Page 37 of Shared By 3

Sophie hugs Valerie, bringing her back to Chase and me. Sophie holds her little one, bouncing him lightly. I glance at Valerie. My mother hasn’t been shy about ‘grandkid-talk’. Valerie hasn’t been a part of those conversations.

She barely looks at Link. She’s so focused on Sophie. “You’re glowing. It’s not fair that you still look amazing with a baby and four husbands.”

“We’re the reason she looks good,” Holden teases before kissing Sophie’s temple. “No, it’s team work.”

“We take a shift with the baby,” Roman explains. “It’s only fair since he belongs to all of us.”

“Sophie’s not leaving my side tonight, so one of you better be prepared to do the feeding,” Valerie says.

“Do you want to hold him?” Sophie asks. “He’s your godson, after all. I know you can’t move here, but I wish you could spend more time with him.”

Valerie smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes and she doesn’t grab for the baby. She clears her throat. “Sure.”

“She’s wearing white, baby,” Holden informs.

“I burped him. It’ll be okay,” Sophie says, handing my fiancée the baby.

My eyes flick to Lief, but his expression gives nothing away. He crosses his arms. I can’t imagine Lief as a dad. The times I’ve seen him kill could color me, but there’s nothing that screams ‘dad’ about him.

Chase is a bit more on that scale, but I can’t even imagine holding Link, let alone my kid. Valerie holds the baby, but her shoulders look tense. Link stares up at her with enormous eyes and Valerie takes a nervous breath.

“I should be sitting. I mean, it doesn’t feel safe. He’s so little and ...” she swallows.

Sophie stands closer. “You’ve got this, Valerie, trust me. If anyone can handle Link, it’s us.”

Roman clears his throat and Sophie rolls her eyes. “You four are implied.” She says something to him in Italian and Lief nods in approval before Roman steals Sophie for a hungry kiss. Damn, they set the standard for this kind of marriage.

“Oh, Sophia, you look so wonderful with the baby,” Vanya says.

“Don’t spook her. She’s like a deer. She’ll jump and run,” Tristan teases.

“Hi, Tristan,” Sophie says. She hugs him, but I notice Roman keeps a possessive hand on her lower back.

I roll my eyes, but I get it. Wasn’t I just that way with Valerie?

“Tristan, don’t be rude in front of the baby. I can’t jab at you with my hands full,” Valerie orders, ignoring Vanya. After another few minutes, Valerie hands Link back to Sophie. “I’ve gotten my fill of baby time for now, thanks.”

“Good, he’s all mine,” Gunner says, picking up Link and bouncing him until Link laughs.

Valerie leans closer to me. “I think he likes Gunner more than me.”

“I’d hope so. They spend a lot of time together,” I assure as my hand drops further on her back. “We could sneak away right now. Vanya and Josefine are focused on the baby. Dads are talking with the guys. I could steal you away and take care of your stress.”

Valerie looks up at me and rubs my chest. “Don’t tempt me.”

“Chase and I are more than ready,” I say.

Chase nods once. I know he’s been listening in. Valerie takes a slow breath. “Not yet.”

She kisses my cheek and goes to Lief to talk to Vanya about something with him at her side. I move closer to Chase. “Did you talk to Tristan?”

“I heard my name,” Tristan says, joining our half circle. “Does that mean we need drinks?”

“Many, many drinks if you followed through on our request,” Chase grumbles.

We all get drinks, then Chase and I just stare at him. Tristan sighs. “I spoke with my mother. She said she might come. I kept the news from our father. He’s still convinced you have her brainwashed.”

“Great,” I huff. “I mean, I wasn’t hopeful, but I wanted something good for Valerie.”

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