CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
LEWIS ROLLINS
I usually avoid confrontation.
“We are four very different men. It’s not as if we offer you four identical clones. But we’ve discussed things, and as close as me and Jake really are, we’ve come to realize we’re just as close to these guys too. We’re like one big happy family.”
Jake interrupted me mid-flow, as he often did because he said I spend too long getting to the point. “We think you’ll fit in this family. We’ll each make you happy, and we all want you.”
“And that’s why you get all four of us,” Ethan said, almost as if she didn’t get a say in the matter after each one of us had made a statement about our willingness to share her in an open relationship.
Ethan’s approach was far too direct and blunt for my liking, even though I agreed with him.
“If after a while of dating all of us,” I added mischievously, “and you decide that you prefer one of us, well, that would be reasonable, and all the other guys will accept that. But why not give this new thing a try? It’ll be new for all of us. We’ve never all dated the same girl before, and I’m not sure how we’ll go about it.”
“Too true, for one thing, your bedroom is tiny,” Jake said like he’d been taking diplomacy lessons from Ty.
“You aren’t losing us, Kayla. You don’t get to walk away when you haven’t seen my bedroom, and I haven’t seen yours, but these guys apparently have,” Ty added.
Wait? What? The three of us dudes all looked at Ty with confusion. I had the impression he’d been with her, but if he had, it hadn’t been in his place or hers. Did they get a room?
“But our parents?” Kay said right back at him, because why would she have any interest in talking about bedrooms?
“Our parents are happy together. But we’re grown up, and we’ve left home. They don’t get a say,” Ty replied.
“Our parents will love you, Kay,” I said on behalf of Jake and myself. “You’re probably wondering how they’ll take the news of only one girlfriend between the two of us, that we also share with our buddies over there, but our parents are used to us being a bit unconventional. After all, you have to be unusual to do what we do.”
Kayla shook her head. “I can’t believe I met you guys five minutes ago, and you’re talking about introducing me to your parents.”
“Why not, though, Kay?” Ethan asked. “We’ve all spent long enough with you to find out you are different, and you might be the one.”
“I second that emotion.” Jake practically sang the words and did a little shimmy as he did so. “I’ve never felt like this with any other woman.”
“In other words,” Ty said. “Face it. You’re stuck with us. Billions of people on this planet, all of them looking for their soulmate, and some fucking way, we all ended up with the same one.”
“That seems horribly unlikely,” she said, with a slight smile.
I had the sense we were wearing her down—correction to that. I had the sense she always wanted us to win her over to our way of seeing things because underneath it all, she felt the same way. She’d have cut this discussion down real fast if she didn’t hope we’d make it work.
“All right,” she said and raised her hands in surrender.
“All right?” I repeated.
“Fine. Have it your way. You’ve clearly considered all the dangers and possibilities of what you want to do. I’m helpless. I can’t protest anymore. I’m yours.”
She crossed her arms and looked away, pouting like a child. Her body language hadn’t caught up with the words that fell from her mouth.
The four of us exchanged glances and grinned.
Even though they were words I wanted to hear, I wasn’t sure I was ready for them when they came.
“Well, we’ve won,” Ethan said, nodding solemnly. “What should we do with our prize?”
I noticed the corner of her pouty lips moving up into an awkward smile.
“You’re asking as if you don’t know the answer to that question, bud,” Tyler said.
“Oh, right. Okay, let’s get to it. Carry her off to bed and show her she has made a great decision.”
“Reward the lady for her wise choice; sounds good to me,” Jake added, flashing a thumbs up.
I decided to be the man of action rather than all talk. I picked her up in my arms and carried her through to her bedroom. At the same time, I gently kissed her cheek. “Is this okay?” I asked.
Her entire face smiled at me in a way that spoke louder than any words. She was okay.
I laid her on the bed, climbed on top of her, and began to kiss her properly like I’d wanted to ever since the last time our lips met. Three other guys might be in line to do this, but I intended to take my time like we were the only two people who ever existed.