Page 55 of Gilded Princess

The tops of her cheeks pinken and she clears her throat. “Mm-hmm. Wolf just, uh, needed to tell me something quick.”

“If you say so.” I tease her with her own words, and she smiles in response. I bite the edge of my lip as I think about how I want to phrase what I want to know. “How do you do it? Three boyfriends, I mean? Do you use like a rotating schedule or?”

"It's unconventional. And spontaneous, I guess. Sully and I, we're”—she shakes her head and bites her lip—"complicated.”

There’s that word again. Spontaneous. I can’t decide if it’s fateful or if it’s like that green car experiment I read about last year and I’ve tricked my brain into highlighting it.

I never thought about spontaneity except in the sense that I’m decidedly not. But now that I’ve not only thought about it, I considered actively being spontaneous, it’s like I opened Pandora’s box.

And I’m not sure if it’ll ever shut.

“It's not clear between us yet, but I'm hopeful. As hopeful as a girl can be in my position.”

Her eyes are pinched in the corners, and I can’t tell if it’s from her words or the events from the last few days. Honestly, it’s probably both.

"Damn. I'm sorry.” I’m still rooting for that asshole to get his head outta his ass, but I’m not sure if he ever will. She hasn’t given me a clean segue yet, so I’m just going to dive in and hope for the best. “Does that mean there hasn't been any group activities yet?"

My cousin just stares at me with the blankest look I’ve ever seen on her face, and if I wasn’t so invested in the answer, I’d laugh.

“You know. You and at least two of them—oh my god! Has the bed seen all four of you at once yet?"

My excitement climbs the longer she’s silent. She’s holding strong to her blank look, but I see the corner of her mouth twitch upward. I feel my eyes widen and I raise a fist in the air for a celebratory fist pump.

She holds out a hand, palm facing me with a shake of her head. "No, no. There hasn't been much of that.” She trails off, looking offscreen for a moment.

I can’t stop the eager grin crawling across my face. “That sounds like a but statement.”

She chuckles and shrugs a shoulder. "But I wouldn't be opposed to it. We haven’t exactly had a lot of time lately.”

“Ah-ha! I knew it! Yes, girl. Damn the patriarchy!" I fist-bump the air again and then bring it toward the camera. She obliges me and brings her closed fist to the camera for a virtual fist bump.

"I don't think I was thinking about the patriarchy, Maddie,” she says with a roll of her eyes. "But I'm not ashamed. All three of them are incredible."

"Even when Sully's being an asshole?" I waggle my eyebrows at her.

"Yeah, even then." She sighs, a small smile playing along the edges of her lips.

We're both quiet for a moment, but it's a comfortable silence. She looks away from the phone for a moment, and I stare at her profile. She looks tired. Sad. Her shoulders seem heavy, her soul battered.

My heart aches for her and everything she’s been through. Not only in the past few weeks—but her entire life. She’s one of the strongest women I’ve ever met, and I’m always in awe of her.

"I'm sorry about everything, Lainey." My voice is soft, smooth in the still air.

She looks back at me, her eyes welling up with tears. "Me too. Me too."

“I wish I could be there with you. But when you're ready, I'm here, okay?"

"Love you, cousin."

"Love you too."

Her sniffles turn into chuckles. "Always bringing some joy to the conversation. I don't know what I'd do without you and Mary. I pray that I'll never have to find out."

My own heart squeezes at the thought of the three of us being separated in any kind of way—let alone a permanent one. "Well, I can speak for the both of us when I say you'll never have to find out!"

"Where is your sister, anyway? I haven't had a chance to talk to her since the diner, and I want to check-in."

I tilt my head to the side. “Didn't you hear? She's with some biker dudes. Apparently, Wolf vouched for them. And she didn't want to stay here with me. Said she needed 'space' whatever that means.” I play off my hurt feelings with a scoff and tell myself that if I act like I’m not offended, then maybe I’ll will it.

---