NICK
By the time we get back to the villa, Sophia looks half asleep. Her head rests on Holden’s shoulder, and she lets her eyes close. I grin at Holden. “You did a good job for your first time.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m going to put your painting up in my office as a reminder.” I wink at him.
Holden actually breaks into a smile. He plays with a lock of Sophia’s hair. “I don’t want to leave. I like Italy.”
I nod as I look at the streetlights, giving us small glimpses of life outside of the villa. Still, I can’t help but see danger in the shadows. Sophia’s knees, now bare of band-aids, don’t look great. They’re almost scabbed, but I can’t imagine the fight she put up.
That and her arms, it must have been bad. I can only imagine how afraid she was, how alone she felt. That was never a problem when we were in combat. We had earpieces, teams, and if we were alone, completely alone, and in trouble, we knew that it would be a quick death.
Sophia didn’t have that comfort. What that man wanted would have … I shake my head. Roman catches my attention. “She’s okay.”
I nod once. He holds my gaze in the rearview mirror. “And we’re not going to let it happen again. Holden was there then; we’ll all be with her from now on.”
“She’s going to want alone time,” I predict it easily. “She’s an adult. She’s confident, and she deserves to have a good safe life. It’s not like we can stalk her when she wants to go out with friends or something.”
“We’ll make sure she’s never alone.” Gunner assures from the passenger seat. It helps a little. Our united front will make it easier to keep track of her and make sure she’s safe. She won’t have to worry about what others demand from her again.
When we get to the villa, I wake Sophia up. She blinks a few times and rubs her eyes. Then she smiles. “I think we made it without sunburns.”
I check myself and nod. “Lucky considering the lack of sunscreen.”
I slide out and offer my hand to Sophia. She takes it and helps herself out of the car. She stumbles over a cobblestone, and I catch her. She still gasps, and I look down at her knees, then her ankle. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just … half asleep.”
Gunner climbs out and pats his stomach. “Food. We need food. And some caffeine.”
Soph smiles at me and tucks her hair behind her ear. “How did it feel to paint?”
“Amazing,” I murmur, tightening my hand in hers. “I’m so glad you pushed on it. It’s been a long time since my brain has been clear like that.”
She treats me to a huge smile and I’m swept up in her just like that. Gunner rubs down her back and kisses her temple before heading to a table. She doesn’t jump, doesn’t panic about people seeing all of us together.
Sophie just fits. She fits our dynamic and when we’re all at the table, talking about our day and touching on a few work things, I realize how rare this is.
We had Bella, shared her together and apart until Matthew snapped her up and staked his claim on her, but she didn’t like being in public with all of us. She was afraid of the attention it would draw. She was nervous about what people would think and she didn’t have a ton to say outside of what she wanted, what we wanted, and our needs.
Sophie really digs into us, brings out the best of us while taking care of us together and apart. It’s a wild dynamic, but at the same time, I like not having to worry that a woman is only with me because of my looks and money. I like not worrying about her cheating, about having her say one thing to my face and another behind my back.
I take her hand and kiss the back of it, pulling her from the conversation. She looks me over and smiles slightly. “Hi, Nick.”
“Hi, Soph.”
“What’s up?”
“I like you. That’s all.” I whisper before kissing her cheek.
Roman’s grandmother puts food out and gives us a suspicious look. But when we get up, it’s Holden that gets her hand. Sophie rubs over his arm, and Roman’s grandmother arches her eyebrow at Roman.
He says something quickly and Gunner chuckles to himself as he loads up his plate with more than any sane human could actually eat. He leans over to us. “Nonna is confused about what’s going on between us.”
“Tell her to get in line.” Sophie chuckles. “I’m sure just about everyone has bets on how this is going.”
I smile slightly. I like that she isn’t confused. She isn’t worried about showing us affection in public. She sighs and shakes her head at Gunner. “Come on, leave some for others.”
“I had a very … eventful day.” He winks at her.
She flushes red and looks away. As if we didn’t know what was going to happen when Gunner swam out after her. He’s not one for innocent moments. Sophie shakes her head. “You’re impossible.”
“The glory of being human.” He winks at her as a sly smile spreads across his face.
We sit down to eat, and Sophie yawns between bites. I know she’s done a lot today, and yesterday wasn’t easy on her. I’m sure of that too. We eat slowly, and then Roman stretches. “No wandering tonight, Bambina. I’m going out with Mass since I missed the bachelor party.”
She kisses him gently. “I promise.”
He nods and strokes along her jaw. Gunner stands up too. “I hear drinks; I’m coming.”
Holden stretches. “I need some sleep.”
“Are you sure?” Sophia rubs his thigh. “Did you have a good day?”
He chuckles. “Don’t worry about me. Today was fun. Gondolas tomorrow.”