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Then he floors the accelerator.
Sophie’s lips press into a firm line as her gaze skims over my black eye again.
The boys brought me back home, cleaned me up, and let me sleep the residual alcohol in my system off before she arrived. Logan drew the short straw for being the one to get me in the shower to wash the vomit and blood away. Fucker set it to freeze-your-balls-off-cold to start with, claiming it was an accident.
Probably payback for that punch I landed when I found out about him and Maddy. He’s never stopped going on about it. How else was I supposed to react when I found one of my best friends whispering something about his cum that I wish I could forget in my little sister’s ear?
But regardless, he’s still one of my best friends and future brother-in-law. And despite my right hook, I’m still his. Because we chose it to stay that way.
“You should have gone to the hospital to get it checked,” Sophie says, her fingers lightly dusting over the cheekbone beneath my swollen eye socket.
“It’s nothing,” I grunt.
She sighs and then her lips return to the firm line they’ve been in ever since she walked through my door and saw the state of me. I know she’s finding this hard, seeing me like this. She’s so used to fixing things, for getting justice for her clients. My beautiful boss lady hates feeling helpless if things get out of her control.
“I’m fine,” I say in a gentler voice.
“You said honesty, Drew. Communication. You made me promise.”
“Iknow.” I look at her with my good eye and take her fingers between mine, interlacing them.
“You could have talked to me instead of…” Her eyes skim over my face before she looks away and swallows. “You’re lucky nothing was broken.”
Only my heart seeing the women in my life all in pieces.
“Cuts and bruises heal.”
Her glassy eyes meet mine again.
“Sophie?” I pull her to me, ignoring the tightening in my chest as my pummeled ribs scream.
She tries to move away. “You need to really think about this. You and I… Everything is a thousand times more complicated now. I never want to hurt you, Drew. Or your family. But look where we already are. I don’t know how to fix this. If you stay with me—”
“Don’t finish that fucking sentence,” I hiss.
I pull her over me so that she’s straddling me on my couch.
“Don’t you dare ever breathe a word like that again. You got it?” I fist the back of her hair and pull her face to mine so that our noses touch. “You and me are having these babies. Together. No matter what any other fucker says or does. Okay?”
“But—”
I silence her with a kiss, making my split lip sting like a motherfucker.
“Promise me. I can’t lose you, Sophie. I can’t lose any of you.” My eyes drop to her stomach.
“I don’t want to come between you and your family,” she whispers. “I can’t make this right. Your father—”
“You are my family.” I place my bloodied knuckles over her clean, white T-shirt, stroking her stomach. “You are my everything. And my relationship with him has always been… Some things stay broken. It’s life. You didn’t ruin anything. Andwhat he did to Mum is not your burden to carry, you hear me? He made his choices.”
She nods, her green eyes clearing, making way for understanding. “This is what you really want? No matter how complicated it might get?”
“It’s not just what I want. It’s what I’ve been fucking dreaming of.” I crush my lips to hers again, ignoring the taste of blood as the cut re-opens. “You and the babies are everything to me. Please don’t leave me because of him.”
Don’t give me any more reasons to hate him.
She pulls back and searches my eyes. There’s a vulnerability in hers. I know I’m the only one she lets see it. By staying with me, she has to accept that she can’t fix everything. But we will handle whatever’s thrown at us.Together.
“I don’t want to leave you. I’d have to have no choice in order to ever do that.” She swallows like the thought alone is crushing her windpipe. “I know it’s not been long, but I want to be with you, Drew. More than anything.”
