Page 87 of Triumphant Kings

“No way!” Mia says excitedly.

“Listen, I don’t use him anymore. Don’t need to because hello, four cocks who keep me more than busy. And satisfied beyond words. But...” I shake my head, still grinning. “My first one, I named Niklaus.”

“Wait... Like Niklaus Mikaelson fromThe Originals?” Emma asks.

“Yes.” I laugh.

“Fuck. I remember when you were soooo in love with him.” Emma tosses her head back and laughs. “You had posters all over your walls.”

“I still can’t believe Grayson wanted me to rip all of those down.” Mia laughs.

“Wait, what?” My brows furrow.

“Oh yeah.” Mia laughs. “One time in school, he overheard us talking. Then, when I was heading to class, he stopped me and told me to take all the posters off your wall. Said it in a huff before taking off quickly. I thought the whole thing was bizarre. Now it makes more sense.”

I stare at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Fuck me. My men really are crazy.”

“Amen, sister.” Alice raises her hand in the air like she’s in a damn church.

“Not the only one who’s crazy.” I grin, shaking my head.

“I think there’s just something about you, babe. You attract the crazies.”

“Tell me about it.” I smile.

After the night out at the club the other week, I quickly realized that getting out and having fun didn’t always have to involve drinking and dancing. I think that's more of a once-in-a-while thing. But my therapist thinks it’s a good idea to keep trying to do something fun to get out of my own head at least a few times a month.

Needing a real girls' weekend, I thought coming back here would be a good idea. It’s where we spent most of our time growing up, having so many memories and sleepovers. It just felt right.

I’m glad we did. We’ve been here for a few hours. First we made supper, then baked some cookies, and now we’re having some girl talk before movie time.

I feel safe. Relaxed. At home.

“I wish this place were big enough for me and the guys.” I sigh, flopping back onto the couch.

“I mean, it is doable,” Alice says. “Might be a tight fit, but the four of us and your mom got around just fine.”

“Yeah, because I’m sure the four richest men around want to leave their nice big mansions to live in a tiny cottage.” Emma rolls her eyes.

“Hey, Declan lives in a dorm room by choice when he has a big ass mansion he could be living in. It's not that far off of an idea.”

“True.” Emma nods her head.

“I don’t know.” I sigh. “I plan on keeping this place. It’s part of the family. I’d never be able to give it up. Plus, I plan on takingover the family business, so it’s not like it’s going to be used by anyone else.”

“You do?” Emma asks. “Still? Girl, you’re set for life. You're never going to want for anything.”

“So?” I turn my head to raise a brow at her. “This is me you're talking about. Money means shit all to me. I want to continue in my family’s legacy not because I feel obligated, but because I want to. My mom lives in that big fancy mansion, but she still has her job and works just like she did before. I can do it too.”

“Shit. I totally forgot she still works.” Alice blinks.

She’s hired some more people to help take on things when she goes away with Mark, but she’s still very involved with everything that helps keep this place up and running. It makes me proud. I’ve always wanted to be just like her when I grew up, and that hasn’t changed.

“Who knows? Maybe one day, my son or daughter might want to take over the family business. When they come to school, they can live here if they don’t want to live at home or in the dorms.” I muse.

“Look at you, talking about babies,” Emma coos. “How many do you want?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I’d like two of each, but gender doesn’t really matter to me.”

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