Page 175 of Holy Hearts
I lean back, dragging a hand through my hair. “You’ve always fit in, Kai. Youarepart of our dynamic now. You’re just too polite to push your way in like we expected you to.”
The room goes quiet, and I see it, the shifting of something behind his eyes that wasn’t there before.
He moves closer, pulling Sophie fully into his lap now, his chin resting against her shoulder as he looks at me.
“I hear you,” he says quietly.
And I know he does.
Sophie brushes her nose against his cheek, the warmth of her smile pulling at something in my chest.
“So,” she hums, voice teasing but gentle, “are we officially a throuple now?”
I laugh out loud. “Facebook official?” I ask, wiggling my brows as Kai smirks. “Oh, your mother wouldlovethat,” I tell her.
“I’m serious!” she says, sitting up straighter. “If it helps Kai, we should define whatthisis,” she suggests. Turning to face him, she pulls her lower lip between her teeth, and she looks so sweet and innocent with her jeans and white prairie shirt. “Did Julian tell you we both decided to stop the hotwife stuff?”
He nods, but his expression is reserved. “He did. But you don’t have to?—”
“How about we re-evaluate in six months?” she suggests. “Let’s settle into this, and if it’s something we’re all open to exploring, we can discuss options and boundaries. If not, we’ll just continue doing this.”
He dips his chin, resting it against the top of her head. “You won’t be missing out?”
She snorts. “Missing out? On what? I have everything I need right here, Kai,” she finishes, her voice soft.
I wink at him as he presses a kiss to her forehead.
“Just to clarify, are we the kind of throuple that takes throuple’s trips? Ireallyneed a holiday once the shop gets up and running.”
“Only if I get to pick the destination,” he replies.
“Done,” I answer without hesitation, tipping my glass toward him. “Though I can’t promise she won’t pack twelve pairs of shoes for a weekend.”
“Arse.” Sophie flicks a crumpled napkin at me from the coffee table, narrowing her eyes.
“It’ll have to be somewhere with an extra-large bed, though. You know you sleep like you’re trying to claim the entire bed,” I add, unable to stop myself.
“I take up a perfectly reasonable amount of space,” she argues. “You two are the giants.”
Kai hums, kissing her shoulder lazily. “It’s fine. I’ll just sleep between you both. Problem solved.”
The simplicity of it curls warmth low in my stomach.
“You know we’re just going to keep dragging you to the middle,” she teases, poking Kai’s chest gently. “Like a human pillow.”
Kai smirks down at her, his gaze heavy-lidded but warm. “Fine. As long as Julian isn’t snoring directly in my ear again.”
I laugh, shaking my head as I remember the camping trip that went awry when we were seventeen. “That was one time, and I had a cold.”
Kai arches a brow, his tone all dry amusement. “One time too many.”
Sophie grins but doesn’t open her eyes, settling deeper against him, her head tucked beneath his chin. I watch theway Kai’s arm tightens around her, grounding her in that quiet, steady way he has.
I scoot down the couch to shift closer to them, letting my foot bump against his thigh. “We’ll figure it out,” I say softly, reaching forward and brushing my knuckles over Sophie’s shoulder before trailing them down to Kai’s hand, lacing our fingers together. “Bigger bed. Whatever it takes.”
Kai hums in agreement, and there’s something different in his expression—something settled, like the weight of the last month has finally started to lift.
Sophie sighs sleepily. “Mm. Yes. And I vote we never let you leave again, Kai.”
