Thirty-Four

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Stevie sat in her office, the doorclosed, her phone propped up on her desk so she could see Niyah's face on the screen. The FaceTime call with her best friend had been going on for the past fifteen minutes, during which she had relayed her desperation in a manner she hoped came across as nonchalant. More accurately, she was seeking her best friend's advice on what she should do for Nico and Stone tonight. Being that it was Valentine's Day and all.

"I know it's last minute," she told Niyah. "But it's Valentine's Day. I should do something, right?"

"We'll get to that, yes. But first, I think we should discuss the fact that you're in a relationship with two men," Niyah countered, her eyebrows shooting toward her hairline. "And you haven't told me about it."

Although Niyah was smiling, Stevie felt guilty because she was right. She'd talked to Niyah several times since she left for California a month ago, but she hadn't yet divulged the details of her budding relationship with Nico and Stone. Or was it relationships? In the plural tense? Her relationships with Nico and Stone. Or maybe it was Nico or Stone. If they were separate.

God, her brain was mush, and this conversation wasn't helping.

Yes, she'd known when she placed the call and asked the ridiculous question that Niyah would have questions. That was what best friends did. Problem was, Stevie hadn't given any thought to how she would answer. Or even how she should answer. Not because she wasn't eager to talk about it. She was. But she was also nervous. She didn't want to jinx what they had by talking about her feelings.

It was all so confusing. But at the same time, it felt as natural as breathing.

Which she would do now. In, out. Nice and slow.

"Is it serious?" Niyah asked.

That one was easy. "I'm sleepin' in Nico's bed every night, so I'd say yes."

"Every night? Wow. That was fast."

"Fast? Pfft. You know I've had a thing for him since … forever."

"True."

"And I've been livin' there for … well, a year now."

"Also true."

Stevie felt compelled to come up with more reasons. "We've been … doin' stuff for a year now, too."

"Exactly a year," Niyah agreed.

She sat up straight. "It has been, huh?" She honestly hadn't thought about that. It had been last year on this very day that Stevie had gotten a little tipsy and successfully seduced Nico for the first time.

What a difference a year could make. If someone had told her back then that she'd spend the next romantic holiday wanting to do something to celebrate with Nico and Stone, she would've told them they were certifiable.

"What about Stone? Is he sleepin' in Nico's bed every night?"

"No."

Niyah laughed. "Disappointed much?"

Stevie laughed. She hadn't meant to say it with so much despair, but it was true. She wished she could wake up to both Stone and Nico every morning. The one-offs were nice, but the more they happened, the more she wanted them to happen again.

"A little," Stevie admitted. "I know it's new, and rushing things is stupid, but I can't help it."

"If you think about it, it's not new, Stevie. You've loved them both for a long time. The heart doesn't understand time references." Niyah tilted her head, her eyes imploring through the little glass screen. "But it does understand someone making promises, then leaving town and never looking back."

Of course she was going to bring that up. Hell, a day rarely passed when Stevie didn't think the same thing. How she'd forgiven Stone so easily when he deserved her wrath.

"How do you feel about that?"

"Well, Dr. Phil," Stevie teased, staring at the phone head-on. "I think I'm crazy, to be honest. I think things are movin' fast because I let them. I think I let Stone off the hook too quickly." She sighed. "And every night when I go to bed, I think about how much I still love him even though I shouldn't."

"No one said that, girl." Niyah's smile grew. "As long as you aren't making this leap into romantic bliss blindfolded, I think you'll be fine."

"My eyes are wide open," she huffed. "That doesn't make it any less stupid."

"It's not stupid to want something you've waited your entire life for," Niyah countered, always the optimist. Her best friend grinned. "Plus, you're not gettin' any younger."

Stevie snorted. "Neither are you."

Niyah's face lit up, and her mouth opened, but she closed it quickly.

Stevie knew that look. She'd seen it a million times since the fourth grade. Niyah always did it when she had some kind of news. It was her way of contemplating whether it was the right time to deliver it.

"Tell me," Stevie insisted.

"I … um…" Niyah giggled, her eyes glittering with what could only be tears. "I'm pregnant."

Stevie jerked back, her chair rolling away from the desk as she clapped her hands together. "For real?"

"For real."

"Oh, my God!" Stevie squealed. "You're gonna be a mommy!"

She couldn't resist the urge to launch to her feet and dance in a circle. When she returned to her seat, Niyah was laughing.

Stevie leaned toward the screen. "That's so great. How far along?"

"Ten weeks."

She did the math in her head. "You were pregnant before you left? And you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know," Niyah said, still grinning.

"Well, at least you're gonna give birth to a Texan," she teased. "Being conceived here gives him residency. Or is it a girl?"

"We don't know yet."

"Have you told Nico?"

Niyah canted her head. "What do you think? I couldn't tell him before I told you. He sucks at keepin' secrets."

That much was true. "When do you plan to tell him?"

"Since you're gonna go all out tonight, I figure I'll tell him tomorrow."

Stevie huffed, flopping back in her chair. Now that they'd come full circle in the conversation, she realized she still had no idea how to make tonight special.

"Don't look so forlorn. I've got an idea," Niyah said.

Hope flared to life as she sat forward and listened to her best friend map out what she needed to do.

