“So, what did you do?” Ivan asked Adrik.
“I made sure Andrei didn’t want to pursue anything further with her and then I fired her,” he said, smiling.
Ivan stood up, both hands in the air, “YES!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his excitement. Even Andrei laughed.
“I’m going to enjoy going to the house so much more now,” Ivan said, smiling.
“I told you he was going to be excited about this,” Misha said to me.
“You were totally right. I had no idea that Ivan hated her that much. Why did you ha te her that much, anyway?” I asked Ivan.
He thought for a minute. “I don’t know exactly. There was just always something about her that irritated me. She acted like she was scared of us, but I never felt like she really was. There was something always underneath the surface with her that didn’t sit right with me. It changed once you got here, too. I don’t think anyone else caught it, but I caught her looking at Sephie a few times when she thought no one was looking. It was pure hatred, especially when Boss couldn’t keep his hands off her. I think that’s where her jealousy really came from. She really wanted Boss and was mad because he never looked twice at her.”
Who doesn’t want that sexy a ss man. I mean, look at him. LOOK AT HIM,” I said, pointing at Adrik. He just shook his head, laughing at my silliness.
Andrei said, “now that you mention it, she did talk about him a lot. She seemed astounded that we were all so different after Sephie came. Like she couldn’t understand it.”
“She asked me what my secret was like the day after I got you two to talk. Spoiler alert: I have no secret.”
Stephen got up to get a drink from the kitchen. “You’re unapologetically you, Sephie. It allows us the same freedom. She’s still trying to pretend she’s someone she’s clearly not, therefore she doesn’t know how to act and doesn’t understand why we act differently around you.”
I just looked at him, somewhat shocked. “You’re like Yoda, just taller. And less green. You’re so quiet all the time and then you just drop a giant truth bomb on everyone, then don’t speak again for 5-7 business days.”
“My ears are nowhere near that big,” he said, pretending to be offended.
“Valid point. Completely valid,” I said, smiling at him
Adrik
We talked and laughed for hours that evening. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun. We told Sephie stories about our crazy adventures, which usually involved at least one of us almost dying. She was always so curious and enthusiastic to always know more. I found myself enjoying telling her stories and enjoying her reaction just as much. I knew the guys all felt. the same way. There weren’t many people that we could talk to about the things we’d done in our past without fear of them leaving. She accepted us completely, past and all.
Every time I think I can’t possibly love her more, she proves me wrong yet again.
Before they left for the night, Ivan asked about Sephie’s hip. “Tine to change the bandage today or tomorrow?”
“I was going to do it tonight. It’s been two days since the last one. She’s been walking much better, until she overdid it with walking at the house and sitting by the lake too long. You can take a look at it, too. Make sure it looks right. You know more than I do about what it should look like.”
He nodded his head. Sephie was laughing about something with Viktor. She glanced over to me like she could feel my gaze on her, smiling at me. I felt my heart jump in my chest when I saw her smile stretch across her face as she looked at me. Even still. I motioned for her to come to me. She hugged Viktor, kissing his cheek, then walked quickly to me.
“We should change your bandage while Ivan is still here so he can see it and make sure it really is getting better,” I said, kissing her temple as she wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Glad you remembered, because I forgot that was a thing that was supposed to happen today.” She smiled at both of us. “Where do you want to gaze upon my hip bone, gentlemen?”
She was so much happier since we had come home. She was starting to act like she felt better in Italy, but I could tell she was still in so much pain. She was healed enough now that she felt better. It was easier for her to be her normally happy self.
“Everything is in the bathroom,” I said, shaking my head at her. I loved her silliness. I loved that she constantly made me laugh.
“To the loo!” She walked toward the bedroom, Ivan and I following her, both equally amused at her.
When I peeled the bandage off, she flinched. Her skin was still so sensitive to the adhesive, but that was really the only thing bothering her now. The wound looked even better than the last time we changed the bandage. Ivan really was a genius. He bent down to get a closer look at it.
“It’s healing now. No more red around the edges and it’s starting to get smaller. See?” he stood up, pointing to it for me to look. I took a closer look and noticed what he was referring to. She was still likely going to have a big scar there, but at least it was starting to heal. It looked like I wouldn’t need to call a doctor, after all.
We re-packed it with more honey and put a fresh bandage on it. The other guys were waiting for us to come back out before they went downstairs. They all had looks of concern on their faces, waiting to hear the status of her wound.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.