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Gabriella
The same young attendant is at the underground garage. Shortly after one, I pay him an exorbitant sum of money to free my car, and head to Atlantic City.
It’s a weekday, and traffic is heavy all the way through. My phone rings a couple of times, but I let the calls go to voicemail; nothing is important enough to risk crashing. It’s almost five when I pull into the Grand River’s parking lot.
After almost four hours in the car, I’m hot and sweaty.
I’m nervous too. I have no idea how tonight’s talk with Dominic and Carter is going to play out. I know I need to summon up my courage and ask them if they want something more than sex, but even the thought of putting myself out there makes me break out in hives.
It’s not like me to want to be in a relationship, and it’s not like me to care. I am capable of losing an absolutely terrifying amount of money in a poker game, but when it comes to love, I don’t gamble. I’m much more guarded about my heart.
I walk into my room. Housekeeping has been in. The bed is made, the pillows plump and fluffy. There’s a vase filled with flowers on the coffee table. I recognize white roses and blue hydrangeas, but the rest of the arrangement is a mystery to me. The roses are fragrant—their aroma fills the air. The curtains are open, and even though I’ve spent three days looking at the view, the ocean still takes my breath away.
Dropping my handbag on the couch, I head into the bathroom. Shower, perfume, makeup, my new crimson dress, my favorite espadrilles. If I’m going to have one of the most difficult conversations of my life, I need to get ready.
I’m dryingmy hair when I hear a knock. I shimmy into a pair of panties, grab a plush hotel robe, belting it around my waist, and head to the front.
It’s Dominic and Carter. “Can we come in?” Carter asks, a serious expression on his face.
“Umm, sure.” My heart starts to hammer. Is something wrong? “Hi.”
Dominic’s lips tilt up in a small smile. “Hi. How was your weekend?”
It sucked, actually. “Not bad. Yours?”
“Are we making small-talk now?” Carter cuts in. He sits on one of the couches. “About tonight…”
I have a sudden, dreadful idea that I know where this is going, and I hate it. “You need to cancel? That’s not a problem.”
He looks up, his green eyes piercing. “Actually, we were wondering if we could switch up the plan.”
“Chef Jie is debuting a fifteen-course summer tasting menu this week at Dalian,” Dominic says, naming one of the casino’s Michelin-starred restaurants. “I thought that maybe—”
“Go to a restaurant?” I gape at them. “In public?”
Carter grimaces. “We screwed up,” he says. “No, let me rephrase that. This isn’t Dominic’s fault; it’s mine. I screwed up. I was so obsessed with Ed that I ignored the impact on everyone else.” He takes a deep breath. “Gabby, I like you. A lot.”
“We like you,” Dominic interjects.
I sink onto the nearest couch. What are they saying?
“We like you,” Carter amends. “A lot. And it’s not only because of the sex.” His lips quirk. “Although the sex is hot.”
Not going to argue with that.
“We don’t want this to end when you leave Atlantic City, Gabby,” he says. “We want to date you.” He pauses. “Anytime you want to say something, by the way, feel free to interrupt.”
“I know it’s unorthodox.” Dominic runs his fingers through his hair. “Three of us, I mean. But I don’t care about that, and neither does Carter.”
Hope flutters inside of me. I squash it down. “What about Noah’s custody case?” I ask. “I hardly think the justice system will look approvingly at polyamory.”
Carter makes another face. “Ed and I went to a mediation session yesterday.”
He doesn’t seem thrilled about it. In fact, he looks like he drank spoiled milk. “How did it go?”
“Not great,” he admits. “I sniped at Ed. Still, we’re meeting again next week. That’s got to be a good sign, right?” His lips twist. “You asked me what I hoped to achieve by sending you to spy on Ed. For months, Dominic’s been telling me to work things out with him. The two of you are right. I can’t keep Noah from seeing his dad. I don’t like Ed, but I have to learn to live with him.”
Hope flickers to life again, slowly, cautiously. I’m so reluctant to trust it.
