I release her from the warmth of my parka just as Chiara approaches, interrupting our stolen moment.
“Lina, can Leo sleep over?” Chiara pleads.
“Did you ask Sophia?” Carolina asks.
“No, can you please?” Chiara gives her best puppy dog eyes, making me chuckle.
Carolina is pulled away, but not before she looks back at me with a promise in her eyes.
“Talk later?” she asks, her voice a soft plea.
“Later, kitten,” I promise.
FIFTEEN
“I’msorry I left you outside like that. I just thought the sooner I said hello to everyone, the sooner we could have some time alone,” Joshua apologizes, guiding me upstairs to his room.
“It’s okay. I’m just glad to have you all to myself now,” I respond.
I am genuinely relieved I no longer have to be around all those people. To be perfectly honest, being inside right now feels amazing. Although I can still feel the chill in my bones.
Once inside his room, he closes the door behind us. “Trust me, I’m the happy one here.” He grins at me, his voice filled with affection.
A soft, contented sigh escapes my lips as he brushes a stray strand of hair from my face, his touch tender. The way his eyes lock onto mine makes my heart flutter.
“Have I mentioned yet this year how beautiful you are and how much I love you?” he asks softly.
“I think that’s the first time you’ve said it this year,” I tease, a mischievous smirk playing on my lips.
“Oh, so many firsts to have when the year is new,” he muses, his finger tracing a slow, tantalizing path from my neck down, sending shivers along my spine.
His gaze remains intensely on me.
“Xander kissed me at midnight,” I blurt out, the confession tumbling from my lips before I can stop it. Joshua’s touch pauses, and his gaze locks onto mine. His eyes are filled with a mixture of surprise and apprehension. I can feel my heart pounding as I continue, my voice shaky with guilt, “And Clay almost did too.”
Joshua doesn’t respond immediately, but his silence speaks volumes. I can see the questions swirling in his mind, the uncertainty, and maybe even a hint of hurt in his expression. It pains me to have to admit this, to have let it happen in the first place.
“Did they now?” Joshua seems to have found his voice, trying to sound casual but clearly struggling.
“I shouldn’t have let it happen, and I’m so sorry,” I confess, my voice filled with regret.
Joshua takes my hand, his touch reassuring as he guides me to the edge of the bed, where he sits, gently pulling me onto his lap. His eyes never leave mine as he speaks, his tone measured but with a hint of vulnerability.
“I noticed that there is something between you guys.”
“Joshua—” I begin, but he interrupts, determined to express his thoughts on the matter.
“Let me finish,” he says softly. “It would be okay if you have feelings for them. Truly, it would. You deserve the world times two, or rather three.” He flashes me a warm smile and kisses my neck gently, his lips comforting. “If that’s what you truly want, I’m open to exploring it, to give you the freedom to see where it goes. You won’t lose me over this.”
He leans in, ready to seal his words with a kiss, but I place a hand on his chest, gently stopping him. My heart aches as I look into his eyes, grateful for his understanding yet torn by the complexity of my emotions.
“I wantyou,Joshua,” I whisper, tears brimming in my eyes.
“One doesn’t exclude the other,” he says gently, tracing my jaw with his thumb.
“I promise, it’s just you and me. This…” I place a hand over my heart, “… is only about us.”
Joshua’s response is to take my hand and bring it to his lips to tenderly kiss my palm. “Whatever you want, my Carolina.” His voice remains soft and filled with affection, but I detect a subtle undercurrent of relief in his words.
