Sabina paints Brandon's nails. She sleeps on his bed with him—the first time when Tristan was busy reading, and Sabina wanted to nap, so she crawled in beside the kid and hugged him—and she's never cuddled with a little human being in her life before, but she supposed Brandon's little body could use a little more warmth.

They argue about who's the better Wonder Pet (Sabina likes Linny the guinea pig, and Brandon likes Ming-Ming the duckling), and Brandon drags Sabina along during his playdates, and she and Tristan watch him scrape his knees and giggle while going down the slide on a park bench, eating dirty ice cream (she didn't know dirty ice cream existed). They also go to Esther River together, where Brandon participates in a race while controlling a boat, and Sabina's screaming at his ear to clock the boat right in front of him but he doesn't want to, and she almost snatches the controller from him but Tristan holds her back, laughing and shaking his head. Brandon loses because he's too nice guy to win the competition, but they get burgers and fries and milkshakes afterward to cheer him (Sabina) up and Sabina has more pictures of Brandon on her phone than on herself now—which is saying a lot as a model.

On Tristan's birthday, Sabina and Brandon make a nice little surprise of homemade cake and banners and his favorite food. They wear party hats because Brandon demands they do so.

"Happy birthday," Sabina whispers, leaning up to kiss him.

"Happy indeed," he whispers back, smiling in her mouth.

And Sabina's invited to their sleepovers. They're supposed to wear pajamas in Tristan's room and squish together while a Disney movie's playing, and her boyfriend mimics the lines with impressive voice acting skills, and when Brandon's feeling sleepy, laying his head on Sabina's lap while she's playing with his hair, Tristan sings his lullaby in the gentlest and softest voice she's ever heard him use:

Goodnight, goodnight

It's time now to sleep

The moon's watching over

You and your dreams

Goodnight, goodnight

My sweet little one

Tomorrow your eyes

They will light up the sun

But goodnight, goodnight

Sweet dreams for now

Drift off to sleep

On your pillow of clouds

Goodnight, goodnight

My sweet little friend

Tomorrow's adventures

They will soon begin

Tomorrow's adventures

Will soon begin

Sabina doesn't realize she's crying until Tristan kisses Brandon's forehead, and then kisses her own, brushing his thumb over her cheek, swiping away her tears.

*

Adrian picks up a card. "When did you first know you were attracted to me?" he reads, and then he smirks, tossing the card on the table, spreading his legs and putting an arm over the back of the sofa. "I fucked you the first time I saw you, I think I knew then."

Tristan coughs. Andy slaps her hands to her cheeks, blushing, and Sabina grins wickedly.

MJ rolls her eyes, pushing her tongue against her cheek and shakes her head. "That was fucking easy."

Adrian leans over to kiss her cheek. "This is. Making you say yes to me isn't. You're a real piece of work."

Sabina howls. "Oh, he attacked you."

"Shut up, bitch." MJ pushes her boyfriend off, huffing. She takes a card and reads it. "Who would be in your dream threesome?" Her voice goes lower, and she clears her throat. Adrian looks at her with an eyebrow raised.

MJ drinks her shot.

Andy slaps a hand to her mouth.

"Oh my God," Adrian says, stunned.

"Hoe," Sabina says, proud.

"Whore," MJ counters, placing her glass back on the table.

Adrian clicks his tongue. "You have a dream threesome."

"I don't, that's why I drank."

"No, you do, that's why you drank, because you can't answer it. Who is it? We can do it before we get married."

Adrian's grinning. MJ pushes him again, smiling, and says, "We're not getting married yet. Andy, you next."

"Okay!" The youngest slides off Rhysand's lap and rubs her palms together, reaching for a piece of paper. As soon as she has it, her husband pulls her back to him, circling his arms around her waist, head on her shoulder. Andy reads, blushing, with one hand over her mouth, "What's the most number of times you've done it in one day?"

Rhysand snickers in her shoulder.

Sabina raises an eyebrow, leaning back against Tristan. "There's no way you'd outnumber us. Answer, don't drink. I wanna know."

Tristan smacks his hand on her thigh. "What's the most we've done?" he whispers in her ear. "Three? Four?"

"Answer, sunshine," Rhysand tells her, nosing her neck.

