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Thirty-Three
DAKOTA
At one point in my life, the week between Christmas and New Years was a magical, mythical world of sleeping late, playing with toys, and never really stepping out of my pajamas. There was no school, no homework, no responsibilities. All the family craziness was pretty much over, leaving a peaceful, week-long marathon of board games, leftovers, and late-night movie-watching in its wake.
Unfortunately, as a kid no one really tells you how badly adulthood obliterates all that.
Sure, there was still time to have a little holiday fun here and there. But for the most part I spent the week working, marketing, and promoting myself online to score even more jobs. I’d neglected all three of those things since before leaving for Hawaii, so playing catchup was an uphill battle as the year slowly drew to a close.
Three weeks.
Jace’s invitation still made my heart race, as did the nightly text-messages and sometimes even phone calls between me and all three of the guys. My trip to Colorado was already booked, already planned. As far as I was concerned it couldn’t come fast enough, yet it was probably a good thing I had time to get my work taken care of first.
Christmas Eve had been incredible, but unfortunately it had also been a one-shot deal. After screwing our brains out we’d returned heroically in time for dessert, just before my mother was ready to put a hit out on me. We made up some bullshit excuse about the stores being out of stock, and endured a few sideways glances from my aunts, uncles, cousins… even Tyler himself. Jace spent the rest of the night laughing and joking and partying with everyone in my house, while the two of us stole hot, knowing glances from across crowded rooms.
As the night wound down we even managed a little make-out session, somewhere in the darkened corner of the yard. The kissing was fiery hot, the touch of his fingertips totally electric. And it was made all the more exciting and forbidden, knowing we could get caught at any time.
After that Jace sped home to spend an obligatory Christmas with his family, then caught a military flight back to base that same night. I was left dreaming about what would happen in Colorado, and wondering how long I could keep our relationship a secret from Tyler and the rest of my family. Still, for once I was pretty damned sure of something. I didn’t doubt for a single second that I was making the right decision, in agreeing to go.
I thought about all these things as I sipped cheap champagne, watching the ball drop in Times Square on my modest thirty-six inch television. Spending New Year’s Eve alone in my apartment didn’t bother me one bit. In fact, the solitude allowed me to get the rest of my work done, and made my reflection upon the past year — and especially the last month — even more in-depth.
Also, the guys had promised to call me at midnight.
One week to go.
My excitement was building fast. I’d seen glimpses of the place the guy’s were building and now living in, on what looked to be the most beautiful, scenic piece of property. I’d always loved Minnesota and its wide open spaces, but the mountains surrounding the countryside they’d chosen were absolutely breathtaking.
And that was just on a Zoom call.
I’d been thrilled to learn that Jace was finally free, and the general had given him the honorable discharge he so richly deserved. I was looking forward to spending time with all three of them. To getting to know them better as men. I wanted to learn more of their history together. I wanted to hear their stories—
KNOCK KNOCK.
It was well past eleven o’clock, and normally a knock like this would’ve been out of the ordinary. But with everyone in the world still awake, and the ball dropping in just half an hour, I didn’t think twice about opening it. Especially since my neighbor had come down earlier to borrow a corkscrew, and was probably just returning it.
“Hi, baby.”
My body froze, as my breath caught in my throat. Standing before me, of all people, was Brian.
“Wha—”
“I wanted to talk to you,” he interjected quickly. “Actually it’s more like Ineedto talk to you.” He lowered his gaze a little, looking sullen and guilty. “Besides, I couldn’t stand the thought of us starting the new year apart.”
My eyebrows came together, as my face twisted into a frown.
“Brian—”
“You used to call me baby,” he cut in. “Remember that? Remember when we first got together, how good everything was? How much you really loved—”
“That was before you decided to stick your dick in other people.”
It came out harsh and abrasive, but I didn’t care. I was angry as hell. Pissed off that he’d just show up like this.
“I— I should never have done that,” he apologized quickly. “It was alwaysyou, Dakota. It still is. There’s nobody I’d rather—”
I laughed loudly, shutting him down.
“Spare it,” I snapped. “Naomi and I talk regularly, and I know you’ve been trying to get back with her, too. You’re playing both sides of the fence again.”
