Page 18 of Simply You & Me

Zach eyes the three of us, and I can almost imagine the shutter he has on his emotions. The expressionless way he looks at us sets my anxiety off. I don't realize I'm bouncing my knee until Julian rests his head against it, soothing me and letting me know I'm not alone. Zach watches the move and instantly softens.

"What were you two doing, sparring like a bunch of rabid animals for the last few hours? You could have gotten seriously fucking hurt," Zach says, and emphasizes his last few words.

Julian and I both hesitate. Honestly, we didn't talk when Wyatt and I got back home from Rylee's house. I know why Jules needed to work some steam off, but he didn't question me when I asked to spar.

"Tate!" Zach snaps.

I throw my head back against the cushions and groan. "I made things worse with Addie."

"Is that why she basically ran from us when I brought Rory outside?" Wyatt asks calmly. We didn't talk on the ride home either.

"Yeah. Fuck! I apologized for…" I hesitate. "Julian's behavior. She seemed confused as to why. I explained how he should have taken better care of her, but she apologized instead for sleeping with my partner. I told her that wasn't an issue and explained a bit of our dynamic."

"And?" Julian murmurs, nudging my leg when I trail off.

"I apologized for you hurting her," I whisper. "Which she immediately shut down and said you did no such thing, Jules."

"And?" Zach rumbles. I cringe, knowing this next part isn't going to go well.

"Fuck, guys. I apologized for how her first time ended."

"TATE!"

"What the fuck!?"

"How did that seem like an acceptable thing to say?!"

Their shouts merge together in one pissed-off storm of shock. "I know! I know! She already put me in my place after she told me it was, in fact, not her first time. I already know I fucked up, ‘kay? I just didn't know what to say to make it better!" I plead with them to understand where I'm coming from.

"And you thought bringing up her virginity in Rylee's driveway would make it better?" Wyatt taunts, lifting a dark brow at me.

I snap. "Rylee told me I had to apologize! You were there, asshole!"

"That's not what she meant, Tate!" Wyatt shouts back.

Zach curses and paces around, grumbling under his breath about idiots and big mouths. "So, where the hell did the blood come from then?"

The silence in the room is horrible. Not knowing how that sweet woman got hurt in our home is killing us. Yet, she defended Julian like there was no way he did that. Addie definitely deflected the reasoning behind the blood, though, so I have no idea.

Zach groans again. "On another note… Do we want to pursue her?"

Wyatt snorts, shocking each of us. "I'm pretty sure our boy over there was gearing up to ask her on a date before he fucked the conversation up."

All I can do is nod because, yeah, that's exactly where I was hoping the conversation would lead to. We've shared women from time to time and don't mind the others exploring the other gender. The only rule is we be open and honest about what's going on and who we bring into our beds. Like I said to Addie, we love each other, but we know there's something missing. That missing piece sits like a divide in our family. I know, we all do, that a woman would bring us closer together and finally give us the bond of life partners. Kind of like my sister’s guys, except we need a center. The four of us need someone to ground us, someone to come home to and encourage loving gestures.

Sure, Rylee could argue that she is the center of their world by default because she is the only woman. But anyone who truly sees how their family functions knows that their center ebbs and flows. Their love for each other separately is so wonderfully equal.

Wyatt, Zachary, Julian, and I, we love each other, but we won't ever be as close as Ry's four guys are without a woman to bring us together. It might not make sense, and words will never be able to describe our chemistry and relationship, but it is what it is.

I find my voice, knowing Zach needs to hear our thoughts; Wyatt will stay silent until necessary, and Julian is being suffocated by guilt. "I want to pursue her… under one condition." As one, they each lift an eyebrow. "We all have to pursue her. If one doesn't want Addie, then we don't try. She has a kid and a life, you know? I just think if we do this, we should be serious about it because I have a feeling this woman doesn't appreciate deviating from her status quo."

One head nod.

Two head nods and a smirk.

A third, hesitant head nod from Julian.

And a smile from me. "So, how do we start?" How do we convince Addie to date all of us?

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