and shaking free of her guilt. “I get the three of you, and all you get is me, but it’s what I want.”
Rich gently gripped her chin and turned her face toward him. I could tell he didn’t like what she said. Not one fucking bit.
“All we get is you?” he echoed.
I could see the hurt in her eyes when she misunderstood him, but she kept her gaze steady as she looked into his eyes. “Yes.”
Loren’s hand fell to her thigh, drawing Braxton’s attention back to him. “Do you see us turning into stage four clingers for anyone else, baby fawn?”
I could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke. “Only stage four?”
The bassist smirked as he held her gaze. “I haven’t asked you to marry me yet.”
I knew her smile had fallen long before she turned to look at Rich and then me. “If this becomes serious—”
“It’s serious,” the three of us stated at the same time. The only one still fighting this was her.
“Then I can’t marry any of you,” she said, keeping her serious expression. “It wouldn’t be right for me to marry one of you and not all of you. I’m sorry.”
Laying my head back, I closed my eyes as I let reality and the first hitch in our relationship sink in. I would never be able to give Braxton my last name. She would never fully belong to me. The only solution would be to make her choose and lose her altogether just to sate my ego.
“Stop it, Morrow,” I heard Loren bark.
My eyes flew open to find him staring me down. His black gaze was intense enough without anger doubling the effect.
“I know exactly what’s going on in your head,” he continued, “and it’s bullshit. Marriage is as binding as shoelaces tied by a five-year-old. They’re hastily thrown together and easily unraveled.” I didn’t miss the pointed look he gave Rich, but Braxton did. “We don’t need an old fart in a robe to tell us that what we have with Braxton will last for-fucking-ever.” Glancing down at our girl, he pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling back a smidge so she could see the threat in his eyes. “That’s what duct tape and rope are for.”
“Are you implying you’ll tie me up if I try to leave?” Braxton asked for clarity. I always liked the push she gave no matter how hard we pulled.
“No implication necessary, baby. I’m sure I made myself pretty fucking clear.”
Braxton simply rolled her eyes at Loren as he began to kiss on her neck. He was still sucking and biting on her skin like they were seventeen when a knock came at the door.
It was time to hit the stage, and as much as I wanted to stay here and continue to get shit understood, I accepted that the sooner we got out there, the sooner we could get her back home to finish what we started last night.
Sighing, I stood from the sofa and left the dressing room, followed by Rich, Braxton, and Loren.
“If you do change your mind and you insist on marriage,” Loren rambled as he trailed us to the stage, “you could just get divorced and remarried every four months. You might raise some brows, but at least you’ll hold the world record.”
Braxton walked like she was fucking floating, and call me arrogant, but I knew we were the reason. There was only pride and the ambition to do better whenever I looked at her and was reminded that she was mine.
She was actually mine.
We were back on the bus after another successful show, and even though I was exhausted, I knew I’d catch my second wind. It arrived right at the moment Braxton started stripping off her clothes. She was taking her time, too, like she wanted us to watch.
I was tuned the fuck in.
“Does anyone mind if I use the shower first?” she asked once she was down to her thong. I was caught between being jealous of that little piece of string between her ass and wishing the broom closet we called a shower was spacious enough to do what was on my mind.
The three of us mumbled our agreement, and she smiled before disappearing inside the bedroom. Once she was done, Rich was next to shower, and then Houston took his turn. We had an unspoken agreement that I shower last since I liked to take my time and didn’t feel like hearing anyone bitch about it.