Page 24 of Sincerely, Butterfly

Sighing, I let her snap another photo of me and then another. The sooner she’s done, the sooner I can leave. After spending hours sitting on hard, metal folding chairs, listening to speeches from people I couldn’t care less about, and waiting for what feels like forever for my name to be called, I just want to go home.

“Are you done now?” I ask.

“How about one more?” Sylas’ smooth, deep voice has my head snapping to the side.What the hell are they doing here?

Sylas, Wesley, and Jasper stand a few feet away. Jasper is looking down at his phone while Wesley looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here.

Sylas, however, he’s watching me with a smile tipped up on his sinfully handsome face, which has my knees threatening to buckle.

“Oh!” Mom says, excitement in her tone. I look her way, seeing her face brighten. “Of course.”

“Mom,” I hiss. “No.”

“What's wrong, Lola Girl?” Sylas chuckles. “Are you not happy to see us?”

Licking my lips, my attention bounces between the three of them before landing on Sylas again. “Just surprised to see you here, is all.”

“Why is that?” he asks, stepping forward, a brow raised. “It’s a big day. You’re graduating. Officially starting life in the real world. Had to make sure to see you off on the first day of the rest of your life,” he explains and finishes his statement with a wink.

“We’re here to talk to your dad,” Jasper corrects in amonotonous voice as he continues to type on his phone before looking up. “It’s business.”

Disappointment fills me. For a moment, I thought maybe they were here to see me.A girl can dream, right?

I might be shocked to see them here, but I’m also excited. At least, I was. I thought they cared enough about me to see me at this big life event.

Of course, this was about work. It always was.

No, Nola. You know what you saw, what you heard. They want you. They just don’t think they can have you. Be patient, play the long game.

“Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get a quick photo with Lola before we snatch her father away.” Sylas steps closer, so damn close that his scent fills my nose, and I have to resist the urge to rub against him like a damn cat.

“Congratulations.” He grins down at me. “You did it.”

My cheeks start to heat, and I force my gaze to stay on his despite wanting to look away. “Thanks,” I mumble.

How do I always seem to forget how to talk around them? If we’re going to be spending the rest of our lives together, I need to learn how to actually have conversations with these guys.

No wonder they think I'm some blushing virgin, too pure and innocent for their liking. It’s because I can’t even look them in the damn eyes without being on the verge of hyperventilating. That's something I’m going to need to change.

“Come here,” he chuckles, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. My body goes stiff, my mind going blank.He’s touching me!!!

Relax, Nola. Breathe. Do not make a scene. Do not freak out. Do not pass out. Breathe.

“Breathe,” Sylas whispers softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He says it like a promise.

The response“Do it, please, hurt me,”is on the tip of my tongue. But I bite that back because hello, my parents are right here.

Taking a deep breath, I relax. “Better,” he chuckles softly. “You two, come on.” He directs the last part to Jasper and Wesley.

“No,” Wesley mutters.

“Sylas, come on. We don’t have time for this,” Jasper growls with annoyance.

Sylas sighs, his grip tightening on me as he walks me over to the other two, his arm still around me. He takes the spot between the two of them, squeezing me in with him.

“Alright, Mrs. Edwards. Might wanna make this quick before the two of them kill me,” Sylas jokes with his charming, boy-next-door tone.

Little does she know, he is anything but.