I rub my forehead, a headache looming. “We could share her equally. No secrets, no sneaking around. If she agrees, we do this as a unit—whatever that looks like. But I want it to be exclusive to us. Otherwise, I’ll go fucking nuts. I can trust her with you two. But I don’t trust anyone else.”
The words hang in the air, vibrating with energy.
“So…” Beck says. “You’re proposing, what, a merger? An exclusive, four-way…?”
I nod. “Yes. I think so. There are risks, obviously, but I don’t know what the alternative is.”
Caleb shifts, his fists clenching. “And what about Maddy? I mean, it seems fucked up to even discuss this without her.”
“She gets full agency,” I say. “Any one of us can end it at any time, if it gets toxic. But we agree to ground rules, and we enforce them together.”
Beck’s head falls to his hands, and he lets out a groan before looking back up at me. “Adrian, you’ve officially outdone yourself. Is this about fairness, or is this just some twisted new control experiment? Because this feels like a business arrangement, not a relationship.”
“Well, the truth is…I don’t know,” I admit. “Maybe both. But I’d rather lose a little power than lose her altogether, and I feel like this dynamic needs clear communication at all times.”
We all just sit there and look at each other for a minute.
Caleb crosses one leg over the other and picks at the hem of his jeans. “Maddy deserves the truth. All of it. And we have no idea if she even wants to be exclusive with us.”
“We’ll have a meeting first thing Monday,” I breathe out. “Get it all out in the open.”
Caleb nods. “That makes sense. And I do agree with you about needing ground rules.”
Beck leans in, curiosity lighting up his face. “How will this even work, practically speaking? Do we rotate nights? Is there a sign-up sheet?” His tone is half joking, but I don’t miss the underlying concern.
“I don’t know exactly what it looks like,” I shrug. “But the point is, no more hiding. No more lying. No more sneaking around. We can all be with Maddy… if she agrees.”
Caleb purses his lips. “I don’t know what she’s going to say about that.”
“Well, let’s fucking find out,” Beck says with a mischievous grin.
“Maddy has to come first in all aspects,” I say. “That has to be rule number one.”
I just hope this doesn’t overwhelm her completely.
After all, this plan is useless if she doesn’t agree to it.
Chapter 27
Maddy
Private meeting at eight-thirty.I read the notification on my calendar as I step into the elevator. I haven’t heard from Beck, Adrian, or Caleb since Caleb left for some meeting with Adrian on Saturday.
And while I’d like to think they’re just giving me space…
My anxiety says otherwise.
It’s Monday morning, and I’m just going to show up like I didn’t leave in a hot mess a few days ago. I straighten my shoulders and try not to hate myself too much as the elevator door opens.
“You’re early,” Marissa is immediately right there, a perfectly fucking plucked eyebrow raised. She zeroes in on my outfit, which is a plain pair of black slacks and a cream blouse, and her mouth does this thing where it twitches upward in amusement. “Are you going to a funeral later?”
I paste on a smile that contains zero sincerity. “Oh, if only.”
She bats her thick eyelashes. “I do love a good pair of black pants. Did you pick those up from Goodwill?”
“Actually, I did. Thrifting is all the rage, you know?” I retorted. My knuckles go white against the coffee drink holder I’m carrying, as I step past her. “Have an amazing day, Marissa.”
She looks at me curiously, then pivots on her heel, leaving me to make my way to my desk in peace.
