I nod vigorously. “Of course. That’s why I think we should propose it to her. Let her decide.”
Silence falls again as we all consider the implications. It’s Misha who breaks it. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I’m not entirely opposed to the idea,” he says slowly. “I mean, if everyone’s on board…”
Grey runs a hand through his hair, frustration evident on his face. “This is crazy. We can’t just… but…” He trails off, conflict clear in his eyes.
“We all want what’s best for her,” I murmur. “And maybe this could be it.”
“Madness,” Grey mutters, rubbing his temples. “But… I can’t deny the logic. I don’t want to lose any of you either. But we’d need rules. Boundaries. We’d have to be completely honest with each otherandwith her.”
I feel a surge of hope.
They’re not dismissing the idea outright.
“Exactly. We’d treat her with respect, make sure she’s comfortable with everything. No jealousy, no competition between us.”
“And what if she only wants one of us?” Misha asks, his voice guarded.
The question sends a pang through my chest, but I force myself to consider it. “Then we stay friends, stay family.”
Misha’s face breaks into a grin. “Fine, I’m in. If she’s up for it, I mean. God knows I love that girl, and I love you idiots too. So… are we really doing this? Proposing this to Amelia?”
I nod, my heart pounding. “I think… I think we should try.”
Grey and Misha exchange a look, then slowly nod in agreement.
“All right,” Grey says, his voice barely above a whisper. “Let’s… let’s give it a shot.”
Never before was I prouder after a debugging session.
Grey heads to the guest room, his footsteps echoing in the tense silence.
When he returns, he’s holding Amelia’s phone, and my brow furrows in confusion. “What are you doing?”
Grey’s face is set in determination, his jaw clenched tight. “Installing a tracker on her phone,” he states matter-of-factly, his fingers already moving across the screen.
Misha’s eyes widen, and he lets out a disbelieving chuckle. “That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?”
Grey’s jaw clenches even tighter if that’s possible. “This could’ve ended very differently if they’d decided to take her, too, not just her work,” he growls out.
Fuck, I hadn’t even thought of that.
We fall silent, and I feel my blood run cold at the thought of Amelia being gone. The image of her scared and alone flashes through my mind, and my heart races as I consider the possibilities, each one worse than the last.
“Fine,” I concede after a moment. “But just install an app she can uninstall herself. At least give her some feeling of control. We’ll tell her about it tomorrow.”
Grey shakes his head, his fingers pausing on the screen. “I’ll add it to her GPS. It’ll be harder to detect or remove,” he argues,his eyes meeting mine with an intensity that makes me want to look away.
Misha steps in. “That’s too invasive. We might have overstepped a few lines, but we need to get her consent first. Do you want to lose her over this? She was already suspicious of us being there earlier.”
I watch as the fight seems to drain out of Grey. He nods, relenting. “All right, I’ll put on an app. I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow,” he agrees, his voice tinged with reluctance.
“Should we stay home with her on Monday?” Misha asks, glancing toward the bedroom where Amelia sleeps. “I mean, we’re here tomorrow, but I guess she can’t go to work like that at least for a day or two.”
I shake my head, trying to think logically despite the fear gnawing at my insides. “It’s probably better if just one stays and the rest go to work. We don’t want to bring too much attention to us and her if someone’s figured out something’s happening around Amelia.”
The words taste bitter in my mouth, but I know it’s the right call.
They nod in agreement, and Grey speaks up, his voice leaving no room for argument, “I’ll stay with her.”
