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She took my silence pretty stoically. "So, that's what she's dealing with. And your going full Commando and trying to fix things like it's an action film and you're John Wick won't do anything for her right now. She needs time to figure out she's perfect just as she is."
Miguel flourished his hands in a very poor rendition ofOverprotected.
"But who am I to say what a girl is to do?
God, I need some answers!"
"Okay," Juniper replied, holding back a snort. "I think that's enough Britney Spears for one day, Miguel."
He shut up immediately.
"It's not pretty, but we'll get her past it. For now, I'd say she'd chomp down a chicken sandwich. Just grill up some chicken, glaze it with a bit of balsamic, and make a garlic and thyme dressing in yogurt. You good to do that?"
I nodded, still a bit dumbfounded. Juniper grinned, walked over to me, planted a telling kiss on my lips, and waved at the other boys.
I could literally feel their eyes boring into the back of my head. "I gotta go," she murmured. "See you around, Reed."
All I could do was amble after her as she stepped out the door.
My words were still stuck in a jumbled mess. I wanted to thank her.
I wanted to kiss her again because the last time was too short. I wanted...
"Juniper, I—"
"Don't say nothin'," she replied, turning to flash a quick smile at me. "It was my pleasure. I like your kid. She's pretty darn amazing."
I watched her walk to her place. When I finally closed the door, I was immediately met with two resounding wolf-whistles.
"What was that about?" Asher asked, thumping my back.
"I—we had a bit of thing."
Miguel burst out laughing. "Aye, and that's amazing. Paladin and I really like her. And we like her for you."
I swiveled around to consider their faces. "Are you two ..."
Paladin wouldn't meet my eyes, but Thunder nodded. "We're about as smitten as you. She's somethin' else."
"Oh."
"But," Paladin interjected quickly, "we'd never—Skipper, we'd never do anything you're not comfortable with."
I hadn't been calledSkipperby the boys in a while. It was usually Grizzly or Cap. Cole used to call me that most of all.
I thought about the undercurrent of what wasn't being said for a good while. Honestly, the topic of sharing Juniper didn't scare me or make me jealous.
Not when it was Paladin and Thunder. I'd shared my whole life with them. I'd survived weeks in the bogs and on snow-capped mountains, praying against every reasonable tidal force to make it.
That kind of bond didn't end because something new was beginning. If anything, it got more and more solidified.
I'd rather share Juniper with them than have her explore with other cool "bros" who spent easy nights in bars and easier mornings that weren't plagued by night terrors.
But Juniper needed to be on the same page with us. And there was one more, one even bigger issue.
"It's not the sharing that scares me," I said, going to the kitchen to see if I had any balsamic. "It's the idea that we're hiding so much from her." Thunder heated up a pan, and Paladin sliced up some rye.
"What if, though? What if she's in the right, and we get to make something great outta this? The alternative is treating her like any other suspect. No close quarters."
