Max cleared his throat and Raine glanced over her shoulder to see him enter the room. “Lake is out cold.”
“Dinner is served,” Raine said.
She went to pull out of Dylan’s arms, but he held her even tighter.
Wrapping her arms around him, she got as close as was physically possible. “I’m not going to go anywhere.”
“Show him your hand,” Max said.
Raine’s cheeks heated as she eased her arm in between them and showed Dylan the evidence of another reason she was going to stay. “Max proposed for both of you, and I said yes. I hope that is okay.”
“You’re going to marry us?”
“Yes. Well, Max said I could marry you and then we’d have a private ceremony, just the three of us, where I marry him.”
Dylan looked toward his best friend. “You want her to marry me?”
“I fucked up. I know we agreed that I was the eldest and so I’d be the one to be named on the marriage license, but I forfeited that right.”
“No,” Dylan said. “You didn’t. I … I forgive you.”
Raine stepped back and watched as the two friends embraced. She clasped her hands together and couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Everyone made mistakes. She loved Max and Dylan equally, and being away from them, missing them, wanting to be with them, she had known she couldn’t hate him for long.
****
Raine was naked between them.
Dylan put his hand to her shoulder, touching her.
After dinner, they had made love long into the night, but he couldn’t sleep. Glancing across Raine’s back, he saw Max was wide awake as well.
“Thanks, man. I know this couldn’t have been easy for you.”
“I want to learn,” Max said.
“Learn what?”
“How to do everything you do. To talk, to express myself, to not be this person anymore.”
“You’ve always liked being this person.”
“Not at the cost of our woman. I nearly fucked this up, and don’t say I didn’t. Watching Raine walk away nearly destroyed me. I was a prick.”
“You’ve got your reasons. I have to admit I was surprised with how you reacted,” Dylan said.
“There’s something I’ve got to tell you,” Max said.
Dylan looked over at his friend and listened as he talked about one of their old girlfriends. It was so long ago it took him a few minutes to picture the woman Max referred to.
“You mean Natasha?” Dylan asked.
“Yes.”
“Is that why you’ve always been careful about saying her name in front of me? You’ve been afraid that I was in love with her?”
“Weren’t you?”
“Hell no. I thought you were in love with her, which was why I didn’t make waves. I hated her. Did you not see what a bitch she was to people? Ugh, the thought of being on date night used to make me want to vomit. I’d find work to do so I’d always be late.” He cringed. “When you told me it wasn’t going to work and that she walked out, I was relieved, man.”
“I had … no idea.”
“I think we’ve both got to agree that from this moment onward, we talk to each other,” Dylan said. “Nothing can come between us, but we’ve also got to know that Raine and Lake have to come first.”
“Yes, I agree.”
“I also think it would be good if you told your niece you love her and that you were proud of her.”
“She knows that,” Max said.
“Not all people read gazes, Max. I know you. I’ve known you for a very long time, you old bat.”
Max glared at him, but Dylan chuckled. “People need words, and Lake is only five years old. You’ve got to learn to tell her everything.”
“I will. I will go and wake her up.”
“No,” Raine said, reaching out and putting a hand on Max’s chest.
“You’re awake?” Dylan asked.
“How could I not be when you two are talking?” she asked, mumbling into the pillow. “Tell Lake tomorrow. It’s Christmas Eve, and I know she’s excited about sharing the day with all of us.” Raine sighed. “I’m so tired. Can we go to sleep?”
Dylan kissed her neck, and Max leaned in, kissing the other side of her neck. “Of course, but first, you’ve got to promise to never walk away again. To always give me and Max a chance.”
“I promise, but mama needs sleep, real bad.”
Dylan chuckled, running his hand down the curve of her back. “Get some sleep.”
“I love you,” Max said.
He lifted his head and chuckled. “I love you too.”
The following morning, Dylan headed downstairs. The heady scent of breakfast and his morning coffee called to him. He couldn’t remember a time in his life where he’d been this happy.
As he got to the main dining room though, he stopped before entering as he heard Max’s voice.
“You are an amazing young girl, Lake. You have made me so proud and so happy. I know I’m not an easy person to talk to, but I want to let you know there is nothing you can’t talk to me about. I want you to feel free to tell me everything.”