REIGN (A REVERSE HAREM)

80. Roman

We're back at therapy again.

Arabella picks up Gwendoline's globe, spinning it and letting her finger land to stop it, then she holds it very close to her eyes and squints, "Let's go to Lesotho on our next vacation."

I raise my eyebrows, "Lesotho? Do you even know what continent that's in?"

"Africa." She tuts, "I'm not fucking stupid, Roman. Before you wifed me up, i was a straight A student." She places the globe down.

"Apologies, love." I bow my head at her and she sits back, arms crossed and tilting her knees away from me which i'm learning she's doing a lot more whenever she's mad at me.

Luca pokes her knee and she closes her eyes, waiting for Gwendoline to arrive.

She does a couple of minutes later, "I don't specialise in family therapy." She takes a seat anyway.

"Well, i'm paying you to specialise in it today." I smile, "Arabella is moody-"

"Fuck you, Roman." She says from behind me. "I'm fine, just a little on edge."

"About what?" Gwendoline asks.

"Those people, and Dr. Grey thinks i have anxiety." Arabella picks the globe up again. "He's probably right, it's because i can never know with them. They're always so unreliable."

"I'm beside you almost every hour of the day." I lean back. "That's not unreliable."

She looks at me, "If your going to be a salty little bitch about everything i say, leave."

Asher and Luca's eyes widen behind her and even Gwendoline gasps a little.

Little Miss. Attitude today.

"My love, i am simply communicating." I smile.

"Fuck off." She rolls her eyes, looking at Gwendoline, "They don't understand that the shit they do worries me, they can be five minutes late and i'm almost throwing up because of how nervous i am that they won't come back, and then they tell me to stop overthinking."

I stay silent and wait for Gwendoline's answer.

"They're men, no reassurance is what they do." Gwendoline replies and Arabella smiles in understanding.

"That's not very therapist of you." Asher mumbles, "We do give her reassurance-"

"Telling me your invincible is not reassurance." She glares at me.

"You won't get rid of me that easy, love." I wink.

Gwendoline clears her throat, "Let's talk about work, have any of you considered leaving what you do to give Arabella some peace? And to assure at least one of your safety."

"No." I fold my arms across my chest.

"Would you consider it?"

"No." I say.

"Maybe." Luca says.

"I'm technically Arabella's bodyguard so i can't really drop out of that." Asher raises his hand like a kid in school.

"If you're my bodyguard why aren't you like guarding me all the time or some shit?" Arabella narrows her eyes at him.

"Because there's about fifty men just in the lineup to get to the house, and when we're out, am i not by your side?" He replies.

Arabella folds her arms across her chest this time, "Didn't stop anybody when i got shot."

The room fell to a silence and she was proud too. Smiling cockily as if to say 'ha!'