SOPHIA
Istare at my bed, not ready to get in. I might have overreacted a little bit to the news. I mean, I’ve never been to Hawaii, and I’d love to go, but I have to set boundaries, right? If I don’t, I’ll end up half as crazy as my mother.
I rub the back of my neck and shake my head. I need to deal with the issue between us. I don’t want things to fester between us, and I definitely don’t want to be kept from big things. I don’t want to be the last to know.
I turn to head out the door, then pause. I take a slow breath. I should still talk to Roman and make sure he’s okay after seeing Bella. I rub my forehead and shake my head. I shouldn’t complain about anything in relation to the guys. They’re so good to me, and maybe I’m just being ungrateful.
“Sweets.”
I turn to see Gunner standing there. He walks to me and reaches out before hesitating. “I’m sorry.”
“For?”
“For not telling you. You’re right. You’re an equal. And you deserve to be treated as such.”
“That’s all I want,” I murmur. “Everything else is perfect.”
He offers me his hand, and I take it, unable to resist. “Boundaries are important to me, and so is balance in a relationship.”
“We’ll learn how to do that.” He promises. “In Hawaii … assuming you’re still going.”
“I am.” I sigh. “Of course, I’m going. Roman dealt with Bella for me. And I want to be there. Not touching any of you is going to be hard, but ….”
“About that.”
Looking past Gunner, I see Roman. He motions to the living room, and Gunner and I walk out there hand in hand. The other guys are sitting there. Roman paces in front of the couch. He looks at all of us and takes a breath.
“In the effort of being open, honest, and spilling everything out … Bella had conditions.”
“What kind of conditions?” Holden asks as I sit next to him.
Gunner rubs my back. “The kind where none of us can touch her? Like we agreed with Matthew?”
“No.” Roman exhales. “Bella said she’s my date only.”
Gunner’s fingers tighten around the back of my neck. He exhales slowly, but I can feel the tension in his body.
“Bella specifically said she has to come as my plus one.” He says. “But that doesn’t mean anything. Just for the wedding and the reception. Everything else, we can do all other activities together, as a group.”
“Meaning what?” Gunner growls.
“Meaning that unless we’re at the wedding or reception, we can do what we want. Hikes, the beach, anywhere away from the wedding party that rule is off.”
“I see,” Holden says softly.
“So it’s just for the wedding,” I murmur. “That I’m just with you.”
“Yes.” Roman nods.
“Okay.” I process that, then rub Gunner’s thigh. “So, we’ll get rooms close to each other, and when we’re not with the wedding … group … we’re all together like we should be.”
“Like we are.” Gunner reminds me.
“It makes sense,” Nick murmurs.
We all look over at him, and he shrugs. “Bella doesn’t want anything to distract from her day. Including rumors about us.”
“So that’s … just what it is?” I ask, trying to walk carefully. I rub Gunner’s thigh. “No way around that?”