“Go on,” she encourages hesitantly, her fingers tapping nervously on the edge of her glass.
I take a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest as I exchange a glance with Gray and Theo. “We love you, Oakley. All three of us. We have for a while now. We’ve each told you that we love you, in our own way, but we wanted to tell you with all of us together too. We want to pursue a real future with you. We love you so much.”
The silence that follows is heavy, filled with unspoken words and lingering questions. Oakley blinks, her lips parting slightly as if she’s searching for the right response.
“Reid’s right,” Gray adds, his warm brown eyes full of sincerity. “You mean so much more to us than just a friend or just something casual. We care about you deeply.”
“Things may not be simple or conventional among us,” Theo interjects, his piercing blue eyes locked onto Oakley’s. “But our feelings are genuine, and we’d do anything for you.”
A flurry of emotions washes over Oakley’s face, from disbelief to joy to uncertainty. She swallows hard, looking down at the tablecloth, suddenly very interested in the intricate patterns embroidered into it. Then, something in her expression strengthens, and she looks up at each of us, her eyes shining.
“I love you too,” she says. “All three of you. I never would have thought this was possible, but what I feel for you…it’s changed my life. You’re so much more than just my best friends now. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I know I want this. I wantus.”
She turns to Theo. “You invited me to move in, to live with you, and I told you I needed time to think.” Gray and I share a glance. This is news to us, but also not really a surprise. I’m glad Theo let her know living with us is an option for her, because I would love to come home to her every day, and I know my brothers feel the same.
Theo reaches for her hand. “It’s okay if you still need more time?—”
“I don’t,” she says. “I want that. I want to move to New York and live with all of you.”
I can’t help it—I let out a whoop that turns a few heads in the restaurant, but I couldn’t care less about drawing attentionanymore. Let them look.Oakley loves us. She’s gonna live with us.Gray and Theo are grinning just as big as I am.
“Now, we just have to survive a wedding,” I comment.
“Right,” Oakley says, frowning as she remembers the event that brought us all together in the first place. “The wedding.”
“We should probably head out, actually,” Theo says, gesturing for the waiter to ask for the check. “We have a private plane lined up so we can get there fast enough to get some sleep before the big day tomorrow.”
“Is it too late to back out?” Oakley jokes nervously as we exit the restaurant.
“Absolutely not,” Gray chuckles, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “We’re in this together, remember?”
“Besides,” Theo adds, his gaze full of affection and determination, “we wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“Ready?” I ask her, my hand outstretched and inviting.
“Ready,” she confirms.
Love has woven its way into the fabric of our lives, and there’s no turning back.
60
OAKLEY
Istand among the other bridesmaids, feeling the weight of their unspoken judgments. The frosty reception is almost palpable, and I can’t help but feel like an outsider. My long, wavy brown hair cascades down my back while my eyes scan the room, taking in the tense atmosphere.
“Did you see the game last night?” one of the bridesmaids whispers to another, her voice barely audible. “Oakley’s boyfriend scored the winning goal. One of them, anyway. Apparently she’s dating three of them.”
My heart clenches as I overhear their conversation, but I refuse to let it show on my face. Reid, Theo, and Gray—they’re more than just professional hockey players, they’re my support system and my happiness. It’s strange how something as simple as a championship game can throw our unconventional relationship into the spotlight, but then again, we’ve never been ones to follow the norm.
“Can you believe she’s dating all three of them?” another bridesmaid chimes in, her tone dripping with disdain. “How does she even keep up?”
A strand of my hair stubbornly escapes my updo as I feel the shift in the air, and one of the bridesmaids finally directs her question at me. “So, Oakley, is it true that you’re dating all three of those hockey players?”
I take a deep breath, holding my head high as I meet her gaze. My heart beats faster, but I nod, resigned to the truth. “Yes, it’s true.”
The room erupts in a flurry of questions, curiosity overpowering their initial judgment.
“How do you manage?”