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I swallow down the rising emotion from hearing how frustrated he is. He doesn’t say a word as he tears off his shirt, balls it up and tosses it into the hamper. As he starts on the button of his pants, he finally looks at me, and I notice the dam break inside him.
“I figured he’d go back eventually. I thought he might just take some time, but no. He’s already at the club. He’s probably already naked with the bartender, and I honestly don’t know why I care. That’s how he wants to live his life. That’s up to him. I’m just sorry your emotions got involved…and I did this. I brought all of this on. I never should have asked you to do that…”
Honestly, I feared this more than I expected it, but I had a feeling that we wouldn’t be able to keep him for long. I mean, what did we expect? To bring him into our marriage forever? It’s not fair to anyone, least of all him.
And my husband knows that, but I’m afraid he’s gotten himself even more emotionally involved than I have. And I’m nearly dying inside with how this feels, not to have Drake here. To know someone else gets his smile and his touch.
“Have you told him how you feel?” I ask.
Hunter freezes. “What? That I’m tired of him being a thirty-four-year-old man whore? Actually…yeah, I kind of did.”
I wince. “No, Hunter. That’s not what I meant.”
He turns his back on me as he undoes his pants, pulling out his belt and hanging it on the hook. It’s a long time before he responds. “What do you mean, Isabel?”
My throat stings for real now. “Did you tell Drake howyoufeel about him?”
His head snaps toward me. “I know what you’re thinking, Iz, but it’s not like that. Yeah, we fooled around a little, but there’s nothing more there. We’re just friends.”
I bite the inside of my lip as I fight away the tears that want to come. I can’t speak, but he continues for me, “Besides, I shouldn’t have to. He should know…we are special. I thoughtwewould have meant more. But he couldn’t stick around for one fucking day.”
“Stick around for what, Hunter? He’s been here his entire adult life. You’ve sheltered him, protected him, gave him a home and a family. Fuck, Hunter, you gave him your wife.”
His nostrils flare as I say that, and he quickly looks away. But I draw his attention back. “You give him hell for never settling down and for being promiscuous, but you have kept him in a chokehold, tethered toyoufor his entire life. He’s never had any room to grow.”
He lets out an angry sounding huff. “What are you saying? I just let him go?”
“What choice do we have?”
That question lingers in the air between us, even as he storms out of the closet and gets into the shower. What choice do we have? None. Hunter and I chose each other, and we’ve kept Drake on a short leash this entire time.
And while the vacation was fun, we did the worst thing possible. We gave him a taste of the one thing he can’t have. He turned the third wheel into the center of attention for a brief moment, and I know the idea of forming a full relationship between all three of us has crossed everyone’s mind, but until those two get over whatever is keeping them stuck in their old ways, it will never happen. Hunter will have to be the one to bring it up first, and that’s the most unlikely thing of all.
* * *
It’spast midnight when I hear the front door open. Hunter is asleep fitfully next to me, tossing and turning every few minutes. So I ease myself out of bed, without making a sound. I notice the light on in the kitchen as I make my way down the stairs. In nothing but a pair of underwear and one of Hunter’s T-shirts, we’re past modesty at this point.
I half expect Drake to be drunk again, like the last time I caught him sneaking in too late, but he’s not this time. I see the sobriety in his eyes the moment our gazes meet each other’s. He’s not just sober—he’s somber. And I think I know why.
“Did I wake you?” he asks.
I shake my head.
Awkward silence settles over the room. Finally, he says the words that I desperately needed to hear.
“I didn’t sleep with him.”
Thank God.
“Why not?” I’m gripping the kitchen island between us as if it’s the only thing holding me up.
“I don’t know…”
“What happened between us was just a fling, Drake. A crazy vacation, but it’s over now,” I reply, watching his expression for a sign that he agrees.
His brow furrows as he steps toward me. “Is that really what you think? You think it meant nothing?”
“Do you?”
