Page 32 of When We Breathe
“I’m so fucking smart,” Gabe mutters as he seasons the steaks.
“No.” Her voice is quiet, and it makes my heart catch. “Gabe told me that you both like having me around, and he would have invited me here, even if the apartment was comfortable. And I like being with both of you.”
“Then what’s the problem?” She nibbles that perfect lip. “Keep chewing on your lip like that and you’ll make it bleed. Talk to us, Princess. What’s bothering you? We can’t fix it if we don’t know what’s wrong.”
She frowns and stares at my chest for a few seconds. I tip her chin up, making her look at me.
“You can say anything, baby. You’re safe here.”
“I don’t want to get attached to you guys and then when you’re finished with me, I’m brokenhearted and lonely.” She swallows hard as Gabe abandons the steaks and crosses to us.
“Okay, let’s break this down.” I brush my fingertips over the side of her neck, needing to touch her. “Why do you think we’ll befinished with you?”
She frowns and blinks up at me. “Um, because you two are acouple, Adam. I’m the girl from the bar. Sure, we had a lot of fun, but you’re both taken. With each other.”
Now, she’s looking at me like I’m stupid, and it makes me smile.
“It’s not funny,” she says, and I can’t help but kiss her lips.
“No, it’s not funny. Not at all.”
Picking her up, I carry Alex to the couch and settle her in my lap. Gabe sits on the coffee table, facing us, and takes Alex’s hand in his. He kisses the back of it and rests his other hand on my knee.
We’re all connected.
Just as it should be.
“You’re right, Gabe and I are a couple.” He squeezes my knee, and I wink at him. “I mean, have you seen that man?”
“Yeah, he’s sexy as hell. You did well.”
I smile and Gabe rolls his eyes. “I agree. I don’t live my life with the illusion that I can only love one person, Alex. Well, I don’tnow.”
“We weren’t expecting you,” Gabe continues. “We’ve been happily going along, living our lives. And I think I can speak for both of us when I say that opening our hearts up to someone new wasn’t in the plan.”
“Agreed.”
“But you’re special, Alex.”
“Wait.” She wiggles out of my lap and starts to pace the living room. “Are you saying that you’re both open to exploring athrouplesituation here?”
“A throuple.” I lift my eyebrows. “I like that word.”
“I won’t live without Adam,” Gabe says simply. “Not for one day for the rest of my life. But now that we’ve found you, I want you, too. And Adam feels the same.”
She shifts her gaze to me, and I nod. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
“So you’ll still have your thing, and then you’ll each have a relationship with me, and we’ll all have a relationship together?”
“That’s what it boils down to,” Gabe agrees. “You’d be ours, and we’d be yours. Equally. No favorites, no bullshit.”
“Wow.” Alex props her hands on her hips and turns her back to us, and Gabe and I share a look.
Is she going to run?
Maybe.
“And you know you want to do this after just a few days?” She turns back to us and crosses her arms over her chest. “I mean, I’m flattered, but?—”