Andy's red. "Five," she squeaks.

"She's lying, it's six," Rhysand says, grabbing her glass. "Drink."

"Six?" Sabina almost shouts, horrified, proud, shocked, and impressed at the same time.

MJ guffaws, kicking her legs. Adrian snorts, and Tristan's clearing his throat, looking away.

Andy drinks her shot, face flaming. Rhysand pats her hip when she's done. "Good girl." He takes a piece of paper with one hand on Andy's waist. "Have I ever wanted you to tie me up? Yes. Sure," he answers easily, leaning back on the sofa, tossing the paper somewhere. "Tristan does it all the time."

Adrian cheers. Tristan coughs, and Sabina grins. "That's right. Okay, my turn." When she bends over to grab a question from the bowl, her boyfriend squeezes her bottom. "Top three kinks." She puts up one finger for every thing she lists. "Choking. Edging. Double."

None of their friends are fazed. Tristan sighs. "Freaky."

"You like it," Sabina whispers, cupping his neck with her palm to kiss him.

"Will I let you check the browsing history on my phone? Yes," Tristan says, drinking his shot anyway. "She knows my passcode, too. She can check whatever she wants."

Damn. Sabina fans herself.

Adrian whistles, taking his beer and grabbing another piece of paper. "Have we ever done it at work? No, but I'd like to."

MJ reads, "Do you like giving or receiving more? Both."

"Can I spend six months without you? No," Andy answers, shrugging, hugging Rhysand around his neck. "I'd die."

"If I were in a room with all the people I've ever wanted, would I choose you? Yes." Rhysand puts his fingers to her chin, kissing her sweetly. "A million yeses."

"Ugh. So cheesy." Sabina wrinkles her nose. "How many partners have I had?"

Tristan and MJ snort. Adrian grins and Rhysand scoffs.

Sabina takes a shot. "Lost count."

Tristan shakes his head, grinning. "Do I like it better telling you what to do in bed or do I prefer to be told what to do? Both."

Sabina grabs his glass. "He's lying, it's the latter."

"Latter," Adrian agrees.

"Drink," Rhysand says, tipping his chin.

Tristan takes the glass, sighing. "Well. You do it pretty good, babe."

"Boss in and out of bed," Sabina whispers in his ear, standing up. "I'm going to order more vodka, hold up."

At the bar, Sabina takes a seat, about to call on the bartender, when a man turns to her with a smile. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hey." Sabina puts on her best smile, too.

When she comes back, a tray of drinks on hand, Tristan's glaring at her. "Were you flirting with someone at the damn bar?"

Sabina grins, watching her friends grab their glasses. She sits on his lap, hoping the man who just bought their drinks is watching, and cups his face. "It was to get us these free drinks, honey."

He loses all anger on his expression. He clears his throat and squeezes her waist. "Pass me a glass, Rhys."

Sabina laughs in his shoulder. Tristan kisses her head, grinning.

On the way home, after a quickie in the car, Sabina and Tristan stop by a diner for dessert.

"I will have a..." Sabina squints, holding up the menu and reading as much as her tipsy mind can, "mocha mud pie with extra almond slices."

The server nods, turning to Tristan. "And you?"

Tristan tips his chin up to Sabina. "She's not done."

"A praline cheesecake," Sabina continues, fingernail hovering over the menu, "and the Friday's sundae."

"She's hungry, huh?" the server comments, laughing.

Sabina laughs, showing off her sickly sweet smile. "And an extra fucking spoon, thanks. Oh, add some blueberry pancakes too, our son likes blueberry."

Her boyfriend's shoulders are shaking with laughter, head bowed.

The waitress clears her throat, picks up the menus, and leaves.

"If she gets the manager, Kyle, I swear—"

"If she gets Chris the manager, I'll make Chris make the mocha mud pie with extra fucking almond slices for me," she mutters, rolling her eyes. "And I'll make him add more blueberries to Brandon's pancakes."

Tristan bites his lip, smiling, staring at her.

"What? Do I look like you just railed me to the next dimension?"

"I was going to stay you make my heart race a lot, and that I almost died when you called Brandon our son, but yeah, that works, too. You do look like I just railed you to the next dimension, let's go with that."

