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But I couldn’t help it. They were both so delicious, sohot. Just being near them was making my heart and stomach twist up and do that warm, fluttery thing that happened every time I was within fifty feet of these guys.
“Lemonade sounds nice,” I said, suddenly feeling very thirsty as I let them both guide me inside the house and through to the back yard.
Within seconds, they had me seated at a nice patio table with a cold glass of lemonade in my hand. I smiled, not really used to being pampered and waited on hand and foot.
“You already look like you’re feeling a little better,” Prescott said as he began loading a plate with barbecue, baked beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. “And I hope you’re hungry, because I have enough food here for a small army.”
My eyes went wide as he set the plate in front of me. “I’m pretty sure that’s more food than I could eat in three days. But it looks delicious and smells…amazing.”
“And I brought some apple pie for dessert,” Cole said. “But I have to admit I cheated and had Maggie down at the diner bake it for me. It’s still the best in town, though, and just out of the oven an hour ago.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing a little at his cute confession. “It sounds wonderful, and I’ll do my best to save some room, but…” I looked at my plate again and winced. “There’s no way I’ll ever finish what’s already in front of me.”
“All the more reason to come back tomorrow for leftovers,” Prescott said with a wink. “This stuff makes excellent sandwiches, just saying.”
“Tempting,” I said with another laugh. “But seriously, I’m glad to see you guys getting along for a change. Last night was… too much. Even without all of the crazy emergencies. Just the way you two were acting—I can’t be a part of that.”
“And you shouldn’t have to be,” Cole agreed. “You’re right. It was too much. Prescott and I were out of line, and we realized that after you left. It’s why we invited you here—so we could apologize for acting like dumbasses.”
“Well, it’soneof the reasons why we invited you here,” Prescott said, still a hint of a smile on his lips. “The other reason is that we genuinely want to keep seeing you. But Cole and I are so used to fighting like brothers that it sometimes takes a fresh pair of eyes to point out when we’ve gone too far. And we definitely went too far. I’m sorry for that.”
“We both are.” Cole nodded. “And it’s true that we fight like family sometimes—that will probably never change. But I know I can promise to drop the jealousy. I know it wasn’t cool. I just… well, I don’t have a good excuse. So I’ll just apologize again. I’m sorry, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“And I hope you’ll forgive me, too,” Prescott said. “Because I meant it when I said we would both like to keep seeing you. You’re the only one who can decide where we go from here, though.”
I was so surprised by the sincerity of their apologies that I was almost overcome by a wave of happy emotions. I could even feel tears start to well up in my eyes. It took me a few moments to get myself together, then a few extra moments for their words to actually sink in.
“Thank you for that,” I said. “I know it takes a lot to apologize like that, and I really appreciate it.” I smiled at both of them. “And, of course, I forgive you. I don’t think I could have stayed angry with either of you, even if I would have tried. I just couldn’t stand by and let a few harmless dates come between what’s obviously a great friendship. That wouldn’t have been right.”
“We agree,” Prescott said. “And that sort of leads us to the other part of what we wanted to talk about…”
I looked from Prescott to Cole and back again, searching their expressions for a clue. But no. Neither one was giving anything away.
“Okay,” I said, finally. “Whatever it is, I’d much rather talk it out than be the cause of another argument.”
“Remember that thing Prescott just said about both of us wanting to continue seeing you while you’re here in town?” Cole asked.
I thought back to everything Prescott had just said. He’d said so many sweet things so quickly that it was all sort of a blur, if I was being completely honest. But yeah, I could definitely remember him saying they wanted to keep seeing me.
They.
My eyes went wide again as my brain stumbled over that word, catching it for the first time.
Prescott smiled and glanced over at Cole. “I think she might have guessed what we’re about to say.”
Cole grinned. “Would you be interested in dating both of us, Daisy Lynn?” He held up his hands before I could answer. “You don’t have to say anything yet. Just… maybe let the idea percolate for a minute. It took me a while to even consider it, but I really do think it’s the perfect answer for the three of us.”
My head was starting to hurt from trying to follow everything that had just happened. I still wasn’t sure I was totally on the same page as the two guys, though.
“What do you mean by…” I swallowed hard, unsure of how to even ask. But then again, I wasn’t the one who had brought it up in the first place. “How would that work? What do you mean when you say youbothwant to date me? Like, at the same time?”
“We could alternate days or maybe even try doing some stuff together—all three of us,” Prescott said with an uncertain shrug. “It’s not something I’ve ever done before, but I’d be willing to try it… if you’re interested, that is.”
I gave them both a skeptical look before I could stop myself. “And you would both be comfortable doing that? You could really set aside your little competition or whatever it is?”
“Absolutely,” Cole answered without hesitating.
“One hundred percent,” Prescott added. “We want you to be happy while you’re here. And we want to spend whatever time we have leftmakingyou happy. It’s the least we can do for being such jerks before.”
