Page 27 of Simply You & Me

Addie shuffles on her cushion again, her butt probably frozen. "It's okay," she whispers. She doesn't look up as she says, "It was an accident. A mugging gone wrong, I suppose. My dad was a cop, so he was always carrying a gun. When he tried to restrain the guy attempting to take my mom's purse, somehow, the guy got ahold of my dad's gun. So..." she trails off. "Instead of taking my mom's purse, he took both their lives."

The tears Adelyn was trying to restrain finally fall. I move just a bit faster than Julian, scooping her into my arms and sitting her across my lap. With her legs straddling my thighs, Addie's eyes widen and my chest aches at the bright red tinge in the whites of her eyes.

"I'm so fucking sorry, sweetheart. For your loss and for bringing it up." Julian's voice and face are pleading with her to understand he didn't mean to cause her distress. Scooting closer to us, he looks like he wants to reach out to her.

Her smile is soft as she grips his clenched hand. "It's okay, Julian. I miss them, and they aren't far from my mind all the time. Just maybe don't bring them up around Rory."

"Why?"

"Julian!" Zach barks. I'm honestly feeling really fucking annoyed with our loose lips today, too. If I didn't have my baby girl in my lap, I'd hit him.

Dragging my glare from the family ginger, I find Addie frowning at him. "Um, because she's biologically my sister?"

Um… WHAT?!

Twisting in my lap to see Zach and Tate, she says, "Did you not know this?" Her question is directed at Tate, confusion evident in her tone.

"No. How would I know that?" Tate seems baffled, his face even more pale than earlier.

"Because Rylee knows."

Oh fuck. I know for a fact that's going to sting.

Addie doesn't mean it like that, but Tate struggles with the relationship he has with his sister. It's been four years since they reunited, and their relationship still isn't as close as he would like.

She continues. "When our parents died, I was eighteen and Aurora was two. I wouldn't allow us to be separated. So, I sold our childhood home, moved us into a two-bedroom apartment and... yeah."

What the actual fuck. This woman is far more complex than we ever thought. She is strength personified, and the admiration I feel for her makes my fingers clench on her hips.

Tucking the long strands behind her ear, I murmur, "You're so amazing, baby. Truly, and utterly fucking amazing." The rumble of my chest makes her eyes flutter.

"Nobody's ever said that to me," she whispers, her breath catching when I trail my thumb across her bottom lip. "Thank you."

Tears gather in her lashes again and I do the only thing I can think of to make them go away. She doesn't fight me when I use my grip on her jaw to tip her head back and angle her just how I like. As soon as my lips brush hers, tingles zap across my skin and suddenly all I can think of is giving this woman everything she wants. When my tongue brushes hers, I realize just how different kissing Addie is than my guys. She's soft and fragile beneath my touch and doesn't fight me for dominance. Her gentle, feminine moan makes me groan and wrap my other arm around her waist, tugging her body against mine.

Just as I take a nip of her bottom lip, a throat clears, breaking through our first kiss far too soon. To my utter delight, instead of flying off me, my baby girl snuggles further into me and hides her face in my throat.

"No need to be embarrassed, sweetheart," Julian soothes.

A jolt of Addie's body confuses me until I find that Julian tugged on her hand where they are still holding hands. Knowing they were grasping onto each other during our moment makes my heart flutter in a foreign sensation. A feeling of rightness and contentment settles like a warm blanket around me. With my woman on my lap and my guys surrounding us, I smile. Not a smirk or a teasing grin; a real smile.

Chapter Eighteen

Adelyn

Ijust kissed Wyatt while holding Julian's hand. I kissed two men today.

My body fizzles with the urge to do more, but my mind is trying to break free from Wyatt's controlled presence. Like with Julian, my racing thoughts slow, but for different reasons. In Wyatt's arms, I feel seen and like this man will always have my back; like I can count on him.

I don't know these guys, but I have never felt so at peace before. When Zach held me through my breakdown this past week, I felt like I could truly just exist. His power and all-encompassing attention allowed me to do nothing, to, for once, be nothing.

I'm uncertain about Tate. The time we have spent together has been stilted and awkward, but my thoughts shift around him. He doesn't necessarily calm me. He challenges me like maybe there’s more to life than my lists.

Are they still strangers? Maybe not. I mean, I partied with them. Hell, I've been snuggling a few of them, kissed two, and fucked one. Maybe they aren't strangers anymore.

Forcing myself to shove my embarrassment away, I shift off Wyatt's lap and settle myself on the bag of frozen veggies again. Julian steals my hand back, and Wyatt presses his thigh up against mine. It's easy, like we've always done this. My brain attempts to freak the fuck out, but in the presence of the guys, I can just sit.

"So, you promised snacks," I tease, hoping to eliminate the silence. Julian snorts and gives me a peck on the cheek before making his way to the kitchen. I miss his hand almost instantly. "How did you guys meet?"

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