“Do you have any idea what you’ll do to him if you leave again?” I demanded, jabbing a finger at his chest. “To Eli? He spent six years missing you, and now you’re just going to walk away?”
Luke’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open slightly.
“He loves you,” I continued, my voice cracking. “He fucking loves you, and you’re going to break him, and I can’t—I can’t stand by and watch that happen, not when I—”
I stopped abruptly, horrified by what I’d nearly confessed.
“Not when you what?” Luke asked softly, stepping closer.
I shook my head, backing away, suddenly terrified of my own vulnerability. Snow was beginning to fall again, fat flakes landing on Luke’s golden hair, melting on his flushed cheeks.
“Nevermind,” I whispered.
“We know, sweetheart. We feel it, too. There’s something there.”
I spun around to find Eli standing behind me, his dark eyes soft in the dim light, snowflakes catching in his eyelashes. I hadn’t heard him approach, too caught up in my confrontation with Luke.
“Mioko, I don’t know what made you so worried, but Luke isn’t leaving.”
“What? He said he was going back to Boston.”
Luke reached out, brushing a snowflake from my cheek, his touch lingering. “I’m going back to Boston to talk to my boss about a remote role, pack up my apartment, and come back here permanently. For us.”
“For us?” I asked, confused.
“For us,” Eli confirmed, moving to stand beside Luke, their shoulders touching, a united front. “If that’s what you want.”
I looked between them, these two beautiful, infuriating men who had somehow found their way back to each other despite years of separation and miscommunication—and who were now offering to make room for me between them.
Eli’s lips quirked. “Were you actually listening to the conversation, or were you too busy freaking out because we were sitting next to you?”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “I was—I mean—I wasn’t—” I took a deep breath. “Why did you walk out of Christmas dinner, then?”
“I didn’t walk out. I came to get Rambo,” Luke supplied with a grin.
As if on cue, a muffled bark came from inside the car. I peered through the window to see the basset hound lounging across the back seat, looking supremely comfortable.
“You left your car running for a dog?” I asked, momentarily distracted.
“It’s cold,” Luke said defensively. “And Rambo needs his naps. He gets cranky if you wake him.”
Eli rolled his eyes. “Luke insisted on letting the mutt continue his nap instead of bringing him inside like a normal person. Luke couldn’t bear to disturb His Royal Highness.”
Another bark sounded from the car, more insistent this time.
“He heard that,” Luke said, moving to open the rear door. “Didn’t you, buddy? Don’t worry, he’s just talking smack about you because he loves you.”
Rambo emerged with surprising agility for a dog with such short legs, shaking himself vigorously before trotting over to sniff my boots.
I blinked, still trying to process everything. “So you’re not... you’re not leaving?”
“Nope.” He reached for me then, his hand cupping my frozen cheek, thumb brushing away a stray snowflake. Eli moved behind me, his solid warmth at my back, hands settling on my hips. “So... you’re so in love with us that you chased me outside to stop me?”
“I didn’t say that,” I hedged.
“It was implied.”
“It was not!” I huffed. “You two are insane.”
