“I couldn’t. I didn’t want to see the disappointed look on your face, the one you’re wearing now. You’ve always been my biggest supporter, and you gave me so much encouragement when I decided to go back to work after your father died.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “Sam would be horrified if he knew what I’d done.”
Dylan’s throat started to feel tight. “No, he wouldn’t. Dad would have recognized that you had a problem, and he would have stood by you. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“I really believe that,” he said firmly.
Shanna’s breathing was shallow, but when she spoke again, her voice sounded steadier. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you the truth.”
“Yes, but I understand why you didn’t. You were scared. And between me and Chris, he’s definitely the one in a financial position to help.” Dylan’s tone became stern. “With that said, I need you to tell me exactly how serious this is financially, so I know how much money to start sending you every month.”
Her gaze flew to his. “What? No, Dylan. You don’t have to do that. I don’t want you to do that.”
“Tough shit.”
She raised her eyebrows and shot him that disapproving Mom look he’d been on the receiving end of many times growing up.
“Tough cookies,” he amended guiltily. “I’m serious, though. I’m involved in this now, and I’m doing my part whether you like it or not.”
Her shoulders sagged in defeat. “All right.”
“Good. Now before we get into all the unpleasant money stuff…” He reached for the present he’d left on the weathered pine coffee table and held it out. “Merry Christmas, Mom.”
Her radiant smile got him all choked up again, and when he saw her awed expression after she removed the glass angel from its box, he was feeling teary-eyed himself.
“Oh, it’s beautiful.” Her gaze drifted to the glass cabinet across the room, which held all the other angels she’d been collecting since before Dylan was even born. Then she threw her arms around him and hugged him so tightly he could hardly breathe. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said through the lump in his throat.
They both fell silent, until Shanna finally cleared her throat. “Why don’t I make us some coffee? You can open some presents, and then…then we can discuss everything else that needs to be discussed.”
“Sounds good. I’ll keep you company in the kitchen.”
They had only taken two steps toward the doorway when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and saw Claire’s number, then turned to his mom. “Sorry, I have to take this. I’ll join you in a sec.”
He waited until his mom was out of earshot before answering with a soft, “Hey, honey, how did it go with Chris?”
“It didn’t,” was the curt response.
“What do you mean, it didn’t?”
“I mean, he didn’t show up.” Claire sounded so incensed her voice was trembling.
Battling a rush of disbelief, he lowered his voice. “Are you fucking serious?”
“Yep, he texted five minutes after I got to the apartment, saying he received a last-minute invitation to have lunch with Lowenstein at some cigar bar and he simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity. But he was considerate enough to speak to me via Bluetooth while he drove there.”
Disgust and amazement mingled in Dylan’s blood. “So what did he say?”
“The same thing he told you the day at the wedding, how he and I weren’t a good match, we were making a mistake, yada yada.”
“And what did you say?”
“I agreed with him and told him I’d been having the same doubts.”
“Okay, that sounds cordial enough. Was that it?”
Her long pause was all the answer he needed.
“Aw, fuck, tell me what happened, Claire.”
A sigh rippled over the line. “Well, we talked about the apartment for a few minutes. He said he’d like to keep living there. I said fine, I didn’t care.”
“And?”
“He asked how I spent my time off and how my holidays were. I said I was in San Diego with you and that the holidays were great.”
“And?”
“And then I told him I knew that he’d brought another woman on what was supposed to be our honeymoon.”
Dylan held his breath. “And?”
“And he went ballistic! You should have heard him. He got insanely defensive. He didn’t deny it, but he refused to talk about it either. It was so fucking infuriating!” She huffed out another breath. “He felt no remorse over it, and he didn’t even apologize or admit it was insensitive to take someone on our trip! Oh, and then he accused me of sleeping with you.”
The breath he’d been holding slipped out in a ragged burst. “And?”
“And…well, I may have flown into a bit of a rage and said some things I shouldn’t have.”
He didn’t know whether to laugh or curse. “Oh, shit, what’d you do?”
“I yelled for a bit. Called him an ass and a prick and said I was ridiculously glad I didn’t marry him. So then he accused me again of sleeping with you, and I was like, hell yeah, I am, and I told him he was half the man that you are and…um…” Her voice was barely audible now. “Well, I may or may not have said that you were a million times better in bed. And then I hung up on him.”
Laughter won out, tickling his throat before bursting out of his mouth. “Fuck, Claire, I really do love that fiery redhead temper of yours.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“Of course not. I mean, I wish you hadn’t goaded him like that, but I understand why you lost your cool, all things considered.”
“Still. I’m sorry, Dylan. I shouldn’t have said what I did. But…but he bailed on me again! He didn’t even have the decency to talk to me in person, and I guess I just flipped out.” She swore softly. “Whatever. It’s over. I’m done with him and I have no desire to talk to him again.” She paused. “How did it go with your mom?”
“Good,” he admitted. “We’re not done talking yet, so I’ll tell you about it later. When should I swing by your parents’ place?” He knew Claire’s folks lived in Fairfax, a small town west of here and only a ten-minute drive.
