Page 163 of Ink Me Three Times
"I’m not gonna pretend like this is easy to explain, but it’s not just physical. It’s not just about having a good time. We’re not treating her like a damn harem. Mitchell, Timothy, and I… we all have feelings for her. This isn’t a ‘who’s gonna win her over’ kind of thing, Jesse. We’re all in this. All three of us care about her, and yeah, it’s messy, it’s complicated, but it’s real."
Jesse stands still, his shoulders tight, his back stiff, but I can see a flicker of confusion mixed with something else, maybe shock, maybe realization. I’m not sure. But I can’t stop now.
His breath hitches, and for a moment, I wonder if I’ve lost him. Maybe I have. Maybe this is too much for him to swallowright now. But I can’t let him go thinking I’ve been treating Ivy like something disposable, just to be fought over.
"She’s not some object," I add quietly, my voice softer, but firm. "She’s a person. And we all know it. And I don’t know what’s gonna happen next, but I know that we’re all in this together. It’s us… three guys, one woman, trying to figure out how the hell we make this work."
Jesse just stands there, looking at me. His face is a mix of disbelief and something that almost seems to be... concern. He finally shakes his head, as if trying to process everything I’ve just thrown at him.
And then, just like that, it happens.
Without warning, his fist shoots out, slamming into the counter with a sickening crack. The sound echoes in the small shop, and I jump back, my heart racing as I watch him grind his teeth together.
“This isinsane, Freddie!” he yells, his voice cracking, the rage bubbling over. “All of you,all of you, sleeping with her, getting her pregnant, and now you’re trying to tell me it’s real? How the hell am I supposed to believe that?!”
I open my mouth to speak, but Jesse doesn’t give me the chance. He’s already pacing, his hands tearing through the air, like he’s trying to beat the frustration out of the room. He kicks over a chair, sending it clattering to the floor, and I flinch, the noise ripping through me rough as a knife.
“You fucked her, Freddie. You all fucked her, and now you’re just gonna act like it’s some big, happy, messed up family?! You can’t just fix this with some bullshit apology!”
I try to stay calm, but every word he spits cuts me open. He’s my best friend, the one person who’s always had my back. But right now, I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do. How do I make him see the truth of this without it feeling like a betrayal?
I feel the heat rise in my chest, the weight of what he’s saying pressing down harder. I know this isn’t just about me. It’s about Ivy. And the anger? It’s not just about the mess we’ve made. It’s about him being blindsided. About his little sister being caught in something so far out of his control, it’s tearing him apart.
“Jesse, man,” I try again, stepping forward, but he’s too far gone. “You don’t understand, this isn’t how we thought it was gonna go. None of us are trying to hurt her. We’re all just… trying to figure this out. It’s not just about us, it’s about her too. It’s about giving her a choice, a real one. Not treating her like she’s just…”
But Jesse’s beyond reasoning now. He shakes his head, his eyes wild with fury, and with one final shout, he storms toward the door, slamming it open with enough force to rattle the walls.
“You better fix this, Freddie. Or I swear, I’ll make you regret it.”
And then he’s gone, leaving me standing in the wreckage of the shop, the echoes of his words still ringing in my ears.
I let out a shaky breath, trying to hold myself together. The room is silent now, except for the faint sound of my heart pounding in my chest.
Fuck.
My hand trembles as I reach for my phone. I know what I need to do. I need to call Ivy. She needs to know about this.
I dial her number, feeling the weight of every second as it rings, but she doesn’t answer. Shit. I can’t let this sit. Not after what just happened.
I try again.
And then, finally, she picks up.
“Freddie?” Ivy’s voice sounds small, distant, as if she already knows something’s wrong.
“Yeah,” I say, trying to steady my voice. “I need you to listen. Right now. Please.”
She hesitates. “What happened?”
I exhale, feeling the tension in my shoulders creep higher. “Jesse knows. He came in here, all guns blazing, with the ultrasound photo. He wants answers. He’s pissed, Ivy. Pissed at me. Pissed at all of us.”
There’s a long pause on the other end, and I can almost hear the gears turning in her head. “What did you tell him?” she asks, her voice tight.
I swallow hard. “The truth. About me, about Mitchell, about Timothy. About all of us being involved. I couldn’t lie to him, Ivy. He’s your brother. He deserves to know.”
A sigh slips from her lips, and I can hear the pain in it. “Shit, Freddie. This isn’t... this isn’t how any of this was supposed to go. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. What if I’ve ruined everything?”
“You didn’t ruin anything,” I say quickly, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “Look, this is on me too. We’re all in this together, right? But Jesse… He’s in shock. He’s hurt. And he doesn’t know how to process all of this. He’s going to need time.”
