“Candy?” my dad asked, looking squarely at me.
I gave him a sheepish look before messing up her hair and shoving her back towards Xander. Xander himself looked…so much better than he did before. He’d gotten his hair cut, I think from Christian’s insistence, and he’d gotten a job working outside. He wasn’t as deathly pale as he was before, and his body was filling out, gaining more muscles. He still had his lip ring and eyebrow piercing, but I didn’t mind those. They made for a hot-and-cold sensation when we kissed that drove me bonkers.
“Well, well, well,” Alec said, crossing his arms. “I thought you said you didn’t want to walk on stage?” There was a glimmer in his eyes, hinting at something only Xander and I knew. Thankfully the surrounding parental figures were oblivious to our complicated relationship.
Xander smirked. “I’ve been known to change my mind.” The two stared at each other for a moment, and I resisted my urge to tell them that their sweet bickering only made me itch for some sexy times.
What could I say? I loved watching them together. There were some things that only men could do.
A third figure joined Alec and Xander. Christian. He slapped both of them on the back, shaking them with his strength as he asked, “Not planning anything without me, are you?” Though he was serious, I knew he was joking. Mostly. We met eyes, and I felt my cheeks blush when I recalled our last date. Christian was all for the group, but he wasn’t against some one-on-one time, either.
And, since there hadn’t been enough yet—and since this was Leah’s first time seeing my boyfriends—I said, “More pictures!” It was a demand, really.
We huddled together, snapping pictures for our parents. It’d taken Dad a long time to trust these guys after finding out they were the ones who made my life a living hell, but he came around eventually. Leah stood near Georgia, and both girls’ eyes were on me, making my cheeks even pinker.
God, I really hoped I wasn’t giving anything away with the expression on my face.
“Ooh,” Alec said, lifting a finger in the air. “I got it. One last picture, but this one…” He whispered something to Xander and then something to Christian. All three of them were nodding momentarily, and I took a step back.
I trusted them, but not when they all looked so…mischievous.
Before I could run away, I was grabbed, jostled, unceremoniously lifted off the ground. “Hey,” I shouted, smacking Alec, both because it was his idea and because he was the easiest to reach with my hand.
Christian held my shoulder, Alec held my hip, and Xander held up my legs. Together, with the three of them, they held me parallel to the ground, causing most of the adults around us to laugh. Georgia was giggling, and Leah was only wagging her eyebrows.
Ugh. These guys…
I really did love them, even if they were ridiculous.
“All right,” I said. “One picture, and I better not see this on anyone’s feeds.” Yeah, I had the feeling this picture shouldn’t be plastered on social media. Feeling weird with their hands on me while in front of my dad and Diane, I slowly turned my head to the camera, smiling.
Would things change? Definitely.
Was I going to worry about the changing future right now? Fuck no.
Things would change, because that’s what life was—an ever-changing rollercoaster. It was one I was ready for, and with my three co-passengers, I was prepared to buckle up and enjoy the ride. Life didn’t last forever. You had to make the most of it.
Thank you for reading! I know it wasn’t the typical bully romance book, but I hope you enjoyed Elle’s journey to forgiveness as much as I did writing it.
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Spite: A Bully Reverse Harem Page 23
