Austin shook his head and pulled the coffee table back, giving him enough space to get on his knees right in front of us. His eyes softened as he took us in. “I am so sorry if I made you think that. I wanted to talk to all three of you tonight because I don’t think I’ve really expressed how much you mean to me.”
“Oh,” Nick whispered. He was still in my lap, and I swear I felt something wet drip against my skirt. I ran my fingers through his hair, comforting him. “Okay. Next time, can you maybe tell us you want to talk about something good?”
“Yes,” Austin said. “Of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare any of you.”
Matthew leaned forward, his eyes also shining. “What did you want to say, Austin?”
“I love you,” he rushed out. “I love you. I love all three of you. I’m in love with you, and you’ve completely changed my life in ways I didn’t know I needed. I’m stubborn. I’m so fucking stubborn and half the time, I’ve felt broken. But each of you have shown me a future I can have that is good and bright and . . . I’m going to therapy. I’m making the changes to take care of myself. I’m going to work to be better because all of you deserve to have a partner who is there for you too. I can’t express how much the last couple months have meant to me, and I don’t even know where to begin with how grateful I am for you being patient with me.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. I leaned forward and cupped his face, drawing him into a kiss. He melted against me, thumbing away my tears.
“I hate seeing you cry, baby,” he whispered.
“These are good tears,” I sniffled.
“Mine are too now,” Nick croaked, sitting up. “Do you really love me?”
“Yes, Nick,” Austin chuckled.“I reallyreallylove you.”
“And not just because I’m good in bed and finally cracked your back?”
Austin didn’t even laugh at that, and instead, pulled him close. He kissed him hard on the mouth until Nick caved, his expression morphing with pain. When Austin released him, he pressed his forehead to his.
“The sex is obviously really damn good,” he whispered. “But I think I’ve probably loved you since you broke my nose all those years ago.”
Nick let out the softest laugh and kissed him again, then sank back in the couch, fully blushing and clearly giddy. It was so fucking cute. I leaned into him, my head resting against his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head, sighing in contentment.
Austin’s attention turned to Matthew, his expression turning serious. Matthew stared at him for a few seconds.
“Is it too soon?” Austin whispered to him.
“No,” Matthew said. “Not at all. I love you, Austin. I’ve been in love with you. I was thinking about what you said. Youarestubborn, yes. But all of us can be. All of us have things about ourselves that we’re working on. For me, it’s been stepping away from my past. It’s been letting myself love and feel loved again. I need you to know that no one is perfect. I’m certainly not. But it’s all of those imperfections that make youyou,and I love you, the good and the bad.”
Warmth spread through my chest, as if a flame had been lit. Matthew reached for Austin and hugged him first, holding him to him until Austin crumpled against him, more tears falling.
“These are happy tears too,” Austin whispered.
“Good,” Matthew murmured, kissing his neck. “Are you happy?”
“I am,” Austin said. He sat back on his heels. “I . . . It’s been years since I’ve felt like this. When my dad died, I took on so much, and I think a part of me died too. But when I’m with you, I’m happy. When I’m with you, that part of me is alive again. Alive and stronger than ever. I’m so happy.”
“I am too,” I breathed out. Where did I even find the words to express how I felt? There was so much to say. “I . . . I’ve been in love. With all three of you. And I never expected any of this to happen.” I looked up at Nick, smiling at him. His eyes widened, still shining with tears. “I’m so happy we met. I’m so happy that date went badly, and you were right there.”
“I’m so happy you took the chance,” he said. “That we all took the chance.”
“A chance to be happy,” Matthew said.
Nick let out a soft hum. “Not to be cheesy and add this on, but I’m painfully in love with the three of you too. I’ve beenredecorating the house in my imagination with all your stuff for weeks. I think I’ve been a goner since Evie smiled at me, since Matthew pet my cat, and Austin . . . I don’t know. It’s hard to say when. I think I fell for you when I fell off the roof.”
Austin laughed, wiping away his tears. “There’s no way that’s when you fell in love with me.”
“I mean it would have to be a moment that scared the shit out of you, so . . .”
Austin gave him a playful shove, causing him to laugh.
“Okay, but really, I think it was probably all those years ago.”
“Surely not when I broke your jacking-off wrist.”
