Page 58 of Nobody's Girl

Jonas nodded. “Fair enough…although I do have to tell you, Sofia can kick my ass anyway. Not sure how much help I’d be.”

Ivo smiled for the first time in days. “Don’t I know it?”

Sofia grinned at them both. “My two favorite men in the world, right here.”

Jonas told them that, after the abduction attempt, Fergus had slunk back to New York with his head between his tail. Jonas obviously had no time for his father. “He’s just fucking around now, sleeping with all his friend’s wives. Drinking too much. Honestly, I think he lost it when Mom died,” he said to Sofia, clearly meaning her Mom. It touched Sofia’s heart to hear him refer to her that way. “She kept him steady, balanced. For all his faults, I truly believed he loved her entirely. That’s why he wants you back.”

“Then maybe he shouldn’t have thrown Sofia out in the first place.” Ivo’s voice was like ice and Jonas nodded.

“Totally agree, my friend.”

“But, then again, I might never have met you,” Sofia said and Ivo shook his head.

“We would have found our way to each other somehow.” He looked at Jonas. “How about you, Jonas? Is it Megan?”

Jonas gave a sad smile. “We broke up. Seemed, in the end, we wanted different things. She wanted kids, I don’t. She wanted me to be more than a high-school teacher – and to me, it’s the best contribution I could make to society. We’re still friends. Megan was never interested in Dad’s money, or making me take what trust fund he was offering that day. He wields his wealth as a controlling tool. Not into that.”

“Word, brother.” Sofia clinked her glass against Jonas’s. He grinned, his eyes sweeping around the luxurious suite.

“I can tell.”

Ivo grinned but Sofia chewed her lip. “Hey, I’m kidding,” Jonas said, nudging his sister and she relaxed.

“Did Fergus say anything to you about what he tried to do to me?” Sofia wanted to know that Fergus was sorry, that he knew she was never coming back. Jonas shrugged.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry. All this news I got from Tell Draven, his golf partner. He has a kid at our school. I don’t speak to Dad.”

Ivo stole a glance at Sofia. “What about your sister? Tamara, is it?”

Jonas’s eyes darkened. “I see her even less and believe me, it’s no loss.” He looked at Sofia. “She’s now into S&M in a big way, apparently. Bought a club in Manhattan and refurbished it.”

Sofia nearly choked on her wine. “Tamara? Is it a club for husbands of her friends?” She laughed suddenly. “Tamara Rutland, Madam. Figures.”

Jonas grinned as Ivo laughed. “So, you don’t miss her, then?”

“Hell, no.” She sighed. “I do love it here, though, Jonas. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know where I was.”

“I should have looked harder, but without the resources, and having to work…”

“It’s okay, bro. we’re together now. That’s all that matters.”

When an exhausted Jonas retired to his room to sleep off his jetlag, Sofia and Ivo enjoyed a long soak in the tub. “You know, the few days I’m away will be the longest we’ve been apart since we met.” Ivo trailed his fingers up and down her skin as he spoke, and nibbled her earlobe.

Sofia smiled. “I think it will be. I’ll miss you but there’s nothing else to be done.” Resting back against his hard-muscled chest, she looked around at him. “You can always change your mind. I could go with you.”

He brushed her lips with his. “No, you stay with Jonas. Actually, in all the melee, I forgot to go to Clemence. I wonder…would it be inappropriate for me to ask you to go see her? She was close to Mom, and what with baby being due soon…”

“Of course, I’ll go, it’s no problem. Did I ever tell you we went out for coffee a couple of times?”

“No, actually. You did?”

“Forgive me for not telling you at the time, I clean forgot. Clemence came to see me, right at the start of our relationship, yours and mine, I mean, and she told me she wanted to be friends because of the baby. I agreed with her and we went out a couple of times. She’s nice, and I liked her, but then things went a little weird for a while. I got the feeling she was a little jealous, and then there was that whole thing with telling your dad about your mom’s illness. We haven’t seen each other since.”

Ivo kissed her temple. “Will it be awkward to go see her?”

Sofia shook her head. “No, not under these circumstances, and besides, I should reconnect with her. After the baby comes, it’ll make things easier if we all get along.”