Chapter Twenty-Nine
Malcolm
I woke up in my own bed, the sun shining through the windows and birds chirping in the tree. Yawning, I stretched my legs out and smiled to feel the morning light on my face.
Oh my gosh. No construction!
I sat up with a start, then peered out the window. There was no oversized truck parked on the street and no tools spread out on the front lawn. There was just the quiet street and the morning sun.
It was immediately clear what happened. Maddox must have taken care of his family, wrapping up the last of the job and making sure I had the home I needed.
“Thanks,” I whispered, wishing I could say it to him in person.
The extra sleep did me good, and all morning, I kept thinking about what the guys had done for me. From the moment we met, actually, Maddox was taking care of Gunner and I. And Gunner was looking out for me, too, in his own way. They had each become so attentive and so kind. Even with the tension between us, I felt cared for.
By the time I got to the library, greeting my favorite kids at the door, I realized something else.
It was time for me to take care of them, too.
“You’re looking especially handsome today,” Linda said, wandering up to the checkout desk with a big pile of picture books under her arm.
“I got a good night’s sleep,” I answered.
She grinned at me, setting the books on the counter. “Why do I get the impression there’s more to the story than that?”
I laughed, appreciating how well she knew me. “I think I met someone, too,” I admitted.
“What’s his name?”
I hesitated, uncertain whether I could admit the truth right in the middle of the children’s section of the library. Dating two guys just felt like such an extreme thing, and I didn’t even know whether Maddox was open to seeing us again. But with Linda smiling at me, I knew that I wanted to tell her. I wanted to make the whole thing real by saying it to someone, rather than acting like my guys were some dirty secret.
“Gunner,” I said. “And Maddox. There are two of them.”
“Oh my!” Linda said, tittering to herself. “And you’re seeing both of them?”
I nodded quickly, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. “Is that weird, do you think?”
Linda scoffed, waving her hand in the air. “Not in my book! Trust me, I’ve seen plenty of odd relationships in my day. You should have seen what some of the lesbians were getting up to in the 1980s!”
She was so unbothered by the announcement, I was almost shocked. “But do you think a three-person relationship could actually work? I can’t imagine I could bring them to the annual fundraiser gala for the library, for example.”
She frowned, pushing the books around. “And what do you think would happen, sweetheart? You’re about the most well-liked man at the library. Sure, some people have their traditional ideas, but outside of some stinky looks, I can’t imagine you would have any consequences for falling in love.”
I startled at the wordlove. It seemed so permanent and momentous and much more traditional than I dared expect from guys like Gunner and Maddox. “Maybe,” I said, appreciating her thoughts but not totally buying into them.
“Tell me this,” she asked. “Are these gentlemen good to you?”
I nodded quickly. “Very much, yes.”
“And do you share interests? Do you share passions and have fun together?”
“Maddox has a beautiful garden—you’d really love it. And Gunner and I have so much fun together. He gets me doing things I never even knew I was interested in doing.”
“I’ll bet he does,” she teased under her breath.
“Not just like that!” I laughed.
Linda shrugged, picking the books back up. “That sounds like your answer, then, darling. Life is too short to keep trying to please other people. Follow your heart. It sounds simple, but sometimes, the simple lessons are the ones that matter the most.”
