Page 40 of Theirs

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Alex and Mac leave around eleven, I walk them both to the door while still wearing my bikini, they’ve returned to their suits. I get on my tiptoes to give Mac a kiss on the lips, and he holds me against him as he deepens in.

“Have a good night, Teagan,” he says. “I’ll see you this weekend.”

I wave bye to him as he heads to his car and turn to Alex. Alex, who I know is currently commando, because I saw his soaked Calvin Klein undies in the guest bathroom trash. I would have offered to wash them for him, but I feel like we’re not on that level yet. Throwing away designer underwear seems like a bold choice though.

We both stand there awkwardly, like two teenagers who just had dinner with the other’s parents for the first time. I’m not sure if I should also kiss him goodbye, or if I should walk him to his car. Colin and Ben are in the kitchen, cleaning up some more before we head to bed.

“You want—” I start to say.

“I guess I’ll—” Alex says over me.

We both laugh and glance down at our feet. Mine are bare, his are back in his fancy loafers.

“Can I walk you to your car?” I ask, glancing back up to look at Alex.

“Yeah,” he says. “Sure.”

I slide on a pair of my flip flops that I left by the front door, and go outside, Alex closes the door behind me. I can see the taillights of Mac’s SUV heading down the long, tree-lined drive. We’ve got some privacy now.

As we arrive at Alex’s black G-Wagon, he turns around just before he gets to the door.

“I wanna apologize for how things started out,” he says. “I know I came off as this asshole that only cared about himself and his job, but it’s been a while since I let anyone break my walls down. I don’t want to discuss my ex-wife, but the divorce was long, awful, and I never want to go through that again.

“I’m going to bury her in my past, starting now,” he says. “I’m not going to make you or anyone else pay for her sins against our marriage. I want a fresh start.”

“We can do that,” I say nodding. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for whatever she did to you. And if I ever do something wrong, tell me, and I’ll learn from my mistakes.”

He smiles at me, but it’s incomplete. He’s still got some healing to do. “Just be patient with me?”

I nod. “I can do that. You and I can take it slow.”

He leans back against his car, and places his hands on my hips, pulling me against him.

“Thank you, Teagan,” he says, and then leans down to press a kiss to my forehead. “When do I get to see you again?”

“Whenever you want, well, except for this weekend,” I tell him, shrugging my shoulders. “Date weekend with Mac. Can you believe he’s making me go as his plus one to a friend’s wedding? Seems like a waste of a date night to me.”

Alex chuckles. “I’m sure he’ll make it worth it. Mac can make even the most boring of events interesting. Send me a picture of you in your wedding outfit?”

“Of course,” I say. Alex gives me one last kiss before getting into his car, and he waits for me to get back inside before he starts driving away.

I close and lock the door behind me, and find the foyer deserted. All the lights are off except for the ones that are on a dimmer in the kitchen. The house is completely quiet. Mr. Snuffy is fast asleep on the couch, though I’m sure he’ll be up in an hour to do his nighttime exploration. I guess the guys have gone to bed, but it makes sense, they’ve got an earlier day than I do. My work doesn’t start until lunchtime, they’ve got to be up in six hours for theirs.

I quietly pad up the stairs, and go to my room to grab a t-shirt to sleep in. I remove the damp bikini, and slip the soft cotton tee over my head. Just as I’m about to close my door, I notice both Colin, and Ben’s bedroom doors opened, both lights on. I walk down the hall, wanting to tell them good night, and thank them for the fun evening.

We played around in the pool, and swam until my fingers and toes were pruning from the water. They both peppered me with kisses, and playfully tossed me back and forth in the pool. Even Mac and Alex looked like they were having fun, even if they lost me at beer pong. My heart races, wanting more nights like tonight. I feel like it would benefit the guys to blow off some stress from work by having some fun together more often.

I knock on Colin’s door as he walks out of his bathroom, only wearing a pair of boxers. He’s brushing his teeth, and looking at his phone.

“Hi,” I wave from the door. “I just wanted to tell you goodnight.”

He puts his phone on his nightstand, and holds a finger up to me to wait as he disappears back into the bathroom. He comes out a moment later, and scoops me up in his arms with a huge smile. He places a kiss on my lips, and I taste his spearmint toothpaste. I kind of wish he still tasted like bourbon from earlier that he had while we were sitting by the pool.

“How about I tuck you in, baby?” he asks, resting his forehead against mine.

“I’d like that,” I say. “But I have to tell Ben goodnight too.”

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