Sabina tilts her head to the side, crossing her arms together on the table. "Bishop."

"Mm."

"Give me your honest answer. No bullshit."

Tristan raises an eyebrow. "To what?"

"Do you really want me to be a mother to Brandon?"

"Yes," he answers immediately, nodding. "Yes, I do."

Sabina swallows hard. "Why?"

He chuckles. "What do you mean, why?"

"I mean." The model takes a deep breath, leaning back against the sofa. "I almost cussed a waitress out for calling me a big eater. I'm vulgar. I like drinks and parties and sex. Lots of it."

Tristan's smile doesn't fade. "I would know about that last one."

Sabina shoots him a look.

"Okay." He sits straight, pursing his lips. "Because you love me. Because you love Brandon. Because you're good to me and you're good to him. Because you try every day for the both of us. Because I can't imagine anyone else in the place that you have in Brandon's life."

Her mouth feels dry. "Oh," she croaks out.

"Those things that you are—being vulgar, liking sex—those don't make you a horrible person. When are we going to get past this, baby?" Tristan asks gently, taking her hand, tracing circles on her palm. "When are you going to stop doubting yourself over this?"

When she finally feels ease over being a mother to Brandon.

Because right now—even through all the boat competitions, playdates, and Wonder Pets—Sabina only feels unease and anxiety whenever she thinks about this life with Brandon. With Tristan.

She tries to give him a smile and clutches his hand. "When I can trust myself enough to stop trying and just do."

He lifts her hand to his lips and kisses her knuckles. "The trying doesn't stop even when you're a parent already, Kyle. It's parenting—there's no guide book for it. I'm still struggling, too."

It's different.

Sabina swallows thickly and nods. "Mm."

"I trust you," he whispers, laying his face against her hand, locking her with his gaze. "I trust you with me and I trust you with Brandon."

For a horrible, horrible moment, she wishes he never said that last part—because Sabina doesn't. She doesn't trust herself with Brandon yet.

She wonders if she ever will.

Sabina smiles at him. "Thank you."

Tristan smiles back, eyes twinkling, and then their dessert arrives with the extra fucking spoon.

*

"Fix your walk, you're going down a runway, not the damn grocery aisle. Work it, work it," Sabina snaps, clapping her hands from where she's seated front row, right in view of the catwalk.

MJ snorts. "That one just swallowed their fear."

"And that one looks like they're trying not to sweat in front of you," Andy chimes in, sipping her hot chocolate, a bagel in one hand.

It's the models' rehearsal for their collaboration launch, and MJ wanted a peek at what's in store for her own event. Andy's having her meeting with MJ right after this, and Sabina's the damn managing editor of this company, so she invited her friends over for breakfast and for front row seats. She stands up, eyebrows drawn together as she points at one of the models. "Change their shoes, they're not comfortable enough, they might slip and injure themselves. Go."

Her team takes note of this and moves the model backstage. Music is still booming around the empty venue, and the last few models take their walk.

"Faces!" Sabina shouts. "You look dull, God, we're not at a funeral!"

To her left, the ginger laughs. "Don't take it personally, she speaks to us this way, too," she says loudly.

Andy snickers, and Sabina huffs in annoyance, kicking her chair forward and slumping down on it. "I have this, I have the new issue coming in next month, I have that early morning photoshoot tonight in the pool, and the outfits we had for CH Suites' event had malfunctions and we sent them back for repair. I'm dying."

"A kid threw up on me today," Andy says, smiling brightly. "My bakeshop was swarmed with people and not enough employees so I had to work, there was a leak in the construction for my animal shelter, and Rhys and I can't find the time to schedule our appointment with the OB. I'm having a wonderful week, too, Sab."

"My wrinkly grandma refuses to go to a family lunch without an apology from me," MJ says, grinning. "My dad's breathing on my neck over this event, Adrian's having insecurity over my not saying yes yet to him proposing, and my friends at work are screwing each other."

Sabina scowls. "You have other friends at work? What about me?"

"Oh, shut up, drama queen. You know you and Andy are my number one bitches." MJ kisses her cheek and stands. "This was wonderful, I enjoyed watching you in action, Devil's incarnate. Tell your models I said they did great despite your torture and I'll see them again at your collab launch with WFW."

