Now, it’s a problem that’s bleeding into my every waking hour—and the sleeping ones too, if I’m being honest.
That night didn’t get a single thing out of my system. It opened the door for them to burrow even deeper into… every part of me.
“Abby.” My name snaps me out of my all-consuming thoughts. The world around me comes back into focus.
I was so lost in my head, I hadn’t realized how far I’d walked. Thank goodness I didn’t get hit by a car. Small mercies, I guess.
I’m only a few blocks away from the school. Sienna and Hadley are on the sidewalk just ahead of me. Cash is between them on a leash Hadley is holding.
“Hey,” I say, closing the distance.
“You okay?” Hadley asks.
I let out a heavy breath. “Just lost in my thoughts,” I say, leaning down to run a hand over Cash’s fur. It’s so different from Zeus’s short fur.
“Oh no… I know that look,” Sienna says with a smirk.
“What look?” I say, standing up all the way. Cash isn’t happy that I’m not petting him anymore, but Sienna is waiting to answer me.
“The look that screams… I’m falling for not one but three guys, and I don’t know what the fuck to do about it,” she says with a grin plastered on her face.
“What happened since the last time we talked?” Hadley asks. “You left with Wyatt that night.”
I’m suddenly very grateful for the amazing friend Riley is. She must have had many opportunities to spill all my secrets to the group, but she didn’t.
I start walking, and they fall in step beside me. I need to keep moving, or I’m not going to be able to get all of this out.
I briefly run through everything that’s happened, ending withthe night.
Sienna fans her face. “I’m getting hot and bothered just hearing about all of this.”
She isn’t lying about the hot part. Every part of what happened that night and all the weeks leading to it were hot as hell.
It was more than that, though. That’s the part that scares me but terrifies me to let go of.
Hadley’s face softens as she turns to look at me. “You are falling for them, huh?”
I nod, biting my bottom lip.
“That week you were at their house changed things,” Hadley continues. “Not just the sex but everything else.”
Again, I nod because I have no idea what to say. Existing in the same space as them for that week made me feel connected to all of them in a way I’ve never experienced before.
If only for that brief chunk of time, we felt like a family, like we could be something more. Something that could last.
Reality came crashing down quickly, smashing those fantasies to dust.
They’re both looking at me with sympathy in their stares. Even Cash must sense my turbulent emotions because he rubs his head against my hand that’s dangling at my side.
“I wish…” I start, but the emotion clogging my throat makes it hard to get the words out. “I wish we could find a way to make it work. I can’t do that to Oliver, though.”
I might not know him that well, but hearing him speak to Mav made tears well in my eyes. He deserves the chance to rebuild his life in a stable environment with the people he trusts.
He doesn’t need anything rocking the boat when he’s finally settling in and healing from the loss of his mom. I wouldn’t take that away from any kid, but especially not one I’m growing to care about.
They both nod in solemn understanding. The noise from all the other parents waiting outside the school reaches my ears. We walk in silence the rest of the way, finding a section of the fence to lean against while we wait for Mav, Jackson, and Evelyn.
“How’s Kane doing?” Sienna asks. “The fire department was called to the accident, so my guys were there.”
