Page 109 of Mine

“What are we doing?” She walked back until she hit the sofa. “Just last week we weren’t talking, things were happening that we were all happy to ignore.”

“That was my fault,” I said, running my hand over my face and beard. “The way our relationship changed scared me. When I realized I cared for you guys, I reacted stupidly. Instead of talking about it, I let all my worst thoughts fester and let them rule over me.”

“What thoughts?” Ro asked.

“This was supposed to be easy and fun. I don’t know how to be a boyfriend or whatever we are without rules,” I sighed. “I like contracts because I like knowing once I leave your bed or vice versa, I’m not required to do anything. Hockey takes up so much of my time, I never wanted to juggle that and a relationship. What I didn’t realize was, if I wanted to, I could. And with you guys, it was so easy to be more and want more.”

Valencia turned away and Ro stared at me with so much emotion.

“Do you want more?” he asked.

“Yes, without a shadow of doubt. Living without you isn’t an option, but I’m still scared. It’s not because of you, but because I want this to work so bad.”

Ro gave me a big smile while Valencia looked wary.

“I knew you were pulling away and I was scared to tell you to stay. I was scared to push us to talk because what if that pushed you away. I didn’t want to face the truth if neither of you wanted to stay together,” Ro said with a smirk. “I didn’t want to be that guy just because I’m young, but I want this to work out. Anytime I am thinking of the future, it’s with you and Valencia.”

I smiled and felt a piece of our fractured relationship piece itself together.

“Shit,” Valencia said, walking away from us. “I have to go.”

The abrupt change left me reeling. I was so worried about my own feelings I didn’t realize what if she didn’t feel the same? Ro looked confused and I took a deep breath. This was just another obstacle we needed to overcome. She was still dealing with a lot of things and maybe right now wasn’t the time to confess our feelings.

“This gives us time for our other visit,” I said. “She’s dealing with a lot, ok?”

He nodded, taking a deep breath. I kissed his forehead and walked to my room grabbing the phone bag so I could switch out her sim card.

Ro stayed out of her way as I helped her get ready. Valencia didn’t meet my eye much as she put her makeup on and got ready. I wanted to know what was going on in that head of hers. I called a car for her since she insisted on just taking an Uber, but like hell I was going to let her get into some random dude’s car.

“Thank you,” she said, when I handed her the phone. “I’ll call you when I finish.”

“Hey,” I said, grabbing her good hand, pulling her to me. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but I just wanted you to know how I felt.”

She opened her mouth to say something, and I shook my head.

“Don’t say anything now,” I said, pushing a stray curl behind her ear, admiring that she had covered almost all the bruises. “I know this is a lot for you, and while you may want to run away now, please don’t. I promise we can work through this, and we will do whatever it takes to make sure you and your job won’t be at jeopardy.”

“Hunter, what do you?—”

I kissed her softly, knowing what she was going to ask, and she didn’t need to know anything quite yet.

“I hope we see you at the game,” I said, kissing her again, showing her I wanted her with everything I had.

She sighed when I tried pulling her close as she tugged me closer, stroking my tongue with her own and controlling the kiss. Her hands threaded through my hair, tugging at it towards the nape of my neck. A thrill of pleasure shot through me, my cock grew with every swipe of her tongue and when she tried to climb onto my lap, I stopped her.

“Lenny,” I said against her lips.

“I need you,” she whimpered. “I need you and Ro. I?—”

She abruptly pulled away, taking a few steps back.

“Valencia,” I said calmly. “We will take this one day at a time.”

“I’ll see you later, ok?” She walked up to me, kissed my cheek, grabbed her phone and her purse. “Whatever happens right now might change everything and I wish that I could be as optimistic as you guys but I don’t have that luxury.”

I watched her leave the room and I took a deep breath as anxiety overwhelmed me once again. She was just dealing with a lot, and we would be there for her no matter how long it took. I got up from the bed, walking out to the living room when I heard them speak.

“I’m sorry, Ro,” she said. “I’m so overwhelmed. I?—”

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