Sabina snorts. "Well, you're no angel yourself."

MJ snickers. "If you're in hell, I'm on earth, and Andy's in heaven. She's the angel here."

Andy grins. Sabina can't argue with that last statement. She points at the leftover breakfast on the table. "You're in hell with me, babe. Take a sandwich before you decide to skip lunch."

Andy stands and kisses Sabina's cheek, too. "You're doing well, Sab. I'm so proud of you."

The eldest smiles at her. "Me too, kid. You're doing great, okay? Take some food too—oh, except for the blueberry ones. You're way too skinny."

"Okay! Call me if you need anything."

"Same," Sabina mutters, waving.

MJ blows her a kiss and waves at Tristan. "Bye, Tris."

"See ya, Tristan!" Andy chirps, slinging her arm with MJ's, and Sabina watches them go.

Tristan comes closer, a smile on his lips. "You're all just a bunch of sleep-deprived, busy women dealing with a lot of adult problems."

Sabina sighs, leaning back against her chair. "You're sleep-deprived and dealing with a lot of adult problems too," she mutters, looking up at him. "I saw Brand's tuition statement for the semester. And the next school year's coming up, too."

Tristan's smile fades. "Don't worry about that."

He's already working two jobs. "I can handle it."

"Ian and I will handle it," he says, sighing. "Babe, please. You paid for his hospital expenses. I barely chipped in for the surgery. Even discounted, because Ian's a doctor there, it was a lot."

"You say you want me to be a parent to him but you won't let me help you with this stuff," Sabina tells him through her teeth, raising an eyebrow. "You're paying electrical, water, and phone bills, rent, groceries, gas, tuition, medicine, toys—I can go on."

Her boyfriend fixes her with a stare. "You're paying the same."

"Except that I pay for myself—without the tuition and the toys—and you pay for Brandon."

"You pay for your dad, too. Tuition and other resources for his schooling. Don't try to tell me otherwise."

Sabina purses her lips. He got her there. "I have an idea. I'm not sure how much you're going to like it."

His expression is blank. "Later. Your employees are watching."

"Thank you, Tristan. You're dismissed." Sabina clears her throat. "Oh, please get some breakfast." She pointedly looks at the plate with the blueberry muffins.

Her secretary bites his lip to keep form smiling. He reaches out to it. "Thank you, Ms. Kyle."

"Alright!" Sabina stands and claps her hands, heels clicking on the steps of the catwalk. "Gather 'round, darlings. Some last few things before our show and then you're free to go to lunch, rest, and get your beauty sleep."

After a full day of meetings and looking at words Sabina's not sure they look right anymore, Tristan knocks on her door. "Baby, Ian's on call and she can't leave the hospital anymore. Can we talk later? I'll pick up Brandon from his school, but I know you're still checking some drafts so if you need me to stay—"

"No. Go." Sabina shoos him away.

The pinch appears between his eyebrows. "You have that early morning shoot tonight. You should come with me and get some rest while you can."

Sabina shakes her head, eyes glued to her screen. "I'll finish this in an hour, honey. Promise. Now go, drive safe, kiss Brand for me. Take my car if you need to. Stan can drive back and get me."

He's smiling when he says, "Thank you, but my Dodge is here, Ian brought it in. Text me."

Sabina keeps her promise and manages to finish her work in an hour. Stomach rumbling, she stops by a restaurant, buying herself, Tristan, Brandon, Ian, and her driver some food. At the hospital, Sabina tells Stan to eat while she goes up to the front desk and says, "I'm here to see Dr. Ian Bishop."

The surgeon comes running, eyes wide, ponytail swinging side to side. "Is Brand okay?"

"He's fine, he's with Tristan. Sorry, didn't mean to worry you." Sabina hands her a bag, standing up from her chair. "Heard you were on call today."

"Oh, God." She exhales heavily, clutching her chest. "I thought something happened."

Sabina shrugs. "I told the front desk it's not urgent."

"I told them that when you or Tristan come by, to page me 911. That means Brandon."

She's included. Ian gave her name to the front desk. Sabina doesn't know if she should feel queasy or touched. "Sorry, Jesus. What, is the idea of me dropping by just because I want to so repulsive? There has to be an emergency?"

