AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Me too.”
“I hate to say I’m glad to hear it, because I don’t want you to struggle, but I’m glad I’m not the only one.”
Mason chuckles. “Me too.”
We look at each other. So much said in one glance. That’s what years of friendship does for you.
“It’s exhausting not being able todoanything,” Mason says.
“Heard.”
“I just keep thinking about the last time we saw her. All the things I could have said–”
“Yes! Me too!”
“Maybeshouldhave said. To get her to realize that she is capable of all that love for us and more.”
I chew on my lower lip for a moment. “Of course, if she doesn’t want to give us that love, that’s her decision.”
Mason shakes his head. “Fuck, I know you’re right. I just don’t believe she doesn’t want to do that.”
Surveying the dance floor below, I see my brother, Jack, taking Bridget for a spin around the floor. Abigail is close by, tugging on Seth’s arm. Seth, though, is being a grump, trying to wave her off like she’s a fly. He’s staring at something. At Bridget?
“Do you think she doesn’t want t-to love us?” Mason says in a low voice, leaning closer.
I snap back into focus. “I don’t know, I feel like we have to take her word for it.”
The server passes one more time and, following in my footsteps, Mason knocks back his champagne and grabs another, giving her a growly, “Thanks,” which lights her up like a Christmas tree.
Mason takes a step closer to me. “Look, I want to be a good man.”
“You are a good man,” I say.
“You are too.”
“Glad we agree.” I grin.
Mason breathes in so deep the air whistles in a slight way through his nose. “But I’m sick of this. Sitting on our hands when it’s clear we have something so special with her.”
“Mason…we tried. She said no.”
“Fuck that.”
My eyebrows shoot up.
“You heard me.Fuck that.” Mason grabs my shoulder. “Laney doesn’t believe she’s worthy of love. Not after what she did to me. Not after what she’s now done to you. She’s just making it a self-fulfilling prophecy. And until she says that shedoesn’tlove us or you or me, I’m not going to back away.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
“We have to show her that she’s worthy of our love. Worthy of our time. That we’re here for the long haul.”
I grimace. “How do we do that? I thought we did a pretty good job of that in her bed, but–”
“Not like that.” Mason shakes his head. “No, we need to show her how this can work.”
“You mean…like not just sex.”
Mason snaps. “Exactly. She’s seeing it as some weird perverse thing, and people are going to think we’re just in it for some weird constant orgy party.”
