Page 57 of The Air You Breathe

Darcy nodded her head slowly.

“I feel like things aren’t always black and white or even different shades of gray. Our life is colorful, giving it the beauty it deserves.” I tucked her hair behind her ear. “I can’t imagine you would ever be truly happy with me; I think a part of him will always belong to you. I want to belong to you too, Darcy. I want to make you whole, to make you scream my name when I come home from the garage. I want to give you everything you need even if that means sharing you with Evan.”

She opened her mouth to say something, knowing that she wasn’t ready to make whatever decision she was going to make.

“Don’t say anything yet,” I said, rubbing my thumb across her lips. “Sleep on it and tell me when you're ready.”

I pulled her in for a kiss, giving her everything I had to offer, hoping it was enough for her to choose me too.

23

EVAN

When I opened my eyes, I immediately knew I wasn’t at home, but at the cabin. I felt a body flush against mine, and looked down to see Darcy’s head laying on my chest with her arm around my stomach. The night's events slowly came back to me as I tried to piece together how I got here.

Geraldo was waiting for me at the warehouse after I got a call from one of the guys saying there was a problem and Giovanni wasn’t answering. He hit me when I rounded the corner. That sent us into a fighting frenzy, telling me I was getting what I deserved. When he stabbed me, I knew this was how I would leave this world, at the hands of a psycho.

A phone call stopped his assault and whoever was on the other line distracted him enough that I was able to hit him a few times before I pulled the gun from the back of his waistband and told him to leave me the fuck alone. He taunted me, saying to keep the ones I loved close and to watch my back, that I was going to get what was coming for me. I didn’t know if he was acting solo, or if the order came from Lucio.

The fear he instilled in me had me rushing home afraid that he had done something to them. By the time I had gotten to my mom’s house, I couldn’t go in. I had blood all over me but once I saw they were ok, I was starting to feel tired, and the pain was settling in.

The next part of the night was fuzzy, but I remember Darcy in bits and pieces, comforting me when I knew I didn’t deserve it. I looked at her again, noticing Dev spooning her. They both looked content as they slept together. I was waiting for the jealousy to flare up at the sight of them together, but it never surfaced.

The last time I saw them together I was confused and angry when I left, but it didn’t last long, quickly changing into acceptance. Darcy didn’t owe me anything, I knew that I had taken too long to come back to her.

I enjoyed her warmth for a few more minutes, remembering the times I woke up in her dorm wrapped with Darcy’s arms and legs. Waking up to Darcy was better than any shot of espresso. I kissed the top of her head before I got up to use the restroom.

Once I finished my business, I took a good look in the mirror. Geraldo really kicked the shit out of me. My face had varying degrees of bruising, it was swollen and my body was not much better.

The kicks to the ribs were the worst, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were broken. I remembered how Darcy looked at me with appreciation in her eyes, my body had definitely changed over the years.

The first tattoo I had gotten, I wanted it to be of her, so I had the artist draw up Camellias. Then more ink came, I worked out a lot more and learned early on that if you didn’t know how to defend yourself, shit was going to be hard. You might get jumped for the sole reason you were weak.

I looked back at the door wondering if I was making this more difficult than it really was. Aiden, Callum and Nathan shared a woman and the guys looked happier than ever. I know each relationship had its own share of problems but if everyone was ok with it, why not?

This whole thing with Lucio made me uneasy. With Dev watching over her, it gave me some relief and one less thing I had to worry about.

Could I share her with Dev? When we dated in college, I wanted all of her attention, I craved it like it was air. I shook my head feeling a headache settling in, thinking that maybe I just needed to have a conversation with Dev and Darcy.

I stepped out of the bathroom to see Darcy awake on the side of the bed. She was in the clothes she wore last night, looking beautiful in the morning sunlight, all rumpled with sleep still in her eyes.

“Good morning,” she said, looking up at me. “How are you feeling?”

“Morning, I’m sore,” I said, wincing as I walked to her.

“Are you in pain?” She got up to help me to the bed.

I nodded feeling like all my pain was starting to hit me all at once.

“Lay down and I’ll see if you have any pain meds.” She helped me lie down before she looked at me for a moment. I wanted her to kiss me, to tell me what she wanted, so I could try my best to give her everything she needed. She gave me a smile before she got up and left the room. It took her a few minutes for her to come back with pills and water.

“Here, take these and then let's get some food in you.” She held the glass up to my mouth. My arms were working just fine but I could feel like she felt the need to do this.

“I want a shower,” I said, after I swallowed the pills.

“Dev said no showers for twenty-four hours, doctor's orders,” she said, glancing at Dev. “I’m starving, so I’m going to get some coffee started and hopefully there is something to eat.”

“Thanks Darcy, you didn’t have to come with Dev last night but I’m glad you did,” I said before she got to the door.

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