A shaky breath escaped, my head spinning. “Shit.”
“He’s being charged with attempted murder, among other things. He won’t be getting out anytime soon. You’re safe now.”
“Thank you.” My throat was tight. “Thank you for catching him, and for letting me know.”
“Get some rest. We’ll need you to come in tomorrow to make a formal statement, but for now, enjoy your evening.”
The call ended, and for a long moment, I stared at my phone, unable to fully process what I’d just heard. Then I looked up at Troy and Rhett, who were watching me with guarded hope in their eyes.
“They caught him.” My chest felt tight. “The package had a bomb in it. Can you believe that? If I’d opened it...” The thought was too terrible to complete.
“Who was it?” Troy’s hand tightened around mine.
“Some anonymous psycho. Apparently, I emasculated him with my podcast about toxic masculinity.” A laugh that sounded more like a sob.
“But they have him now,” Rhett said, reaching for my other hand. “He can’t hurt you.”
“Joyce said he’s being charged with attempted murder. He’s going away for a long time.”
A moment of silence fell over our table as the information sank in. Then Rhett’s face split into a wide grin.
“This calls for some good dessert.” He flagged down our server. “Your most decadent chocolate thing, please. We’re celebrating!”
“Rhett only celebrates with food.”
“I’m not complaining. I like cake.”
“Tonight is my treat. My best girl just found out she’s not being stalked by a psycho anymore. It’s a cause for celebration!”
My heart clenched at his words. My best girl. Like I belonged to him. To them. The phrase settled over me like a warm blanket, comforting and terrifying all at once.
The cake arrived, and Rhett gave each of us a fork, then dug in, holding up his fork for a toast.
“To Detective Joyce and her team,” he said. “For keeping our girl safe.”
“To doorbell cameras.” Troy’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he dug his fork in and held it up.
“And to the two men who’ve kept me sane through all of this,” I said, clinking my fork against theirs. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
As we devoured the cake, I felt a curious mix of emotions washing over me. Relief, certainly—overwhelming relief that the nightmare was over, that I could walk down the street without looking over my shoulder. But beneath that was something else. Something that felt like loss.
With the threat gone, there was no reason for me to stay in their apartment anymore. No reason for us to sleep tangled together, finding comfort in each other’s warmth. No reason for the easy domesticity we’d fallen into—Rhett cooking breakfast while Troy and I argued over the crossword, all of us curled on the couch with the kittens in the evenings, watching bad reality TV and making worse jokes.
It had been temporary from the start. A solution to a problem that no longer existed.
As we finished our meal and Rhett paid the bill, the realization sat heavy in my chest. I’d grown accustomed to their presence, to the constant hum of their voices, to not being alone with my thoughts. What would it be like to go back to my empty apartment? To sleep alone again? To wake up without Rhett’s sleepy smile or the comforting weight of Troy’s arms around me?
Outside, the night air was crisp with early fall, the streets of Larimer quieter now as we started walking back toward our building. Troy’s hand found mine, his fingers intertwining naturally. Rhett walked on my other side, close enough that our shoulders brushed with every step.
“Your place is going to need a deep clean.” Troy broke the comfortable silence. “And an exterminator for the snakes.”
“I don’t think we need to worry about the snakes,” Rhett said.
“We always need to worry about snakes.”
“I guess I can move back home.” Oh fuck, why had I said that? The words hung in the air, impossible to take back before the guys heard them.
Troy’s hand stiffened in mine, his stride faltering for just a moment. “If that’s what you want.” His tone was unnaturally even. Was he upset?
