“Crap,” I said, and threw the covers off. “I’m not gonna be able to get any sleep like this.”
In the playroom, I set up the craft table. I kept a basket of coloring supplies there as well as in my room. I loved the twisted crayons the best and preferred not coloring without them. I pulled out a unicorn coloring book and started coloring away.
They said I wouldn’t be a unicorn, that they didn’t want that either. And here I was, decking one out using the colors Brax told me he liked and keeping inside the lines the way Cliff had praised. Then I covered it with stickers because, well, stickers.
They’d said for me to think about it, to not feel like I had to come up with an answer right away. But, did I need to? Not for them—they hadn’t pressured me—but for me. I was the type of person who needed to make decisions and then act from there. It was part of the reason I accepted the job here.
Once my unicorn was done, I went over and put it on the whiteboard for the others to see and went back to my room where my phone was. I typed out and deleted far more responses than anyone should before settling on:I accept your offer.
I hit send before I could change my mind for the seventy-seven billionth time. We were going on a date. I couldn’t wait. But also, I was terrified. There were so many reasons this was a horrible idea. They were a couple, and I was a third wheel. How could it possibly work?
But then I remembered all the triads I’d met that night and how happy they seemed. Maybe it could work and this was the bestest idea of all ideas a little had ever come up with. I was going with that.
Chapter Fourteen
Brax
Edwin texted me as soon as he agreed to our date, asking what to wear to the fancy place. Sweet Edwin. The place we were going wasn’t even that fancy.
He tried on some clothes the night before, texting both Cliff and I the pictures of himself in the mirror, a pile of clothes on the bed behind him. Cliff and I sat next to each other, looking at the pictures and agreeing on one of the outfits.
We agreed on how hot Edwin was. And how this might just all work out.
“What’s the matter?” Cliff gathered his wallet, phone, and keys as I leaned on the foyer wall. Damn, I was one lucky little. Cliff took such good care of me. He set up the date with Edwin. He never judged me for having feelings for someone else. He supported me from my job to my hobbies and everything little.
“Nothing. Just watching you handle things. It’s sexy as hell.”
He chuckled and shook his head. The tips of his ears reddened. “Keep talking like that, and we’ll never get out of here. Edwin will be waiting for us.”
That threw a bucket of ice over me. I remembered Edwin’s face the other night when Cliff and I almost walked away from him. That would’ve shattered my heart.
“Let’s go, then.”
We got into the car. Cliff turned on classical music, knowing it soothed me. We pulled up to the Little House only a few minutes later, and butterflies fluttered in my tummy. I was nervous. We both liked Edwin, but this was a date. This could make or break our relationship.
Cliff got out to meet Edwin at the door, like the gentleman he was. Edwin smiled and waved at me as Cliff opened the back door for him.
“I’m so glad you decided to come out with us,” Cliff said, closing the door. Now that Edwin was in the car, my nerves were getting better.
“Me too,” Edwin said. “This music is nice.”
“It helps Brax. Sometimes he has anxiety.”
“Oh. Not about me, I hope. Not about tonight.”
I turned around in the seat and gave him my best smile. “About you, but in a good way. Okay?”
We arrived at the restaurant and this time, I opened Edwin’s door. Cliff winked at me and hugged me to him, telling me what a good boy I was.
“What do you recommend?” Edwin put his menu down. The waiter had told us the specials, but nothing jumped out at me.
“I always get the burger. Plain. Just cheese and ketchup to dip in. I like the sweet potato fries too.”
Cliff put his menu down as well. “I’m going to have the roasted chicken with ratatouille.”
Edwin scrunched his nose. The most adorable thing he’d done yet. “Lots of vegetables.”
Chuckling, Cliff patted Edwin’s thigh. “I like vegetables. They are good for you. Are there any you like?”
