Chapter 41 #2
The inside was expertly decorated in the colors from Sophie’s mood board, and I didn’t know if that was Marshall, her, or a more dangerous combination of the two of them together. But we were out of the limo and inside the building before I could ask.
All of my brothers were there, Andrew included.
All of their boyfriends, and a few people I’d never seen before.
Sophie and Daniel’s friends, I later learned, people they spent time with on the fringes of our relationship, of their love.
If they had anything to say about the way Sophie searched out my hand if we were in a conversation or the way Daniel’s touch lingered against the small of my back when he passed by, they kept it to themselves.
“This suits you,” Andrew said to me at one point, his tie loose and a beer in his hand.
“What does?”
He flicked his finger against my ring and jerked his head toward Daniel and Sophie, dancing together in the corner of the room like nobody else existed.
“And I thought I was the last to fall, but here you stand, unattached.”
He grimaced, bobbing his head to the side before chasing the tic down with a drink of his beer. “I’m seeing someone,” he admitted.
“You should have brought them.”
“It’s complicated.”
I laughed. “Can’t be more complicated than this.”
Andrew shook his head. “This honestly feels so simple.”
We watched Daniel slide his hand around the back of Sophie’s neck and tilt her head up for a kiss. She melted into him, their bodies flush, and I reminded myself about the cum-stained underwear that wrapped her cum-filled cunt, all of it secret beneath the length of her dress.
“It is,” I agreed. “Maybe next time?”
“Maybe.”
He finished off his drink and tossed it into a nearby trash can, his body language making it clear he was ready to head out. We said our goodbyes, and he left me with my three other brothers, their boyfriends lost to a conversation on the other side of the room.
“Thank you for this,” I said to Marshall, and meant it.
“Thank you for not fighting me on it.”
“Whatever Sophie wants…” I trailed off, the rest not needing to be said. The rest evident by the rings around all three of our fingers.
“And you’re going with them next week?”
“Of course,” I said, as if I hadn’t mentally thought of a way to get out of it before giving in and accepting I was meant to be with them.
I was glad I hadn’t found one.
“Riggs and I have a cabin we go to sometimes,” Smith said, a hint of a smile dancing across his face. “It’s nice to disconnect and just be together.”
“I’m sure it’s hard with his work being so close to his apartment.”
“Lincoln’s work is the same, right?” Smith asked sincerely. “I mean, he can do that anywhere.”
“And he does,” Hunter agreed.
“Still?” Marshall asked.
Hunter shot a scathing look at our brother. “Yes,” he said. “Still.”
“Hey now.” Marshall took a step back, brow furrowed. “I didn’t mean it poorly, I just meant I was surprised he didn’t have a space dedicated to…filming.”
Understanding flickered across Hunter’s face and the fight went out of him. “He does.”
“That’s all I meant,” Marshall said.
“I’m going to go make sure Riggs isn’t ready to chew his arm off to get away from Silas and Lincoln,” Smith said. He clapped me on the shoulder before he left. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
Smith wandered off and then Marshall was next to go, leaving me and Hunter together with our backs against the wall.
“You’re happy?” he asked simply.
“Very.”
He held his hand up, fingers curled toward his palm and pinky extended. Without thinking, I hooked my finger around his.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m going to ask Lincon to marry me.”
I chuckled, heart swelling in happiness for him. “Can’t let Marshall be the only one?”
“You were first.”
I wanted to argue that the wedding hadn’t been mine, just theirs, but there was no truth in that and everybody in the room knew it.
“I think you’ll make a beautiful bride,” I told him.
Hunter called me a bitch and let go of my finger.
“What?” I laughed, finishing my drink. “You will, but I don’t think either of you can wear white.”
“Who’s wearing white?” Sophie asked from behind me, her chin digging into my shoulder and her tits pressed against my back. I reached behind me and grabbed her thigh with my hand, giving her a squeeze.
“You.”
“I am. And I need someone to dance with me.”
“Don’t let me keep you,” Hunter said, sidestepping away from us. “Congratulations, though.”
Hunter winked at me, and even though our fingers weren’t joined, we both kissed our thumbs. The secret and the promise sealed.
“What was that?” Sophie asked as she walked me onto the makeshift dance floor. She flung her arms around my neck and waited expectantly.
“Can’t say.”
“Finn!”
“There’s no bond stronger than a pinky swear,” I told her.
“Not even this?”
Sophie waved her hand in front of my face, engagement ring and wedding band inches away. I kissed the diamond and returned her hand to its place around my neck.
“Not even that, unfortunately.”
She chuckled and smiled, then pressed her cheek against my chest.
“I love that about you.”
“What?”
“The way you love.”
Any response died in my throat, so I kissed her head and let her rock us to the slow and steady beat of the song. Halfway through, another body pressed against me from behind again, this time, I knew it was Daniel. His chin not as sharp against my shoulder as hers.
“This looked cozy,” he said, words hot against my ear.
“Is it?”
“Very.” He skirted his hands over my ribs. “It’s my turn for a surprise now.”
Sophie reared back, expression dreamy but alert. “What did you do?”
“Nothing terrible.”
I moved her around so she was between us, Daniel and I now face to face and Sophie’s back against my front. She leaned against me, letting me support as much of her weight as I could manage.
“What?” she asked.
“I got us a hotel for the night. Someplace nice so we don’t have to worry about washing the sheets or making food in the morning. We can make a mess of the place and then order room service and do it all over again.”
“What about—”
“I already packed both of your bags,” he said before Sophie could finish the question. “Everything is taken care of. We just have to decide when we want to leave.”
“Now,” Sophie said quickly.
Daniel laughed and kissed her softly against the corner of her mouth.
“You have to say your goodbyes.”
Sophie slinked out from between us and made a beeline first for my brothers. I watched her go, only looking away when Daniel brushed his fingers against the top of my hand.
“This was a perfect day, I think,” he said.
I breathed deep, nodding in agreement. “I’m not sure I ever thanked you.”
“For what?”
We faced each other, his eyes dark and earnest as they searched my face for an explanation.
“For not closing the door in my face the night Sophie invited me over.”
I’d thought about my past with Daniel an embarrassing amount, and I knew how close I’d been to never having all of this, to losing it before I even knew what it was.
“I think I might have loved you then,” he said. “Before.”
“No.”
“Not in the way I love you now, but…I think I’ve known, even when you weren’t yourself, that you were it for me. You and her.”
“Daniel,” I fought his name out through gritted teeth.
“When did you know we were it for you?”
“The first night,” I admitted.
“Then why is it so difficult to believe I knew the same about you, just…longer?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Daniel stopped me with a kiss.
“You deserve this,” he said, tongue dragging across my lower lip. “And so do we, right?”
His body burned hot against mine, and I took his face into my hands, kissing him back until I couldn’t see straight.
“Right?” he repeated.
“We deserve it.”
“Then let’s go get Sophie and make sure we’re all on the same page, yeah?”
“Of course.” I pulled back enough to see his face, the want in his eyes, the ownership. “Always.”