Page 158 of Light My Fire

“Iamready to be serious. You and me,” he says, stepping closer to her. “But this idea of the four of us being serious is new to me.”

Her eyes widen slightly. “It’s been the four of us doing this together from the very beginning.”

Wyatt tightens his jaw, then says, “What do you want me to say here?”

“I want you to say thetruth,” she tells him.

“Fine, here’s the truth. I would’ve asked you to move in with me the second we got back to Chicago. I fell hard and fast. I’m crazy about you. And I do consider this serious and I would love to make it long-term. But when I say that, I’m thinking about you and me. The idea of the four of us together is gonna take me a little time to wrap my head around.”

He takes a breath. “I thoughtthiswas in the short term. For fun. Kind of a sex thing. I know that you like them both. I know they both like you. I know the feelings are deeper than I initially expected. But I guess I thought maybe it would run its course.”

He meets my gaze. “I don’t mean to hurt you. You’re my best friend. I just didn’t think that you were in the right place for a serious committed relationship.”

I don’t know how to respond to that. It pisses me off. But also he’s not completely wrong. Until I met Brooke and started thinking about the dogs, I wasn’t in a place to make a committed relationship work. I can’t argue with that except to say that Brooke changed everything.

I’m not sure Wyatt wants to hear that right now.

Wyatt looks at Luke. “And I fully expected you to push her away at the first chance. You’ve got your emotional walls built up so high I’m sometimes amazed I’m even allowed behind them. Everything you told her is true. You never would’ve let her close if it wasn’t for me and Jackson.

“And I know you. Here in a little bit you’re going to start thinking about the fact that she was worried about you today. That’s going to bother you. You don’t want people to care about you. I’m allowed because I can be there to actually do something about it. But you hate the idea that Brooke might be sitting at her clinic, watching TV, worried about you. The emotional involvement is something you didn’t ask for.”

Wyatt takes another deep breath, then looks back to Brooke. “So, I’m sorry, but the idea of us all moving in together, playing house, acting like… I don’t know, a couple times four? Like your brother and his people? No, that didn’t occur to me.”

The kitchen is completely quiet for thirty seconds. Then Brooke says, “This is all really good to know.” She turns and walks to the hallway, turning back and addressing us. “I have never had a serious committed relationship with a guy. Not one. And now there are three of you. And frankly, you’re overwhelming. I can’t even keep up with texting you and working at the same time. And here we are talking about how we have to dig through all our emotions, and define what’s goingon, and potentially start a poly relationship that clearly Jackson is the only one who’s really thought about. And he’s the one who supposedly takes things the least serious of all of us.” She shoots me a glance. “And I don’t mean that in a bad way. I love how laid back and fun you are.”

Jesus, I have no idea how to think or feel about anything any of them are saying at this point.

Brooke goes on before anyone can respond. “If I can’t even keep up with texts, I don’t see how I can possibly think about managing living with all three of you, even if you all wanted that. Ihaveto do well at this internship. It’s everything I have been working for. It is my future. So… I think we need to take a break.”

She stops, letting that hang in the air between all of us. She opens her mouth, then shuts it again. Then shakes her head. “Yeah. I guess that’s it. I think we need to take a break. I cannotcome between the three of you. You’re best friends. You two have to work together,” she says, looking at Wyatt and Luke. “You two have been friends since you were kids,” she says, looking at me and then Wyatt. “I can’t mess that up. Especially when none of us are really sure about this. So I’m going to go. And I’m not going to come back tomorrow.”

She turns and starts down the hallway but stops again and turns back. “And I really, really need you guys to stop texting me.”

When she starts down the hall this time, she doesn’t stop.

The kitchen is so quiet that we easily hear the front door open and then shut.

It’s several more seconds after that before Luke says, “Well, fuck.”

Wyatt shoves his hand through his hair. “Fuck.”

I really have nothing better to add so I just nod and mutter, “Fuck.”

CHAPTER 39

Brooke

I needsugar and I need advice.

The best place to get both is at Books and Buns, the bookstore and bakery my sister-in-law, Elise, works at. After leaving the guys at Jackson’s house and going back to my place, I had spent the next few days trying to puzzle out all of my feelings. I’d wound up cleaning my apartment Friday night for almost two hours and it made me feel more in control of my life. Or at least the illusion of control.

I may be struggling at my internship and with the guys, but I have a clean kitchen. I half expected Wyatt to show up on my doorstep, but he and Jackson and Luke respected my request for space, which left me weirdly feeling lonely.

This isn’t what I want.

I don’twantto end things with them.

Luke, Wyatt, and Jackson are all incredible men, each in their own unique way, and I love being with them.

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