Cole, Theo, and Marco stand on the porch. All three of them. Together.
“Hey,” Cole says. “Can we come in? We need to talk to both of you.”
Jake steps back. “Yeah. Sure.”
They file into the living room. Tommy looks up from his blocks, waves at them, then goes back to building.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“We have a proposal,” Marco says. “Something that might solve your Alaska problem.”
Jake and I exchange a glance. “We’re listening.”
Cole speaks first. “Jake, you need to go to Alaska. This is your career. You can’t pass this up.”
“I’m not leaving Rachel alone while someone’s setting fires.”
“You’re not.” Theo steps forward. “Because she won’t be alone. She’ll be with us.”
I blink. “What?”
“You and Tommy move in with us,” Marco explains. “Temporarily. Until we catch whoever’s doing this.”
“Move in with you?” My voice comes out higher than intended. “All three of you?”
“Our house has enough bedrooms,” Cole continues. “Yours and Tommy’s whenever you need them. We work rotating shifts, so someone’s always home. Round-the-clock protection.”
“Plus, we’re trained in emergency response,” Theo adds. “If anything happens, we can react immediately. Our place is in town, with better visibility, and neighbors on both sides. Safer than here.”
My brain stalls. Live with them. All three of them.
The men I’ve been sleeping with. The men I have feelings for. Under the same roof. Every day.
“That’s—” I start, but words fail me.
“It makes sense,” Marco says, his tone practical. “You need protection. We can provide it. Jake can go to Alaska knowing you’re safe. Everyone wins.”
“It solves everything,” Jake says slowly. He’s considering it. Actually, considering it.
“No. Absolutely not.” I find my voice. “I’m not moving in with you guys.”
“Why not?” Cole asks.
Because I can barely handle seeing you separately. Because living with all three of you while pretending nothing’s happening between us would be torture.
“It’s too much,” I say instead. “Too complicated.”
“It’s practical,” Marco corrects. “Simple solution to a complex problem.”
“Nothing about this is simple.”
“Then make it simple.” Cole’s voice is firm. “Stop overthinking and accept help.”
“I’ve been accepting help for months—”
“This is different,” Jake interrupts. “This isn’t charity. This is security. Real protection from people I trust.” He looks at the three men. “People who’ve already saved your life three times.”
“Jake—”
