in your pajamas in ten minutes, Cassidy. Our girl wanted a cozy day with you, and that's what she's going to get!" Jamie yells, and Cassidy flips him off over her shoulder as she disappears into her room.
"You're leaving?" I pout, sad once again. I'm already excited about my period being over and having my confidence back.
"Absolutely not," Ellis declares with a deep frown. "You're sad. I'm staying."
When he says it like that, it sounds so simple. Like he wants to be here to take care of me.
"I'm not going anywhere," Jamie adds and beckons me forward with a crook of his finger. Stepping forward, I stop in front of him and screech a little when he tugs me down between him and Ellis.
Before I can blink, there's a blanket over my bare legs and a hand rubbing the back of my neck. I groan, happiness and comfort making me melt.
Nate places his heavy hands on my thighs and sits on the coffee table in front of me. "Tell us what's wrong."
I sigh, knowing they won't let this go. "I was upset about what you guys did. Then I got mad at myself for abandoning you along time ago. I wanted to sleep and cry alone. But I was mostly sad because you guys weren't here to give me a hug and reassure me."
Jamie kisses the inside of my left wrist, sending shivers up my arm. I can feel Ellis' intense gaze on my right, and Nate hums with thought.
Slumping, I finish my thought. "Honestly, the hormones from my period are lingering. Things get confusing when hormones are involved. But mimosas and crime documentaries with my friend helps."
Nate stands abruptly. "I'll get the mimosas."
Ellis shifts and grabs the remote. Then Jamie yells, "Cassidy! V needs you!"
For the first time since my bad day began, I don't feel so alone. The anger dissipates, and I feel reassured. I don't need words. I just need some care and to know they want me even when I'm blue.
The tough days will continue to show up, but hopefully they will become few and far between as time moves on. I'm starting to believe these three men will do anything for me. Even camping out on my living room floor while Cassidy and I hog the couch, eating all the bacon and drinking too much champagne before noon.
Thirty-Eight
JAMIE
Violet's working her ass off trying to figure out what she wants, and I've been helping her. By watching her connections with Nate and Ellis rekindle, I've felt my feelings for them stir too.
In the weeks since we sped to Blue's house in Chicago, I've watched Violet grow. Not only her, but Nate and Ellis too. My attraction to them has increased as I've witnessed them treat Violet the way I would treat her.
Like she's the sweetest thing in their life.
They're gentle and loving. They joke with her and dominate her. Their thoughts revolve around her, and they're considerate of her feelings.
Weeks ago I would have demanded some hardcore groveling to get back in our good graces. They really fucked up and sent her running. I wanted them on their knees, begging and pleading for forgiveness.
Now, I'm glad the dramatic scenes I wanted were few. I was there when they hit rock bottom and begged to see her. Ellis got beaten up by her uncle for shit’s sake. Instead of being a grumpabout it, he learned from it. He said,you know, expelling that energy made me feel better. He accepted Levi's fists with an open mind.
Ellis has for sure had the most drastic changes. His are obvious. Nate on the other hand has been a rock. He's reliable but more than that, he's not stone cold and putting on a front you might expect from a bearded Dom.
He's vulnerable. Asking for help. Leaning on me for guidance with Violet. Nate wants to give us his everything, and he has. I see the battle in his eyes when he thinks about hiding his worries, but his newfound awareness always wins. I'm aware that sometimes it won't and we'll have some shit to work through. Just like I expect Ellis to blow up when things become too much for him, but there's something else I've noticed.
We're good as a team. Nate and I have caught Ellis tensing a few times and told him to work it out, which he does each time with a grateful nod. Ellis and I have traded looks when we feel like Nate is shutting part of himself off. Somehow we've managed to pull Nate out of his head and the box that people would put the big intense man in.
With Violet, I have no issue leaning back to let Nate and Ellis work through her emotions with her. She needs all three of us. Thinking about last week when we made a group decision to check on her when she canceled our plans for the day makes me smile.
I wouldn't have lightened the mood like Ellis did when he brought up Nate's ridiculous fall on the ice. Nor would I have immediately jumped to get her all the shit she needed to feel better. I would have made her talk to me more, but whatever Nate and Ellis felt in the moment led them to believe she just needed our presence. And Cassidy's of course.
They listened and didn't push. As the morning continued and Violet became more intimate and happy, I felt thankful that Ihad Nate and Ellis there for her too. She didn't need a push to talk. She needed comfort and to justbe.
We make a good team. We won't always agree or catch each other before we fall, but our odds are better together.
