Page 10 of Eternally Devoted

I WARNED HIM.

Juniper

“It was a great one today,” my sister says, outstretching her hand for another jar of jam.

“Yeah, it was. Hudson’s idea for mid-week markets was brilliant,” I reply.

Dolly beams, bringing her clasped hands beneath her chin. “He’s so amazing.”

I laugh and shake my head. Dolly knew she loved Hudson from the moment his boots hit the gravel out front years ago. And while Ivy and Trace had their own path, Ivy was right about them all along, knowing that together they’re the best versions of themselves.

No one can say Ellington women are indecisive. We know what we want. And we know how to get it.

I wanted my own jam business, and when I was seventeen, working at the Eat O Rama, I spent my first paycheck on a dozen boxes, a flat of strawberries and a few sacks of sugar. Fifteen years later, here I am.

But a business is not the only thing I want. It’s taken me a few years to realize that.

Peering around to make sure Hudson and Deuce aren’t within earshot, I drop my volume, talking quietly to my sisters while we clean up my booth. Trace lingers, but he’s attached to Ivy, so I know this will be as private as it gets. “Hey, you guys know how I hang out with Sterling Ford and Dash Foster, right?”

“No, Juniper, we had no idea that you’ve been meeting up with them multiple times a week for years,” Ivy deadpans, making eyes at me as her nostrils flare.

Dolly bumps her with her elbow. “Yes, we know. We also know you’re private about your romantic life, so we haven't been pushy. But if you’re ready to share,” she offers, stroking her fingers down my braid as her smile comforts me. “And you don’t need to full name them, Juni. We’re very aware of your besties.”

“Well… I’m just wondering… is it possible to date two people at once?” Adrenaline stings my cheeks after the words leave my mouth, and I force my eyes down to the flat of jars in my hands, too embarrassed to look at my sisters.

I can’t believe I’m finally addressing this.

Ivy stops me with a hand to my wrist, bringing our gazes together. “That deception would hurt them, Juniper.”

I shake my head, shocked at the idea she has. “No, no, no,” I clarify, “I mean, could I date them, like…together?” Bringing a hand to my chest, I shake my head, hunting for the right words. “I don’t want to date them separately.” I lick my lips, glancing between Ivy, Trace and Dolly. “I want them both,together.”

Trace’s lips curve into a sinister grin. He shakes his head. “I knew I liked you.”

Ivy elbows him. “Shut up, Trace.”

“Sterling didn’t come to the market today. He hasn’t missed one. Ever.”

“Ever?” Trace questions, still studying me.

“I don’t know why he isn’t here. And right as I was getting the courage to talk to him about all this. It almost feels like him not being here is a sign. You know, that it’s a bad idea,” I tell them, back to chewing the inside of my cheek as I mindlessly trace the rim of an empty sample jar.

“I like to believe in signs that support my narrative,” Dolly supplies cheerfully. “And Dash was here, right? If the universe didn’t want you to havebothof them, then neither of them would have shown up. Right?”

I love how supportive she is, and how eager she is to help me get what I want. I consider what she’s saying, and I suppose if God, the universe, or whoever did not want me to have Dash and Sterling as my own, they’d quit dangling them beneath my nose.

And Dashwashere today…

“Never mind,” I decide, suddenly acutely self-conscious of suggesting it aloud, especially in mixed company. Besides, do I deserve them? They’re my friends, my best friends even. But do I really deserve either one of them, much lessbothof them? Not one but two absolutely incredible human beings? No. I reallydon’t. “Dumb idea. Forget I said anything,” I say, collapsing myJuni’s Jamsstanding sign before slipping it into a carry bag.

“It’s not a dumb idea,” Ivy defends the dream on my behalf, helping me load my banner into my wagon of supplies. “A lot of people are in polyamorous relationships, or throuples. There’s nothing dumb about that.”

Sterling flashes through my mind, his bear-like chest and meaty hands, and that sweet, demure smile of his. Next I picture Dash, his neatly coiffed dark hair and the fitted cut of his uniform. “They’re out of my league, anyway. I mean, Sterling is like…” I shake my head, staring up into the miles of clear blue sky, hoping to find the right words drifting in the clouds. Nothing feels right. He isn’t hot. He isn’t handsome.

He’s so much more than any of that.

“And Dash…” I start, but again, how do you do justice in describing a man like him? I end up shaking my head as I swipe my hands down my apron. “Besides all that,” I say, admitting something that’s been bouncing around my brain for the last few weeks. “Men know what they want. If Sterling or Dash wanted to date me, they would have made a move by now. We’ve been hanging out for ages.” I shake my head. “Years.”

Trace says nothing, and neither does Ivy. And Dolly, my usual beam of perpetual hope and happiness, only smiles.

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