Page 25 of Finding Chloe

“What do you mean?” Her forehead scrunched, and I fought the urge to take her into my arms.

“I mean, I want to be in an exclusive relationship. I want you to be mine. My woman.” I palmed the back of my neck. “This isn’t coming out right.”

“No, not at all.” Chloe was smiling, but I could tell she was working hard not to laugh at my blubbering.

I grabbed her hands and stared directly into her chocolatey brown eyes. “I want you to be my girlfriend.” I heard the sharp inhale through her teeth. “I know we’ve been casual, but when we’re apart, it feels like we’re a long-distance couple. And I want to give it a go.”

Chloe’s eyes widened, and she resembled a deer in the headlights.

It was my turn to suck in a breath. “Please say something.”

I hated that she stood there, staring at me like I was a stranger. My stomach knotted, and I knew I’d gone about this the wrong way. I should have told her my feelings when I first realized them.

After what felt like minutes, Chloe blinked and shook herself out of it. “You ask me this now?” she said slowly. “After whatwe’ve had over the last few years, andnowyou decide you want more. Why? Because you see someone else is interested in me? Or that I might be interested in them?” She waved her arms wildly at me as she spoke.

“It’s not like that,” I replied, frustration tinging my voice. “I didn’t want to ruin what we had, but the more time we spent together, the more I realized how much I wished we were permanent. I love everything about you, Chloe, and who we are together.”

There was so much I wanted to say, but I struggled with how to express how deep my feelings were.

The set of her jaw told me I wasn’t getting through the way I needed to.

“No,” Chloe said, crossing her arms and glaring at me.

“Why not?” Anger and frustration warred within my chest.

Her voice gentled. “I’m sorry, Matt. I can’t be exclusive with you. Not anymore. If you’d asked me the last time I’d visited, I wouldn’t have been with Hunter, and it would have been an easy decision. But you waited too long. I like Hunter, and I want to see where things could go with us. And that means Kyle too.”

“So you’re just ending us? Giving up on everything we have?” The anger inside me quickly deflated. A sharp pain settled under my breastbone, and with every heartbeat, it only hurt worse.

She set a hand on my arm. “I didn’t say that. I said I couldn’t be exclusive.”

I jerked away and paced a few steps. Everything was changing, and I didn’t know how to stop it. “I don’t even know what that means.”

“It means that if you want me, you’ll have to share me.” Her hands settled on her hips. “With Hunter and Kyle.”

“You know I don’t want a relationship like that.” I didn’t have anything against it, but I knew I’d be too jealous to share her with someone else.

“I’m not saying that, Matt. I don’t even know what I want. This type of relationship is all new to me too, but if you want a shot with me, you have to date me while I’m dating them.”

She was shredding my heart with every word.

“Chloe…” My voice cracked.

Her eyes were gentle, and the way her hands clenched, I knew she fought against reaching for me. “I want you too, but I also want to see where this goes with Hunter and Kyle. I need to do this.”

“And if I say no, what does it mean for us?” I paced, unable to stay still.

“You have to decide if you’re willing to share me right now. I need you to either be on board with the two of us or give me time to get to know them better and make my decision.”

“Why would I want to share? I don’t want to split my woman’s attention with someone else.” I ran a hand through my hair. “How do you think I’d feel, knowing I wasn’t enough to satisfy you? That you had to have two other men.”

“Do you really think that’s how it works? Isn’t it supposed to be about more people to care for the woman? That when someone isn’t around, there is always another there?” Chloe stepped in my path and I stopped. “Think of it this way… when the two of them are away at the horse shows, you’d have me all to yourself.” She moved closer and hooked her fingers through my beltloops, tugging me closer.

Fuck.

She had me. I would love to be able to hang that over their heads—that I got her all to myself so much.

“Maybe you don’t have to join in. I just want you to keep an open mind. Maybe I won’t like it.”

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