Page 21 of Silent Fidelity
Spike nudged me forward, and we quickly dropped onto the floor in front of one of the couches. Getting drunk after the day I’d had sounded about as good a plan as any.
“You joining us, old man?” Salem taunted Richard.
Richard shook his head, not rising to Salem’s bait. “I’m going to deal with Delia and try to do some damage control.” He took a seat on the couch behind me and Spike. “But don’t let me stop you.”
Jesse snorted. “As if anyone has the power to stop Salem from doing something.”
Tor smiled at his husband. “I do.”
Salem chuckled and leaned in, kissing Tor softly. “Yeah, you do.” Then, he grabbed one of the bottles and cracked it open before pouring shots for the six of us. “Bottoms up, mother fuckers. Let’s get wasted.”
I laughed, already feeling looser just being surrounded by family with mine and Spike’s man at our back, ready to protect us both from the rest of the world.
“To reporters and fans minding their own fucking business and learning boundaries,” I said, raising my shot glass.
Dalton snickered, and we all clanked our glasses together. “As if, but I’ll still drink to it.” We threw back the shots, and Dalton grinned at Jesse when Jesse began coughing and banging on his chest. “Such a fucking lightweight, baby.”
Jesse coughed again. “Fuck you,” he rasped, sounding choked up.
Dalton’s smile turned wicked. “Tell me where and when.”
Jesse’s cheeks went red, and I laughed, leaning into Spike, who wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
Didn’t matter how much fame and fortune we found. This was what made us rich. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Epilogue
Spike
“I’m a little salty that none of us knew you two were fucking Richard when y’all first started because bruh, we could’ve been on his private yacht months before now,” Jesse drawled.
I huffed a laugh. “I’m sure you can understand why Richard wanted it kept under wraps for as long as possible,” I responded. I’d never forget the panic I felt when I couldn’t get to Kalin that day. How we’d been separated and he’d been panicking with no one around he trusted to help. If that manager hadn’t been kind enough to usher him to the back and put him in her office, he might’ve passed out right there in that store and cracked his head open on the floor.
That shit haunted me. I still woke up in a cold sweat some nights as I dreamed of every worst-case scenario.
“I do,” Jesse hurried to say. “But I’m allowed to be salty, dude.”
I chuckled. “Everyone’s entitled to their own feelings.”
He laughed. “Tuck the psychologist in you away for the day, Spike.”
I heard wet feet slapping against the deck, and I hurried to open my eyes to see which of us was about to get covered in salt water. They widened when I saw Kalin sprinting toward me, his skin sun-kissed, swim shorts drenched, and hair a wet mop on his head. “Kalin, baby, don’t?—”
Too late. He sprawled out over me, wetting my chest with cold water and wetting the front of my black swim shorts. Despite telling him not to get me wet, I still wrapped my arms around him, laughing softly as I dropped a kiss to his hair, tasting the salt water on my lips.
It was fucking nourishment to my soul to see him so happy and carefree. It’d taken weeks for the heat from our relationship to die down. Eventually, it became the new “normal” for all the crazed fans and hungry paparazzi, and I believe it helped that we made quite a few posts and did some public appearances together, not bothering to hide how the three of us felt for each other any longer.
“Having fun?” I teased when Kalin propped his elbows on my chest and lifted up to look at me.
He nodded, grinning down at me while water dripped from his hair and onto his cheeks. I brushed my finger down his nose. “You need sunscreen,” I scolded. His nose was already beginning to burn.
“Which is what I sent him up here for, but clearly, he took a detour,” Richard said, shooting Kalin a disapproving look. Kalin, the brat he truly was at heart, just stuck his tongue out at Richard. I chuckled, then sat up, which forced Kalin to sit up with me. Grabbing the sunblock off the table beside me, I squeezed some into my hand, then began to rub it into his skin.
“You are so babied,” Jesse said, rolling his eyes at Kalin.
Kalin gave him two middle fingers. “If your fiancé doesn’t like to take care of you, just say that.”
“I take offense to that,” Dalton said as he crossed the deck. Jesse crossed his legs, giving Dalton room to sit down.
