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“Jareth?”
He finally shook his head slowly. “The thought of you with any other man infuriates me, has this protective rage filling me. I want to kill any motherfucker who even looks at you, Sofie, who even thinks he can talk to you.”
I stared into his warm brown eyes.
“But then I think about you with Ryker, and as crazy as it all is, I don’t feel any of that jealous rage. I know he’ll protect you, take care of you. Just as much as I will. Just as strongly as I will. That calms me, makes me feel secure that you’ll always be looked after.” He lifted his hand up and stroked it along the side of my head, picking up a strand of my hair and running it between his fingers. “It’s fucking insane, isn’t it?”
I smiled softly and shook my head. “No, I think it’s exactly how things are supposed to work out. I think that’s why things are so easy and fluid between the three of us. It’s fate, and as cheesy and corny as that may sound, I really believe we are all meant to be together.”
“Do you know how much I love you, Sofie?”
I let my fingers trail across his stomach, his six-pack flexing under my touch. “Probably as much as I love you,” I teased back affectionately.
He shifted so he could look at me again, tilting my head back and staring at my face.
“I love you,” I said again. He was one of the great loves of my life.
Ryker was the other.
I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes. I had no idea how I’d gotten so lucky, how things had just seemed to fall into place.
Here’s to having everything else fall into place this easily.
Chapter Fifteen
Sofie
The night of the dinner
Iwiped my hands on my apron. I was running behind, and I probably could’ve ordered carry-out for tonight, maybe even should have so I wasn’t running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Although my mom had offered to cook her special pasta dish, I insisted on being the one to treat her to a home-cooked meal. I wanted everything to be perfect and special.
I looked over at the table, having rented a large banquet-sized one for everyone because the two-seater one we had in the kitchen was not even close to fitting all of us.
A white linen tablecloth covered it, teal and white place settings perfectly situated. I’d bought them months ago and was just now getting around to using them. But I supposed now was the perfect situation to put them to good use. I’d even had to go out and buy actual silverware, because the mismatched shit we had and the random plastic takeout sporks weren’t going to cut it.
I checked on the lasagna, keeping it warm in the oven. The house smelled of Italian seasonings and garlic bread. With a salad sitting in the center of the table, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and olive oil and red wine vinegar as a dressing sitting beside that, I felt a smile play across my face.
“Not bad, Sofie. Not bad at all.”
The red wine was chilling in the fridge, as well as the strawberry and blueberry parfait I’d whipped up real quick. I’d paid close attention to details, because I felt like tonight was a make or break situation. I didn’t know why I felt like that. It was like I was going for my first job interview, or maybe going to prom. I didn’t think I’d ever been so nervous in my entire life.
I took off the apron and carried it to my bedroom, tossing it in the hamper and checking my appearance in the mirror that hung on the back of my door. Everyone would be here soon, and after I wiped a splatter of marinara sauce off my cheek, touched up my nude lipstick, and ran my fingers through my hair, I exhaled and told myself this was as good as it was going to get.
Just then, I heard car doors closing, and my heart jumped to my throat. “Here we go,” I whispered.
I walked toward the living room and pulled the curtain aside, looking outside. Jareth’s sleek black luxury car sat in the driveway, and right beside that was Ryker’s Tahoe. The two men were looking at each other, and although maybe to an outsider it might seem as if they were sizing each other up, I knew better.
They were mature about all of this, accepting.
Jareth walked around the front of Ryker’s vehicle and held his hand out. They were both manly-men, alphas. They were the same but so, so different.
And I knew that’s why I’d fallen in love with both of them.
The longer I stared at them, the more I realized they both made my heart race, my palms sweat, and had me wishing we could just fly out to some private island where no one could hurt us with their words, looks, or judgment.
They both finally started heading toward the front door, and I opened it before they could knock. Before any of us could say anything, I saw a white Jeep Wrangler pull up to the curb in front of the house. The windows were too tinted for me to see who the driver was, but I knew it was my mother and her new boyfriend.
I turned my attention back to Ryker and Jareth. Ryker was in front of me first, and he didn’t hesitate in curling his hand around my neck and pulling me in for a kiss. It was a slow-burn one, passionate and consuming. I melted against him and moaned, my body heating up passionately.