“I know my mom wants me to stick around for lunch, so maybe in a couple of hours? I’ll call you when I have a better idea.”
“Cool. And try not to let this latest bullshit with Chris upset you, okay?” His voice lowered seductively. “I’ll totally kiss it and make it better when I see you.”
She laughed. “I’m holding you to that, sailor.”
No sooner had he hung up than the back of his neck tingled. Dylan spun around and found his mother standing in the doorway holding two ceramic mugs.
“So.” Her lips puckered in amusement. “Looks like I’m not the only one who’s been keeping secrets.”
Fuck. Busted. He didn’t bother asking how much she’d heard, because that parting line he’d tossed to Claire pretty much said it all.
“Mom—”
“You’re involved with Claire?” To his surprise, she sounded more curious than anything.
“Yes,” he confessed.
“Does your brother know?”
“He does now.”
“I see.” With a brisk nod, his mother handed him one of the steaming mugs and strolled back to the couch. “You can open your presents later. First I want you to sit down and tell me everything.”
16
“I’m serious,” Cash insisted. “I could totally do it.”
“Withstand the power of the ring? Bull-fucking-shit.” Seth took a long swig of his beer, then slammed the bottle on the plastic tabletop. “You lack the willpower.”
“Fuck you, man. My willpower is rock solid. I’m telling you, I wouldn’t even need to keep it on a chain around my neck. I could be wearing the ring on my finger and make it all the way to Mordor without letting the evil consume me.”
; “What the hell are y’all talking about?” Jackson voiced the demand from the middle of the heated pool, where he stood with water up to his waist and a beer in hand, his sunglasses shielding his eyes.
“Lord of the Rings,” Seth called over his shoulder. “McCoy thinks he can make the entire journey without giving in to the ring’s power. Which he can’t.”
“This discussion ain’t interesting.” Jackson waded over to the deck surrounding the pool behind Cash’s low-rise building. He set his bottle on the concrete, then illustrated his disinterest by diving away and proceeding to swim underwater laps.
Dylan couldn’t say he cared much about this dumb debate, either, but he’d been using the time to gather up his courage. He’d planned on telling his buddies about him and Claire today. And about Claire and Aidan. And maybe about him and Aidan, depending on how they reacted to the first two bombs.
He figured it was time to be honest with everyone, especially now that his mom knew the truth. Well, only the Claire part, anyway.
And Chris. Yup, Chris knew too, yet in the four days since his and Claire’s visit home, Dylan hadn’t received a single phone call, text or email from his older brother about the matter.
He supposed he could always make the first move, but the anger he’d harbored ever since the wedding fiasco had been steadily growing like a tumor in his gut. Maybe he was being immature, but he was tired of being the good guy, the fixer, the one who had to extend the olive branch all the time.
He might have screwed up by getting involved with his brother’s ex, but Chris had screwed up too. And just once, Dylan wanted his brother to be the one who apologized first.
“There’s really only one person here who’d be affected by the ring, and I’m sorry to inform you, but that’s you, buddy.”
Dylan looked over at Cash, who was pointing an accusatory finger at their resident smartass.
“Me?” Seth was agape. “You think I lack the power of will?”
“No, but I think that out of all of us, you have the weakest moral code.” Cash smiled smugly. “You’re all about fucking and fighting and doing whatever you please. The ring would eat you alive, dude.”
Seth flipped Cash the bird. “I’m a married man, asshole. Trust me, if I can endure an entire day at Bed, Bath & Beyond picking out shower curtains, then I can definitely trudge through Middle Earth and drop a piece of metal into a fire pit.”
Cash immediately objected. “The ring brings out your darkness, and you, my friend, are as dark as—”
“Oh sweet baby Jesus, can we please, please, please stop talking about this?” Dylan burst out. “I’ve been listening to this insanity for twenty minutes and I can’t take it anymore. Why is this even a topic of discussion?”
Cash offered a sheepish look. “Jen and I had a Lord of the Rings marathon yesterday.”
“Well, that’s nine hours of your life down the drain,” came Jackson’s drawl. Dripping wet, he climbed out of the pool and rejoined the group. As he dried himself off with a striped blue towel, the Texan turned to Dylan with a grateful look. “The world owes you a debt of gratitude for puttin’ an end to this nonsense.”
He grinned. “My pleasure.”
Jackson dragged one of the white lounge chairs closer to the table, then stretched out on it with his hands propped behind his damp head. “Oh, hey, is that mighty fine redhead still staying at your place? And if so, is she still hooking up with Aidan?”
There it was, an opening so wide he’d be a total chicken-shit if he didn’t walk through it.
Taking a breath, Dylan ran one finger over the trail of condensation on his Bud Light bottle, then glanced around the table. “I actually wanted to talk to you guys about that. I’m…uh, kinda seeing Claire now.”
Three sets of eyebrows soared.
“You poached her right out of Aidan’s arms?” Seth demanded. “That’s harsh, man.”
“And she almost married your brother,” Cash reminded him with a frown. “Doesn’t that break not only guy code, but brother code?”
“Believe me, Chris doesn’t deserve your sympathy. He lost that privilege when he decided to treat everyone who cares about him like horseshit.”
