Page 79 of Desiring an Angel

Since I worked daytime hours, the three of us had ended up cooking dinner with each other, and I felt as though I fit in their dynamic pretty well.

Home goods…in one bag. Dryer sheets wrapped in a plastic bag first…

I’d hoped that Rhett would soften toward me after that night in the living room when we’d connected, but with every passing day, I wondered over his renewed coldness that had begun when Ashton had come in my mouth.

Rhett had closed down after retreating to the bathroom and hadn’t touched me since.

Not wanting to cause waves, I kept my concern of his experiencing jealousy and insecurities to myself and tried to figure out what to do, refusing to acknowledge Nora might be right about that whole third wheel thing. It seemed I normally ended up on Ashton’s left while Rhett had his right—in bed and out of it.

I counted myself lucky that Ashton invited me to join them every night and I hadn’t yet been tossed out on my backside.

Another bagger came over to relieve me, and I couldn’t believe how quickly the morning had flown by. I grabbed a premade salad with grilled chicken from the deli and went to the break room to eat my lunch and try not to stew over the unrest in the house I’d begun to see as my home.

A text waited for me from twenty minutes earlier, causing my heart to stutter and take to flight. I skimmed his message, my eyes flitting across the words as a whole.

Ashton: Rhett and I are going out to dinner tonight.

Grinning, I texted back, butterflies in my belly over dating in public as a triad for the first time. Do you want me to just take an Uber and meet you there, or did you plan to go home and change before heading out?

I popped the lid on my salad, poured two packets of ranch atop it, and dug in. The savory buttermilk and herb flavor burst on my tongue, and I moaned while chewing.

Picking up my phone, I saw he hadn’t texted back yet—and I looked at the message I hadn’t taken the time to read word for word the first time.

The two of them were going out. Not all of us.

My smile dissolved.

I’d made a fool out of myself by not slowing my brain down.

Idiot. Moron.

Other put-me-downs rushed through my head as another message came through.

Ashton: We need some alone time.

I swallowed hard and dropped my fork, my hands too shaky to text.

Tapping the speech-to-text button, I lifted my cell closer to my mouth and let loose with the thoughts zapping through my brain at the pace of a lightning bolt.

“Is this your way of putting distance between us? I’m a lot, but I really feel like we have something good going on, Ashton. Have you tired of me already?” My throat attempted to swell shut as tears stung my eyes, and I stumbled over my words in my haste to spew them. “If I did wrong, please tell me. I burned the toast this morning and spilled your coffee, but that was me just being clumsy. I—I can do better. I promise. Just let me know what to do and I’ll do it.”

Breathless, I hit send and chewed on the inside of my lip rather than my salad. No way in hell my stomach would handle food with how it had tightened up.

Ashton: I’m not upset with you, and the last thing I want is to end this beautiful connection we’ve made.

“Oh, thank fuck.” I rarely used the F word, but the situation of giddy to anxiety to relief, demanded more than an oh crap!

My fingers worked a bit better as I typed a response. So if you aren’t mad, can I ask why it’s just the two of you going out to dinner?

Ashton: I’ve been so caught up in you that I think Rhett is a little jealous and missing me.

Rhett jealous of little old me…exactly as I’d wondered even though it seemed impossible since I’d known Ashton all of two weeks and they’d had decades together.

Ashton: We aren’t used to sharing each other beyond one-night stands. It’s something we’re all going to have to work on. Being in a polyamorous relationship isn’t going to be easy, but it’ll be worth the effort of trying—I just know it.

All I saw in that message was one-night stands.

He and Rhett had women between them before, something I’d known but hadn’t really thought about that much.

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