“Hello? I’m bringing Peanut back. I’m just gonna leave him here, okay?”
“Amelia!” Morgan shows up at the top of the stairs. “Come on up. We’re decorating my new room.”
I guide Peanut upstairs, and Morgan takes my wrist, smiling as she pulls me down the hallway to a room on the right. When we enter, Mr. Donovan looks up from the reading chair he is sitting in, his face lighting up when he sees me.
“Amelia, dear, what a pleasant surprise. We’re just getting things settled in here. How are you?”
I try to smile back, but it feels brittle. “I’m okay,” I say, though my voice wavers. I set Peanut’s leash down, and he immediately flops onto the floor with a contented sigh.
Morgan goes to sit on the bed and pats the comforter beside her, and I sit down next to her, feeling the weight of the day pressing down on me.
“You don’t look okay,” she says, her eyes full of concern. “What’s going on?”
“Where’s Grey?” Mr. Donovan asks, his brows furrowing.
I can’t tell them. But I need to tell someone.
This is such a bloody mess.
The words catch in my throat, and for a moment, I can’t speak. Then everything starts to spill out. “I… I have feelings for all three of them.”
“You have… forallof them?” Morgan looks at me, eyebrows up to her hairline, and I’m not brave enough to even look at Mr. Donovan when I continue.
“I tried to kiss Misha because it just felt right in the moment, but he rejected me. Now I feel like the worst person ever because I think Grey and Oliver…” I trail off as I struggle to find the right words. “… I think I might have hurt them with what I did.”
At first, Morgan’s eyes widen, but then her face softens with compassion as she reaches out to take my hand. “Oh, Amelia…”
“Well, I’ve noticed the way my grandson looks at you. He’s never brought a woman home before or introduced anyone to me. I know my boy, and I can tell you for sure he’s in love with you.”
Morgan nods reluctantly. “And Oliver… let’s just say it might have hurt him, yes.”
Tears blur my vision, and I cover my face with my hand. “I’ve messed everything up. I finally felt like I’d found a place here, and now I’ve ruined it.”
Morgan squeezes my hand tighter. “I’m sure you haven’t. They care about you too much. And even if you did, you haven’t ruined things withus. We can be our own trio.”
The sentiment grounds me a little, and I manage to look at her. “The grandmas and the grandpa?”
Mr. Donovan frowns, confused. “I’m sorry, what?”
Morgan grins. “Exactly.”
I can’t help but laugh through my teary eyes, but the weight on my chest doesn’t lift.
“You can’t decide who you love,” Mr. Donovan says gently. “But you need to think about what you want to do. You can’t bring the boys to fight over you or split up because of you. Their careers and their bond are too intertwined. You can’t take that away from them. They worked too hard and went through too much.”
Morgan nods, her expression serious. “He’s right. I want you to be happy, and I want Oliver to be happy, but with this… complication, maybe it’s better to stay friends.”
I nod slowly, the realization sinking in. “I think you’re right,” I murmur. “I think I can do that.”
It doesn’t feel like I can do that.
Mr. Donovan stands slowly and walks over to us to pat my shoulder. “We’ll figure this out, dear.”
I take a deep breath, feeling a little lighter. It’s a mess, but at least I’m not facing it alone. Maybe the guys and I will find a way through this without losing each other.
I left hours ago.
Wandering aimlessly through the streets, trying to escape the suffocating tension of the apartment because I couldn’t stay in the office next to Misha for another second.
