AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Agreed,” Bones said, a finality in his voice that suggested he wouldn’t tolerate any backsliding on the matter.
Lotto nodded, the hardness in his gaze softening into something that almost resembled vulnerability. “First time I’ve ever agreed to anything like this,” he admitted with a half-grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “But for you, Ari... Yeah, let’s do it right.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of the moment pressing down on my chest like a physical force. “Fine,” I said, a gruff affirmation that sealed the strange pact between us. “But if you fuckers ever hurt Ari, I’ll kill you both.”
Chapter 27
Frankie
“Frankie? Can we talk?” Ari said softly as she approached me in the locker room.
Everyone had left for the night, and I was cleaning up the space before calling it myself.
I looked up, surprised. Ari had been avoiding me ever since the incident in her office. We all had done what we agreed to do, but nothing had been acted upon or discussed since.
In fact, it had been damn awkward between all of us.
I set down the mop and leaned against the lockers, studying her face. “Sure.” I kept my voice carefully neutral.
Ari fidgeted with the strap of her tank, avoiding my gaze. “I know things have been...strained between us.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “And I’m sorry.”
I raised an eyebrow, surprised at her apology. “You’re sorry?” I tried to mask my skepticism.
“I never asked you. I never took the time to discuss Bones and Lotto, and what that all meant for you and me.”
“You and me?” I parroted.
“Yes. Us. Because whether we want to admit it or not, there is a you and me. It starts with us. It has always started with us.”
Ari drew a deep breath, still not meeting my gaze. “This isn’t just about seeing other people. Or having an open relationship. Or whatever else term we want to use. This is now about the four of us. But”—she inhaled—“it starts with us. I think that fact should be addressed.”
I nodded slowly, processing her words. “You’re right,” I said. “We do need to talk about this. About us.”
Ari’s smile was small and tentative, and it made my pulse quicken. “We never have.”
“I’m not exactly good with words.”
Ari’s smile grew a little bigger at my confession. “That’s okay. I’m not either. But I want to try. I want to make this work, Frankie. I want us to work.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I promised your dad?—”
“Fuck that,” she said. “Don’t make this about him. You know damn well that you and I are more than just a promise.”
Ari’s words caught me off guard, and I couldn’t help but smile at her fiery response.
“I’ve loved you since you were the annoying teenager who watched me be trained by your dad while sucking her lollipop,” I admitted.
“And I’ve loved you since the day you walked into that gym, all bravado and attitude, and proceeded to kick everyone’s ass who even dared to spar Freakshow,” she said.
“Do you think your dad knew?”
She laughed. “Yes. He always knew. He knew before we even did.”
“What do you think he’d say about what we’re doing?”
“I think he’d say he’s proud of us,” Ari replied, sounding steady and certain. “He’d say that we’re strong, and that we can handle whatever comes our way. He’d tell us that he’ll always look over us. And though he’d be pissed as hell we chose cage fighting over boxing, he’d understand our reasons why. Just as he understood why you chose to fight in the cage over the ring, too.”
“Oh he was fucking pissed,” I said with a grin, remembering the man’s rage.
Ari chuckled at the memory, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Yeah, he was, but he got over it. Eventually.”
“Eventually.”
We stood there for a moment, staring at each other in silence. The tension between us was visceral, the anticipation building as we both waited for the other to make the first move.
Finally, I broke the silence. “When he died, it was just the two of us against the world.”
“Just the two of us,” she said softly.
“So do we really want to add two more?”
Ari looked up at me, her eyes meeting mine. “Yes,” she said, firm and resolute. “Yes, I do. I want to add Bones and Lotto to our world, Frankie. I want us to be a unit. A found family.” She paused. “It feels right—at least for me—but I also know it’s not fair to simply expect it from you, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
“If I asked you to walk away from them both? Truly walk away?”
“I would be lying if I said it wouldn’t be hard.” Her gaze never left mine. “But at the end of the day?—”
“I would never ask you to choose,” I interrupted. “Never.”
Ari’s shoulders relaxed at my words, and she let out a sigh of relief.
