Page 19 of Perfidious Passion

Aaron claps me on the back with a grin and waves his phone in my face. "I think it already did."

I reach for his hands and force the screen to stop moving so I can read her message. Laughing, I push my brother-husband away and release a sigh of relief. "Thank fuck."

"You can say that again," Caleb grumbles while lighting more candles.

"Caleb," Aaron snaps. "I get you struggle when Lilly struggles, but after this, I think it's time you both go talk to someone."

Aghast, Caleb whirls around on his husband. "What, like a therapist? I was just joking, Aaron."

"It doesn’t matter if you were joking or not. You were insensitive at breakfast." Aaron soothes the edge of his voice as he approaches my twin. "Iknowyou try, but there's something there," he taps Caleb's forehead, "that needs some acknowledging. Just like Lilly does."

I fear Caleb's going to fight and argue, but his shoulders slump. My heart cracks with his next words. "I just don't know why she gets uneasy around me. I'm happy. Really truly happy. Why can't she see that?"

Aaron kisses him gently and pulls away to look him in the eye. "Anxiety is like having blinders on sometimes. Lillyknowsyou're happy. Just like sheknowsI love her andknowsDean is comfortable with our dynamic."

Lilly does know all of those things, but it doesn't stop her from asking us those questions every once in a while. My wife's anxiety whispers in her ear and taunts those insecurities she's worked so hard to bury.

Our monsters don't always stay buried though.

From Caleb, she needs reassurance that he is truly happy, probably because she feels like an addition to their relationship and not their center. Aaron's cooler, broodier demeanor makes her question whether he truly loves her when he has Caleb for similar reasons. As for me? I never saw myself sharing my woman with my brother, or another guy for that matter.

There have been hiccups, but from those hard conversations came more self-awareness and a stronger bond between the four of us. Sharing didn't come easy to me at first. I know I'm the easygoing one out of the three of us guys, but that didn't happen right away.

I still struggle sometimes, knowing I'm not enough for her. I have to remind myself that it's not that though. Lilly has a heart and soul big enough to love each of us. She never makes me feel less than or ignored, but she still needs to hear it sometimes.

Sometimes.Not all the time. Lilly has gone through therapy and has done incredible work on managing her anxiety. Something triggered it this week. I just wish I knew what it was so I knew how best to help her.

You'd think this would be the perfect opportunity to appreciate the fact that my wife has three partners, but no. The other two have no clue what's going on with her, either.

"When will she be here?" Caleb asks, having shaken off his attitude. He was more affected by our dad's death and mom's mental health struggles. It shows when Lilly's rears its head, too.

Her monsters call to his.

Maybe we couldallbenefit from some therapy.

Aaron frowns down at his phone. "The limo picked her up about a half hour ago. She should be here by now, if not just a few minutes away."

"Maybe she's stuck in traffic," I mutter and find my phone on a bookshelf. "I'll call her."

With my phone to my ear, I survey the setup we did. The food sits artfully on the table with lids on to preserve their heat. Caleb and I went all out with flowers and candles. We wereveryfucking careful about where we lit the candles, though. This place is an absolutebonfirewaiting to happen.

The warm lights are dimmed, and the wine chills in an ice bucket Aaron bought on the way. We went all out and?—

"Hello, I'm sorry I couldn't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can. Thanks! Oh, it's Lilly. Okay, bye!"

Frowning, I pull the phone away from my ear and hang up. "Voicemail..." I murmur, my stomach cramping with stress like it always does when I get worried about Lilly.

"I'll try," Aaron declares, already lifting his cell and walking to look out the shop windows. "Fuck," he mutters a few moments later.

"One sec..." Caleb also tries, but the identical frown on his face freaks me the fuck out. "Voicemail," he says what I already know.

"But she?—"

"Always answers," my brother finishes my sentence.

You better just be down the road, baby...

Lilly

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