Page 87 of Spark
In response, Chris’s heartbeat sped up with excitement.
“Yeah,” he agreed fervently. “I don't want to wait. But do youreallythink she’ll go for it? I mean, she just broke up with us.”
His words hit Matt in the gut, stirring up sudden insecurity.What if she's still determined to take that job in Todos Santos? What if she turns us down?
The frosted glass door that separated the waiting room from the treatment rooms opened, and Sophie emerged, sporting a bright pink fiberglass cast that covered her hand, wrist, and forearm up to the elbow.
She still looked pale and shocked from her experience, and that made Matt’s bear grumble protectively.
At the sight of her, Matt pushed himself up from the chair. He wavered on his numb leg, and found Chris’s hand under his elbow, steadying him.
“Hey,” he said. “How are you doing?”
“Starving,” she said, with a smile. “Want to go grab some lunch before we head home?”
On cue, Matt’s stomach growled. Shifting and fighting were hard work. “Absolutely,” he said. “And Chris and I have something very important to discuss with you.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Downtown Bearpaw Ridge
A short time later
Sophie’s stomach churned with a mixture of anxiety and curiosity as they left the Bearpaw Ridge Medical Clinic together. She and Chris supported Matt between them as he limped out of the waiting room. Matt had his arm around Chris’s shoulders, and she had her uninjured arm wrapped around his waist.
She tried to deny how good it felt to touch him…and how much it had helped when they had hugged her and kissed her after her ordeal.
Matt had adamantly refused the offer of a cane or crutches, claiming that he would be walking just fine once the lidocaine wore off. Over the years of their friendship, both she and Chris had experienced the famous Swanson obstinacy often enough to realize that trying to convince him would be a losing battle.
Her broken arm was throbbing with a slow, dull ache beneath the cast, and she felt shaky and off-balance after this morning's terrifying ordeal. She dreaded the conversation that they were about to have, but realized she couldn’t put it off any longer.
To her relief, neither of them broached any serious topics right away. They snagged one of the patio tables at the rear of the Wildcat Springs Texas BBQ restaurant, and their only discussion was whether they should order individual meals or split a couple of the family platters.
She did catch Matt and Chris exchanging frequent questioning glances, but no one really spoke while they waited for the combo platters to arrive.
All of them dug in. Sophie was starving and still feeling shaky, and Justin’s brisket and ribs had never tasted better. Luckily, even with her arm in cast, she was able to hold a fork and lift her glass of soda.
The guys wolfed down their share of the meat and sides as if they hadn’t eaten in weeks.
By the time the bowls of the restaurant’s famous banana pudding dessert appeared on their table, Sophie was feeling much better. The shakiness had settled down, and one of the big prescription-strength ibuprofen tablets issued by the medical center’s pharmacy had made the pain in her arm recede.
Matt and Chris traded glances, then Matt looked her straight in the eye. “Sophie, I wanted to tell you that you were totally right about the courtship competition tearing us apart.”
She blinked at this. She had been bracing for him—well, both of them—to try and badger her into changing her mind. But Matt sounded humble and contrite.
He continued, “Chris and I had a long talk this morning and cleared the air between us.”
She let out a long breath of relief and smiled at them each in turn. “Oh, that’s great! I'm so happy. I was super worried that you guys weren’t going to be on speaking terms anymore.”
Matt returned her smile, then shot Chris look that clearly said,your turn.
“Sophie, you said you didn’t want to have to choose between us," Chris began, his expression somber. “And Matt’s right. It was ruining our friendship. So, what Matt and I talked about…well, what if youdidn’thave to choose between us? What if you could be with both of us, without Matt and me competing to be your one-and-only?” He smiled at her, his green eyes filled with love and affection. “What if we became your ‘both-and-only?’”
Every part of her shouted,Yes!But emotion choked her, and she found herself unable to speak.
“If we promised that we wouldn’t fight over you anymore, but just to love you without making you choose between us, would you reconsider breaking up with us?” Matt asked.
“And not take that job with AIMM?” Chris added.
