“What?” He looks at his hand.
“Those are engagement rings. Wedding bands are a thing. Maybe just one from all of you for me, with each of your names along the inside, but we need wedding bands to be married. It’s part of it.” I feel the stress rising in me, threatening to consume me as my lungs contract into my spine.
“Oh my god. It’s so important. And the marriage certificate has to be donebeforethe wedding, so we need to go to city hall. Fuck!”
“Hey.”
“I knew something would fall through the cracks. I told you! I just should have quit as soon as you guys proposed. I should have insisted on a long engagement and-”
Holden kisses me softly, then, when I still try to talk, he changes the angle and kisses me again, deeper, his tongue soothing mine. Something perks my ears, but Holden strokes down my spine, then kisses me again.
Warmth against my back alerts me to someone else, but lips graze my neck and I shiver. Holden draws back and kisses my forehead. “I’m turning you over to Nick.”
I’m spun and Nick kisses me hello. “Are you distracting Holden from getting dressed?”
“We forgot important things. I can’t go to dinner. I have to contact city hall and find wedding bands and-”
“And that sounds like things that can wait until tomorrow considering city hall is closed right now.” Nick pulls up my left hand and kisses my wrist. “And it wasn’t forgotten. It’s been prioritized. We have a master list, weekly lists, and ‘maybe we’ll get to it’ lists.”
“What lists? I haven’t heard of them! I haven’t even seen the master list!”
“You can.” He kisses the inside of my elbow, then jerks me closer to press his lips to the hollow under my ear. “Tomorrow morning. I’ll show you all of them.”
I’m tempted to give in, but I shake my head. “We promised that you guys wouldn’t keep things from me anymore. Why haven’t I seen these lists?”
Nick arches an eyebrow at my tone, but I don’t care. We made a promise.
“I know we promised, Sophia.”
“Then why do I have to repeat myself? I don’t like that. It’s a boundary I set so I wouldn’t feel like you guys are treating me like a kid. I’m not a kid. I’m going to be your wife and I want to feel respected and included and-”
“Your mother made them. She just tells us it’s on the list when we ask and I asked her to send them to you more than a week ago.” He continues watching me, frustrated and obviously unhappy with my monologue.
I’m still angry. I can’t just shake it off. “I don’t want to go to this dinner.”
“Whatdoyou want, then?”
“I want more time.” Which I know isn’t possible. “And I don’t want to deal with some dipshit. Even if Holden convinced me this morning that I should, it’s obvious that I’m in no shape to deal with the extra shit.”
“I agree.”
Which somehow makes me feel worse. I take a deep breath and take a step back from Nick. He rubs his jaw, but I suspect it’s frustration eating at him. “I think you should stay home and deal with what you are feeling.”
“What?” Holden asks.
“If you’re going to throw a temper tantrum instead of being willing to listen, you have no business being around someone we need to be professional with. So stay home.” Nick walks away.
I just gape.
Since when does voicing concerns and asserting boundaries make me a child? Fuck that. I narrow my eyes and turn around, going to my room and fighting the urge to slam the door just so I don’t validate him.
I try to lay down, but as soon as I hear the front door slam, I get up and pace the penthouse. I want to do something. Throw something, do anything to make me feel like I have control. But instead, I call my mother.
“Hi, honey. Did you get a-”
“Show me the damn lists.”
“Sophia!” She gasps. “You do not speak to me like-”