Page 35

Scarlett

After dinner, Scarlett let them choose the movie and the four of them were now immersed in some epic galactic space battle.

Cuddled under a blanket with her knees tucked to her chest, she stuffed her mouth with gummy bears, anxiously awaiting the end of the movie, which was rapidly approaching.

Mateo had warned her it would leave on a cliffhanger, but she hadn’t minded.

It only meant they would have to sit through the other two movies too and she thought that was a great excuse to spend their evenings together.

“Finally,” Ezra groaned, rather frustrated when the movie ended with the death of the hero.

“Wait!” Scarlett protested. “That was it?”

“I told you,” Mateo chuckled. But when he reached for the remote to start the second movie, Ezra slapped his hand away. “What the fuck, man?”

“We are leaving,” Ezra ordered, charging over to the stairs and returning with Scarlett’s shoes. “Now.”

“W-what?” she stammered.

Ezra fell to his knees, sliding Scarlett’s feet into her sneakers. To the others he said, “If you two aren’t ready by the time I have her in the truck, you’re not coming.”

Scarlett still argued. “But I have my pyjamas on.”

“Who are you trying to look pretty for, princess?” Ezra snarled.

She recoiled. It wasn’t about being pretty, it was about… maintaining an image. Scarlett winced, almost ashamed that her father’s teachings still had such a hold on her. “That’s not the point.”

“Then get into the car.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “No.”

Ezra’s eyes darkened. “I’m more than happy to drag you.”

“Maybe you should work on your manners.” Scarlett stood from the couch and walked away, ignoring the growl sounding behind her when she bypassed the front door.

“Scarlett!” he warned.

“Be patient,” she demanded, already entering her bedroom. Taking her sweet time, she changed into a dress and combed through her hair before slipping into sandals and walking back downstairs, where Ezra stood with steam practically coming from his ears. “ Now , we may go.”

They left the house with the other two men grinning the entire way.

Ezra groused, but unlocked the truck and started the engine.

The ride was silent and with the pitch darkness surrounding them, Scarlett quickly lost sight of where she was.

Twenty minutes later, they stopped in front of a drugstore and Ezra was out of the truck and storming towards the entrance before Scarlett’s feet even touched the ground.

The other two followed behind, just as confused as she was. They scanned each aisle, finding Ezra crouched in front of a low shelf. Scarlett approached warily, stopping in her tracks when she realised what he was looking at.

Vince stopped behind her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Ezra,” he growled, clearly sensing her discomfort.

Ezra read the label on the lubricant in his hand, apparently deeming it insufficient and shoving it back onto the shelf before grabbing another. He studied that label just as carefully. “Don’t pretend like you haven’t thought about it.”

“Ezra,” Mateo scolded, crouching down next to Ezra and taking the bottle out of his hands. “Scarlett will let us know when she’s ready.”

“And when she is, we’re going to be prepared.” Ezra ripped the bottle back out of Mateo’s hands and straightened to his full height. “So if you want to drive out here for condoms while I take care of Scarlett, be my guest.”

Mateo had his back to her, his face hidden as Ezra threw a pack of condoms at him. “Extra small?! What is your fucking problem?” Mateo put it back and swapped it for a different size.

Ezra crocked a brow at his friend. “Is our little golden retriever overestimating himself there?”

“Speak for yourself you fucking chihuahua,” Mateo barked back, indicating the condoms Ezra had chosen for himself.

Vince chuckled into her hair and kissed her cheek, the light sound and vibration against her shoulders easing some of the tension.

Ezra turned his glare on Vince. “Shut up, lucky bastard.”

Confused, Scarlett glanced up at the man with his arms around her, awaiting an explanation. “I had a vasectomy years ago.”

“You did?”

Vince nodded.

Something tugged at the back of her mind, and a memory surfaced from a few days ago. Ezra, with a gun pointed at Mateo.

“Keep talking, and I’ll make sure the only children she ever has are mine.”

“ You don’t want kids?” she finally asked.

“No, but if you do decide to have theirs, I’ll adore them all the same.”

Scarlett returned her attention to the other two. And though she hadn’t planned to have this sort of conversation in public, here they were. “You both want children?”

Their simultaneous answer was instant. “Yes.”

She stared at them, unsure of what to say—of what to think . She knew that she would have children one day, but she didn’t know how to manage two of them.

“It’s okay,” Mateo told her, clearly seeing the grief it was causing her. “We don’t have to think about it now.”

