Page 93

I loved watching them like this. How easily he surrendered to the affection he wanted to give and how freely Goldyn accepted it. It was like they shared an invisible current, the love pouring freely into their connection and it made me happier they wereboth mine. They balanced me out while complementing each other. We’d unintentionally struck the perfect harmony.

“When we met you, I knew I wanted to see where this could go but I was too scared to tell you that upfront, so I masked it as a summer fling.”

“Really?” Goldyn’s eyes flashed to mine for confirmation and I gave her a nod.

“You mean too much to us to think we can’t see it. Or that we’re suddenly gonna stop wanting you after this summer. I’llneverstop wanting you, Goldyn.”

Pride pulsed through me as I watched him cling to her, not caring that his feelings were clear as day. He wasn’t letting fear dictate his words and his eyes hadn’t flicked to me for reassurance once while he poured his heart out. Who knew our little intruder would unlock Sincere’s assertiveness?

“I’m in love with you, too. Both of you.” She stared at me, biting her lip. “But I have a question.”

“Anything, mamas.”

“I’m in love with Romeo, too. I need to be with him just as much as I need to be with you. Are you sure that won’t cause any friction?—”

“It doesn’t change anything, Goldy. If anything, it makes this easier. You having a connection with all of us makes me believe this was supposed to happen. Regardless of how messy it started, this was always supposed to be how we ended up. Romeo deserves the love you give him and I’m just happy that he’s letting it happen. You’ll never have to choose between us.”

“Okay.”

“Now, back to you,” Sincere said firmly, shifting the topic. “No more running, Goldyn. I couldn’t sleep all night thinking you were leaving us and we couldn’t reach you to find out why.”

Goldyn cupped the side of his face and nodded. “I’ll work on that. I shut down when I’m overwhelmed, and it’s usually finebecause I’ve always been alone. But I won’t sneak out again. I’ll tell you that I’m leaving.”

His brow dipped at that compromise and I tamped down my laugh by adding my own conditions. “We’re not tryna put a leash on you, mamas, but a text would save us a lot of stress. And your phone needs to be charged to do that.” I finished with a pointed look.

She flashed a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that. The battery has been replaced three times since I got it and it’s getting bad again. I’ll take care of it.”

“We could just buy you a new one,” Sincere suggested.

Goldyn shook her head. “I love you for offering, but the only reason I haven’t is because the last time I tried to upgrade, they told me I would lose my voicemails. Which doesn’t make sense because when I upgraded from a six to the eight, the voicemails transferred without a problem.” A crease formed between her brows as she thought it over and her voice took on a wistful quality. “The messages are from my grandma, I can’t lose those. It’s all I have left.”

Understanding bloomed in my chest. This whole time, I thought she was holding on to that phone because of her…frugal nature, but it was deeper than that, and now that she’d said it, it made so much sense.

Sincere spoke before I could. “I think I know how to get those voicemails off your phone and onto your cloud so you can listen to them on your laptop or your new phone.”

Her eyes lit with hope. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yep. I wish you’d said something a long time ago.”

Goldyn crossed her legs, clearing her throat. “I have one more thing before I head to the shop for the day.”

“What is it, love?”

Her throat worked in a swallow. “It’s about Chance.”

“I fucking knew it. Did he touch you?” I was on my feet, shoving my chair away from me as I strode around my desk.

“What do you mean youknewit?” Sincere balked at me and then swung his gaze back to Goldyn. “Goldy, what the hell is going on?”

“I’ll fucking kill him,” I promised.

“Enzo, please. Nobody is getting hurt.” She dropped her hand from Sincere’s hold and reached out to grab my clenched fists.

I let her soft touch consume me, soothing me until my fingers relaxed against her palm.

The frown on her face told me she wasn’t expecting my reaction and that confused me more than her cryptic opening. I would end anybody who hurt her, Sincere, or Rome without question.

“It’s not like that. Nobody touched me.”