Page 58 of Nailing Studs

I’d spent the last two months enjoying them one-on-one in bed, getting to know each of the men physically and emotionally, and when we weren’t in bed, more times than not we were all together after the work day was done, having dinner, drinking wine or beer, and just talking and laughing. We were a symbiotic unit; one I couldn’t imagine with any of us missing.

The one thing we hadn’t done again was have sex with all the four of us, and even though I still dreamed of it, longed for it, I also understood why they were avoiding it and why I should, too. I’d been so overwhelmed after that I didn’t want to go through that emotional chaos again. So I simply enjoyed what we had and thanked my lucky stars.

But all of this was about to come to an end. The renovation work was nearly complete—the major work had been completed and all that was left was finishing touches and painting, Taylor had said this morning. Which meant it was time to pick a date to put the place up for sale. All day long I’d been distracted, thinking…realizing…coming to terms with what I had to do. I had to tell the boys. Tonight.

My heart squeezed tight.

On the selling front, Logan had already brought in a professional photographer to take photos of the house. Taylor and Dom had been able to bring in a number of potential clients to view their work on a historic building, and had already won a couple of contracts and secured their reputation as historic renovators. But tonight, we needed to set a date to put the house on the market. My boys needed some profit after all the effort they’d put into the house. I couldn’t be selfish much longer—inevitably, we all needed to move on.

I had dated them all, slept with them all, and honestly, I’d loved them all. And it had been heavenly. The best. But it couldn’t last forever, and soon, these days would become another memory, not unlike the wild ones Tabitha told me she’d experienced in the seventies. Maybe, in a way, I had become Tabitha. Her spirit was inside me.

I was resolved to tell them tonight. I’d bought groceries to make a nice dinner and a delectable dessert, and after, when their bellies were full, I’d tell them. I’d thank them. We’d have one last amazing night together and that would be that. It would be goodbye.

I reached for the handle of the door and was surprised when the door swung away from me.

“Welcome home,” Taylor said, smiling. I blinked. Instead of his usual jeans and casual shirt, he wore a perfectly tailored suit.

Behind him stood Dom, also for some reason in a smart suit, who moved to take the groceries from me before disappearing into the kitchen. He returned with Logan, each holding two champagne glasses in their hands. I received a glass and a kiss on the cheek from Logan. I was too stunned to even take a sip.

“Um…what’s the occasion?” I asked. They couldn’t have known I was to make the big announcement tonight, right?

“If you’ll please follow me to the kitchen,” Dom said, sweeping his hand across the foyer.

Logan held out his arm for me and I placed my hand over it, still very confused. Together, we walked into the kitchen.

I nearly dropped my champagne glass when I saw what was different from when I’d left hours ago.

“Holy shit,” I blurted out, and all three guys laughed.

There, in the kitchen was an oven any professional baker would drool over. It was top of the line, the newest technology, the most respected name in the field. I ran my hands over it in awe. It was a piece of art.

“Guys,” I started, realizing there was no way I could keep it. “Guys, this must have cost a fortune. I, I—”

Dom interrupted, wrapping his arm around my waist. “Don’t worry about the money, Kayla. It’s money well spent. And you are not taking it back.”

I didn’t know what to say. They’d done this for me, but I was leaving—soon, this would all be over. I stared into Dom’s dark, deep, vulnerable eyes and felt my heart break.

“Kayla, the tour continues this way.”

I glanced up to find Logan speaking to me. “Continues?” I asked. “This wasn’t it?”

“Just the start, gorgeous. Follow me,” Logan said. Dom kept me steady as we walked into the study, Taylor on our heels.

My eyes swept the room. “Um, new chair?” I asked, not noticing anything out of place.

“Look higher,” Logan said, nodding to the wall.

There was a framed document hanging there that I’d missed. I slipped from Dom’s arm and moved to stand next to Logan to get a closer look. I squealed when I read what it was.

“We got it?”

Logan grinned. “We got it.”

I leaped into his arms and he spun me around the den. Tabitha’s pride and joy was officially a Historic Site. Her smile would have been so big and bright, learning this news.

Logan placed me on the floor. “A Historic Site comes with serious tax breaks, government aid, and special allowances,” he explained as I tried to pay attention over my happiness.

My high spirits slipped away as I realized that even with tax cuts, I still wouldn’t be able to afford to live here. But how incredibly sweet for Logan to have tried.

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