“It was something alright.” He agrees. “Mostly a lot of the same thing in different ways. Sophie’s with all four of us. It’s ridiculous because we’re twice her age and you know … four of us. It’s not a real relationship; we’re just using her as our kinky sex toy.”
Nick rolls his eyes. “So a bunch of assumptions and Sophie trying to set it straight.”
“Yes!” I agree, frustrated that it’s so obvious to us. I pout. “Why is it so hard for other people to believe? If they can like one person, I can like four.”
“I think it’s more the confusion at all four of us being okay with the other guys. Don’t you know guys are supposed to be territorial and easily jealous?” Nick asks, a pancake flopping over his fingers.
“Do you need a plate?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. And I don’t need anyone but you, Sophie. I know that we’re all together, as a unit or whatever you want to call us, but I’m not going to start demanding you leave the other guys alone.”
“Same,” Holden promises. “I like what we have, including everyone.”
My eyes water a little, and I pull them both into a hug that sandwiches me between them. Their words come out so easily, and I know that they don’t have to pretend to care about me like they do, which makes it all the better.
I clear my throat after a moment and nod. “Thank you. Both.”
“Do you want to spar?” Nick asks.
“Sure. Holden?”
“Nah. My lunch is up anyway.” He kisses my cheek. “Kick his cocky ass for me, though.”
I giggle as he walks away, and Nick leads me to the gym. I hit the punching bag for a while until Nick corrects my form, then we spar, stretch, clean up, and hit the showers. By the time I come back downstairs, I expect my mom to be waiting there with a whole intervention ready.
But she’s nowhere to be seen. I check my phone and see nothing from my dad either. Rather than worry over it, I pick up, organize, go through the house looking for anything I can do, and start a load of laundry before working on dishes.
Which is how Roman finds me. He wraps himself around me and kisses the back of my head. I squirm in his grasp. I know he just wants to help, but I need him to let me fight my own battles. I need him to see me as an adult, not some little girl that needs protection.
“Bambina?”
“I appreciate you are always willing to stand up for me, but I can fight my own battles too,” I say.
He watches me without saying anything, but I see the frustration in his eyes. I sigh. “Things have been tense with my family, and I appreciate you. I really do. I love how willing you are to be there for me no matter what, but I need you to know that I can and will stand up for myself too. I’ll stand up for you, our relationship, all of it.”
“I know you will, Sophia.”
“And I know that you’re doing what you do out of the goodness of your heart and because you care about me.” I soften my voice. “But sometimes I have to do it myself.”
“How will I know what times those are?”
I bite my lip. “Um … when I complain about it?”
He rolls his eyes and opens his arms to me. I hug him and kiss his cheek. “Just let me do some of the protecting too, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Let me feel like I can handle myself, even though I know you have my back.”
“Always.” He purrs in my ear. “And I’d like to have more than your back.”
“You’re horny?”
“Incredibly.” He groans, pulling my chin up. “You’re a fierce little thing, and hearing you give your mom a piece of your mind and standing up to me. Sexy as hell.”
I groan and rub his jaw. “Not in the kitchen.”
He laughs and picks me up, carrying me to his room. It’s a simple space, nothing crazy, but he has a collage of postcards from Italy and some pictures of friends on his desk. I glance at the wide expanse of wall with nothing on it.