They were completely unbothered by each other showing me affection, and I couldn’t help but wonder why—not that I was complaining.
“Thank you both. What did you do before all this?” I waved my hand in a circle before Nathan caught it with the hand that was on my thigh and rested our joined hands back on my lap.
“I worked security for a private company,” Nathan said. “I was actually working a charity event in the city when the virus hit the news. I made it back to the homestead, but I lost my entire group on the way there one way or the other. Three others survived the way out of the city with me, but we went in two different directions at the end.”
“That sounds intense,” I mumbled, soaking in the warmth between them. “How old are you?”
“Thirty.”
“What did you do when you were living out here before this?” I asked Micah.
“Lumberjack. I worked for a company that came and got the lumber.”
“Explains the muscles,” I muttered to myself, and they chuckled. “What about you, Calix?”
The guys beside me stiffened, but Calix kept stirring the pot on the wood stove like it hadn’t affected him.
“Corporate work from home, and I’m twenty-seven.”
“Only a year older than me,” I pointed out.
“Are we too old for you?” Nathan pouted, and I giggled.
“No. None of you are,” I answered honestly, and the room seemed to warm up as I wiggled between them.
“Dinner’s done,” Calix called out, and I scrambled up from the sofa and dashed over toward the food as I left the two chuckling men behind me.
What was wrong with me? Had it really been that long that I’m soaking up any affection thrown my way? Or was I actually connecting with them—and did they feel the same way I did?
10
NATHAN
“I’ll take her to bed. I’m beat anyway.” Micah scooped Tori up off the couch and cradled her sleeping form in his arms with a wink. “Good night.”
She looked so serene when she was sleeping, and I couldn’t get over how easy it was to be with her in our home. It was like she belonged. She was what had been missing this entire time.
“No fair.” I pouted. “I wanted to take her to bed.”
“You’re welcome to come to bed with us when you’re ready.” He turned around and walked slowly into the bedroom, careful not to jostle her awake.
“Good night,” I grumbled, shifting on the couch.
“Night,” Calix whispered after them until they had left the room, and his eyes snapped to mine. He swallowed hard and ran a hand through his hair as he sat on the recliner. “Tori’s incredibly sweet and proactive about my space. I wasn’t expecting her to be so kind.”
“Well of course she is.” I rolled my eyes. “Micah and I wouldn’t bring in someone who wouldn’t respect you.”
“Thanks.” He went silent for a moment, his leg bouncing with nervous energy. “It’s just that I’ve never liked anyone’s presence as much as I like hers.”
“Not even Micah and me?”
“Not the same way.” His cheeks tinged pink as he ducked his head down. “I…almost… I think I want totouchher. Her hair looks so soft… At first, the germs…they made me feelsick, but now, as long as she’s clean—and she is—I really want to hug her. Like how Micah was with her on the couch most of today, and you were cuddling her in bed this morning. It’s—“ He paused for a breath as he seemed to gather his thoughts. “It’s hard watching you both interact with her when that’s something I want to do too but can’t.”
My eyes widened as I stretched my arms behind my head and took in the gravity of what he was saying. Calix hadneverwanted to touch anyone before. The only person who he spoke of touching before was his mother, but even then their hugs had been very limited in his childhood since she was more of a germaphobe than he was.
“Honestly, I get it. I like her a lot too, and it’s such a different feeling than anything else I’ve ever experienced. She’s just a ray of fucking sunshine in our sad world.”
“That’s a great way to put it,” he murmured. “Micah seems just as taken with her.”