The brunette rolls her eyes, taking the bag with a sigh. "Not repulsive, just surprising. And I've been up for the past thirty-six hours, so thank you for this."

The model raises an eyebrow. "Oh, will you kiss my feet in thanks if I asked Tristan and Brandon to move in with me?"

Ian stops munching her potato wedges, eyes wide. "I—what?"

Sabina grins, satisfied. "I haven't talked to him about it yet, I wanted to know what you think first. Since, you know, you kind of live there and all. And you also pay for a lot of Brandon's shit, you're his auntie and all that."

The doctor seems at a loss for words. She has food on the side of her mouth. "Stop playing with me."

"Me playing with you is telling you you have potato skin in between your teeth. Me asking you what you think about Tristan and Brandon moving in with me is the opposite of that."

Ian stares at her, eyes unblinking. "Why?"

"It's a waste of gas going to and from my place and his," Sabina says, holding up one finger. She holds up another finger. "It's a waste of electricity and water when I sleep over, and I use a lot of your electricity with my hair dryer, I know. Groceries—easier if we split them instead of buying for each household. Tristan doesn't need to pay rent anymore, the apartment's mine. Oh, and we can use one car. Ah, and my place is bigger. More space for Brandon to move around, for his toys, for his clothes. he can also invite his friends over."

Tristan's sister is pale in the face. Her fingers are numb and stiff, and Sabina's afraid she's going to drop her food. She raises her eyebrows. "Also, I have an extra bedroom, so that will be Brandon's, and you can stay over whenever you want. I'll give you the security code. Well?"

She swallows thickly, narrowing her eyes at her. "This is...is it kid-proofed?"

Sabina blinks. "What proofed?"

"Kid-proofed. Like." Ian purses her lips and gestures wildly with her other hand. "All the sharp things are out of reach, the stairs have a gate—like making your house safe by removing potential hazards that could harm Brandon."

Oh. That's a thing? Sabina stands straight and flips her hair over her shoulder. "I'll do it before they move in. Help me."

She stares at Sabina, and then her mouth twitches. "It's barely been a year you've been together. So I can only assume you're really crazy about my brother."

It embarrasses the shit out of Sabina, but she smiles sweetly. "Tell me what you think, I'm sure you have very ill patients waiting for you to save their lives. Ah, and your food's getting cold."

"I think if you ask my brother, he'll cry." Ian snickers. "You'll have to talk to Brand, but go for it. Tris is already planning on marrying you, anyway. Oh, but, you'll have to fight him for the living expenses and all that shit."

Sabina rolls her eyes. "I'll be prepared for it. Thanks for the heads up."

"Film his reaction, would you?"

"No promises."

"Ian," a new voice calls, and Sabina's head turns—it's Tristan's hot doctor ex. She's flipping through charts, eyebrows drawn together. "Did you discharge 1124?"

The brunette gives Sabina a smile, chewing her potato wedge. "Catalina, you remember Sabina."

The doctor raises her head, eyes wide, and then she smiles brightly. "Hey! Um, is everything okay?"

Ian waves her hand dismissively. "Sabina's just telling me about her plan of asking Tris and Brand to move in with her."

Sabina grits her teeth and smiles at her boyfriend's sister. "Mm, yes, a plan that I shared with you alone."

The blonde gasps, genuinely looking excited. Sabina's face is masked with disinterest. "Oh, that's great! I'm really happy for you guys."

Sabina's bitchy side appears whenever she's talking to someone she doesn't like. Don't blame her. "Are you?" she asks sweetly, smiling.

Catalina's brows raise, but she doesn't lose her smile. "Uh, yes. Tristan and I are friends, and there's nothing more I wish for him than happiness. But, uh, if you have a problem with me, I'm sure we can talk it out."

Ian snickers, chewing her food. "Talk? She might punch you instead. Has claws in her."

Catalina's smile widens. "I have claws in me, too."

Sabina doesn't look away from the blonde. "I don't like you."

"Oh, darling, you don't have to." One of the surgeon's hands go up to her scrub top, and she tucks it out, showing Sabina a ring clipped to the cloth. "I'm married. 'Sides." She sighs, face brightening. "You're way too gorgeous to be worrying about me."