“I mean, I want kids as well, but how?”

“So innocent,” Ezra hummed, rather condescendingly.

“Ezra, let her be.”

Scarlett held her gaze on Mateo as she tried to picture herself pregnant. “How would we decide… I mean you both, but how?”

“We don’t have to decide anything, maybe we’ll just let that be up to your goddess.”

“Fuck that,” Ezra growled, pushing past his friend and walking towards Scarlett.

“I’m not leaving the future of my bloodline up to your stupid goddess.

” His fingers grasped her jaw and yanked her head up.

“I will track your cycle and fuck you raw every chance I get. You will carry my child. I’ll even tie Mateo up to ensure you are pregnant with my heir. ”

Vince’s left arm tightened around her shoulders, his right hand closing over Ezra’s wrist and forcing him to let go. “Let. Go.”

“Unless you are unwilling to carry my child. We can’t all be picture perfect like your little puppy over there. It would be a shame to taint your perfect blood with mine.”

“Ezra…” she started, but he was already storming away.

Mateo gratefully took the spot Ezra had just vacated. He gently ran the back of his fingers along her tender jaw, brows drawn in concern. “Did he hurt you?”

“A little. I didn’t mean to upset him.”

“It doesn’t excuse him hurting you,” Vince growled.

“It doesn’t but I didn’t mean that I don’t want his baby.” Scarlett attempted to shake off the brain fog. Things had escalated so quickly. “I haven’t thought about having anyone’s babies.”

“And as I said, you don’t have to yet.”

Scarlett closed her eyes and melted into her mates’ touches. This wasn’t how she’d wanted her evening to end at all.

Ezra was already waiting in the car but unlike before, Scarlett climbed into the backseat with Vince, resting her head back and closing her eyes for the drive home.

Back home her mind was still too riled up to sleep so she asked, “Can we watch that sequel now?”

Happily, Vince turned the TV on and tucked her blanket around her once she was settled.

Ezra hadn’t come inside with them and only entered the house halfway through the movie. Sweat dripped off his face, and his knuckles swollen and bleeding. He gave her a look she couldn’t decipher before he walked up the stairs and disappeared from sight.

Scarlett turned her attention back to the movie, debating on if she should go after him and explain herself.

The situation was clearly a huge misunderstanding, and Scarlett didn’t want that.

Letting the movie captivate her mind, she pushed it aside, deciding that it was best to let it rest for the moment.

But just a few minutes later, Ezra entered the room and fell to his knees before her. “I’m sorry.”

She looked down at him. It wasn’t lost on her that he self-admittedly didn’t apologise, so she was sceptical. “What are you apologising for?”

Holding her gaze, Ezra visibly struggled to form his thoughts into words. “For hurting you.”

“Which part do you think hurt me?”

He chewed his lip, his nose wrinkling as his black eyes searched her face. “How I touched you. I was too rough. And for what I said. You’ve asked me continuously not to degrade you, and my words did that.”

“They did. Are you able to listen to my side now?”

“I am.”

“My hesitation was not towards having children and definitely not because I would choose to have Mateo’s over yours.

I have not thought about having children with you.

Generally speaking, I know they are in my future.

I just hadn’t thought about how it would differ from having them with one mate.

There are three of you and all three need to be considered, even if one has chosen not to have his own. ”

“I understand that now. I let my emotions take over and I’m sorry for it.”

“Come with me.” She took his hand and stood, pulling him to the sink. She reached up to grab a mug with a chipped edge. She’d wanted to get rid of it anyway, so it was perfect for her exercise. “Say something mean.”

He seemed rather confused, but then said, “Little rogue.”

Scarlett dropped the mug, the chip fracturing a little more. She picked it back up. “You can do better than that, Ezra.”

“I dislike you.”

This time Scarlett threw the mug as hard as she could, and the ceramic shattered. “Pretend the mug is me after you just told me you disliked me and now apologise.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Did that fix the mug?”

Swallowing hard, Ezra shook his head. “No.”

“We all say things when we’re angry, and we all say things that hurt the other, whether it was intentional or not. But an apology can’t fix the damages the words have caused.”

Ezra stared into the sink and picked up one of the bigger pieces. “I’ll do better.”

“No one is perfect. I’m sure we’ll all say or even do things that will hurt the other. I know my past rejections have hurt you. Now that I think about it, maybe they are part of your underlying emotions. I promise I’ll do better too.”