Tears spilled from her lids and streaked down her cheeks. She went into his arms, wrapping hers around him. She buried her cheek against his chest, feeling the erratic beat of his heart.
“I don’t want to be without you either.”
He held her, stroking her hair with his hand. He kissed the top of her head.
“I need to explain about Gracie.”
She stiffened and pulled away. “Who is she?”
Wes slid his fingers up and down her cheek. “She’s my best friend. One of them. She’s married to my other best friend, Luke.”
Payton relaxed and smiled, nuzzling her cheek into his hand. “I guess I was rude to her.”
He chuckled but then sobered. “There’s something more. I wanted you to hear it from me.”
She cocked her head and stared inquisitively at the strain on his face. A bead of dread trickled down her spine.
“Damn, this is hard to explain,” he muttered. “It’s going to sound worse than it is.”
She sighed impatiently. “Just say it, Wes. No bullshit. No games. Just be upfront.”
“I’ve slept with Gracie. I had sex with her a few months ago.”
Payton blinked in surprise, and her chest tightened at the unexpected shock. “But you said she’s married.”
“She wasn’t then. And it’s not because we were together. It’s a long story, but Luke and I were fulfilling a fant
asy for Gracie. She wanted a threesome.”
She took several long, measured breaths as she absorbed his explanation. She had no right to be jealous, but damn it, she was. “That’s some friendship you have there,” she muttered.
“I just wanted you to know, because if I get my way, you’re going to be spending a lot of time around my friends, and we don’t have secrets. I didn’t want you finding out from anyone but me, and I didn’t want you to think I had anything to hide.”
She smiled and put her finger to his lips. “Shhh. I’m glad you told me.”
“You’re not upset?”
“Should I be?” she asked. “If this is going to work between us, we have to trust each other. You told me she’s only a friend. I believe you. Just in the future, I’d appreciate you being a little less of a good friend.”
Wes’s shoulders sagged, and he tugged her into his arms. His fingers tangled in her hair as he clutched her tighter to him. “I thought I’d lost you, Payton. You don’t want to know what that did to me.”
She smiled against his chest and closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry for being such an ass,” he continued. “I’m so sorry about your father. I wish you would have called me. I would have come and stayed with you.”
She pulled away and gazed up at him, blinking away tears. “You’re here now. That’s all that counts.”
“I’ll always be here, Payton. We’ll figure out a way.”
She smiled. “I know we will. I figure we have a lot to learn. There’s still so much I don’t know about you, but together… We’ll learn together.”
Epilogue
“Ellie, come on, you can’t decorate the entire house in white lights,” Jake grumbled “Let me at least do the mantel in colored lights.”
Wes grinned as she ignored Jake’s outburst and calmly handed him yet another strand of the boring-ass white lights she loved so much.
She cupped her swollen belly and smiled as she looked down. The baby must have moved again.
“If you’re going to get this done before everyone else shows up, you better get a move on,” Wes drawled.
Jake flipped him the bird. “I don’t see you doing much, Hoffman. Weren’t you supposed to come over and help?”
“I helped. I told Ellie what lovely taste she had in Christmas decorations. And I helped her decorate the tree.”
Jake muttered something unintelligible under his breath. A few seconds later, he climbed down the ladder. “All done.”
Ellie smiled up at him, and Wes watched as Jake melted into a puddle of mush.
The doorbell rang, and Ellie turned toward the door.
“I’ll get it,” Wes said. “You two continue on with whatever it is you were doing.”
Wes opened the door, and a rush of unseasonably cold air blew in. Gracie shoved by him and made a beeline for the fireplace. He chuckled as she stuck her hands out, teeth chattering a steady staccato.
Luke walked in at a much slower pace and removed his coat.
“Merry Christmas, Gracie,” Wes called over to her.
“Come over here and I’ll hug you,” she replied. “But my ass isn’t moving from the fire.”
He and Luke exchanged amused glances and both moved over to where Gracie stood. Wes held his arms out to her, and she curled herself around him, shaking like a leaf the entire time.
“Damn, girl, it’s not that cold out there.”
She shot him a dark glance as she moved from his arms to Luke’s in her effort to get warm.
Ellie and Jake walked over and exchanged hugs with Gracie. Luke smiled at Ellie. “How’s the little one doing?”
Ellie smiled. “Active. Keeps me up a lot at night.”
The doorbell rang and Luke turned in the direction of the door. “That’ll be Jeremy and Michelle. They were leaving the same time we were.”
A few seconds later, Jeremy walked in holding a baby carrier, Michelle right behind him.
Lively chatter ensued as they gathered around the tree to ooh and aah over Ellie’s handiwork. Presents were dropped on the floor and shoved underneath.
Amidst all the laughing and good cheer, a soft knock sounded at the door. Wes slipped away and went to open it. His knees went weak when he saw Payton standing there in the doorway.
He hauled her inside, into his arms and kissed her long and hard. “I missed you,” he whispered.
She smiled and kissed him again.
“Close the door!” Gracie exclaimed.
Payton laughed and turned to slam the door shut. Wes took her hand, tucked it into his and pulled her into the living room where the others were gathered.
She received hugs from all around before Gracie promptly confiscated her, dragging her over to the fire to chat.