Sabina resists the urge to punch Ian. She's laughing. "You just rubbed me off the wrong way, I'm sorry."

"Ah, no worries." Her smile is genuine. "I'm sorry I offended you in some way when Tristan was here, I was just looking at him because I'm just really happy for him. Of course, not in that moment when Brandon was rushed to surgery, but, uh, in general. You get me."

Sabina sighs, rubbing her forehead. She fixes her shades and stands straight. "I was worried because you're hot."

The doctor lets out a loud ha! "Thanks. If it's a compliment from a model, then I'll believe it." Catalina winks. To Ian, she says, "I'll go check on my patients before I leave. You good here?"

The brunette shrugs, licking her fingers. "You think I have a choice being on call?"

"Nope. But I thought I should ask." Catalina grins and looks at Sabina again. "I'll see you around, Sabina. Take care."

"You too," Sabina mutters, giving her a smile.

Ian turns to her, blinking innocently.

Sabina bares her teeth at her and grabs her purse. "I'll kill you if you embarrass me like that again."

"Bye," she singsongs, pushing Sabina out the door.

In Tristan's unit, she finds him and his son coloring on the living room floor, snacks strewn all over the surface. When they move in, Sabina's going to establish a no mess rule. "Hey, boys."

"Sabina!" Brandon shouts, standing up and waving excitedly.

"Hi, baby." She kicks off her shoes and picks him up when he's near. She kisses his cheek and smooths his hair down. "You hungry? Bought you some food."

Brandon makes a little fist and bumps the air, grinning toothily. "Yes!"

"Okay, I'll go set the table, you finish up your art and you can show it to me after dinner."

Brandon runs back to the living room, passing his father on the way. Tristan's smiling, hands sliding around her waist. "You're a little bit late, baby over there was getting grumpy and didn't want to finish coloring. Did you know his favorite color is yellow? Last week, it was brown."

Sabina cups his face and kisses him, smiling in his mouth. "I fed your sister, too. Dropped by the hospital."

He blinks, surprised. "Oh?"

Sabina rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I know, shocker I can be nice sometimes. But the kid forgets to eat when she's on call and when she comes home, she crashes like a zombie and wakes up moaning and eats whatever's at reach. Like, I don't know, potato chips. It's gross. She can't take care of herself."

Tristan squeezes her hip, following her to the kitchen to set the table. "Hearing that you went out of your way and made sure my sister was fed because she's working hard shifts is giving me butterflies. I'd kiss you and toss you on the bed but I'm starving, so." He bends down and kisses her forehead, helping her with the food bags. "Thank you for dinner, babe."

She squeezes his hand and swallows thickly. "I need to talk to you later when Brand's out, about our conversation a while ago."

"Oh, damn." He turns away, clicking his tongue, reaching for the mugs. "I'm scared."

Later, after Brandon's been put to sleep, Tristan stares at her from his desk chair and says, "I was right to be scared."

Sabina pulls up the covers to her chest. She can read his face, and she's growing a little bit worried. She hates being worried. "You don't want to? Move in with me?"

"Kyle," he breathes, and a chuckle comes out somewhere in between her name, and he runs a hand through his messy hair, chest rising and falling rapidly. "What I said about butterflies? They're—uh, going on a rampage right now."

Oh. Sabina smiles. "We'll have it kid-proofed, and Brandon can decorate his room, and, I don't know, we're saving on unnecessary resources that we can share if we live together. Like, water, for instance. We can just shower together before work and head to work in one car. Efficiency."

The corner of his lips twitch, and he leans forward, clasping his hands together, fingers fiddling. "You know what you're asking yourself to give up, right?"

Sabina takes a deep breath. "I'm giving up my personal space," she murmurs, staring at him.

"Yes. You are. And we both know how much you value your personal space," Tristan murmurs back, rolling his chair forward. He strokes Sabina's thigh over the covers. "And more than the money, you know Brandon's going to be loud, and rowdy, and messy, and I don't want him—or me—to feel like outsiders in our own home. If it happens."

Sabina looks at him, reaching out with one hand to thread her fingers in his hair, pushing it back against his forehead. "Maybe I'll need some time to get used to it, but isn't it going to happen anyway?" she mutters, inhaling shakily. "When we get...when we get married?"

