Page 45 of Classroom Confessions

“Great.” Ethan snapped the book shut. “Let’s figure this shit out for real this time.”

Rebecca started to rise.

“Stay.” It wasn’t an order as much as me begging because I didn’t want to stop touching her.

She relaxed with a quiet sigh. “It’s hard to be serious when I’m draped over you like a blanket.”

“I like it.” I kissed her forehead.

Cole’s eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”

“Ethan and I had sex. Now we’re trying to decide what happens. Do we go back to ignoring each other or” —Rebecca waved between all of us— “are we giving this a shot?”

“I vote give it a shot.” I raised my hand. Rebecca’s laugh bounced against my stomach.

“Before we go all in, I need to talk to Rebecca.” Cole followed the line of her body with a scorching look. “Alone.”

This time when Rebecca pushed to sitting, I let her go. The look on Cole’s face held enough seriousness that I followed her up. “Why?”

“We’ll explain later.” Cole took her hand and pulled her through the kitchen. His head lowered to her ear. His whispered words were too low for me to hear, but the look on Rebecca’s face spiked my pulse.

I took a step toward them. Ethan slapped a hand to my chest. “This only works if we trust each other.”

“Easy for you to say,” I snapped back. He was right, and I hated him for being right. Stiffening, I crossed my arms. “Fine. What’s your plan, then? Are we making out a calendar? Do we each get two nights a week? I need details.”

“We haven’t figured anything out yet.” Ethan ran a hand through his hair and knelt to pat Fitz when he planted his paws on Ethan’s leg and barked. “I fucked up when I said we should back off. And it’s my fault you didn’t know about today. Rebecca asked if we should tell you. I convinced her to wait.”

“Why?”

Raised voices from the kitchen snatched my attention back to Rebecca. She’d gone pale, her hand to her mouth and her eyes wide. What the fuck had he said to her?

Cole hugged her, and when she melted into him, the pain in my chest eased. “Why were you afraid to tell me?”

“I wanted to be alone with her this one time.” Something in his expression, the vulnerability of the moment, stopped me from getting pissed.

I could understand. “I don’t think there’s any rule that says we all have to be there every time.” I made myself smile. “Pretty sure we get to make up our own rules.”

None of us had ever been in a relationship like this. My earlier questions came back to me, and I grinned at Ethan. “Maybe we’ll need that calendar, after all.”

“Maybe not.” Ethan jerked his chin toward the kitchen. “That looks ominous.”

Cole draped his arm over Rebecca’s shoulders, and they walked back into the living room. The kitchen light haloed around her head, catching on her hair and making me want to make love with her right there in the morning when sunlight poured in through the windows. I wanted her bathed in light.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” Spine straight and hands clasped loose at her stomach, Rebecca stepped out from Cole and approached me. “I should have told you before, but since we broke things off, I thought it wouldn’t matter anymore. Now that we’re… talking, you should know that I think you used to date my stepmother.”

22

REBECCA

Cole was right about telling David. I’d known the minute he brought it up, but seeing the devastation on David’s face wrecked me. A wretched sense of loss invaded, knocking my legs out from beneath me.

David blinked, his mouth opening and closing several times. He’d gone pale, then flushed, and now back to pale.

“Say something.” I took a step closer, stopping when he held up a hand to ward me off. “Please.” Tears burned, but I refused to let them fall. I’d done this to him, and I would face the consequences.

“Did you know?” He swiped a hand down his face. The move pulled his mouth into a frown that stuck once he dropped his hand to his side.

I faced all three of them, the men I’d been on the brink of falling in love with, and squared my shoulders. “Not the first time.” My chin lifted.

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