34. Goldyn
I perked up at the sound of birds singing.
My eyes popped open and the sleek dashboard came into view, all the controls and shiny chrome finishings on full display.
Ok, so this definitely wasn’t my van.
Daylight had arrived and so had a slight crick in my neck from sleeping sideways in this passenger seat.
I groaned, stretching, and panic set in when I didn’t see Romeo in the driver’s seat beside me.
Dew kissed the windshield, making it impossible to see out.
I scrambled to open the door and hopped out to find Romeo, stopping when I saw the figure leaning against the trunk of the car, smoke billowing in front of his face.
Romeo .
“Morning, G,” he spoke without turning to face me.
The scent of the herb he was smoking met my nose, and my feet carried me to him, not stopping until I was wrapped in his tight embrace.
“We slept in your car.”
“Yea, you fell out after you told me Chance could go fuck himself and that paternity test he wanted you to take.”
I grimaced at the reminder. Apparently, when emotions were high enough, I blacked out, no substances needed.
It wasn’t the only embarrassing thing I’d done last night.
Sneaking out was number one on that list. And if Romeo hadn’t caught me, I didn’t know where I’d be. Because I definitely wasn’t in the right frame of mind to drive last night.
I replayed the scene in the foyer over and over, burrowing my face deeper into his chest, which was still covered in Lorenzo’s hoodie.
Lorenzo’s cologne mixed with Romeo’s earthy scent, giving me a double dose of two out of three of my favorite smells.
“I’m sorry for trying to run last night. I wasn’t thinking.”
Romeo’s hand found the back of my neck, and he massaged out a kink without me having to tell him where it was.
“Once you told me what happened, I got it. It hurt knowing that you wanted to leave, but I understand why you did. That shit is a lot to process. Shit,” he drawled before taking another hit. “Running probably would’ve been my first instinct too.”
I rested my chin on his chest and looked up at him with a slow curve of my lips.
I loved this man.
Every inch of his grumpy, brooding, logical self.
Residual guilt assailed me and my smile dropped. “Thank you for being here. You didn’t have to stay with me last night.”
Romeo cut his eyes at me the way he’d done a million times before. For someone who didn’t speak a lot, his facial expressions were always loud and clear.
“Yes, I did. What did I tell you last night?”
So many things. I remembered every single one, but the thought of repeating them made emotion burn in my throat.
“You said…” My voice trailed as my thoughts scrambled. I couldn’t think straight when he was looking at me like that.
He held fast to my chin, locking me in place with his piercing stare. “I don’t just up and leave when my heart is involved, Goldyn. You’re not a temporary fling, and I don’t leave the people I love hanging just because they’re having a hard time.”
The people I love.
Tears stung my nose and Romeo shook his head as they welled in my eyes.
“Don’t start that shit. I can’t deal with you crying again.”
And of course, those words flung me right over the edge.
“Sorry,” I gasped, crying anyway. “I love you and it keeps hitting me at the worst times.”
He smirked, running his thumb over a tear. “And when would be the best time for it to hit you, G?”
I smiled through another wave of tears and he mirrored my expression, his eyes softening around the corners as he peered down at me.
“Why am I here, Goldyn?”
“Because I made you give a fuck and you love me.”
He nodded, pride claiming his face at my easy recitation. “And what else?”
“Because I belong wherever you are.”
“Good. And don’t ever forget that shit.”
He’d just put out his jay by stepping on it and pulled me into a hug when we heard tires crunching over rocks. I looked up in time to see Sincere screech to a stop in front of us, throwing his Bronco in park before he climbed down. Lorenzo followed at a much slower pace, looking half asleep while Sincere rushed to my side.
“How the fuck did you know where we were?” Rome grumbled, his hand dropping away from my face to let Sincere pull me in for a hug.
“You share your location with us, remember? We just never had to use it before today because you’re always in one of three places.”
Romeo kissed his teeth and I didn’t bother hiding my smile as Sincere pulled away from the hug to let his concerned gaze rove over me.
“Are you okay, love?”
“Yes,” I breathed, my heart calming from his proximity.
Sincere had the most mellowing effect of anyone I’d ever been around. All I needed to do was be around him half a second and my chest didn’t feel so heavy.
Lorenzo finally reached us, looking between me and Rome and then to Sincere.
“What’s going on?” He pointed a finger at me. “Your phone keeps going straight to voicemail.” He turned to Rome. “And you haven’t answered us since last night.”
“I told you we were safe,” Rome mumbled.
“You know that shit don’t cut it with Sin. He looked up this location, saw y’all hadn’t moved from the cliff in hours and assumed the worst.”
Before Romeo could retort, Lorenzo’s eyes locked on his chest and a smile stretched his lips. “Is that my hoodie?”
He fingered the fabric covering Romeo’s shoulder and his smile broadened. “I knew you loved me. You should wear my clothes more often. They look good on you,” he added with a sly smirk, looking Romeo up and down.
“Yo, Enzo, I swear to?—”
“Who wants to go to breakfast?” Sincere interjected, lacing his fingers through mine.
Romeo diverted his attention from glaring at Lorenzo to look at us with the beginnings of a frown.
My eyes ping ponged between the three men I loved and giddiness filled my chest.
“Fine,” Lorenzo conceded. “We’ll go to breakfast and then back home to talk. We clearly have a lot of catching up to do.”
I didn’t miss the hint of hurt in his voice when he said that, but he quickly masked it by giving me a wink.
We were gonna be okay. I just needed to tell them how I felt and stick around long enough to hear their response.
“The Sleeping Owl is the only place open right now,” I shared, staring at the sky. From the sun’s perch, I knew it couldn’t have been later than seven a.m., and Bliss Peak was too sleepy of a town for anything substantial to open before ten.
Sincere nodded, wrapping me in another hug before he muttered, “Then The Sleeping Owl it is.”