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GRIFF

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of waking up to Olivia tucked in against my body, her long hair tickling my chest. She’s here, really here, and I don’t plan on ever letting go.

Something changed last night, and I know the three of us need to talk about what it means and where we go from here, but for now, I can finally let myself enjoy the possibility of a future with the woman I’m falling in love with.

“Mmph.” She lets out a tired noise, turning her face into my body even more. “It can’t be time to get up already.”

“Sorry baby, but it is.” I kiss the top of her head, stroking hair away from her face. “I’ve got to update management on Foxxy’s situation, and he just texted that he’s getting out of the hospital later today.”

That has her lifting her head and blinking in surprise. “Already? He just had surgery a few hours ago.”

My lips quirk up in a wry smirk. “Yeah, and I’m guessing he’s been terrorizing the nurses ever since. He doesn’t do well when he’s forced to take it easy.” I blow out a breath. “Now we have to figure out how to handle things for the next couple of weeks. I’ve got to travel with the team, so maybe he’ll go home to his parents for a bit so they can help out. He’ll hate it, but⁠—”

“He can stay here,” Olivia interrupts. “When you’re away, I mean.” Her cheeks flush a pretty pink. “I could…I want to help.”

It takes me a moment to regroup and figure out how to respond. “I know he’d prefer that, but it’s a lot to ask.”

“It’s not,” she insists, propping up on one elbow to look down at me. “I know I owe you both an apology for how I handled things before all this happened. An apology and an explanation. I’d like to do it when Denver is here as well, if that’s okay.”

“Liv,” I murmur, staring up at her. A part of me is still scared to trust what she’s implying. That has to be the explanation for why I press, just a little more, like pushing on a still-healing bruise to see how badly it will hurt.

I swallow hard and say, “We’ll talk. If Foxxy wants to stay here, which I’m sure he will, then we’ll get that set up. And then, when I’m home, he can come back to our place so you can get a break.”

She puts her hand on my chest, a tentative smile curving her lips upward. “I won’t need a break from him. And when you’re home, maybe you could come here as well?”

My heart is thudding so loudly in my chest, I’m positive she can hear it, even if she gives no indication. “That wouldn’t be too much?” I hate asking the question. Hate putting the idea of it in her head. But I have to. That bruise needs to be tested just a little more.

“Griffin, it’s either both of you or it’s neither. And I can’t stand the thought of not having the two of you in my life. I’m not suggesting we rush things and move in together,”—her chin dips down as she draws an absent circle with her finger—“but I want to help Denver. And I want to see you. I want to be with both of you, whenever or however we can make it work. I don’t want to hide from this anymore. I don’t want to pretend my feelings don’t exist, that whatever this is, isn’t real. Not anymore.”

I can’t hold back a second longer. I surge upward, pulling her body across my legs and kissing her senseless. Pouring every emotion, all the fears and frustrations from last night, and all the hopeful love and promises that have come after, into my kiss.

Olivia moves in my lap to straddle me, grinding her core against my rapidly hardening dick. I feel a shred of guilt that we’re doing this while Foxxy lies in a hospital bed, but not enough to stop.

No, it’s Trip jumping on the bed and barking at us that has us pulling apart, laughing as he noses his way in between us. “Cockblocker,” I mutter affectionately as I rub his wide head.

“He’s hungry,” Liv says, resting her head on my shoulder. Just then, her stomach lets out a ridiculously loud sound, and she slaps her hand on it. “Apparently, so am I. Can we pretend that sound did not come from my body?”

I chuckle, pushing Trip away so we can get up. “We could try, but I heard it, and so did half the building.”

“Rude!” Olivia cries as I stand up with her in my arms. I turn around and set her back down, planning on finding my clothes from last night, but the expression on her face makes me pause.

“What?” I ask.

She shakes her head quickly, but I drop down into a squat, the position as familiar to me as anything. “No, what’s that look for, baby?”

“It’s just,” she starts, then stops, chewing on her lower lip. “It’s still strange for me, how easily you and Denver pick me up. I’m not criticizing my body or my weight or anything, but when you’ve always been as tall as most men and strong like I am…” She shrugs and looks down. “It’s not something that ever happened to me before you two.”

I tip her chin up, forcing her to look at me. “Do you like it when we do that?”

That pink colour comes back across her cheeks. God, I love how she can’t hide her emotions from us, how expressive and open she is, even if she doesn’t realize it.

“Yes.”

I lean in and kiss her. “Then we’ll keep doing it.” I stand up, wink at her, then go to get dressed.

A short while later, the dog is fed and so are we, and we’re standing at Olivia’s front door. I pull her into my arms, wishing I didn’t have to go and deal with everything that’s waiting for me.