“Still, are you sure getting involved with her is a good idea?”
“I like her,” he said gruffly. “I like her a lot.”
“Yeah, and what does your roomie think about it? Because he and Claire looked pretty cozy on Christmas Eve,” Seth said.
“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk about.” He chose his next words carefully. “She’s still seeing Aidan.”
The confusion in the air was palpable, at least on Cash’s and Jackson’s parts. Seth, on the other hand, watched him with mocking gray eyes, a slow smile curving his mouth.
“Son of a bitch. You two are tag-teaming her.”
“Dating her,” he corrected.
“So then you don’t fuck her at the same time?” Seth challenged.
“Well, yes, but—”
“Tag-teaming.” Seth laughed in delight. “Good for you, man.”
“It’s more than sex. Aidan and I…we adore her. I can’t believe how wrong I was about her. She’s…” Embarrassment heated his cheeks. “She’s goddamn amazing.”
He was rewarded by a whole lotta silence.
Shifting awkwardly in his chair, Dylan studied his friends’ expressions and wished one of them would say something already. But their silence dragged on, the only sounds in the air the melodic chirping of nearby birds and the soft hiss of the afternoon breeze.
It was Cash who spoke first. “You’re in love with her.”
Dylan responded with a helpless shrug. Was he? His chest did feel hot and achy whenever she was around. And when she kissed him, he got this fluttering feeling in his stomach, like…butterflies. Butterflies, for chrissake.
Shit, he really was a goner.
“How does Aidan feel about her?” Jackson asked warily.
“Same way I do.”
When the three men exchanged worried looks, Dylan experienced a prickle of paranoia. “What?”
“It’s just…how the hell is this gonna work?” Seth demanded. “She sleeps in your bed one night and Aidan’s the other, or is it a three-way every night? And when you go out in public, she holds both your hands? When you meet new people, she introduces you as her boyfriends, plural?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” he said stiffly.
“What about marriage, kids?” Cash pressed.
“Like I said, we’ll figure it out. For now, we’re happy with the arrangement. All three of us.” He sighed. “Look, I’m not asking for your approval, because this is what it is and I won’t change my mind. I just wanted to be honest with you about what’s going on, and I need your promise that you’ll treat Claire with the utmost respect when you’re around her.”
Cash looked startled. “Why wouldn’t we?”
“Because she’s involved with both of us.” He hesitated. “I don’t want you to think any less of her.”
“The only thing I think is that she’s wastin’ her time with you two losers,” Jackson said with a crooked grin. “The lady should’ve chosen me.”
With that, the Texan succeeded in lightening the mood, much to Dylan’s relief. “I’m pretty sure she made the right choice staying away from you,” he retorted. “Your good ol’ boy charm would’ve annoyed her eventually.”
“Never.” Hopping off his chair, Jackson headed toward the set of steps in the pool’s shallow end. “All righty, time for another dip.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” Seth took a last sip of beer and stood up. “Maybe a few laps will help me process all this.” His gray eyes found Dylan’s. “I need you to know that I’m not judging the whole sharing-a-girlfriend thing. With that said, I really think this is gonna blow up in your face.”
“Noted.”
Seth stripped off his T-shirt and dove into the water, leaving Dylan alone with Cash.
He shrugged.
“You and Aidan… You’ve always been more than roommates, haven’t you?”
His hand was a little shaky as he picked up his beer. “Jen said something, huh?”
The surprise in Cash’s blue eyes didn’t look feigned. “Jen? What does she have to do with this?”
“She really didn’t tell you?” He suddenly felt like an ass for doubting Jen, who’d promised him time and again that she knew how to keep a secret, even from Cash.
“Jen knew that you and Aidan…?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, she didn’t say a word about it to me.” Cash hesitated. “So you swing both ways, huh?”
Dylan shot a discreet look at the pool, but Jackson and Seth were too busy racing each other to the deep end to pay him and Cash any attention.
“Yes,” he said in a quiet voice.
“Huh.” Cash nodded. “Cool.”
Cool?
That was it?
Dylan smothered a laugh and had to wonder why he’d bothered stressing about this conversation in the first place. He should’ve known his buddies would support him no matter what.
“Oh, and BTW, that night when I…” Dylan lowered his voice even further “…sucked you off…I wasn’t playing out some secret fantasy I’d been harboring about you. It was definitely a spur-of-the-moment thing, and more for Jen’s benefit than mine.”
“So, what, you tolerated having my dick in your mouth to please my girlfriend? Asshole.”
He burst out laughing. “Are you seriously offended that I’m not into you in that way?”
“Well, why aren’t you?” Cash raised both eyebrows in defiance. “I’m way hotter than Aidan, I’ve known you longer. Oh, and I’m a generous lover. What’s not to like about that?”
“I honestly don’t know if you’re fucking with me right now.”
Cash broke out in a grin. “Mostly fucking with you.”
“Mostly?”
“Hey, you know I have a sensitive ego, bro. It needs stroking every now and then.”
“Uh-huh. I’m sure it’s your ego that needs stroking.”
Out of Uniform Box Set: Books 4-6 plus 2 Bonus Novellas Page 48
