“Has he seen you in this outfit?” Ezekiel asks.
“No, why?”
“No reason.” He laughs.
We end up finding Emilio in the games room with my brothers and Elias. All of their heads turn my way when I walk in. Emilio’s eyes run up and down the length of me slowly.
“I’ve changed my mind. I pick the first option you suggested,” he says, walking towards me.
“Getting naked and staying in bed?” I ask. My brothers grunt out a few curse words I choose to ignore.
“Yep, that one.” Emilio stops in front of me.
“Too late. You wanted to go out. We’re going out,” I tell him.
“You’re going to need a coat. It’s cold out there,” Emilio says.
It’s 86 degrees outside. It’s far from cold.
“Why are you two here?” I step around Emilio and look at my brothers.
“To see my favorite sibling,” Alfie says.
“I’m right here.” Hudson elbows him in the stomach.
“Why?” I repeat.
“Just seeing how you’re doing,” he insists.
“Come with me,” I tell my brothers before turning around to look at Emilio. “Be right back.”
I don’t need to have this conversation in front of everyone. I find an empty living room and close the door when my brothers step inside.
“First, you guys need to stop. I’m fine. Like I’ve told you both a million times. Second, don’t you have better things to do?”
“Dad’s orders. We don’t go against Dad’s orders, Frankie. Not that we need him to tell us to check on you. We’re worried. We know how hard the first time can be. There is no shame in having feelings about what happened,” Alfie tells me.
“I know that, but I don’t feel anything. Good or bad,” I admit.
“It will come, and when it hits you, I want you to call me.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I can talk to Emilio if I have issues. I don’t, though. I know how serious Alfie takes his big-brother role. “What if it’s in the middle of the night?”
“I don’t care what time you call me, Frankie,” he says.
“Me neither,” Hudson adds.
“What if I’m naked and in bed with my husband?” I smirk.
“Now you’re just being mean.” Alfie rubs a hand down his face. “I’m happy to pretend that you two have a platonic marriage, one where you don’t do anything… naked.”
I laugh at that thought. That will never be me and Emilio. I think we’re both making up for lost time with the amount we’re stripping down. He’s been home for less than twenty-four hours and we’ve already had sex three times.
“You know, just because you’re married, it does not take away from the fact you’re my little sister. You will always be my little sister, Frankie. No matter how old you get. I will always be a phone call away.”
“I know. Thank you.”
“Me too. You’re still my little sister too,” Hudson says.