AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Shut up and let me finish. You were right. I have occasionally felt lonely over the years. But I think you know, better than anyone, that it’s possible to feel lonely in a crowded bar, or in a stranger’s bed—or hell, inside a stranger.”
Another long pause stretches between them, interrupted only by the snap and crackle of the fire.
“Is she asleep?” Sawyer asks softly.
I feel Colton shift beside me. “She looks asleep.”
Sawyer’s lips brush my forehead. “I forget how it feels to be alone when I’m inside her.”
“That’s ‘cause you love her,” Colton says.
“I know. And it scares the shit out of me.”
My pulse flutters. I fight the urge to snuggle closer to Sawyer, the desire to kiss his neck.
“Which part?” Colton asks.
“All of it,” he says. “Mostly, I’m afraid I’m gonna let her down.”
“You probably will.”
Sawyer grunts. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“I meant because you’re human, not because you’reyou.” Colton sighs. “Look, you are not your mother, and you’re not me. You’re your own person, with his own battles to fight and his own hurdles to jump. But you’re smart and hardworking, and I’ve never seen you dote on anyone the way you dote on Noelle.”
“I can’t help it,” Sawyer says. “I just want to take care of her, like an older brother but, you know,not. How the hell are you so good at it?”
“Being a dad helps. Besides that, it’s just trial and error. God knows I screwed up with you plenty of times. But that’s not how Noelle and I are with each other. If anything, she makes me feel like the kid I was before you were born.”
Sawyer goes quiet. I feel his body growing tense against mine.
“Must be nice,” he says.
“It is,” Colton says. “But it’s not about you, so don’t take it personally. Both of us are involved with Noelle, but my relationship with her and your relationship with her are separate and distinct. I’m glad you feel responsible for her, because that’s what you both need right now. Someone to cheer you on when you take a risk. Someone who'll be there to catch you if you stumble.”
“I've never wanted to be anyone’s rock before,” Sawyer says.
“That’s because rocks stay in place.”
“True enough.” Sawyer chortles. “I hate making promises I don’t know if I can keep, which is why I don’t make them. But I want to make Noelle a promise.”
“What promise is that?”
“That she can lean on me when she's tired, and count on me to pick up the pieces when she falls apart. Because we all fall apart sooner or later.”
“There’s no reason you can’t do all that,” Colton says. “When you love someone, you’ll do anything for ‘em. Even share the girl you love.”
I’m not sure if he’s talking about Sawyer or me. In the end, it could be either of us, because he loves us both. We love each other. All three of us. It’s the only way this situation works. The only way I can ever imagine it working.
“I’ve gotta make the evening firewood run soon,” Colton says.
“Should we take her to bed?”
“No need to. She’s awake. She can walk.”
I open one eye to glare at Colton. “How’d you know I wasn’t really sleeping?”
Sawyer snorts and shakes his head. Colton rises from the couch.
