All of us.
And somehow, I have to be okay with that.
Callum’s phone rings. He gets up to answer it. Zephyr follows him into the kitchen to grab water.
It’s just me and Tiger on the couch now.
She looks up at me. “What’re you thinking about?”
I should tell her it’s nothing. I could avoid this conversation for another day or week or month.
But maybe I shouldn’t.
“About us,” I force myself to say.
Her body tenses slightly. “What about us?”
“We haven’t talked about it. About what this is. What we’re doing.”
“Do we need to?” she asks.
“Yeah. I think we do.”
She faces me. “Okay. Let’s talk.”
I run my hand through my hair and try to find the right words, but there aren’t any.
“I’m all in,” I say finally. “For real this time.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m done trying to make you choose.”
Her eyes search mine.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be completely okay with sharing you. But I know I can’t lose you. And if having you means sharing you with them, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to. That’s what I’m trying to say. I want this. I want you.”
Tears fill her eyes. “You mean that?”
“Yeah. I do.”
She kisses me. Soft at first. Then deeper. Like she’s been waiting to hear those words.
When she pulls back, she’s crying. “I don’t want you to compromise for me. I don’t think that’s fair and you deserve––”
I shake my head. “I’m not compromising. I’m choosing.”
Callum and Zephyr walk back in and stop when they see her on my lap.
“Everything okay?” Zephyr asks.
“Yeah.” I look at them. “Actually, we need to talk. All of us.”
They exchange glances but sit down. Callum on the chair. Zephyr on the floor.
