Hale steps toward me, slow but confident
“I suppose it’s true that you’re asking a lot of us,” he says. “But we have also asked a lot of you. I don’t want to lose you, Lila. And I also know that there is more than one kind of love in this world. I think you deserve all of it, but I know that I can only offer you one kind. So, really, I’m grateful that Reyes and Trent have love for you, too.”
Love.
“Totally,” Noah agrees.
Evan chuckles. I crack a smile.
“So, yes, Lila,” Hale finishes. “We’re willing to try. All of us. If this is what you want, then we’re yours.”
The air in the room suddenly feels electric.
I step closer to Hale. “Good, because I’m yours, too.”
As soon as my hand lifts to his chest, he closes the distance.
His mouth meets mine, firm and certain and claiming. The kiss is slow but powerful, like he’s holding us down while a reckless tide washes over us. When he finally releases me, my knees threaten to give. But Noah is already there, fingertips brushing at the small of my back when Hale steps back.
His hands are slightly warmer as he spins me around. His kiss is deeper, too, more eager, like a taste of the joy he carries aroundwith him. He smiles against my mouth when I melt into him a little.
Then, a gentle caress on my shoulder. Noah breaks away, nudging me into Evan’s embrace. He cups my face, brushing his thumb along my cheekbone. His kiss is soft heat and aching tenderness.
When he breaks away, he presses his forehead to mine for a long second.
I am surrounded. Chosen, intentionally, for the first time in my life. And claiming them right back with every fiber of my being.
They hover around me like a protective cocoon. I beam at them.
“So… now what?” I whisper.
Hale gives me a crooked grin, reaching out to brush away a lock of hair that’s escaped my clip. “Now, we go join the rest of the celebration, and then we rest. We’re all exhausted.”
I pout at him. Noah snorts quietly.
But I suppose he has a point. Just last night, I had a panic attack over the fear that he might have died in that terrible fire. Shortly afterward, in the blissful calm that Evan brought to me, I slept with him. Then, that same morning, just a few hours ago, both he and Noah made a gloriously indecent woman out of me on the floor of that little dorm room.
I am tired in more ways than one. But there’s still enough adrenaline in me that I would happily keep going for a little while longer.
Except Hale was in a hospital this morning. Noah dragged multiple adult bodies out of a fire. Evan saved dozens of lives with his own hands.
They’re more exhausted than I am, I’m willing to bet. It’s just that they’re better at hiding it. And, because I love them, I want to care for them.
“Alright,” I sigh. “Rest is important.”
Hale, giving off a slightly giddy energy that I didn’t know he was capable of, winks at me. “Friday night, let’s all meet at my place for dinner. We can discuss the finer details and seal the deal then. How about that?”
“Seal the deal,” I echo a little breathlessly.
The others’ imaginations must be running off to downright raunchy territory, as well, because Evan clears his throat pointedly and Noah shifts impatiently on his feet.
“Friday night,” Hale repeats. “Two days from now. In the meantime, we’ll rest and recharge. And, with clearer heads, if one of us decides that they would rather not continue down this path, they also have the chance to step aside.”
My heart sinks at the thought that one of them might decide to bow out. Without all three of them, there would be an undeniable sense of imbalance.
But it’s their choice, and I have to let them make it. I can’t bethatgreedy.
“Okay,” I answer.
