It was a start. But still not the apology that was needed.
The tension between us and Dom was still there — especially between her and Spencer — but the holiday spirit had helped smooth things over, at least for the night.
In the days after New Year’s, the house had been quiet, settling into the usual post-holiday lull: that sleepy period where everyone crawled back into their own little corner to recover from the holiday hangover.
I’d expected it to stay that way until February at least. But despite my requests not to make a big deal of it, I should have realized that my angels wouldn’t consider the holidays finished until we’d properly celebrated my birthday.
From the moment I’d woken up to Spencer and Leo singing happy birthday, the day had been nonstop. If I thought I was spoiled by them on a normal day, my birthday was an entirely different matter. I wasn’t allowed to lift a finger as they prepared full breakfast and lunch spreads of all my favorite foods.
Between meals, anytime I wasn’t receiving a mindblowing orgasm, we did whatever I wanted, including braiding Spencer’s shaggy hair.
“Well?” she’d asked once I finished. “How does it look?”
I could hardly hold back a laugh as she pursed her lips, twirling the end of her tiny little braid between her fingers.
“I think I’m going to see that in my nightmares,” Leo shuddered.
“You’re just jealous,” Spencer gasped, ruffling Leo’s shorter cut. “You could never pull off my look.”
“I’m going to pee,” I cackled. “Take it out, take it out.”
By the time lunch had come and gone, I was completely wiped. I wasn’t sure that I’d ever been the center of so muchattention, and as sweet as the gesture was, I was ready for a break.
“Alright, Princess,” Leo murmured as she helped me settle into my bed for a rest. “Just let us know if you need anything?”
“Cuddles or otherwise,” Spence piped up from the doorway. “Ready on demand.”
“Thank you,” I smiled, settling under the comforter. “I just need an hour or two. Try not to get too bored out there.”
“Tall order. We’ll give it our best,” Leo gave me a mini salute before shutting the door.
The silence of my bedroom was a comfort. As sweet as all of the attention was, I wasn’t sure I deserved all of their kindness. I’d learned early on that affection was a currency, and with Spencer and Leo, I hadn’t done anything to earn it.
I’m sure Leo would say that’s the point: I don’t need to earn anything with them.
But accepting their kindness and internalizing it were two different things, and for today, I only needed to do one of those things.
Still, that wasn’t the only cause of the worry nagging at the pit of my stomach.
Dom had stayed clear of us most of the day. I was willing to guess that, given the lingering tension, she didn’t want to weigh down my birthday celebration. Even though I’d spent weeks wishing for Dom to go away, the house felt… empty without her.
I didn’t hate her. As much as I might want to, there was too much history between us for me to feel that. Instead, I just felt… confused? Hurt? Once, Madeline had been my entire world: a beacon of light in one of the darkest periods of my life.
But now… I didn’t know who Dom was to me. My worst nightmare? Or my silent protector?
The questions kept me from sleeping for the better part of an hour. Finally, rolling over, I let out a sigh.
Maybe rest isn’t so restful right now.
Groaning, I swung my legs out from beneath the comforter and padded over to the door, eager for a distraction from my own rumination.
And as I walked down to the living room, a distraction was exactly what I got.
At the center of the room, two strangers flitted around a foldaway vanity, setting up all sorts of beauty products on little black tables against the wall.
The sight of someone new in the house immediately raised my hackles, but then I heard her booming voice from the corner of the room: Dom, tucked just out of my view. “Her hair should be half up, pulled away from her face, but keep the curls. She’ll be wearing all black, so keep that in mind as far as nail colors. Burgundy on the eyes. Everything you’ll need to dress her is here...”
I froze in the hallway as my mind tried to catch up. Dom was doing something nice? For me? My skin prickled at the thought. It was one thing to try trusting Leo and Spencer, but Dom grew up the same way that I did. If affection had to be earned, then what was the price for this kindness?
