But avoiding things hasn’t exactly worked out in my favor.
If I’m going to entertain the wild thing Wade’s put on the table, I need to know Caleb’s not some shadow in the corner of the dream.
I need to hear it fromhim.
And finally, I can’t hold it in anymore.
“Wade talked to me,” I blurt, “about the… arrangement. About the idea of… sharing…” My voice trails off, and I stare at my hands. “Do you know about that?”
He sets his fork down.
“Yes,” he says calmly. “Wade and I talked.”
I let out a shuddery breath through pursed lips. It’s a relief they did. I should have known the twins would operate like a unit.
My stomach twists. “Caleb… I don’t understand. I don’t understand how you can both want to share the same woman. How isn’t it strange or… or wrong? How do I fit into it?”
He turns toward me, one arm draped along the back of the swing. “It’s only wrong if it feels wrong. Does it feel wrong to you?”
I blink at him, my throat thick. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything right now. I came here for a job in a place I was familiar with. Maybe some space to breathe. And now it feels like…” My voice cracks. “Like I’m caught up between doing what’s right and...” I don’t even know how to admit the second part of my sentence was,what feels good.
He exhales softly. “You’re overwhelmed,” he says. “And you’re hurting. And you’re trying to make sense of somethin’ new and big.” He shifts closer, his knee pressingagainst mine. “But Jo… I want you, too.”
My heart stutters. “Why?”
He huffs a faint, sad laugh. “Same reason Wade does. You walk into a room and everything feels warmer. You’ve had a hard life, and yet you’re still gentle. You’re strong in ways you don’t even recognize. You’re so beautiful it makes my heart hurt.” His voice drops. “And I want to take care of you. Both of us do. We can give you a home. A life. A place for your son. A family.”
The tears hit before I can stop them, hot and sudden, and Caleb is there, placing his plate on the floor and reaching for me. “Jo. Come here, sweetheart.”
I don’t even think before I fold into his arms, and when he cups the back of my head, thumb stroking gently as he kisses my temple, my cheek, the corner of my jaw, I begin to tremble. Not because it feels wrong, but because it feels right.
Different from Wade, yes, but comfortable and familiar.
And then Caleb freezes.
I pull back slightly, confused until I notice a large damp patch spreading across the front of his clean shirt.
“Oh God—Caleb, I’m so sorry, I—”
“Don’t apologize,” he whispers. “You’re hurting, aren’t you?”
I swallow hard. “It’s been hours, and Wade’s not—”
“I can help,” he interrupts, his eagerness apparent. “If you want me to.”
My breath catches. Shock. Relief. Shame. Desire. They all barrel through me.
“You don’t have to,” I whisper.
“I know,” he says. “But I want to, if you want me to.”
His eyes are warm, gentle, and hungry in a softer waythan his twin’s. Sparkling rather than devouring. He’s always been so kind to me. So willing to make me feel better.
I nod, and my whole body trembles with permission, my milk letting down immediately.
He stands and holds out a hand. “Let’s get you comfortable,” he says.
I slip my fingers into his, letting him lead me inside to the soft lamplight of the family room. I settle into his lap on the couch, straddling him like I did with Wade, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. His hands are big and firm on my hips, guiding me slowly closer. His breath brushes my cheek.
