Page 131 of Mayhem
Erin paused her fork as her eyes widened. “Oh, I would have beat them both up,” she stated, and both men chuckled. “That’s so trifling.”
“The two of you think alike because he threw a punch, and they fought for about a minute.”
“You didn’t try to break them up?” Cruz asked with a raised brow.
Paetyn shrugged. “He had it coming. Who am I to disrupt karma?”
Erin laughed as she shook her head. “If she was sleeping with someone else, her turning down his proposal makes sense. I understand that his doing so may seem out of place, butsometimes people know what they want and when they want to spend the rest of their lives with someone. He wanted that with her, but she wanted to be in the streets.”
“To add insult to injury, for both of them, I guess. She didn’t leave with either one of them. She left with the best friend’s sister. While the men were trying to figure out who would pay for any damages caused. The two women were making out just outside the private room,” Paetyn concluded.
“Yeah, she’s deep in the streets,” Erin stated. She turned her attention to him. “Was your meeting that exciting, babe?”
Cruz chuckled. “It was beyond boring compared to that. How was your sleepover?”
“It was good. Alijah made breakfast this morning before everyone left, and I got ready for work.”
They continued their conversation throughout dinner, and when they had dessert in front of them, he turned to Paetyn, figuring now was an excellent time to discuss what they wanted to.
“We want to talk to you about something, Angel.”
“Okay. Is there something wrong?” Erin asked.
“No, Maly. Your lease is up next week, and we would like you to move in with us.”
She looked between them. “I signed my lease renewal before we went on vacation.”
“We’ll buy you out of it,” Paetyn stated, and Erin looked between them again. This time, biting her bottom lip. “Unless you don’t want us to,” Paetyn added when she was silent.
“You don’t think it’s too soon for that? For us to move in together?”
“No,” Cruz started. “Because we know what we want,” he continued, paraphrasing what she’d said earlier in dinner. “But we’re not going to pressure you if you don’t want to.”
“We’re patient, Angel. We can wait until you’re ready.”
“I’m going to be honest with you. It’s not that I don’t think I’m ready. It’s that if I do, and I get used to coming home to you, seeing you every day, and things go downhill…if we separate. It’s another thing I have to get used to not having. I want to, but I love you, and I’m not sure I’m willing to risk us moving to that step too quickly and losing—”
Erin cut off as he and Paetyn stood abruptly, their chairs sounding off across the tile floor. Paetyn pulled her to stand, and they boxed her in. Her back against Paetyn’s chest, his arm wrapped around her waist as Cruz gripped her chin, tilting her head.
“Say it again,” he requested as he leaned down, lips brushing hers.
“Say…” she trailed off.
“Say. It. Again,” Paetyn echoed, a kiss to the shell of her ear between each word.
“...I love you.”
“Kocham cie.” He kissed her. “I love you,” he translated.
Cruz stepped back as she turned to face Paetyn. “Te amo.”
“Te amo, Angel.” He kissed her, and when they pulled apart, she stepped out of his embrace and looked at them.
“What if we did a trial period?”
“What did you have in mind?” Paetyn asked.
“I could do alternating weeks. That way, you can figure out if you want me in your space that much or if you change your mind.”
