Seeking Two Lovers, page 26
My chest squeezed up tight with delicious threads of happiness over the fact that he wanted me with him for such an intimate reunion. “Of course!”
“Grey had to go into work for an emergency meeting with one of his pain-in-the-ass customers.”
Second choice…
The bright smile on my face faded, and I climbed into the hot car, stabbing my keys at the ignition in my piece-of-shit car. “What time is her flight coming in?”
“Seven forty-five.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded and roared the engine to life. I tucked my cell between my ear and shoulder, cranking down the window to let some fresh air into the stifling interior.
“We’ll be there in a half-hour with all of Sarah’s stuff.”
“I’ll be here to help you unload. I got the sheets laundered and the bed all ready for her, so there really isn’t much more to do.”
We said our goodbyes, and I fought to keep my tone light and encouraging.
“What?” Haley asked the second I hung up.
I clicked my cell onto the magnetic holder I’d mounted onto the dashboard. “He asked me to go with him to get Sarah—but only because Grey got called into work.”
“You’re sure that’s the reason?”
I shrugged, but the thought had processed thoroughly in my head, and there was no escaping it.
“Don’t think too hard on it, Lily. He wanted you there enough to ask you.”
Throat tight, those damn roller-coaster emotions going wild, I nodded.
Focus on the now…
I released a slow exhale, determined to stay positive regardless of my Debbie Downer mind.
“Let’s hit the drug store up the road to get all the toiletries before heading to their place, okay?” I said, trying for an upbeat tone. “We’re going to help Blaine ready his bedroom he emptied for his sister, then order some food because I’m fucking starved.”
His bedroom—no more.
Grey’s had become his overnight, and no matter how hard I tried to assure myself I still stood a chance to enjoy a future with them, the fears of my past didn’t allow my mind or emotions rest.
39
Blaine
Lily held my hand the entire way to the airport. I clutched to her like the lifeline that she was, thankful she’d come into my life when she did. How I had managed without her sunshine, the happiness she’d brought to my heart, I had no fucking clue.
Between her and Grey, I’d found my place. Contentment. Rest from all that had happened to me.
I couldn’t wish my childhood had been different, otherwise I’d never would have found my best friend, moved west, and met the one who brought light to the darkness inside me.
“Thank you,” I said, not for the first time, squeezing Lily’s fingers. “I—I couldn’t do this without you.”
“Grey would have been in my place if he’d been able to,” she reasoned quietly.
I shot a glance her way, frowning at her tone of voice. Was she still feeling insecure about what the three of us had together? I had to focus on the road before I ran off it. “I didn’t want him, Lily. I wanted you.”
Her head jerked toward me in my periphery, and I glanced over to find her eyes wide. “What?”
“I didn’t need Grey to come with me for this,” I repeated, once more turning to face forward. “Just you.”
“Why?” Her whisper sounded more rasped than her usual husky tone.
I rubbed small circles over the back of her hand with my thumb. “Because while he’s my anchor in this world, you’re my happy place. The softness to his hardness. He’s the moon in the night sky, but you’re my sunshine.”
“Ohgoodlordandallthingsholly.” She let out a breathy laugh. “Are you serious right now?”
Heat rushed up to my cheeks.
“I didn’t know you were such a romantic.” Wonder still laced her tone.
I shrugged. “I surprised Grey too, but the two of you…bring out a lot of emotions inside me I didn’t realize I was capable of.”
Lily leaned over the console and kissed my cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered against my ear and kissed me again. “You have no idea how badly I needed to hear that today.”
A quick glance over revealed her eyes filled with tears. Empathy welled inside me, tightening my own throat. Just as I’d thought. “You did?” I asked to be sure of how I could make her understand how desperate I was for her—inside our bed and out.
She nodded and laughed while running a finger beneath one of her eyes where a droplet had escaped. “All I can think about is you sleeping in Grey’s bed every night without me, and I’m so afraid…”
I squeezed her hand. “That won’t ever happen with me and Grey.”
“How can you be sure?” she asked, quiet and more meek than I’d ever heard.
“Because every single time he and I messed around this week, every moment he held me in his arms, we both mentioned missing you. Needing you. Falling for you.”
Her stare heated the side of my face, and I squeezed her hand again.
“I don’t understand how, but Grey is it for me—and so are you, Lily. I-I realize it’s fast, and most people don’t believe in love at first sight, but the second I saw you behind that counter, your smile bright as the summer sun…” I shrugged, having run out of words.
“I’ve fallen hard and fast too, Blaine,” she admitted. “For both of you—so damn fast it scares the shit out of me—and you know why.”
“Understandable.” I lifted our clasped hands and kissed the back of hers. “The last thing either of us wants is to hurt you. If I had it my way, you’d be in our bed every night from here on out for the rest of our lives.”
Lily released a shuddered sigh, and I exited the highway, wondering if she felt the same or if that darkness thanks to her old fiancé would make her draw away from us out of self-preservation.
“Please don’t leave me,” I whispered the thought as it flitted through my mind.
“Never,” Lily vowed, the words fixing like a brand on my heart.
