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I turn wide eyes on him, shaking my head vigorously.Please. don’t do this, please don’t say what you’re going to say.
Fielder winks at me. Freakingwinkslike he’s Hardin all the sudden and then says, “we’re dating.”
I slump back in my chair and let out a weary breath while my mother squeals. “Oh, this is the best news! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me, Rosalind!”
“Well, it's a fairly new development, mother, I didn’t want to get you overly excited when I’m not sure it's going to last.” She gasps. I glare at Fielder. He just winks again and tightens his grip on my thigh.
“Oh, it's going to last, Sweeney.”
I open my mouth to respond, but another body moves up behind me. Leather and smoke and spice reach my nostrils. Hardin. One ringed hand tangles in my hair and tugs my head back gently so I’m looking up at him.
“Hello, love,” he says softly, before bending to kiss me.Kiss. Me. In front of my mother, after Fielder’s just called himself my boyfriend.
My mother makes a choking sound. And I can just imagine her gaze flicking from Fielder to me to Hardin. She probably expects a fight to break out or something, but she’s going to be sorely disappointed.
Hardin gives me one more soft kiss before lifting his head to grin at my mother. “I’ll introduce myself, shall I, since my Rosalind seems a little at a loss for words. Hardin Yorke.” He slides into the chair on my other side, and I suddenly realize why the hell my mother and I were seated at such an enormous table.
All of them are going to show up here, at this goodbye lunch with my mother. We’ve only spent three days away from each other. Enough time for me to make it back to my house in Olympia, wash all my dirty laundry and repack.
We’re planning on leaving tomorrow, going to a remote location where I can practice more of my magic in private. But apparently that’s not soon enough.
My mom’s gaze moves between the three of us, gauging Fielder’s reaction to another man kissing his girlfriend, and then she says carefully. “Hardin Yorke. And you’re…”
“Also dating Rosalind,” he says with a grin. Fielder picks up the menu and starts scanning. Hardin settles his elbows on the table and leans forward to say conspiratorially to my mother. “In the interest of being totally honest, Ms. Sweeney. Rosalind has four boyfriends and all of us are coming today. Couldn’t pass up the chance to meet our girl’s mother.”
My face flames and I dig my elbow into his side, while my mother splutters something that I can’t make out. I feel like maybe I should explain, have a reasonable argument about why this is normal and works for us, but one glance at my mother’s face is enough for me to gauge how she feels about this.
She thinks I’m a slut who’s sleeping around.
She’s made that decision even after hearing both of these men say that we’re dating, that we have a relationship. But in her mind having multiple partners means I’m loose. Nevermind that I’ve actually only had sex with Hardin. That I care about all of them and they all care about me.
I feel when Gideon and Ezra arrive, rather than see them. Now that I know they’re coming, as soon as they step through the doors of the restaurant, I get a tingle all over my skin.
I watch as they weave through the tables, Gideon is dressed in dark jeans and a black sweater that’s probably cashmere or something and Ezra is wearing slacks, a button up and a pair of suspenders.
Both of them look absolutely delicious and I want nothing more than to kiss them silly, but my mom already thinks I’m a slut, so I keep that impulse on lock and offer them a strained smile when they reach our table. Ezra doesn’t waste time dropping a kiss on the crown of my head, one of his hands sliding over my hair, down to my shoulder where he gives me a quick supportive squeeze. He slides into the chair next to Hardin, while Gideon bends to press a kiss to my cheek.
At least both of them know to not maul me in public and in front of my mother, unlike Hardin.
My mother blinks at me, then turns her attention to the other two men at the table with us. I sigh. “Mom, Ezra Carmichael and Gideon Brightwater. Guys, Felicity Sweeney. And before you ask mom, yes, Ezra is a member of the The Carmichael family, and Gideon is the son of Reverend Brightwater. And Hardin’s family has a duchy or something in England. They are all from very wealthy and respected families.”
He chuckles next to me, and drapes his arm over the back of my chair, fingertips playing with a strand of my hair. Fielder’s hand slides up just the slightest bit. I don’t know if it's a warning or what, but I ignore it.
I’m stung by my mother’s reaction to this relationship I find myself in. though I don’t really know that I expected anything different.
My mother titters a laugh like I told a joke, but it comes too late and I can tell by the angry flush on her cheeks that she’s going to yell at me about this later. Even though I had absolutely nothing to do with them showing up here.
They ambushed both of us with this public reveal. I would have much rather told her this in private. Hell, I would have preferred to do it over the phone, so she wouldn’t be able to glare me to death like she’s doing now.
Our server pops up and takes our drink orders and then disappears again, leaving us in awkward silence. Eventually my mother clears her throat.
“So, you’re all dating each other.”
Hmm, I’m not sure I want her to try to understand our relationship.
Ezra shakes his head and gives her a winning smile. “No ma’am. The four of us are dating Ro. We aren’t dating each other.”
Her brows scrunch together like she doesn't quite understand it. I’m sure she doesn’t. I hardly understand it.
