39. The Throuple
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
THE THROUPLE
Julian
I lean back against the couch, watching Kai fold himself onto the rug beside Sophie. There’s something about the ease of it that makes my chest ache.
“I thought maybe you’d ghost us forever,” I admit, swirling the wine in my glass, eyes pinned to the ceiling like it makes the confession easier.
Kai smirks, but the humor doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Not my style. Forgiveness, the Bible, and all that.”
“It still felt like you might. I didn’t want to say it in front of Soph, but… you walking away scared the hell out of me. I haven’t felt like that since… well, the first time you walked away.”
I let my chin drop, looking back at the two of them. Sophie is sitting next to him—practically in his lap, which makes me chuckle—and she looks so fucking happy. Pushing my empty plate away, I look back at Kai, who is watching me thoughtfully.
He lets out a slow breath, running his hand over Sophie’s thigh absentmindedly. “I think… I needed to figure out where I fit in all this,” he says finally.
My stomach twists. “Kai…”
“It’s not your fault,” he cuts in quickly, shaking his head. “I get it now. I mean, hell, I’ve been in therapy twice a week working on this stuff. But I think I realized I was the one holding myself back.”
Sophie lifts her head, turning to look at him. “How so?”
He pauses, running his thumb along the inside of her wrist, thinking through the words.
“I kept waiting for you both to tell me where I fit. For some sign that I wasn’t just the guy you were having fun with.” He glances at me, his gaze steady now. “But you never treated me that way. It was just… me. I didn’t believe it.”
The admission twists something inside me, because I get it.
I set the glass down and shift closer, leaning my elbows on my knees.
“Can I say something without you shutting me down?” I ask, locking eyes with him.
Kai arches a brow, that faint smirk tugging at his lips. “You can try.”
I huff a soft laugh but meet him with the same level of honesty. “You keep saying we have this whole life together. But you’ve been in every crack and corner of it since the day you walked through the door. Sophie texted you first half the time before you went MIA. You talk to her about things she doesn’t even tell me until days later. I mean, you guys read the same books together… something she’s been trying to get me to do for over a decade. And the nights you stayed over? She slept deeper than I’ve seen in years.”
Sophie flushes, but she doesn’t deny it.
“It’s not just her, either. I still do those midnight workouts you dragged me into that one week. You told me it’d help me sleep. And you were right—damn you for being right. That night Sophie was having a flare-up? You stayed up with me and kept me sane. And when I lose my temper or feel like everything’s spinning out, you’re the one who grounds me. You don’t even have to say anything. Just you being there… it’s enough.”
I lean back, dragging a hand through my hair. “You’ve always fit in, Kai. You are part of our dynamic now. You’re just too polite to push your way in like we expected you to.”
The room goes quiet, and I see it, the shifting of something behind his eyes that wasn’t there before.
He moves closer, pulling Sophie fully into his lap now, his chin resting against her shoulder as he looks at me.
“I hear you,” he says quietly.
And I know he does.
Sophie brushes her nose against his cheek, the warmth of her smile pulling at something in my chest.
“So,” she hums, voice teasing but gentle, “are we officially a throuple now?”
I laugh out loud. “Facebook official?” I ask, wiggling my brows as Kai smirks. “Oh, your mother would love that,” I tell her.
“I’m serious!” she says, sitting up straighter. “If it helps Kai, we should define what this is,” she suggests. Turning to face him, she pulls her lower lip between her teeth, and she looks so sweet and innocent with her jeans and white prairie shirt. “Did Julian tell you we both decided to stop the hotwife stuff?”
He nods, but his expression is reserved. “He did. But you don’t have to?—”
“How about we re-evaluate in six months?” she suggests. “Let’s settle into this, and if it’s something we’re all open to exploring, we can discuss options and boundaries. If not, we’ll just continue doing this.”
He dips his chin, resting it against the top of her head. “You won’t be missing out?”
She snorts. “Missing out? On what? I have everything I need right here, Kai,” she finishes, her voice soft.
I wink at him as he presses a kiss to her forehead.
“Just to clarify, are we the kind of throuple that takes throuple’s trips? I really need a holiday once the shop gets up and running.”
“Only if I get to pick the destination,” he replies.
“Done,” I answer without hesitation, tipping my glass toward him. “Though I can’t promise she won’t pack twelve pairs of shoes for a weekend.”
“Arse.” Sophie flicks a crumpled napkin at me from the coffee table, narrowing her eyes.
“It’ll have to be somewhere with an extra-large bed, though. You know you sleep like you’re trying to claim the entire bed,” I add, unable to stop myself.
“I take up a perfectly reasonable amount of space,” she argues. “You two are the giants.”
Kai hums, kissing her shoulder lazily. “It’s fine. I’ll just sleep between you both. Problem solved.”
The simplicity of it curls warmth low in my stomach.
“You know we’re just going to keep dragging you to the middle,” she teases, poking Kai’s chest gently. “Like a human pillow.”
Kai smirks down at her, his gaze heavy-lidded but warm. “Fine. As long as Julian isn’t snoring directly in my ear again.”
I laugh, shaking my head as I remember the camping trip that went awry when we were seventeen. “That was one time, and I had a cold.”
Kai arches a brow, his tone all dry amusement. “One time too many.”
Sophie grins but doesn’t open her eyes, settling deeper against him, her head tucked beneath his chin. I watch the way Kai’s arm tightens around her, grounding her in that quiet, steady way he has.
I scoot down the couch to shift closer to them, letting my foot bump against his thigh. “We’ll figure it out,” I say softly, reaching forward and brushing my knuckles over Sophie’s shoulder before trailing them down to Kai’s hand, lacing our fingers together. “Bigger bed. Whatever it takes.”
Kai hums in agreement, and there’s something different in his expression—something settled, like the weight of the last month has finally started to lift.
Sophie sighs sleepily. “Mm. Yes. And I vote we never let you leave again, Kai.”
He doesn’t answer right away, and I feel the way his body tenses just slightly beneath her.
I squeeze his hand, grounding him the same way he anchors us. “You heard her,” I say lightly, but there’s a thread of quiet certainty beneath the words. “No getting rid of us now.”
His gaze shifts to mine, something vulnerable but unguarded in his eyes.
“Good,” he finally whispers, the word barely more than an exhale.
I press a lingering kiss to Sophie’s temple, letting the moment stretch. Then, slowly, I drop to the floor and scoot closer to Kai, brushing my mouth against his in a kiss that’s soft and steady. Not rushed. Just… there.
Sophie hums between us, eyes still closed but a lazy grin tugging at her lips. “Thanks for the video, by the way. I will enjoy the precedent you both set with that. The possibilities are endless.”
Kai groans softly against my lips. “Don’t encourage him,” he mutters.
I chuckle, deepening the kiss just enough to hear the soft catch in his breath. “Too late for that,” I murmur.
Sophie’s arm slides over Kai’s waist, pulling him closer as if she can’t stand the idea of any space between us.
And for the first time in weeks, I realize, neither can I.