Page 77 of Belonging to Them
“What?”I set our dishes in the dishwasher and spin around so I can see her again.She still hasn’t spoken.“What is it?”
Ella’s sitting with her mouth open, a look of utter disbelief on her face.
Sebastian waves his hand in front of her eyes.“Ella?”
“Diminuendo,” she whispers.
I exchange a puzzled look with Bash.
“What are you talking about?”Bash asks.
I take the seat next to Ella’s and hold her hand.“What doesdiminuendomean?”
“Diminuendois a musical term,” Bash explains.“It’s when the music gets quieter, basically.”
“It’s one of the last things my dad said to me,” Ella says in a tone of wonder.“I thought it was some kind of hallucination or something, from his medication.But it was the only weird thing he ever did or said.He knew a little about music, after going to all of my events and everything, so I thought that one random term had somehow stuck in his brain one day.He held my hand tight when he said it, though, and looked directly into my eyes.It was the weirdest thing, and I kind of put it from my mind…until now.Do you think it’s the password?”
“Only one way to find out,” I say.
“I’ll call Gianna tomorrow, get the key, and go to the bank.Whether I need the money or not, Tommy needs his share.Dad obviously wanted us to work together to get it.And if Tommy’s…not around,” she says slowly, “then at least his baby should get whatever support it can offer.”
I squeeze her hand.“That sounds like a plan.”
“What if I actually havemoney?”Ella asks, her face lit up with excitement.“I wouldn’t have to keep freeloading off of you guys.”
“You think you’re freeloading?”Bash tilts his head, obviously frustrated.“How is this still an issue for you?”
“You mean, worrying about poverty?”Ella asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah.”
Ella scoffs.“Sorry, I can’t just magically wave a wand that says it’s time to behave like a rich person and forget that I ever used to worry about having enough to eat.Or getting kicked out of my apartment because I couldn’t afford rent.”
Okay, this conversation is going off the rails.Sebastian needs to shut the hell up.Of anyone, he should understand where Ella’s coming from—he didn’t exactly have a privileged upbringing, either.Sebastian’s in a bad mood, Ella’s quickly getting there.I need to restore balance.
“It’s normal to still be worried about money,” I say, standing up and pulling Ella into my arms.“And we both want you to know that we are all in, remember?You belong to us now, and we belong to you.”
“I know,” she says.“It still seems like a dream sometimes.”
I run a finger along the chain of her necklace.“We locked you in, little girl.Never forget that.It’s real, and it’s forever.”
When I lower my mouth to hers, she kisses me back eagerly, grabbing my arms and pressing against me.I grab her ass in both hands and pull her tighter, pressing my aching cock against her stomach.
It isn’t long before Sebastian comes behind Ella and nuzzles her neck.I knew he’d get over his bad mood.It’s impossible to be in a bad mood for long when Ella’s around.
“Bedroom, Daddies?”she asks.
“Bedroom,” Bash agrees.“Mouth off a little, while you’re at it.I’m in the mood to give you some spankings.”
“You’ll have to catch me, first,” she says, then darts away.
A smile spreads slowly over his face as he watches her dash down the hall.“Fucking perfect.”
* * *
Ella
After some amazing sex, Sebastian returns to the studio to wrestle with his lyrics.Kingston reads the news on his phone, and I read a book on mine.I’m half-afraid of him demanding to see what I’m reading, and half-hopeful that he will.