"Marriage isn't going to happen anytime soon, you still have time to think about it," Tristan tells her softly, eyes searching her face. "But moving in...it sounds like you want to rush it, Sabina. Because you're afraid you'll change your mind about having this...family with me. Or because this is a test run about what that life looks like."

Sabina doesn't know if he's right. It's worrying if he is.

"And thank you for wanting to help with the bills and the expenses and everything," he whispers, sliding his hand around her neck. "But I think we need to think about this more. I want to, you know I do. I like that apartment, we shopped for your bathroom rug together, I have a mug I use for my coffee and a wine glass. And I like how Brandon's room is big, and the living room is big, and the kitchen is spacious, and he'll love it." He presses their foreheads together, closing his eyes. "But I don't want us to rush anything. Not marriage. Not moving in together before we're both absolutely sure. And not your love for me and for Brandon. We have time."

Sabina's hands move up to his chest, clutching his shirt. "Then can you just make this deal with me?"

"Always the businesswoman," he mutters fondly, pulling back just an inch. "What is it?"

"I pay for groceries. Here. Nothing else, I promise. Except for the ones I volunteer to pay for, like food, or Brandon's toys."

The pinch in between his eyebrows appear. "Sabina..."

"Please, let me do this," Sabina whispers. "I don't like feeling that I'm a part of your family and I'm not contributing to anything."

"You've contributed enough."

"It's not enough. If you don't let me do this, I'll pay for his tuition behind your back, you know I'll do it."

Tristan's jaw sets. He exhales heavily and gives her a glare. "Are you fighting with me about this?"

"If that's what it takes, yes." Sabina pushes her palm on his chest, dragging him to the bed and crawling over his body. "You can take out your frustrations on me, here, in bed, but you're going to let me pay for groceries, okay?"

"Alright. Fine," he bites out, eyes glued to her body while she takes off her shirt. "But before I fuck your brains out, I need to tell you that my parents called earlier and they want to see Brand."

Sabina picks up her shirt and puts it on again with a frown. "Angry sex will have to wait." She slings her legs over his and lies down on his chest, and Tristan's arms come around her. "I thought they abandoned him after the accident."

Tristan takes a while before he responds. "They didn't mean to," he says quietly, staring at the wall. "They just...they lost their son. And Brandon looks like Grayson. They can't look at him without breaking apart—parents aren't supposed to outlive their children."

Sabina's thumb strokes his neck. She kisses his pulse point and mutters, "And they can now?"

"I'm not sure yet. I haven't spoken to them in almost a year." A breathless chuckle. "But, ah, I want to talk before they see him, so they told me to go down at Malta next week. Just for a day."

"Where the blueberries are."

"Yes," Tristan answers. "Where the blueberries are."

Sabina nods slowly. "I think that's a good idea, too."

"Mm." Tristan kisses her hair. "Can you do me a favor?"

Sabina sits up and looks at him, tracing his cheekbone with her finger. "Depends on what it is."

His mouth twitches. "I'll be gone for just a day, but I don't know yet if Ian's willing to come with me, she's pretty pissed at our parents for...you know, for turning their backs on all of us. And June has school—"

"If it's taking care of Brandon without you for a day, that's not a favor. That's a pleasure." She kisses him slowly. "You're the one who keeps saying I can be a parent to him, so act like it."

He grins. "Are you sure?"

"Consider it a..." Sabina pushes her tongue inside her cheek. "Test run. I'll do my best, we can handle one day without Papa."

Tristan laughs, rolling them over, pinning her down on the mattress. "Okay. Then it's settled. If he loves your place, I might have to drag him back here."

"Can't blame him, it's messy as shit here."

Tristan pulls her shirt up, leaning down on his elbows to kiss her stomach. Sabina inhales shakily.

"You know, I spoke with your hot doctor ex."

Her boyfriend doesn't raise his head. He makes a noncommittal noise, lips brushing over her waistband. "And?"

"And I humiliated myself because she's married."

"I told you," he murmurs, fingers pulling her pants down slowly, eyes darkening as they meet her gaze. "There was nothing to worry about."

Sabina pulls at his hair, back arching. "I hate you," she breathes, right before gasping.

Tristan's smile is wicked between her legs. "Nah. You don't."