Page 13 of Theirs to Have

“Cash, you can’t say anything and not mean it. I need some help, and we have nowhere else to go.” She rubbed her bellyagain, not above using the baby to get what she needed. Sleeping in her car seven months pregnant would break her back and she didn’t have time or money for more doctors.

“I meant what I said, little one—anything.” Cash handed her a glass of water and she drank it down. She hadn’t had much to eat all day, and her stomach did a little flip-flop. Mercy closed her eyes trying to calm her empty tummy. The last thing she needed was to run to the bathroom to get sick.

“You okay?” Cash was around the bar standing by her side when her eyes opened to his question. She slowly nodded, suddenly feeling a little dizzy. Cash must have noticed, wrapping his big arm around her body. Mercy couldn’t help herself she leaned into him soaking up the comfort that he was offering. It felt like so many things were against her right now and having a literal shoulder to lean on felt like heaven.

“When was the last time you ate anything, little one?” Cash growled. Mercy knew that lying to him was of no use. Her traitorous body chose that moment for her stomach to growl so loudly, she was sure that Callan could hear it over his band.

“This morning. I’ve been—busy.” That wasn’t a lie. She had been busy packing her shit and loading it into her car. She had achy muscles to prove it. Mercy even had a few of those Braxton hick’s contractions but she was sure that they were just nature’s way of warning her to slow down. Her third trimester was kicking her ass, and her life hadn’t slowed down around her.

“I’m going to put an order in for you and then you, Callan, and I are going to go back to my office to talk. We need to get a few things straight.” Cash disappeared back to the kitchen as Callan finished up his song. He told the crowd that had gathered to hear him play that he and the band were going to take a little break, and Mercy knew that she was the cause of the groans of disappointment around the bar.

Callan crossed to where she sat and pulled her into his arms, almost lifting her from the barstool. “Hi baby,” he crooned. “I missed you,” he whispered into her ear, making her melt.

She wanted to tell Callan that she missed him too, but she was a chicken. Hell, she missed both of them so much, not just over the last two weeks but since their night together. But, telling them would be a mistake. It would give them both hope and Mercy wasn’t sure that she was willing to do that to them. It would be cruel to lead them on just to keep a roof over her head. She needed to get her, and the baby settled, figure out which one of the guys was her baby’s father, and then decide what she wanted. As of right now, her goals were food and a place to stay, in that order.

She reluctantly pulled free from Callan, righting herself on the barstool, and wanted to clap and cheer when she saw the plate of food that Cash was bringing her. He set it in front of her and she wanted to dig in, but she felt that she at least owed them the truth.

“I can’t pay for this,” she whispered. Cash growled and handed her the fork.

“I don’t want you to fucking pay for this, Mercy. I want to take care of you and our baby. We both do.” She looked between Callan and Cash, not missing the flash of anger on their handsome faces. Cash had his hair pulled back tonight and when he wore it like that, Mercy felt like she could see straight through to his soul by just staring into his green eyes. She knew that they wouldn’t allow any argument, she was going to let them feed her. Mercy was hungry and out of options.

Her grandmother and Joe had put their foot down and told her that they needed their privacy, and she couldn’t blame them. At their ages, they were lucky to find each other. Her grandmother deserved happiness and Joe seemed like a good person. Gram even suggested that she let Cash and Callan helpher out until she could get back on her feet. She tried to explain to her grandmother that letting them help would give them both the wrong idea and that wouldn’t be fair to either of them. Gram just smirked and went about her cooking, dropping the subject.

Mercy hated that she had to turn to the guys and a part of her wondered if her grandmother might not be scheming to push them all together. Mercy wouldn’t put it past Gram, the woman could be relentless when she thought that Mercy should do something. She dragged her feet about declaring a major in college, but Gram pushed her into the nursing field, telling her that she’d be a natural. And she was right. Mercy was born to be a nurse, and she missed her job terribly.

