It’s so tempting to say fuck it and cancel again because Carl sounds like a major dick, but I can’t do that to my guys. They’ve done plenty for me and it’s time for me to even that out. Plus, I know he’s important in terms of business and took me not showing up as some kind of slight.
When the guys get home, they find me trying to choose between dresses. Nick steps up and hands me the navy one. It’s a nice tea-length dress with a sweetheart neckline and sleeves that hang off my shoulders.
I press my lips to his cheek and wiggle out of my comfy clothes to pull it on.
“Hold up. I want to enjoy the view for a second.” Gunner says, laying on my bed on his belly with his feet up as he looks me over. “Delicious.”
I roll my eyes but smile anyway. “No way I can tempt you all into having the stomach flu and having fun with me at home instead of dealing with this dick?”
“Nope,” Roman says from behind me, pressing his face to my hair before dropping a kiss on the back of my neck. It feels more intimate than anything he’s done so far for some reason and the shiver that teases my spine proves it. “We’re going.” He purrs.
“What if I start a fight?”
“Going,” Holden says, putting my other dress back.
“Cramps?” I try again.
Nick smiles, shakes his head and says. “Going.”
“I’m feeling very outnumbered right now.” I huff.
Roman chuckles and whispers Italian in my ear. “Let me show you off.”
Damn, there’s no winning with that tone of voice. So we end up in a limo and pick Carl up on the way. Instantly, I dislike him. He flashes fancy clothes, an expensive watch, and his tom-cat eyes don’t leave my tits when he introduces himself.
I look to Roman and arch an eyebrow. I’d appreciate a nice display of male dominance or ownership here. It’s Gunner that speaks up and puts a possessive hand on my thigh. “As you can obviously see, Sophie is very real.”
“Absolutely.” He licks across his bottom lip, then finally meets my eyes. “To think, you’re Miles’s daughter.”
“I am.” I say curtly.
Roman pulls out his phone, then hands it to me. Carl smirks. “And apparently such a good secretary that you earned wife status.”
I freeze, take a slow breath, and Roman rubs the back of my neck. “It’s wedding-related. Sophie doesn’t work for us, she’s a colleague.”
“Really? She’s not the receptionist? I know that she could drum up a whole lot of business if she was made more … available.”
Please let his condo or hotel room catch on fire so we can avoid this. I keep praying for that before I remember to read Roman’s phone. Massimo wanted to remind us that he’s bringing Danny and the baby as well.
I nod to Roman. “I like Danny. She’s fun.”
“Very.” He agrees. “I think she and your mother will get along well.”
I like the thought of that. Then my guys will bemine. No sharing and no Mom asking cringey questions she finds hilarious. Not that it stops Carl from asking things along the same subject line. It sounds so much skeevier coming from him because he actually expects an answer.
“Enough,” Holden warns. “We’re going to be professional.”
“Professional among friends is no fun.” Carl chuckles.
Thankfully, we get to the restaurant and I fling myself out of the limo first. Nick comes up behind me, takes my hand, and kisses my cheek. “We started a timer.”
“How long?”
“An hour.” I see my frustration reflected in his face.
“I’m not going to make it that long without saying something,” I warn. “I don’t think I have the patience to be nice.”
Nick turns me around to where Roman is towering over Carl, his face so terrifying that I almost don’t recognize him. I can’t hear what he says, but the color drains from Carl’s face and he holds his hands up before rushing inside before any of us.