Page 50 of Accidentally Forever

I sag against Hawk, trying to catch my breath even as these men caress and kiss me, telling me that I’m theirs. Sofie’s giggles sound in the distance but I’m content to sit right here, both of their purrs rumbling through me, lulling me into a wistful sleep.

Chapter thirty-eight

PUMA

The week drags, the air heavy with the kind of waiting that grates on my nerves. Lawsuits pile up like dead weight on my shoulders, dragging behind me with every step. It’s all bullshit—whispers twisted into accusations, accusations sharpened into threats. I half-expected it, but now that it’s in full swing, now that it’s clawing at the edges of everything we’ve built, I’m more annoyed than anything.

Xavier has vanished, slipping into the cracks before we could pin him down, and the idea that Orion is behind this is only part of the problem. There’s someone else in the shadows, pulling the strings. This isn’t just retaliation. It’s strategy. A setup. The kind I’ve seen before, the kind that ends with people behind bars or buried in the ground.

Still, none of it is more important than keeping my people safe.

Violet and Sofie have changed the house, filled the spaces between us with something warm, something none of us realized we were missing. They’ve made it feel like a home, like more than just a place to sleep between jobs, between fights, between waiting for the next inevitable problem to knock at the door. Gray is the most obvious about it, a lovesick bastard walking around like he’s just waiting for Violet to breathe in his direction. Lance and Hawk are no better, circling Sofie and Violet every chance they get.

Sofie and Violet have been attached at the hip over the last week, but the energy between them has changed. Sofie sleeps through the night without waking in a panic, without scrambling to find Violet like she’s the only thing tethering her to the world. And Violet—she’s letting down her walls.

It's been so much easier as she lets herself be loved in the stolen kisses and soft caresses. She doesn’t flinch when one of the twins drags her into their lap, doesn’t tense when a hand lands on her waist. Hawk’s become more bold, catching her before she reaches the kitchen as he smothers her. And the rare moments she lets me steal her away for a bath or just to curl up against me at night is everything.

The moment we finally had time to give our women a full tour, I wish we had done it sooner. The wide-eyed looks, Sofie’s squeals, and Violet’s knowing smirk as she whispered ‘there’ and then looked over at Gray. If she thinks he’s the only one who will be christening this house, she’s sorely mistaken.

I watch them from the kitchen, arms crossed, coffee in hand, leaning against the counter as I take it all in. The house is loud in a way it never used to be, filled with laughter, teasing, chaos. And I fucking love it and not just for the distraction it provides. Gray’s got Violet in his arms, dipping her low in some exaggerated ballroom move, a manic grin stretched across his face as she shrieks and claws at his shirt.

“Gray, you asshole—”

“Shh, princess, I got you.”

She’s fighting and melting at the same time, rolling her eyes but holding onto his shoulders like she’d never dream of letting go. Sofie watches from the couch, curled up in Lance’s lap, fingers absently playing with his. Hawk is stretched out next to him, long legs sprawled over the cushions, but when Sofie giggles at something Lance says, Hawk—without even thinking—grabs her and hauls her onto his chest.

Like some kind of caveman.

“Mine.” The word rumbles from his chest, lazy and absolute, like it’s just a fact.

Sofie lets out a startled squeak before dissolving into laughter, squirming in his grip. “You gonna carry me around forever?”

“Yeah.” No hesitation. No humor. Just pure, unwavering certainty.

Violet, still half-trapped in Gray’s hold, chokes on her laughter. “Jesus, Hawk, at least pretend to be civilized.”

Hawk shrugs, his fingers still curled possessively around Sofie’s waist. “No.”

I smirk, shaking my head as I disappear into the office, hearing the soft footsteps following me. It’s the moments she sneaks away into my office that I enjoy the most. The door creaks open, the sound hesitant, but I don’t bother looking up. I already know it’s her. I’ve told her too many times she doesn’t have to knock or tread lightly in here but it never changes.

Soft footfalls move across the room, and then she’s there, climbing into my lap without a word. She exhales long and slow as she melts against my chest, face pressed into my shirt, fingers curling into the fabric like she needs something to hold onto.

I let my hand settle on her hip, rubbing slow, lazy circles over her shirt as her jasmine scent sinks into me. “Something wrong, Dove?” A few seconds ago, she was laughing right along with the rest of them and now… I don’t really like the way her lips are pulling into a frown.

She shakes her head, her fingers trailing idly along my collar. “No. Just… needed to work some things out in my head.” Her breath slows, her body settling, but her fingers keep moving, tracing thoughtless shapes against my chest. Then, finally— “It’s not just Sofie,” she murmurs, voice quiet. “I mean, she’s settled now, and that’s good. But there’s everything else. The apartment, the bills, the fact that I need to figure out what the fuck I’m doing before next month rolls around.”

There it is. Violet has spent so much time making sure Sofie is okay, making sure she fits into this life, that she hasn’t stopped to think about herself. Violet might have been letting us in but I think we all kind of forgot about the life she stepped out of—the one she left behind. In no way do I want her to return to that apartment. Hell, I want her to get rid of it. There’s no reason for her to still have it.

The problem is that none of us have talked about it. It hasn’t come up in conversation as if we’ve all just been so focused on the life we’re building here that we forgot everything else. And that’s on me. I drag my hand up her spine, fingertips pressing just firm enough to keep her grounded. “What do you want to do?”

She hesitates before tilting her chin up to look at me, something tired in her eyes, something worn. “I don’t know.” Her laugh is small, humorless. “I haven’t had time to think about what I want. I’ve just been surviving, you know? And now I’m in paradise. It feels like a dream.”

Yeah. I know. A dream I never want to leave. I know exactly what it’s like to live like she had. To carry everything on your back without stopping to ask if you even want to. To prioritize someone else’s safety, someone else’s comfort, until you forget what it means to have your own. It’s why I pull her closer, why I press a kiss to the top of her head and let it linger. “You don’t have to figure it all out today, dove.” She hums at the use of the name I’ve given her over the past few days. She’s all fierce and rough around the edges but when she lets us see her, there’s that renewed scene of peace that shines through.

“I know,” she whispers. “But it’s hard to turn it off.”

A smirk tugs at my lips, my arms tightening around her, locking her against me. “Then let me help.”

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