Page 174 of Holy Hearts
He spreads his hands, grinning unapologetically. “Youtook twenty minutes.”
“And thank you for the video,” she fires back, running her fingers through my hair, tugging lightly. “I’m going to cherishit for the rest of my life.”
I chuckle against her neck, but my hands grip her thighs tighter, grounding myself in the weight of her.
“I missed you,” I murmur, pressing my forehead to hers.
“I know,” she whispers back. “I missed you too.”
Her voice breaks, and she kisses me again, softer this time, slow and deliberate.
I open my eyes briefly to peek at Julian, and he’s smiling from the couch.
I hold her tighter, hoping she can feel it—how much I mean it.
And how much Idon’tplan on letting go.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
THE THROUPLE
Julian
I lean back against the couch, watching Kai fold himself onto the rug beside Sophie. There’s something about the ease of it that makes my chest ache.
“I thought maybe you’d ghost us forever,” I admit, swirling the wine in my glass, eyes pinned to the ceiling like it makes the confession easier.
Kai smirks, but the humor doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Not my style. Forgiveness, the Bible, and all that.”
“It still felt like you might. I didn’t want to say it in front of Soph, but… you walking away scared the hell out of me. I haven’t felt like that since… well, the first time you walked away.”
I let my chin drop, looking back at the two of them. Sophie is sitting next to him—practically in his lap, which makes me chuckle—and she looks so fuckinghappy.Pushing my empty plate away, I look back at Kai, who is watching me thoughtfully.
He lets out a slow breath, running his hand over Sophie’s thigh absentmindedly. “I think… I needed to figure out where I fit in all this,” he says finally.
My stomach twists. “Kai…”
“It’s not your fault,” he cuts in quickly, shaking his head. “I get it now. I mean, hell, I’ve been in therapy twice a week working on this stuff. But I think I realized I was the one holding myself back.”
Sophie lifts her head, turning to look at him. “How so?”
He pauses, running his thumb along the inside of her wrist, thinking through the words.
“I kept waiting for you both to tell me where I fit. For some sign that I wasn’t just the guy you were having fun with.” He glances at me, his gaze steady now. “But you never treated me that way. It was just… me. I didn’t believe it.”
The admission twists something inside me, because I get it.
I set the glass down and shift closer, leaning my elbows on my knees.
“Can I say something without you shutting me down?” I ask, locking eyes with him.
Kai arches a brow, that faint smirk tugging at his lips. “You can try.”
I huff a soft laugh but meet him with the same level of honesty. “You keep saying we have this whole life together. But you’ve been in every crack and corner of it since the day you walked through the door. Sophie texted you first half the time before you went MIA. You talk to her about things she doesn’t even tell me until days later. I mean, you guys read the same books together… something she’s been trying to get me to do for over a decade. And the nights you stayed over? She slept deeper than I’ve seen in years.”
Sophie flushes, but she doesn’t deny it.
“It’s not just her, either. I still do those midnight workouts you dragged me into that one week. You told me it’d help me sleep. And you were right—damn you for being right. That night Sophie was having a flare-up? You stayed up with me and keptme sane. And when I lose my temper or feel like everything’s spinning out, you’re the one who grounds me. You don’t even have to say anything. Just you being there… it’s enough.”
