“You need to get up. Now.” Nick’s not looking at me though.
“Roman’s not going to be able to handle this alone.”
“Handle what?”
I follow Nick’s eyes and see Sophie making a b-line for Bella. Which means she saw the kiss that was just forced on me. The one I didn’t ask for. The one I didn’t want. And Roman’s struggling to catch her.
“Shit.” I jump over the landscaping and we get inside.
Nick catches Sophie and I get the elevator. The three of us manage to get her in there as curses pour from her throat. I’ve never seen her so pissed. Granted, she’s never had a reason, but this is a fire I didn’t think she fucking had.
“That bitch doesn’t deserve a fucking white wedding.” Sophie snarls.
“Easy.” Nick holds her.
Roman pushes his hair back and shakes his head. “Explain.”
“Not here.” I insist.
Once we’re in Roman and Sophie’s room, with the door locked, just in case she tries again. I sit down on the bed. “Bella has cold feet. Nick was right. She wanted me to prove she made the right choice by kissing her. I refused.”
Sophie watches me. There’s an edge to her eyes that I don’t exactly appreciate, but before she can ask, Nick speaks up. “I heard him tell her no repeatedly. I saw him push her off twice. He was telling her no again in front of the hotel. She jumped him.”
“Oh, I’m going to jump her.” Sophie snarls. “That’s fucking assault and I don’t require a trial.”
I snare her waist and pull her against me. She cups my face in her hands and rubs my cheeks. “Are you okay?”
“I shouldn’t have been nice.” I shrug.
“I’m going to rip her lips off. You shouldn’t have to deal with that.” She insists. “Oh, Matthew. He’s going to be so upset.”
Nick goes into fix-it mode and Roman excuses himself, saying he needs to make sure Holden’s okay. I rub her back. “She said she should have chosen Roman or Nick to run away with. That she only wanted one thing and …”
“And you are too good of a man to sink to her level.” Sophie hugs me. “You wouldn’t give her the out so she took it.”
My brain is a fucked up mess. I don’t know how to process this shit. I should have had more to drink. Then shit would make sense. It’s not like this is devising a covert attack. It should be simple. But Bella knows how to cut deep and I feel it.
“Lay down with me, Gunner.”
“Are you angry with me?”
“No.” She pushes my jacket off my shoulders and then goes for my belt, tugging it off. “I’m mad at her. She pushed all this shit just to try and manipulate you, hurt you, use you.”
“Am I that weak?”
Sophie shakes her head and lays down with me, pulling my head on her chest. “No, Gunner. She confused it. Because you’re fun and daring and wild, she thought you’d take whatever you were offered.”
I nod and rub her arm. Sophie runs her fingers through my hair, stroking down my neck as we both calm down. I squeeze her gently. “You know I love you, right?”
“I know.” She promises. “And I love you. This is not your fault. There is something wrong with Bella that she hasn’t addressed. That’s on her, not you.”
I nod. Sophie keeps stroking my hair even as Holden and Roman come in. Nick follows a few minutes later. “I got Matthew and Bella to talk. They’re diving into everything. Long night ahead.”
“Gun?” Holden asks.
I nod and look at the guys. We left war years ago, but here they are, still ready to protect like brothers, fight, and take no shit. Nick still has his bite. Roman’s got defense, Holden can diffuse just about anything.
And there’s Sophie. Softening every blow, adding to our confidence, keeping us together. I look up at her, ready to kiss her, to fix my night, but her eyes are closed and she’s half asleep. I kiss her neck anyway.