SOPHIE
Roman tugs my hand, pulling me away from Dad’s room at the last possible second. I arch an eyebrow at him. “I said when we get home, not in public.”
He turns me so I see a familiar bitchy blonde stomping her foot as she waits for the elevator. Sasha. No. No. I look to Dad’s room, then to Roman. He nods once like he’s afraid to say it. Like the moment he opens his mouth, all of our shit is going to fall out.
Is my relationship with the guys really that fragile? If my dad told them to leave me alone, would they? I swallow, and my knees shake, knocking into one another as I consider that. I haven’t made any friends since being here.
The guys have consumed my thoughts, my time, everything – not that I’m complaining about that – but now I could lose them all in every sense if they stay loyal to dad and do what he wants.
And I know that Sasha told him. Why else would she visit a hospital when she’s clearly too good for the sterile halls. She dips into the elevator, never seeing us. Roman rubs my hip and kisses the side of my head.
“You wanted to do today, right?”
“Yeah, but I wanted to tell him. It makes it so much worse if someone else does. Do you think Sasha really …” I can’t even finish a sentence, let alone walk into Dad’s room. “We could wait until tomorrow.”
Roman’s eyes soften. “Bambina, we made a decision, all five of us, and we confirmed our choices multiple times in Italy and here.”
My cheeks burn. “I know, it’s just … he’s my dad. He’s not going to understand. We should wait.”
We should definitely wait, considering my stomach is lodged in my throat, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to throw up the whole organ at this point. I’m not sure my feet will support me if I take even one step away from Roman’s big, solid body.
He wraps himself around me, filling me with his musky cologne and the scent of old books. I lean back against him, closing my eyes. Roman is so sure; he’s so constant. The promise of the sun rising in the morning. Exhaling slowly, I nod once. Roman isn’t going to abandon me through this conversation.
But it can wait. Obviously, Dad will need time to come to terms with this. So I should wait. I shouldn’t bother pushing him further than he can stand just because I miss him and want more time with him.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I jerk it out to see Dad. I take a slow breath and answer the phone. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Are you visiting me today, baby?”
“Um, I can.”
“Good. I want to tell you something pretty important, and I’d rather do it in person.” He coughs a few times.
“Is everything okay? The doctor didn’t come back with bad news or anything, did he?” I want answers without actually giving anything up. If I fish just right, I can learn everything I need.
“Oh, no, baby. Nothing like that. I just want to talk to you.”
“Okay, I’ll be up soon.”
“You’re already here, fantastic!” He actually sounds happy, so that’s a positive.
“See you soon.” I hang up and look over at Roman. “Well, I didn’t get the hint of him wanting to kill us, which has to be a good sign, right?”
Roman rubs my hips, then kisses my temple. “We’re going to be fine. The longer we stand out here, the worst your anxiety is going to get, Bambina.”
“I know you’re right.” But my feet don’t move.
I’ve taken on worse things than this news. And if I don’t go in, Sasha wins. Hell, maybe she just asked for her job back. I’m surprised she’s not trying to blackmail the guys. Her damn smirk. The way she mooned over Roman and Gunner. Every memory I have of her is laced with anger.
“Okay.” I squeeze his hand and pull out of his grasp. “Just in case.”
Roman nods, not offended, as far as I can tell. His face is pretty stony. He glances at the elevators again, then lets me go in first. I smile at my dad and sit in a chair that’s already set up by his side. “Daddy.”
“Hi, Sophie.” He pats my hand and brings it to his mouth to kiss it. “I missed you yesterday.”
“I know. I’m so sorry that I didn’t make it over. We got stuck at the office until late.” I glance over my shoulder and see Roman coming in.
He looks twice as big right now, glancing around like he’s ready for someone to toss a bomb in his direction. Dad looks between us, then nods. “I know it can be like that on occasion. How often did I stay until midnight?”