Page 76 of Eternally Devoted

“Sweetheart,” Sterling hedges, casting eyes at Dash.

A tear slips free, as panic sinks it claws into me. If they say no?—

“Hey,” Sterling says sternly, grabbing my attention. “Do you think I would have come inside you without protection even once if I wasn’t ready for this?” His eyes search mine.

“Same,” Dash adds. “I would have never gone unprotected without the intention of forever. It’s not how I operate.” He chuckles softly. “Hell, I hoped it would happen. That way you couldn’t get rid of me.”

“I’m not accustomed to being wanted,” Sterl says, making my heart twist. “So I’m equally not accustomed to making life plans. But if you can be brave, so can I,” he says as Lucy approaches with three plates of food.

She slides the chicken fried steak, eggs over easy, bacon and wheat toast to Sterling, who asks her for a side of Juni’s Jam(swoon). Next she passes Dash his club sandwich, and he also asks for a side of my jam (double swoon). Lastly, I get my Cobb salad. I’ve eaten plenty of jam.

“You put jam on a meat and bacon sandwich?” I smirk at Dash as he disassembles the club, readying it for jam.

“Fuck yeah. Sweet and savory, baby, especially when the sweet is yours,” he says with a wink. Lucy returns with two sampler jars, and I watch them slather their bread with it. After reassembling his sandwich, he takes a bite, and surprises me by passing it across the table to Sterling.

“Try it,” he says.

Sterling, who I’ve never seen take a bite of Dash’s food before in my life, takes a bite of it, straight from Dash’s hands.

The hot guy you love feeding the other hot guy you love? So hot.

“Fuck, you’re right. That’s incredible,” Sterling says, swiping a napkin along his mouth. He returns his focus to me. “What I was saying is…” He pauses, looking between me and Dash, thoughtful and pensive for a moment. “I’m not concerned with what Bluebell thinks of two men and a woman being together. I don’t care. I’m not afraid of being different. What I’m afraid of is going another day without both of you in my bed, and in my life.” He bites into a piece of chicken fried steak, and I watch him chew and swallow like I’m watching the finest painter put touches on his masterpiece. “I’ve wanted you both for so long. I want to make it clear—” He lowers his fork to his plate. “I want to be a daddy. To my own boy, to Dash’s boy, to my daughter or his, I don’t care. The three of us, together. That’s what I care about.” He retrieves his fork. “Us three.”

“Jesus,” Dash breathes, and when I turn to face him, I find his eyes glittering, his breath coming quick and shallow. “That’s why I love you. That’s why I’minlove with you,” he corrects, and my heart swells knowing that I’m witness to the first time he’ssaid those words in that capacity to Sterl. “You’re so… fuck, man, you’re fucking perfect.”

Sterl’s cheeks flood with color, and he readies another bite of eggs and steak but Dash reaches out, draping his hand over Sterling’s palm. “I want what both of you want. I want life here in Bluebell with you. And I’ll do my best not to worry about what everyone else thinks.”

I love how honest he is. How honest they both are. Sterling doesn't care but Dash, as a public servant, is concerned. And that's okay. “We’ll work through everything together,” I tell them.

“I love you too, by the way,” Sterling says, looking only at Dash. “I mean, that way. I’m… in love with you, too.” All of my breath leaves my lungs, the beauty of the moment stealing all viable oxygen. My eyes fill but then his attention is on me. “I’ve always been in love with you, Juniper Sky, but I think you know that.”

Lucy returns as tears slip past my cheeks. She passes me a napkin with a smile. “Everything okay?”

I blink up at her. “Good tears. We just made it official.”

She motions between me and Dash. “You and Officer Hunk?”

I shake my head and reach for Sterling’s hand. Her eyes follow, and they follow my other hand when it steals Dash’s. I watch her face as it occurs to her what I mean, and her expression evolves from confusion to acceptance in a moment’s time.

“The three of you, huh?” She sticks her pencil behind her ear as she unloads coffee mugs from her tray. “Sterling Ford and Dash Foster.” She whistles, shaking her head. “You got the two best-looking bachelors in town, you lucky thing.” With a wink, she drops the check on the table and disappears into the back.

Sterling swipes the check. “I pay.” He fishes his wallet out as Dash reaches for his.

He doesn’t argue with Sterl, but instead says, “10-4.”

“Hey, you can pay me with that mouth,” he says, winking. “I pay for everything else.”

I eat my meal while floating on top of cloud nine. I’m not just up there, I’m the damn queen.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

INSTINCTIVELY I CLENCH MY ASS.

Sterling

Three Weeks Later.

---