All The Best Men

My nerves were getting the best of me. Had they come back to tell me they’d changed their minds? Because they could have saved themselves the trip instead of letting me see what I’d be missing one last time. Cruel, just cruel.

But taking a deep breath, Mason spoke first. Was I imagining things or was he actually a little nervous? Imagine that! Usually nothing got under their skin, but there was definitely something edgy in the air today.

“We were wrong last night,” he began. “I get it. We get it. It was painful and we regret that.”

I raised an eyebrow at them.

“It was painful,” I said slowly. “But I can’t expect you to understand. Your life is so different from mine,” I managed to choke out. “You live in the big city with billions of people. There are bright lights everywhere, a Starbucks on every street corner. Here in Knox,” I managed, “we don’t even have Starbucks. We have Old Joe’s Coffee Shop.”

The alphas shook their heads.

“Honey, who cares about Starbucks? Why are you even talking about that?

I took a deep breath.

“I guess I’m just trying to get across that I understand. Knox is nothing like New York City, so it makes sense. We have different values. We have different ideas of what the good life is, and what it should be. I forgive you,” I said softly. “I forgive you just the same.”

The billionaires looked thunderstruck then, paralyzed almost. Taking a deep breath, I continued.

“I forgive you,” came my words again. “I can’t expect you to understand my wants and need when you have no basis to understand. Your backgrounds are different. Your needs and wants are different, heck, the way people treat you is different. But I’m a certain way, and what we want doesn’t match.”

Mason stared at me coolly. Oh shit, my speech hadn’t gone down well. They were going to grind me into the dust and make me feel like the dumbest person on the planet.

But men who love you don’t do that. They don’t treat you like crap. Because he nodded slowly.

“Everything you said is true, baby girl, except one thing. And that’s that you love us, and we love you. So you’re missing a big part of the puzzle.”

I gulped heavily then, blood rushing hotly through my veins. My head dropped as my hands wrung themselves in my lap.

“Yes, that’s true,” came my small voice. “But it’s not enough. All the love in the world can’t change that we’re from different planets. Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, get it?” I choked, raising tear-stained eyes. “I’m from Pluto and you guys are from Jupiter.”

The guys stared at me.

“Honey, you have been reading too many women’s magazines. What’s with the planetary stuff?” drawled Kane.

“Yeah,” rumbled Tyler. “I thought we were all from Earth.”

I snapped then.

“FYI, there’s a very famous book by a very famous psychologist called Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus. It’s all about working together and trying to resolve your issues, not that I would expect you to know,” came my snappy reply.

Mason stepped in then.

“Calm, calm,” he soothed. “We’re here to make stuff work, not break out into arguments about aliens.”

I got mad then, real mad. Bouncing up, the riot act spewed from my lips, steam boiling from my ears.

“Get out,” I breathed angrily. “Get out. Clearly this is a waste of time. Get back on your fancy private jet and leave.”

But Kane held up his hands this time.

“Naw honey, no need to bust a joint. All we’re saying is that you’re poetic and lyrical, which is something we’re not. We’re simple folk,” he added, gesturing to the three of them. “We don’t get poetry, not at all. Can you be a little more direct, baby girl? Do it for us.”

That made my temperature go up even more.

“Here’s direct for you,” I hissed. “Get out now. NOW! GET OUT!”

But how in the world was one tiny brunette going to move three large alpha males? The billionaires stayed seated, watching me lose my cool, and shit, but they were amused by the whole thing.

“Gotta love it,” rumbled Kane. “She’s a beauty when she’s mad.”

“Absolutely,” agreed Mason, his eyes trailing hotly over my heaving form. “Full of sass and fire, just our type.”

And finally Tyler stepped in.

“Calm down, pretty girl,” he soothed. “Because we’re here to say we’re moving to Knox. That’s right,” he added after my surprised gasp. “The three of us are packing up and moving in, whether or not you’re ready.”

I stood frozen, unable to speak.

“You’re mo-moving here?” came my stutter.

“Well, not here here,” said Kane with an amused tone. “I mean, honey, this is a one-bedroom. A nice one-bedroom, sure, but you can’t expect the four of us to squeeze into six hundred square feet.”