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Rowan
“I’m so angry at Jason I could spit!” Jamie stomps around our front living room later that day, throwing her hands in the air in disgust. I watch her from my place on the couch, nodding my head along with her outrage, but too exhausted to rehash the memory over and over again.
The boys had dropped me off earlier, but only after breakfast, coffee, and sixty minutes or so of reassuring the boys that I wasn’t going to keel over in my house and fall down the stairs. Only then did they drive me home, much to Jamie’s paranoid relief.
Honestly, I’ve still been trying to wrap my head around the fact that I spent the night with them last night, and they’d taken care of me like I was one of their own. A friend. Maybe even more. Not a single one of them had touched me, crossed any boundaries. I’d slept through the night because I felt safe there, with them, and it was a feeling I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
“You need to report him,” Jamie says, stopping in front of me as she places her hands on her hips. “You need to report Jason to the police. He drugged and tried to rape you, Row. He deserves to be punished.”
“I think the guys got after him last night,” I say. “Physically, I mean. I don’t think Jason will be a problem anymore, James.”
Shaking her head, Jamie plops down on the couch next to me, scooting closer so that she can rest her hand on top of mine. I roll my head to the side and rest it on her shoulder, happy that I managed to escape the bullshit with Jason. It could have ended very badly last night, and I have the boys to thank.
“As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters,” Jamie says, squeezing my hand. “I was so worried, Row. I knew I should have just gone to that party with you. Maybe it wouldn’t have escalated so quickly.”
“It’s no one’s fault but mine.”
“You mean no one’s fault but Jason’s,” Jamie corrects me, and I nod. “I’m glad the boys showed up,” she continues. “After I texted Matt, I wasn’t sure if they’d end up going or not. I felt bad asking, like it wasn’t my business and maybe they just didn’t want to. But I’m really, really glad they did.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, remembering how safe I felt in Matt’s arms as he carried me to the car, away from Jason, away from the dangers of the real world. Falling asleep on the couch with three good men watching over me, a pyramid of safety that made me feel safer than I’ve ever felt in my life.
“I’m telling you,” Jamie says, reaching for her glass of wine on the coffee table to take a sip. “Harems are things, Rowan. Can you really choose just one now?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper. “I want them all. I feel like I need them. All three of them. I’ve never felt this way before.”
“They all clearly care about you,” Jamie says. “Do you think they’d be down for it?”
“No, Jamie. It’s weird. It’s just … weird.” I don’t know what else to say, because that’s all that keeps running through my mind. Matt. Bryce. Dereck. All of them. Together. Three of them.
Jamie stands up and goes to the kitchen to rinse her wine glass in the sink. “I’m going to walk to the library and study. You up for it?”
“Not today. I have some things I have to think about.”
Jamie nods and leans down to wrap her arms around me. “I love you,” she says. “You’ll make the right decision. I know you will.”
Carly had not come home last night, so the house is draped in silence. Normally, I loved to be alone, bask in the peaceful silence and allow my brain to temporarily shut down. But today, it unsettled me. I couldn’t stand the silence.
I pull out my phone and realize I have three missed text messages, one from each guy. I smile as I read them, wondering how high school bullies could merely change their ways for the better. Men I once hated more than anything in life were quickly becoming friends … best friends. Lovers.
I swallow the lump in my throat and answer Matt first.
How’re you feeling?
Much better, thanks 2 you 3. How are you?
I set the phone down on the coffee table and then get up to make sure the front door is locked. I slip the dead bolt into place, shivering at the thought of Jason showing up at my front door. I feel vulnerable without the boys there, and I hate that feeling. Since graduating high school, I almost never allowed myself to feel this way.
I sit back down on the couch and check my phone. There’s a response from Matt.
Good. I’m glad. I’m on a shift at the station.
I smile, gnawing my bottom lip without realizing it. Matt’s surprise firefighter career was still difficult for me to wrap my head around. I never envisioned Bryce or Matt working in public service, actually helping people.
Before I can type back a reply, my phone buzzes again.
Do you want to stop by? You can meet the crew.
I swallow, frowning at the phone. Matt wants to introduce me to his friends, his coworkers, his team. My fingers skim over the screen as I type up a response.
Sure. I’ll head over now.
