Page 74 of Petals of Blue: Part Two
Damn, give me another slice of pizza and take Jared's shirt off, and I'd do anything. He's frowning, though, so I reach a hand out to him. Jared comes to me immediately and kisses the two fingertips on that hand without nails. The bandages came off a few days ago.
"We were clearing the air, healing some wounds, realigning our chakras," I joke, wanting to remove the frowns from his eyebrows.
Jared nods seriously. "Of course. The usual."
I laugh and Declan joins me. Finally, Jared's frown disappears, and he asks me to catch him up on the conversations.
"We were debating how everything could have unfolded had you tried to find me sooner. Bottom line is, I think you found me at just the right time in my life and hopefully yours. Oh, fate isnotalways a bitch, and I forgive you." I look around, taking the time to connect with all four of my men. Yes,mine. "I forgive all of you."
The air shifts and warps into something easier. Lighter. As if the space between the five of us isn't weighed down by bad choices and awful pasts. I think we've finally become just five fucking adults who share a bond, some trauma, and a childhood together.
My phone begins to ring, breaking the moment, but once I see that it's Violet trying to video chat with me, I lose my annoyance. I miss her. "Mind if I take this?" I ask the room, showing them the screen.
"Here," Felix says, grabbing my phone and propping it up against the toaster so V will be able to see all of us. "Now we can all see her."
My God. I think this is the moment I fall in love with four men.
Violet's face brightens my screen, then Roman, Declan, Jared, and Felix bend to look right in the camera, cutting me out. They say hi, ask about her day, tell her they miss her, and invite her over for spaghetti tonight.
My heart is so beyond full that my love for them spills over in a wave of tears. I meant I was going to leave the room to chat with her, but they didn't seem to think that was even an option.
The care my men are showing my daughter relieves me of any uncertainty. All four men are sweet to my kid, kind to my friends, and provide the utmost care and love to me.
Here, sitting on their kitchen counter, I give up the fight and refuse to run anymore. I'm theirs. Heart, mind, and soul.
Fifty
ROMAN
We're trying this thing where we don't sleep on each other's bedroom floors. I appreciated the alone time with Blue when we went to bed.
Now, as I'm waking up alone and worried, I really fucking wish the other three had had a slumber party in here with us last night. That way, Blue wouldn't have been able to sneak out without one of us knowing.
I keep reminding myself that Blue isn't in any danger as I hunt down a pair of sweatpants. With those on, I look around for my favorite black sweatshirt. "What the hell?" I grumble, grabbing a different one because I have no fucking idea where the one I want is.
My feet are cold, but I skip the socks in favor of finding Blue before my anxiety steals my sanity. I try to be quiet as I descend the stairs after checking the other bedrooms.
Would I have been disappointed if Blue had crawled into one of their beds after coming to sleep with me?Maybe, but I would have talked to her about it before getting offended.
She isn't anywhere up here, though. The living room and kitchen are empty, although the kitchen light is on, and I know for a fact we always turn it off before bed.
Turning the corner into the back hallway, I find our patio light on as well. With a deep breath to cool my urge to go caveman on Blue's ass, I approach the glass door.
Except, she's not on the fucking patio. The furniture is empty, and our fire pit is off.Did she leave? She hasn't driven since Halloween. Why would she choose to do it now?
Opening the door and stepping out into the frigid air, relief barrels into me. Soft laughter comes from the neighboring patio. I turn and finally take a full breath when I see Bethany and Blue giggling on Beth's outdoor couch.
They have a pile of blankets on their laps and around their shoulders. I'm glad to see Beth's gas fire pit on as well. No hats or gloves, though. Just glasses of wine and red noses.
"Blue. Bennett," I growl, stomping barefoot over to the snuggling women. With wide eyes, Blue looks up at me in surprise. "What do you think you are doing?"
Beth sucks in a breath, probably nervous because of the tension radiating off of me. Blue blinks and takes a sip of wine before asking, "Why are you awake? It's like two in the morning, Rome."
What the hell did she just say?Bethany giggles, making me glance at the empty bottle of wine theymust have shared. "I think that's what he was going to ask you, Blue."
"Beth is right," I agree, giving Blue a pointed look. "Why are you awake, Petal? I didn't love waking up to a cold bed. The worry also wasn't a favorite of mine."
Blue's lips twist, and she drops her eyes. Immediately, I feel like shit for making her feel bad. "I had a bad dream. When I went downstairs to fill my water, I texted Bethany to see if she was awake too. She brought the wine. I brought the blankets. I didn't mean to worry you."
