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“Would you stop making me feel bad about that? I know I screwed up.”
Chantelle watched him with a slight smile.
“It took me a while before I realized what you said.”
“It’s what made you leave, isn’t it?”
“It shook me a little, I’ll admit.” Chantelle swallowed. “And it...it’s not one-sided.”
Matt thought he had misheard. He stared.
“What does that mean?”
“She just said she loves you, too, you big idiot.” Cedric grunted. He was not looking happy. “Which I think is the cue for Darren and I to leave.”
“No!” Chantelle darted across the room and grabbed Cedric’s arm. “I’m not just talking about Matt. This includes everyone.”
Cedric stopped. Darren looked confused.
“Are you saying that...”
“That I love both of you as well? Yes.” Chantelle bit her lip, leaning her forehead against Cedric’s shoulder. “I tried so hard to love Wade. I really did, but I couldn’t. Walking away from him when I did has just ended up being inevitable.”
“Then why did you marry him in the first place?” Cedric demanded. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I was a coward.” Chantelle looked up at him. “It would mean I would have to choose, and I didn’t think I could do that. So instead of addressing the problem, I ran away.”
Matt was trying to get his head around what he was hearing. She was not making any sense.
“You...you married one man so you didn’t have to choose...what?”
“Not what.” Chantelle hugged Cedric’s arm, her eyes on Matt. “You guys...you’ve always been there for me. I counted you as my best friends. Then one day, I realized that things had changed. My feelings were stronger, to the point I was uncomfortable. I thought falling in love would be an incredible thing with one person, not with three. I know I could have picked just one of you, but I didn’t think I could choose one without thinking about the others. So, when Wade came along and started paying me attention, I threw myself into it. He seemed, at the time, like a safe choice. I didn’t have to choose.”
Matt looked at Darren, who was staring at Chantelle with his mouth open. His friend shook himself.
“I feel like I’ve completely missed something here. You didn’t want to choose so you went for someone you considered safe to avoid it? Why not tell us?”
“I couldn’t. I was too scared of losing any of you.” Chantelle turned to him. “Then when that night happened, when I made the move, I didn’t think I would get another chance. I just wanted a taste of what things would be like. I wanted to have something for myself.”
“And that was us.” Cedric murmured.
Chantelle nodded.
“Then Matt said he loved me, and I felt some panic. I had to get out of here. But once I started thinking about it, I realized that what I wanted wasn’t going to be that bad. It’s nobody’s business what I want with my life, and if I want to have more than one person, that’s up to me.” She hesitated. “That is, if you guys want me. If you don’t, then that’s fine, but I want you to know that if you’re willing to let me be with all of you, then I’m going to make sure you don’t regret it.”
She looked emotionally drained after saying that. Matt could imagine that this was hard for her to say. And it made him love her more.
“How do we know that you’re not going to panic and run again?” He asked. “How do we know you’re not going back to Wade?”
“Wade’s out of it. He’s actually signed the divorce papers now.” Chantelle adjusted her bag strap under her breast. “And once a judge grants it, I’ll be a free woman. He’s out. And I’m not going anywhere if you don’t want me to.”
Matt’s heart was racing. Damn, he had thought he and the others would have to plead their case with her, but Chantelle had come to them and blurted it out herself. And she looked like she wanted to bolt.
He drew her close, and buried his hands in her hair as he kissed her. Chantelle sighed and leaned into him, her hands running over his chest. A movement had Matt glancing up, and he saw Darren and Cedric easing in behind her. Breaking the kiss, Matt watched as Chantelle leaned back and lifted her face to Darren, who pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. Then Cedric turned her and his kiss looked like he was close to exploding. His friend rested his forehead against hers.
“I feel like this is a dream.”
“Trust me, it’s not.” Chantelle stroked his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, if you don’t want me to.”
