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I turn to him and kiss him softly before I can second-guess the impulse. “Thank you,” I whisper against his lips. “This was perfect.”

“Your happiness is perfect,” Gabriel replies quietly.

My heart clenches painfully at those words.

We sneak back through the theater and slip into our front-row center seats just as the curtain rises.

The Nutcracker is a ballet I’m familiar with—I think most people are—but with my love of Christmas, this particular production is definitely one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. I was always disappointed that I couldn’t afford proper theater tickets in New York, but I tried to catch televised or streamed versions whenever possible.

Now I allow myself to be swept away by the story. The idea of being whisked away by a handsome prince to a land of impossible wonders feels remarkably similar to my current situation. As intermission approaches, I find myself wondering if, like Clara, I’ll eventually wake up to discover it was all just a beautiful dream. A lovely dream, but ultimately not real.

“I need to find the restroom,” I announce as we all stand and stretch. “I’ll be right back.”

I’m addressing Ford primarily, although I know Hayden and Gabriel are also paying attention, so I’m not particularly surprised when I exit the restroom several minutes later and find myself being pulled into a shadowy alcove.

I’m not sure which one of the men it is, but one of them must’ve followed me.

A grin pulls at my lips.

Well, if this is just a dream, it’s one I have no intention of waking up from until I have to.

49

MAEVE

Lips crash against mine in the shadowy confines of the alcove, and I smile into the kiss—but almost immediately, alarm bells start going off in my head. It takes me only another split second to identify what feels so wrong: this person doesn’t smell like Ford, Gabriel, or Hayden. There’s no familiar cologne, no scent that makes me feel safe and wanted.

Then a tongue tries to force its way into my mouth with zero finesse, and I realize with horror that not only is this not one of my men, but I know exactly who it is. Because I recognize this particular style of kissing—always too aggressive and graceless.

I shove against his chest and wrench myself backward, disgust flooding through me. My mouth feels violated and wrong, and I want to scrub my teeth. “Liam, what the hell? What are you doing?”

My ex has the audacity to smirk at me. “Oh, come on, I know you wanted it too. I could feel how much you missed this.”

“Missed what?” I stare at him in complete disbelief.

“The chemistry between us. It’s still there, baby. I know you want me back just as much as I want you.”

I hold up both hands, my head spinning with confusion and anger. “Hold on—what are you even talking about? You showed almost zero interest in me half the time when we were actually together. But you suddenly want me now? What is this, some pathetic attempt to compete with your brother? I’m sorry Ford is a better man than you, but seriously?”

I know it’s petty to say that, but I can’t help myself. I feel physically sick from him kissing me without consent. I’m so furious I’m literally shaking, and part of me wants to burst into tears from the sheer violation of it.

“As if getting with him wasn’t just your way of making me jealous,” Liam scoffs, crossing his arms defensively.

“Actually, I almost didn’t get involved with Ford because of you,” I snap back. “I didn’t want to make things awkward for your family. Trust me, you were the last thing on my mind, except for wondering how to make sure you felt comfortable. I didn’t want to create tension between you and Ford. That was before I realized there was nothing to worry about—you clearly don’t respect him anyway.”

“Why are you acting like I’m the unreasonable one here?”

“Because you are!” I’m starting to feel unhinged myself. “Liam, where is this even coming from? You can’t seriously tell me you want me back. I’m not going to believe that lie. You cheated on me! Constantly! And you weren’t even bothering to hide it toward the end!”

“Oh, please, you can’t seriously hold that against me. Not when you’re running around behind Ford’s back letting Hayden and Gabriel screw you every chance you get. Jesus, Maeve. I had no idea you were such a nympho. It’s like you’re in heat or something.”

The bottom drops out of my stomach. “What did you just say?”

“I saw you with Hayden at the gazebo the other day, and I know something happened between you and Gabriel in the bathroom that night. He wasn’t just ‘checking on you’ like you claimed.” Liam rolls his eyes as if I’m being deliberately dense. “Honestly, how stupid do you think everyone is?”

“I am not cheating on Ford with anyone, especially not his two best friends,” I say slowly, even though my heart is racing. “Hayden and Gabriel would never betray him like that, and I would never do that to anyone. I know exactly how much it hurts to be cheated on, thanks to your stellar example, and I wouldn’t inflict that kind of pain on anybody else.”

Liam’s brow furrows as he processes my words, clearly confused—and then, to my horror, his expression clears as the pieces click into place. Instead of assuming he misunderstood the situation like I hoped, he’s figured out the truth: that the three men have made an agreement to share me. That I’m with all of them.