“Eat up, baby. After you finish, Cash and I have a few things to discuss with you,” Callan said. Honestly, Mercy didn’t want to think about what they wanted to discuss. All she could think about was the food sitting in front of her and how hungry she was. She must have worked up more of an appetite than she imagined moving her things from her room.

Cash talked to a new waitress, her name tag said Ivy, and Mercy felt a pang of jealousy seeing the way the new girl shyly smiled at Cash. At one point she leaned in to laugh at something that Cash said, gently touching his arm and Mercy wanted to rip her arms from their sockets but she also knew that she had no right to feel that way. Cash wasn’t hers and she needed to remember that. The most he might ever be to her was the father of her baby.

“It’s not what you’re thinking, baby. She’s just a flirt but Cash doesn’t have eyes for anyone but you.” Mercy shot Cash a look and shrugged to let him know that she couldn’t care less about what Cash did with his time or whom he did it with.

“Cash can do whatever he wants with whomever he wants. It’s none of my business,” Mercy spat.

Callan chuckled, shaking his head at her. “See, that’s where you’re wrong, honey. Everything Cash and I do is your business and the sooner you accept that the smoother this transition will be for the three of us.” Mercy wasn’t quite sure what Callan was getting at. Sure, one of them was her baby’s father but that didn’t give her the right to keep tabs on them. At some point, they would both move on, and rightly so. She couldn’t expect them to remain celibate just because one of them was her baby’s dad. Still, the thought of either of them with another woman rubbed her the wrong way.

Cash finished talking to Ivy and walked back over to where she and Callan sat at the bar. “You feeling better, little one?” Mercy shrugged, trying for nonchalant. Callan barked out his laugh and poor Cash looked to be confused by the whole scene.

“I think our Mercy is a little jealous of your newly hired help.” Both guys looked over to where the curvy blond was clearing a table, smiling and chatting with customers as she worked.

Cash pulled Mercy from her bar stool and sealed his mouth over hers, dipping his tongue in at her surprised gasp. When he finished kissing her, Callan took his turn thoroughly kissing his way into her mouth and leaving everyone in the bar no room for doubt as to whether or not the three of them were an item.

“What the hell was that guys?” she whispered.

“That, little one, was to show you that I don’t care what anyone else in this fucking bar thinks about the three of us being together. That was to show you that no other woman means a fucking thing to me. That was to show you that we both want you even when you’re being a stubborn little brat.” Cash took her hand and led her back to his office, Callan followed behind her. Mercy needed to remember why she was there but the two of them together, kissing her, touching her, did strange things to her concentration.

“Cash, I came here to ask you a favor and while I appreciate the meal, I need to get a few things figured out.” Cash sat down on the black leather sofa that took up one wall in his office, pulling her down onto his lap. Callan sat next to him and pulled her legs across his own. With both guys touching her Mercy was pretty sure that she was going to lose the ability to form words. It was now or never.

“I need a place to stay. My grandmother is getting married, and I’ve been kicked out, so to speak. Can I stay at your apartment upstairs?” Cash looked at Callan and smiled.

“You can’t stay in my apartment, little one. Ivy is staying there now.” Mercy blew out a breath feeling defeated. She was sure that she couldn’t sink much lower—especially knowing now that Cash and the new girl were living together.

“That’s fine. I get it, you’ve moved on, and I can’t blame you. I told you both to forget about me.” Mercy tried to stand, and Cash’s arms banded around her holding her against his body.

“Let me explain, little one,” Cash insisted. Mercy nodded and waited for him to continue. “Ivy is my new employee. I hired her to help run the bar when I can’t be here. I’m going to be taking some extra time off, and I needed the help.” Mercy wanted to ask why he needed time off, but she knew that it was none of her business.

“Cash and I have moved into his house together, baby.” Mercy looked between the two of them confused. The night that they spent together, both guys told her that they were straight. What changed?

“You two are together now?” Mercy motioned between the two of them, “I thought you were both straight.” Both guys grimaced and feverishly shook their heads. She giggled at the show that both of them were putting on. “Okay, maybe I read this whole situation all wrong. So, if you two aren’t an item then why are you living in Cash’s house together?”

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