Page 84 of Double Dare

“Are they going to keep it?” I ask Lake, since she’s the one who has known the longest.

“That’s up to them,” she says through a full mouth.

“Where do you put it all?” Kade asks her as she shovels the second into her mouth and reaches for a third slice.

I kinda love that she has a big appetite. Means we wear her out and make her hungry, and that feels like a point of pride.

“I have a high metabolism,” Lake mumbles. “And snacks are life.” Laken goes nowhere without snacks. Plenty of them. “Did you bring me beer?”

Shit. She asked for beer. “We got whiskey instead, love.”

“You two are on my shit list,” she complains, but takes the whiskey from Kade’s grip.

“I’m pregnant, not broken, you asshole! Fuck me harder!” Freya’s shouts carry. She has one of those voices.

“Such a beautiful romance,” I laugh. “Okay, spill it, love. What’s been on your mind lately? You said we could talk.”

Kade removes his arm from over his eyes, giving Laken his full attention.

Laken chews and swallows, turning her body so she’s facing both of us. “It’s about being here. I applied for my VISA so I can stay, but this is the last time I can apply.”

My stomach drops and my heart beats too fast. I feel Kade tense up beside me.

“But,” she goes on. “How are you two…like, how into this relationship are you?”

Does she seriously need to ask that? “All in. Forever, love. You know that.”

Laken smiles at me and kisses my lips. “Kade?”

Kade hesitates for a second, but I know it’s only because he doesn’t know how deeply he’s allowed to be in this. It’s not like the two of them have said those three words to each other yet, but I know Kade’s all in.

“I’m in it, Laken. Always.” Kade meets her eyes, showing her his love even though they haven’t said it. She leans over me, kissing him.

“Okay, well, in that case, I can apply for permanent residency, but I need a family to sponsor me. Even then, it’s not guaranteed, but now is the time to try if we’re going to do it.”

“Our family will do it in a heartbeat, Bossy. You know that. We aren’t losing you.”

“Unless you don’t want to stay here?” I ask. I’ve always wanted to live in Seward, but if Laken feels the same about her hometown, maybe that’s going to be an issue.

“I do,” she laughs. “I love it here, but this is your home, and I wanted to make sure…you wanted me here.”

“Jesus fuck, Laken. Can’t you see that we fucking love you? You are our fucking life. We’re not losing you, and this place is home because of you.”

She looks between the two of us. Kade actually looks a bit bashful, but he nods to agree, unable to form words yet. When Laken looks at me, I know what’s about to happen. She stands, bending down to kiss me again.

“I love you, Jed,” she whispers against my lips. “So much.”

“I love you,” I tell her, feeling it.

She smiles at me and I grab her hand, helping her over to Kade. They need this moment, but I feel like I’m part of it, so I help her onto his lap and then let go, moving over a bit to give them space. Kade looks at her with all the love he feels reflecting in his eyes, and she wraps her hands around the back of his neck.

“Kade,” she starts. “I know this is all new and sort of crazy, but it’s us, right?” He stares at her, breathing harder. She tilts his chin, capturing all his attention as she says, “I love you, Kade. I’m in love with you.”

My heart thumps out a million beats at once, and Kade’s eyes close under her confession. He’s waited so long to hear her say that. When he opens them again, he looks right into her eyes, takes a shaky inhale, and says what he’s wanted to say for so long. “Fuck, I love you, Laken. I didn’t mean to, but I do.” Until this very moment, I think Kade still wondered if this was real love. He knew he loved her, but he always had a little doubt that she could never love him the same way she loves me.

But she does, and instead of being jealous of that, I’m happy about it. I’m happy they found each other because nothing is more important to me than my girl and my brother, and even though our situation is weird, it’s what we all want, and I’m not willing to let it go. I’ve come so far, and to be honest, I never expected Kade to be cool with this, but here we are. The three of us, in love, in a relationship, and giving the world the finger for judging us.

Laken kisses him, tears in her eyes. “Finally,” she whispers, making him choke out a laugh.

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