Page 14 of Between Regrets and Promises (Between Us Trilogy #2)

Grabbing a beer from the fridge, I slam the door shut, then twist the cap off the bottle. I chug it, needing to erase the day away. Laughter echoes from the living room, and I grow more agitated that Sophie and Liam are so friendly.

I shouldn’t give a shit, but after all this time, I still do. Though I don’t show it, I care a lot for Sophie but having her around and in my house always fucks with my head.

She deserves better than I could ever offer her, better than someone who’s fighting their own demons and is an emotional mess. The more I remind myself of that, the better.

Distance .

It’s what I need so the temptation stops choking me.

The moment I walk into the living room and dart my eyes toward them, I instantly regret it. Sophie’s lying on the couch with her feet in Liam’s lap, and Maddie’s flipping through the channels. I have no right to feel jealous or bitter, but that doesn’t make seeing Liam’s hands on her any easier.

“Wanna talk about it?” Sophie asks. Her big brown eyes look up with so much kindness, and I just wish she’d stop looking at me like that. I don’t deserve it.

“Nope,” I say, sitting on the recliner that faces the TV, allowing me to avoid looking at them. “Would rather just forget it.”

“You can’t just drink every time you have a shit day, Mason.” Maddie means well, but she’s too young to understand a damn thing about the real world. She’s only nineteen and just finished her first year of college.

“Would you rather I’d sit here and get high all night?” I bemuse.

“Oh, do you have any pot?” Her voice goes up an octave, which makes Sophie groan.

“Shut up, Mads. You know damn well you can’t smoke pot during training, not to mention Mom and Dad would kill you if they ever found out,” Sophie scolds her just as I knew she would. She’s on the straight and narrow and would never do anything that crosses the line.

Except that night we met.

I still can’t wrap my mind around why she did it.

Knowing her now, I realize it’s truly out of her character, which makes me feel like a bigger douche for telling her we should only be friends.

I don’t think she’s dated another guy since the night we met, and while it’s selfish of me to be glad she hasn’t, she won’t stay single forever.

Maddie, on the other hand, loves pushing boundaries, and knowing parts of their family history, I understand why.

Not only did they come from a strict and religious home, but Maddie is the youngest and loves rebelling by doing everything her parents told her not to.

I think she tries to get away with so much shit because she’s been told how to act and what to say most of her life.

Maddie’s a dancer, which also means she has a level of professionalism to uphold, but when she’s off campus, she gives no fucks.

After Maddie finally settles on a show, Liam and Sophie chuckle at something. After some squealing and hearing Sophie sucker punch Liam, I glance over my shoulder and see he’s tickling her feet.

Fuck me .

Why am I jealous? Liam claims he thinks of Sophie as his sister, but what if he doesn’t? Or worse, what if she likes him too?

It wouldn’t be that far-fetched, considering how much they have in common.

They’re both obsessed with Jackie Chan movies, which I found out months ago when they decided to spend an entire Saturday binging all his movies.

They’re both into classical music too, which I quickly learned when I first moved in with Liam.

But when Sophie found out, she nearly flipped.

The moment Liam mentioned one of her favorite composer’s names along with an entire list of songs, Sophie lit up like a Christmas tree and couldn’t stop talking about it.

I sat there like a dumbass, not knowing a damn thing.

They constantly love challenging each other in games of pool, but fortunately for me, there’s no more stripping. Now they just place bets for who’s buying drinks the next time we go out.

Hell, maybe he should date Sophie. He probably thinks she’s off-limits because he knows we hooked up, but that was two years ago. If nothing will come from it, why should he sit on the sidelines?

Fuck it. I need another beer so I can get out of my own damn head. So I can get her out of my head.

“So what do you think, Mason?”

“Huh?” I look over my shoulder at them on the couch and see the three of them staring at me. Fuck, I spaced out. “About what?”

“Did you not hear a word I just said?” Maddie curls her lips with her brow arched.

“No, sorry. Thinking.”

Her face softens. “Sophie’s symphony is playing at the park on the Fourth of July before the fireworks. Do you wanna join me and Hulk?”

I glance at Liam, who doesn’t seem eager about being alone with Maddie, so I take pity on the poor bastard and nod. “Sure, I should be able to make it.”

“Yay!” Maddie claps. “Then when she’s done playing, we can all watch the fireworks together.”

Yeah. Yay.

I groan, pushing myself up and walking to the kitchen for another beer.

“Can you grab me a diet soda, pretty please?” Maddie calls.

“Me too,” Sophie chimes in.

“Me too.” Liam chuckles, then adds, “Except I want a beer.”

“What am I? Your drink bitch?” I shout, then grab two beers and two sodas.

“Well, we are your company, so you should be a good little host and fetch us drinks,” Maddie says with a sweetness that has me snorting.

“Company? That would imply you were invited ,” I say as I walk back into the living room.

“You’re in a mood tonight,” Sophie says, lowering her eyes and not meeting mine. Fuck, now I feel like an asshole. I hand the girls their drinks and Liam his beer.

“Sorry,” I say, taking my seat. “It’s hard dealing with people who want to act like assholes because I’m a Holt.”

“I’m so glad I’m allowed to punch people for my job,” Liam says with a groan. “No wonder you hired a boxing trainer. Feels good to kick someone’s ass at least.” He chuckles as if he’s just told the world’s funniest joke. Though he’s not wrong in the least.

“Just because you’re a bounty hunter…” Sophie starts before Liam cuts her off.

“Uh, excuse me, it’s fugitive recovery agent,” he mocks. “I don’t call you an instrument player.”

Sophie snorts. “Not the same thing.”

Then Maddie snickers, popping her can. “Potato potato .”

“Just because you’re a fugitive-whatever doesn’t mean you can just openly punch out people. Aren’t there rules for that kind of thing?” Sophie asks. “Or, rather, laws?”

“I work for several bond companies who want their money, and when they don’t get it, they want the fugitive back in jail. They don’t care how I get them or ask questions. And if no one’s asking, no one’s telling.” Liam smirks, then sips his beer.

Sophie chuckles, and I hate how her face lights up anytime Liam talks. “You should let me shadow you on the job sometime!”

“Hell no,” I say at the same time Liam says, “Hell yeah!”

We glare at each other.

“And why not?” Sophie directs her question at me.

“Because it’s not safe.” I give her the obvious response.

“I’m a big girl, Mason,” she tells me assertively. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

I can’t tell her the real reason—why I don’t want her alone with Liam more than she already is, why I’m overly protective of her, and why I still struggle with my emotions and feelings for her.

I can’t tell her shit. The demons I battle on a daily basis are too much for me to handle, and I can’t put that on anyone else, especially not her.

“Fine. Do whatever you want.” I chug my beer, then stand, toss it in the trash, and head for my room.