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“Alright,” I said, turning to face them with my arms crossed. “Talk.”
Anger simmered under the surface, mingling with the hurt that threatened to swell more tears in my eyes. At least there was something amusing about seeing all three of them trying to look comfortable in my lounge.
“Well,” Sebastian started, but he fell silent when Lucas held up a hand.
“It sounds like an excuse if I tell you that I met you long before I knew who you were,” Lucas said. “But it’s true. I was drawn to you because you looked lost, and I felt lost. You saw me. And no one had done that before. It sounds cliche but when you’re surrounded by people who only care what pedigree you are, you can forget who you are underneath. But you saw me, and I fell for that. Then, at the Gala, I learned who you were.”
Lucas took a shaky breath and continued.
“Yes. Toby asked us to gather information on you. At the time, he was in the midst of a dark spiral, and knowing that we knew each other, he decided it would be an easy way to find out who you really were and if there was anything that could get you kicked out of the Estate. I didn’t want to?—.”
“But you did,” I said tightly. “All of you did. Bumping into Danny in the street? Finding Sebastian in the coffee shop? It was all a trick.”
“You’re not wrong, but it’s not what you think.” Lucas pressed his hands together. “It was the ignition for meeting you, yes. But all it took was to spend ten minutes with you and we all knew there was nothing sinister about you. Toby was wrong, misguided and it became so clear so quickly.”
“I would have left the moment I realized,” Sebastian said. “But there was something beautiful about you, Scarlett, that drew me in. I wanted more of you, as much as I could get.”
“It’s true,” Danny added. “We acted because your brother is our best friend and protecting him is second nature. But it was clear so quickly that he was wrong about you and then I found myself wanting to get to know you.”
It was a struggle to believe, and my fingers dug a little deeper into my elbow. “I don’t believe you. You made me think I was important, that I was somehow good enough to attract the attention of gorgeous people, and all this time it was a ploy?—.”
“Not all this time,” Lucas pleaded. “Every second with you was amazing. Every conversation, every date, and every kiss. We liked you, and we did discuss how unusual our situation was but only in the interest of making sure we were all okay with seeing the same girl. Everything else would be your choice. And we fell for you. We fell hard.”
“It’s the truth,” Sebastian said, and his jaw tensed. “We approached you under false pretences and for that, I am incredibly, deeply sorry because we adore you and it has hurt you. It was something we should have come clean about much sooner.”
“And Toby?” Warmth misted my eyes as I studied them. “He isn’t here to give his apology?”
“He would be,” Danny said. “But he’s caught up with Camille. He—when we went to him and told him he was wrong about you, that we were refusing to do what he was asking, he was understanding. I think he had found his path by then and he worked so hard to fix things with you.”
“And he did.” Sebastian glanced between the other two, then back at me. “Didn’t he? He worked hard to make things right with you. I know that we have done a terrible thing and it hurt you. Please, believe me when I say we never want to do anything at all to hurt you. Toby asked for information and that was it. Everything else? We did that on our own. For you. Because we fell for you and I can confidently speak for all three of us when I say that it was you, and only you, Scarlett, that won our hearts.”
“Feelings were a little clouded in terms of whether you would stay,” Lucas said softly, and his eyes shone, reflecting the dying light outside. “But when you presented those roses and asked about staying, I knew I only hadn’t acknowledged those feelings because I was so scared of losing you. And then you were gone and… I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry. I was trying to help Toby, but it was wrong to approach you that way.”
“I’m sorry,” Danny said, “but also, I’m not sorry.”
Both Lucas and Sebastian turned abruptly to Danny. I sniffled, fighting tears as the turmoil of confused emotions swirled inside me.
“Danny,” Lucas hissed.
“No. I’m not sorry.” Danny sucked in a deep breath. “I’m not sorry because if I hadn’t done that for Toby, I never would have met you. I never would have gotten to know what an incredible person you are, how warm and gentle you are. I never would have had those dates with you, shared pizza or danced. I never would have grown these feelings. So, I’m sorry that it hurt you, I am. But I’m not sorry it happened because I have loved every moment with you. And I think you feel the same.”
Silence fell. Sebastian sharply nudged Danny, disapproval all over his face but then he sent me a cautious look.
Was he right? Did I feel the same way?
Curse Danny and his ability to read people, because he was right.
Underneath the anger and the pain, there was a different kind of hurt. An ache linked to the loss of all three of the men I was falling in love with. Every moment with them had been incredible, and if I had the chance to go back, I knew I wouldn’t change it.
But acknowledging that didn’t stop the hurt that it had started under false pretences.
“I…,” I began but then I paused, pressing trembling fingers to my lips. “I don’t know how I feel. I’m angry that you lied. And I’m hurt that you were using me but I—I also loved the things we did together.”
“We’re not asking for forgiveness,” Lucas said softly. “Because you need to feel how you feel but please, don’t let this be the end. We came all this way because we can’t bear to be without you. Not until we’ve done everything to show you that we’re sorry and that we want you. That we are here for you and nothing else. We’re sorry. I’m sorry.”
As apologies went, this was a pretty good one. If they had only been with me for Toby, then when my relationship with him started to improve, by rights they should have abandoned me.
But they didn’t. They stayed.
