Page 155 of Mayhem
“This is a promise,” Paetyn stated.
“That when you’re ready to be more than our girlfriend, we’re ready for that too,” Cruz added.
They’d talked about it, but it hadn’t been a long or hard discussion. They both knew Erin was it for them. It was hard to explain, but the fact that they’d waited for her to be ready for a year told them all they needed to know.
Erin’s lips were on his immediately, her tongue slipping into his mouth. He cupped the side of her face as her hand trailed up his thigh over his lounge pants. She palmed his dick through them, and it wasn’t until Paetyn muttered, “Fuck, Angel,” did they pull apart. She’d slipped her hand into the other man’s pajama pants and was stroking him slowly.
Cruz glanced at the clock. “If we start this, we’ll be late.”
Erin pulled the front of his pants and boxers down enough to release his dick. “Then we better be quick.” With that, she took him into her mouth, pulling a moan from him. She rearranged herself on her knees, ass in the air.
“You heard her,” he said to Paetyn as he shifted to position himself behind her.
“That I did,” Paetyn responded, slipping his hand between Erin’s legs. “Let’s not waste time.”
Even with them doing so, Cruz wasn't sure they’d be at their parents’ house on time.
Paetyn leaned against the archway to the living room as he watched Erin and Lena. They’d had lunch and exchanged gifts, and the two discussed the quilted blanket she’d given Erin for Christmas. It was made of different sections, each with a separate design that blended. It was beautiful, and he was sure she’d spent much time on it.
His father stepped beside him from the study, where Paetyn had left him and Cruz minutes prior. The two stood silently for a couple of minutes, watching the women.
“Did you and Cruz plan on telling us about your engagement?”
He could see how it would look that way. The ring, while a promise ring, could easily pass for an engagement ring. It was one of the reasons they’d chosen it. It could easily transition by switching the finger she wore it on when she was ready until they got her a proper one. It also would have been the first thing either of them mentioned when they arrived. He didn’t see them being able to keep it a secret for long, not that he thought any of them would want to.
“It isn’t an engagement ring. She’d be wearing it, on the other hand, if it were. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Then you’re both ready.”
“Whenever she is,” Paetyn confirmed.
He and Cruz couldn’t wait to call her their wife. Life with her, even when they had disagreements, which was rare, felt damn near perfect. He wasn’t sure it could get any better thanit was. Waking up to her in the mornings when she stayed over gave him a feeling he wasn’t sure could be duplicated. He didn’t remember feeling that way about the other women they’d dated. Sure, he’d cared for them and loved a few, but it was different with Erin.
Paetyn enjoyed those moments when he got to watch her sleep. He also enjoyed the little things with her, and there was never any pressure for them to do anything. They could sit at home and appreciate each other’s presence, even if they were doing separate things.
Erin had already enamored them, but her willingness to open up to them, to let them in on what she considered a problem, and they considered her love language, only added to what he felt.
He was ready to see what every day with her would be like. What it would bring, and what new things they would learn about one another. However, they weren’t in a hurry. How they felt about her wouldn’t change, and they didn’t want to rush her. They wanted Erin to be ready, and they could be as patient as they needed.
“I’m glad you boys finally found the one,” his dad stated, pulling him from his reverie.
It was the first time his father had said that to him, and they’d dated other women longer than they had Erin. Maybe, like them, he could feel that something was different between them; something was there that hadn’t been with the others.
“What do you mean?” Paetyn asked, wanting the older man’s perspective.
“I haven’t seen either of you this happy and content in past relationships. You were happy, yes, but not like this. There’s an ease that the three of you have that wasn’t quite there with the other women. I don’t know if that’s because your personalities blend and balance better than in the past. I think you’ve finallyfound what you need, which is what you want. In the past, you had what you wanted but not what you needed.”
Paetyn knew his dad was correct. They’d finally gotten what they wanted and needed, which made it even better. Now that it was said aloud, he was sure it lent to why they were ready to jump into the most permanent commitment they could with them only dating for eight months. Though love had no time frame, and people settled down earlier than that.
“You’re right, Dad,” he responded as Cruz joined them.
“Baby,” Erin stated, looking at them with a smile.
“Yes, Maly?” Cruz asked.
“Will you bring me another slice of pie?”
Paetyn chuckled. “I’m sure you’ve eaten nearly the entire pie, Angel.”