“There’s a lot of shit from my past that I haven’t told you about,” I said, recognizing that if I wanted to move forward with her, she needed to hear everything, just like Grey had.
“You don’t have to tell me anything that will bring that haunted look back to your eyes,” she murmured, squeezing my hand.
“You see the darkness inside me, huh?”
“A bit, but I don’t want you dragging it to the surface right now.”
I glanced over to find a soft smile that soothed the darkness back down.
Do it.
My focus on the road, I took a deep breath and slowly let it leak out. “Quell abused me in every way imaginable.”
Lily didn’t speak right away, and the fear she might find me repulsive started to twist my guts up tight.
“I’m sorry,” she finally whispered, tears in her voice.
My eyes stung.
She lifted our clasped hands and kissed the back of mine. “I’m here and not going anywhere for as long as you’ll have me.”
Forever, I almost blurted but bit my tongue.
“You and Grey are the only two who know,” I whispered, surprised by how much relief swept through me over sharing a few little words.
“Thank you for trusting me, Blaine.”
“Always.” I could at least say that.
“So do you think we have everything Sarah will need?”
I swallowed hard at Lily’s sensitivity in not pushing for details and changing the topic to things ahead rather than behind us.
Signs for the airport led us off the main road, and my focus slipped fully back to my sister at Lily’s request. Sweet anticipation rose when I’d expected anxiety over how much shit would stir up in my brain from finally seeing her after nine years apart.
Ten minutes later, I still clutched Lily’s hand as we walked toward the arrivals area which flooded with people and made my skin itch. We sat on plastic seats and huddled close, waiting and watching the board for Sarah’s flight to land.
Everything had been prepared at home for my sister. After moving my clothing and the few personal items I had into Grey’s room on the first floor, I had stripped down my bed and washed all the linens. I even wiped down the bathroom across the hall, setting out fresh towels for Sarah’s use while Lily and Haley had gone shopping.
My coffee girl had laundered some of the new clothing Grey had paid for, and after everything sat in drawers, atop the dresser, and ready for use, I’d been exhausted.
Emotional weariness weighed heavy on my shoulders, and I bent beneath its weight.
Same with the feelings of thankfulness and gratefulness to both Grey and Lily. They had made the day easier. Brighter.
But it had been a trial regardless of their support—and a few hours lay ahead before I could crash and pass out.
I rubbed my thumb over the back of Lily’s hand. She rested her head against my arm, and we sat in comfortable silence while my mind continued to race over how I would react at seeing Sarah. How she might appear after the beating Quell had “gifted” her with.
My jaw clenched, tension once more stringing me tight and making me want to punch something.
The board I stared at to take my mind off the crowd around us updated with arriving flights.
“She’s here,” I murmured, my anger dissolving as that excitement to see my sister returned.
Adrenaline leaked into my bloodstream, and I hopped to my feet, my heart racing. I rubbed my damp palms down my jeans and started forward regardless of the dozens of people. I needed to move, when seconds earlier, I’d been ready to sink into the floor and sleep for three days straight.
Lily came up beside me and took my hand again, the contact immediately settling my insides enough that I could breathe steady rather than in the pants I hadn’t realized I’d been attempting to fill my lungs with.
“It’s going to be okay,” she stated firmly as we came to a stop just beyond the roped-off area Sarah would appear behind. “Grey took care of everything. I’m here for you, and your sister needs you. You’re strong enough to help carry her burdens, Blaine, and Grey and I will be here for you when you need the same.”
I nodded, unable to move my attention off the hallway ahead.
“I believe in you, Blaine. You’re a good man—one of the best I’ve ever met.”
“And Grey?” I asked, desperate to occupy my mind for the final moments before Sarah’s arrival.
“Top-tier, just like you.” Lily’s slender fingers gave a few pulsed squeezes around mine, and I tore my focus off the hallway to glance down at her. “You’re pretty special, you know,” she murmured, smiling up at me.
The light in her eyes filled me up, and I found my lips responding to her smile even though anxiety still riddled me clear through. “I think I love you, Lilliane Astbury.”
“Ugh.” She made a gagging noise, then giggled. “Not the full name! Please!”
We both broke out into real laughter, and I hauled her up into my arms, burying my face into her neck.
“I’m falling in love with you too, Blaine Mitchell,” she whispered, her small hands cradling my face.
I pulled back, and our gazes held. Tears once more flooded her eyes.
Desire rushed up to choke out all negativity, and all I yearned for in that moment was to lose myself in her. Soak up her sunshine. Bask in the joy she brought to my life. Kiss all her tears away until she smiled in satiated bliss.
I wanted to tell her over and over how much she meant to me so she would never fear again—
“Blaine?”
My focus ripped off Lily.
Sarah.
My baby sister…less than ten feet away. She appeared pale, bruises littering her face, one eye an ugly shade of purple and swollen shut.
Wetness hazed my vision of her, and I set Lily to her feet, turning fully to face the tiny girl—woman—I hadn’t seen in almost a decade.
“Sarah,” I choked out her name.
She bit her lip, but a sob broke through.
We both rushed forward at the same time, and she threw her arms around my waist, burying her poor battered face against my chest. I cradled her gently, afraid to hurt her any more than she’d already endured.
