by Erin Hayes
A stricken look passes Ned’s face. “No. There’s no cure.”
“What, you’re stuck as three people for the rest of your life?”
He nods. “We took a risk on you, because…you’re wonderful. And we’re all in love with you.”
“Please stop saying ‘we,’” I mutter, waving him away, before I realize what he said. They’re in love with me?
“I have to sit down,” I say softly, reaching for my chair. I feel a migraine coming on and I can’t handle this at the moment. Maybe I’ll wake up and it’s all a dream. And Ned—the one-person version of Ned that I had dinner with last night—would still be asleep next to me.
Just a horrible dream.
I close my eyes, squeezing them shut until my temples hurt. Then I open them. I’m still in my office. Still talking to Ned who is in Edward’s clothes from when I arrived.
Which means that this is real.
“So, what happens next?” I whisper hoarsely.
“We—I—Teddy, Edward, and I,” Ned says, licking his lips, taking my note about not referring to himself as a “we,” even though he technically is, “were hoping that you’d give us a shot. A try at a relationship.”
I rub my temples. “That’s a lot to ask, Ned.”
He nods. “I know. And the three of us know that we’re imperfect—you’re worth three men with separate bodies, Grace, so I can only imagine how this is for you.”
He reaches for my hand, but I pull away from him.
“I have to think on it,” I tell him honestly. “I just…I don’t know…”
He watches me for a moment before giving a long nod. “I understand.” Even though I can hear the heartbreak in his voice.
Shit, I can feel my own heart breaking.
He nods again, as if mulling over my decision. “Yes, it’s only fair isn’t it. I’m so sorry to put you through this, Grace.”
He gives me a sad smile before opening the door. “You know how to reach us if you do change your mind.”
And he leaves. I stare after the door, wondering how to process what I just found out. It’s all so crazy and strange.
But isn’t love meant to be crazy and strange?
A few moments later, there’s a rap on the door and it opens to reveal Sharon standing there, looking confused.
“Who was that that just left your office?” she asks, gesturing with her thumb.
I look at her and give a long sigh, wondering if I should even bother trying to explain.
Damn, I’m almost done with my bottle of wine.
I sit on my recliner looking at it like it’s some sort of crystal ball. Unfortunately, the bottle is just a normal bottle, and I don’t get any answers from it.
I swirl the remnants of my merlot in my glass.
Well, I’d been hoping to get closer to a final decision by the end of this bottle, but I don’t feel like I’ve gotten anywhere. I just keep swirling their faces together in my mind.
Ned. Teddy. Edward. Teddy. Ned. Edward…
Three very different men in one body. And all three maintain that they love me.
Is it possible to love someone after not knowing them fully? With a big secret like that?
I frown and take a final swig. Dawn’s been calling my phone all day, and I haven’t answered because I don’t know what to tell her.
I feel like it’s a secret that I should keep to myself. At least until I can wrap my head around what to make of them.
The thing is, I know they’re not bad men. Teddy is active in the neighborhood, doing weekly cleanups and helping out whenever possible. I’ve never seen him do anything malicious, and his confidence is enough to make any girl weak in the knees. Plus, he takes care of Pugsly like he’s the king of his life.
Edward has been my patient for six months now, and while he’d been hiding this big secret, I know he’s not a bad, damaged man, because I would have seen it in our sessions. He’s just a handsome man who obviously has bigger things than he can handle. And I know for a fact that’s most people these days.
Then there’s Ned. Intelligent, sweet Ned who opens doors for ladies and takes them out to grilled cheese restaurants. Who remembers one-month anniversaries and is nervous about himself. After a string of bad dates on that app, he was a breath of fresh air.
All three great men on their own. And they’re all interested in me.
Could I really handle them like this? In this way?
Am I not willing to at least try it?
I think back to my conversation with Dawn yesterday about monogamy and society. Here are three men who are willing to share me. It’s like a dream come true, isn’t it?
I close my eyes and pick up my phone, dialing a number.
Dawn answers on the third ring.
“Grace, where have you been?” she cries. “I’ve been trying to reach you all day. You called me this morning all spastic, and after last night, I thought I—”
She got all that in there before I could even utter a word. I smile. “I just wanted to let you know that you were right,” I say softly.
That stops her dead in her tracks. “What?”
“That I have a big enough heart for three men. And I think they really like me.”
There’s stunned silence on her end. “Grace, what happened?” she whispers scandalously.
I smirk as I end the call. I have bigger things I need to do right now. Like talk to a trio of men.
I down the rest of my glass and get to my feet, swaying slightly. I stand in front of my door, my heart pounding, before I take a deep breath and open it. Teddy’s door is just down the hallway, and I know without knowing how that he’ll be there.
They’ll be there waiting for me.
Like in my deepest fantasies about Teddy, I raise my hand and knock on the door. It only takes a few moments before I hear the telltale clicks of the locks being undone from the other side, and the door finally opens to reveal Teddy looking at me, like I’m some sort of angel.
“Grace,” he says softly, reverently.
I open my mouth to speak, but a bark interrupts me. We both look down in amusement to see Pugsly pawing at me, like he’s expecting a treat. I laugh, giving him a rub on his ears.
“Who’s a good boy?” I ask.
Pugsly, of course, doesn’t answer. I guess the dog isn’t enchanted like his owners.
Teddy just watches me with bated breath, like he’s afraid to speak or push me too far in any direction. I get that. I respect that. They’re asking for me to believe in them.
In us.
I straighten so I can get closer to his eye level. He looks nervous, as do I, I’m sure.
“Listen,” I say, “If I try this—if we’re going to do this, I don’t want you breaking my heart. Any of you. Because I think it will be three times as worse as any other breakup I’ve had in my life.”
Teddy’s gaze softens as he looks down at me. He reaches up and gingerly touches my face, giving it a slight caress.
“Of course,” he whispers. “We won’t do anything to hurt you. We can promise you that.”
I let out a shaky sigh. “Then I’m willing to try it.”
Hope flashes in his eyes. “You are?”
I nod. “But, please, please, please don’t scare me like that in the morning.”
He smirks. “Well, we actually can’t promise that. We don’t have control over who takes over when we sleep.”
Well, damn, that sucks. But knowing that it could happen makes it exciting in a strange way. Like every morning is a surprise. Every morning is new day and a new way to look at the world.
And suddenly, I’m very much looking forward to this new relationship. Or three of them.
“I guess that will have to do then,” I say with a laugh, before I launch myself into Teddy’s arms. His lips crash against mine, like a man who has been starving for years. Maybe he has been. After all, a curse kept them from love.
I’m sure it has to be a relief to find someone.
&n
bsp; His hands are on my face and in my hair, and as the door closes behind us and we stumble our way over to the couch, I feel the shift in his lips, in how the shape of his face changes. The three of them are here with me, to celebrate new beginnings and new experiences.
New territory for the four us.
I pull back and look at him—at them, because three men look back at me through one pair of eyes. Their face may change, their souls may be housed in one body.
But they’re all mine.
As we kiss again, I get a feel for their different kissing techniques, their differences in their touches.
Three happy endings for Dr. Jekyll with her three Mr. Hydes.
This is definitely something I can get used to.
About the Author
Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books.
She works as an advertising copywriter and she’s an award-winning New York Times bestselling author by night. She has lived in New Zealand, Texas, Alabama and now in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.
You can reach her at [email protected] and she'll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.
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