Page 25 of Back in Blood

I was happy that Gemini, Scott, and I arrived at the cabin before Sage. I was able to choose the room that I wanted, and it was away from the other rooms. I didn’t plan on being anti-social but when I was ready to be alone, that was what I wanted to be. I had my own bathroom, and the cabin was nice. Gemini had also invited her sister, Lori, and I was glad that another man wasn’t coming. Lori made it an uneven number of people, and that made it feel less like a couple’s trip. She arrived thirty minutes after we did, and Gemini started fixing drinks while Scott and I played pool. Music was going, and we were all laughing and having a good time, and then Sage came.

The mood shifted almost instantly, but it was in an amusing way. Lori began flirting with Sage before he even put his bags down. It was as if she was calling dibs, and I didn’t mind at all. She was a pretty woman with light skin and big round eyes framed by naturally long lashes. Lori was slim, thick and looked good in the tight jeans she was rocking. The bob that she wore gave her a classy look. Her and Sage could have some fun in the cabin, and I wasn’t hating one bit. I didn’t want her to feel like she had competition so aside from speaking to Sage when he first walked in, I attempted to ignore him.

Until Scott and I finished playing pool, and Sage requested a game. I didn’t mind going another round, but I almost declined.After some persuasion from Sage, I decided to play. Shit, I wasn’t throwing myself at him, and he wasn’t Lori’s. If she had a problem with us playing pool, she’d have to deal with it. Sage sucked at pool, and I beat him. The entire time we played, Lori flirted and did the most to try and get his attention. At one point, it seemed like Sage was ignoring her. I even caught Gemini giving her sister looks because she was being too thirsty. If she was doing the most because I was present, that wasn’t even necessary. She talked to me too, and she didn’t have a stank attitude, but the way she was acting over Sage was cringe.

When the game was over, I decided to take a shower and go to bed because it had been a long day. I had just settled into bed when my phone vibrated. Upon seeing that Capri was calling, my heart slammed into my ribcage, and I wasn’t even sure why. I cleared my throat and answered.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” That low deep rumble made my kitty ache.

“Um, no. I just got in bed. I’m in Tennessee. It’s been a long day.”

“Yeah, the cabin trip with Sage and his homie, right?”

I frowned. “What do you and him do? Compare notes?”

“Compare notes?” Capri repeated sounding slightly offended. “Nah, I don’t compare shit. Especially with another man. He mentioned the trip. I’ve been to the cabins a few times. It’s his first time going.”

“Oh okay. It’s not just the three of us. My friend’s sister is here too.” I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to share that piece of information.

“Word? Y’all having fun?”

My brows hiked. Not even when I was in his presence was Capri ever the chatty type. He never had given the impression that he cared about trivial things like how my day was or whatI ate for lunch. Maybe he was just trying to see if I’d answer for him when Sage was around.

“Yeah, it’s cool so far. I played pool for a bit. I think they’re in the hot tub. I couldn’t hang. I’ve been working way too much. It’s finally catching up to me. Maybe I’ll be up for adventures tomorrow.”

“Have fun. You deserve it.”

I was once again stunned. Capri was actually being nice but not in a nonemotionally passive way. The times he’d been nice to me in the past, there weren’t many kind words involved. He was more of an action kind of person. Again, maybe he was in a good mood and if that was the case, I loved that for him. I knew I’d never fully recover from losing my baby, and I never even got a chance to be his mother while he was outside my womb. I couldn’t imagine losing a child that I had raised for almost three years. My pain ran deep but I could admit that Capri’s probably ran just a tad bit deeper. I was pretty certain that good days and good moods were few and far between for him. I was happy that he thought of me and happy that he called.

“Thank you, Capri,” I said through a yawn.

“I won’t hold you. Call me when you get back if you’re up to it.”

“Okay. I will.”

After the call ended, I was actually smiling. Why? I wasn’t sure. Even if he had one good day, Capri had a lot of healing to do and so did I. Even though Sintonio turned into a different person and disappointed me greatly, I was still mourning our relationship and coming to terms with not being his wife and having my dream wedding. The way he switched up had me scared to ever love again and Lord knows if I ever did get pregnant again, I’d more than likely have the worst anxiety. I wasn’t in the mood to distract my pain by letting my guard down and trauma bonding. Capri and I were both fighting our owndemons, and rushing into any kind of situation even a sexual one might prove to be a mistake. But I couldn’t deny that was one fine man, and his dick was divine.

I slept in and woke up feeling absolutely refreshed. By the time I showered and got dressed, the rest of the crew was in the kitchen eating scrambled eggs, French toast, sausage, bacon, fruit, and bagels. Gemini and Lori were drinking mimosas.

“There goes Sleeping Beauty.” Gemini smiled. “How did you sleep?”

“Man, amazing. My body really needed that rest. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help cook. I’ll definitely wash the dishes.”

“Girl, Scott and Sage cooked this. Me and Lori didn’t do anything either.”

My brows lifted as I looked on impressed. “Wow. Well, thank you Scott and Sage. I’m sure it tastes as good as it looks.” I tried to ignore Sage’s lingering gaze as they both said you’re welcome. When I fixed my plate and sat down at the table, his eyes were still on me. And I didn’t miss the fact that Lori was stealing glances. She had it bad for that man. Yes, he was handsome and had a body out of this world, but the thirst she was displaying was borderline sad. It made me wonder just how often the average man came across a woman that bold and persistent.

“What’s on the agenda for today?” Sage finally tore his gaze away from me and looked over at Scott.

“Shit, me and Gem love the cabin vibes and looking out at the snow, but we’re not too crazy about being out in it. If you all want to go so skiing tomorrow, or something else, we can definitely look into it. Today though, we were thinking just games and alcohol inside.”

“That works for me,” I spoke up. I wasn’t a big fan of the cold either.

Breakfast was delicious. Scott and Sage did their thing. I was stuffed and tipsy from the mimosas, but the ladies cleaned thekitchen while the men went to play pool. Lori was talking, but her mood seemed off. I was sure it had something to do with the fact that while Sage was being polite to her, it was apparent to anyone with eyes that she was irritating him just a tad. That was crazy to me because Lori was a very attractive woman.

When the kitchen was clean, the guys were still playing pool, so I curled up on the couch with a book. I’d read until the games started because on vacation, I wasn’t that person that had to be doing something every second of every day. I actually liked to relax. Gemini went into her bedroom and when the pool game wrapped, Scott went into their bedroom as well. I knew they were probably about to do what couples do, so I closed my book and decided to go upstairs. I was halfway up when I heard Lori’s voice.

“I mean it’s obvious that you like her, but she’s in a long-term relationship. She almost got married.”

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