Home—Sarah smelled like home, I realized while breathing her in.
My tears soaked her hair.
Grey was already at the house when we finally returned, my emotions feeling ragged and run dry. He had coffee waiting, his Jameson, and a few bottles of chardonnay since he wasn’t sure which we would all be in the mood for. A snack tray with cheese, crackers, and red grapes sat waiting for us on the island too—Meryl’s doing.
I’d talked Lily into coming home with us rather than dropping her off at her place like she’d insisted on since Haley had taken the car back home earlier in the afternoon. She kept busy tidying the kitchen and puttering around while Sarah, Grey, and I perched at high barstools. My coffee girl wore a pair of tight jeans that cradled her ass perfectly, and every move she made had her hips swaying and tempting my mind off the exhaustion settling into my bones and the many unanswered questions for my sister I still held quiet in my head.
Since her arrival, we hadn’t discussed what Sarah had gone through.
I figured she would share when she was ready. Instead, we had focused on the “now”—her room, all of the things Lily and Haley had gone out shopping for, and the promise of a job at the boutique Pieces where Lily’s cousin managed whenever Sarah was ready to spread her wings a bit.
“Shit,” Lily muttered, bending over to pick up the hand towel she’d dropped.
That denim…fuck.
Sarah elbowed me like she had always done when wanting attention as a kid, and I jerked my focus off that perfect backside to find my sister staring at me. A small smirk lifted the corner of her lips, the first appearance of happiness I’d seen since she’d hugged me.
“You found your woman,” she whispered.
“I found a lot more than that,” I replied without hesitation, glancing over at Grey who sat on her other side.
Sarah shifted her focus between the two of us a few times. Blinking, her eyes widened. “No. Way.” She giggled.
She. Fucking. Giggled.
Goddamn emotions I’d thought drained erupted inside me again, and I stared at her smiling face, so damn thankful I wanted to sob.
My baby sister was going to be okay.
“The three of you, huh? That’s so hot.” She waved her hand like a fan over her face.
“Y-you don’t think it’s an abomination?”
Sarah snorted. “I might have been stuck beneath those bullshit beliefs of Abraham’s, but I never took them on as my own.”
“Thank fuck,” I grunted the curse, a shit ton of heaviness I’d had lingering over my head concerning my sister dissolving.
Her smile faded, but our gazes stayed locked.
“It’s going to be okay,” I told her what I’d already said a dozen times. “The FBI is going to shut that place down, and Grey said he would fly Franklin out here to be with you.”
Sarah glanced at the empty coffee cup in front of her and the small plate that held nothing but cracker crumbs. “He won’t leave his family.”
“I thought he loved you?”
“He does, but he’s got four younger siblings, and his parents are two of Abraham’s closest confidants.”
“You think they’ll be found guilty of something or another when Quell is?”
“Without a doubt. I have so much stored up in my brain—” Sarah tapped her temple “—the things I saw as his supposed wife…”
“Is the marriage between you and Abraham Quell legal?” Grey asked.
Sarah snorted again, and I got a kick out of the hint of rebellion she portrayed. “He wishes—or wished before he caught me kissing Franklin—but a claiming before his flock and God on the village green doesn’t mean squat.”
I snickered at the term she used instead of shit—one our father had been fond of since cursing meant time in the box.
She shrugged as though unaffected, but the haunted look taking back over her eyes claimed otherwise. “Knowing him, he’ll denounce me in the same way he claimed me, and that will be that.”
Lily finished cleaning up, and Grey pushed back his chair, patting his knee. She perched there, wrapping one arm around him and resting her head on his shoulder.
“I think we’re all pretty exhausted,” I said as I once more realized I had close to zero energy left inside me. “It’s not even ten, but I’m ready to crash.”
“I can have Haley come pick me up,” Lily said, sliding off Grey’s lap.
He grabbed her hand and tugged her back against his side, shooting me a quick glance, a question in his eyes.
I nodded without hesitation, thankful as fuck he knew what I needed—and what I felt sure he’d seen in Lily’s eyes as well. “You’re staying with us tonight,” I told her, sounding bossy just like Grey.
Lily glanced between us, but her gaze flitted toward Sarah and stayed put as though asking her permission before agreeing to my declaration.
“Stay,” Sarah suggested quietly, and I let out an exhale I hadn’t realized I’d held.
So did Lily.
40
Greyson
We crashed.
Hard.
Even naked and in a tangle of limbs, not a single one of us turned frisky.
I woke wrapped around Lily’s backside, and she clung to Blaine who’d burrowed his face in her hair.
Quietness lay over my bedroom, but my mind refused further rest.
Sarah looked a hell of a lot worse than I’d expected. I couldn’t believe the doctors back east had allowed her to leave less than twelve hours after arriving in the emergency room, beaten half to death and miscarrying.
But she’d insisted and had been stable enough for the doctors to allow her freedom.
She had assured us right before heading to bed that the loss of the fetus hadn’t caused any internal harm, bluntly telling us she was thankful her body had aborted that monster’s spawn and that the leftover bleeding from the D&C was no more than a light period.