***

Nico was climbing into his truck whenhis phone buzzed. He checked the screen to find a text message from Stevie.

—I'm officially requesting your presence at home tonight. Seven o'clock. Come hungry.

He responded, smiling as he did.

—Does that mean you're cooking?

—I don't care who's cooking, I'll be there.

—Yes, Nico, I'm cooking. And thank you for being so amenable, Stone.

—When it comes to you, baby, I'm easy. What can I say?

—What are you making?

—Can't you just be easy like Stone? Does it matter?

—Just promise not to burn the house down before we get there.

—I'll do my best.

—If you smell smoke, remember my brother's a firefighter.

—One more smart remark from either of you, and I'll go to bed early, and you'll both miss out.

Nico backspaced quickly, laughing. No way was he going to risk that happening.

Instead, he put his phone in the center console and turned on the truck. It would take him an hour in traffic to get back up north. It was only four, so he had plenty of time, but he had another stop to make before he headed home for the day.

Almost as soon as he put the truck in drive, his phone rang. He tapped the button on the steering wheel to take the call.

"Nico Daugherty," he answered, keeping his eyes on the road.

"What are you doing?"

He grinned as his sister's voice echoed through the truck's speakers.

"Drivin'. What're you doin'?"

"Sitting here with my feet up, enjoying a near-perfect day."

"Only near perfect?" he teased. "Sounds to me like Adam's fallin' down on the job."

"No. I don't think he is." She laughed. "Then again, his job's easy. He's only got me to take care of, and I'm easy to please."

Nico snorted. "Since when?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Niyah blurted, her jovial tone disappearing.

He frowned. "Tell you what?"

"That you're with Stevie and Stone."

"Define with," he said, not sure how much she knew. He wouldn't put it past his sister to ferret out the information by pretending she was in the know. She'd done it to him enough times over the years.

"Stevie's sleepin' in your bed every night."

Well, apparently, she'd been talking to Stevie, which probably meant she knew more than he did. And that was saying something, considering he was the one they were talking about.

"She is," he confirmed.

"And Stone's a frequent overnight guest, from what I hear?"

"He is."

"And you didn't beat him to a pulp for what he did to Stevie?"

Nico sighed, propping his wrist on the steering wheel. Traffic was heavy, so he was going nowhere fast.

"He broke her heart, Nico."

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to that. Niyah was right, but it wasn't his place to dole out punishment.

"Stevie's a big girl," Nico reminded her. "She can fight her own battles."

"Not when her heart's been reduced to mush."

He snorted a laugh. "Are we talkin' about the same Stevie? You know good and well her heart's not mush."

"She puts on a good face, Nico. But deep down, she's not over what he did."

"Did she tell you that? Or is that your Dr. Phil personality making assessments?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. Actually. Did Stevie tell you she put Stone in his place?"

His sister was silent for a moment. "She left that part out."

"Trust her to know what's best for her, Niyah. I do."

Her exasperation was thick in her exhale. "How long's this been goin' on?"

So she didn't know everything. That was good. As much as he loved his sister, there were parts of his life he preferred to keep to himself. It wasn't easy since Stevie was Niyah's best friend, and they shared everything.

"Not long."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

"Wow. That was fast."

"It's true, though." And he saw no reason to deny it. It was bad enough he spent a good portion of his day thinking about where he'd been a month ago and trying to reconcile it with where he was today. It was pointless to try to rationalize it. It was also pointless to think he would've wanted it any other way.

"And Stone? Do you love him, too?"

"Yes." Granted, that was a new revelation, so there had been a pause before he admitted it.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

"Does he love you?"

"Niyah. Stop with the third degree."

"I'm askin' out of love, big brother. After all, I had to hear it from my best friend."

He snorted. "You act like your best friend isn't who we're talkin' about."

Niyah was silent for a moment, but the screen showed the call was still clocking seconds, so Nico waited.

"I'm happy for you," she finally said.

"Thanks." He took the opening to change the subject. "How's it goin' in California? You ready to come back yet?"

"Nope." Her tone relaxed somewhat. "I heard y'all had snow."

"Ice," he corrected. "Very little."

With any luck, they wouldn't have any more. Since the snowpocalypse a few years ago, when they'd rounded out February beneath a blanket of white that had overloaded the power grid, Nico found himself wishing for warmer temperatures.

"I don't miss that," Niyah said. "And I won't miss the heat this summer either. But I was thinkin' maybe y'all could come out here for a few days. Go to the beach. J?ger would get a kick out of the water."

Nico wasn't sure they were at a point where a vacation was a good idea, but he liked the idea. Plus, he missed Niyah already, and it'd only been a month. By the time summer rolled around, he figured he could be easily talked into a quick trip to see her.

"Or maybe y'all should wait," Niyah said quickly.

"I was about—"

"Until mid-September," his sister continued.

"September?" Nico frowned. "What's there to do in September?"

There was a brief pause followed by, "You could meet your niece or nephew."

Nico felt his chest swell instantly. "You're pregnant?"

"I am."

"That's great, Sis. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks. Now, don't tell Stevie I told you."

"You haven't told her yet?"

"I have. About an hour ago, actually," Niyah said with a giggle. "But I told her I'd wait to tell you until tomorrow."

"Couldn't hold it in any longer, huh?"

"Nope. But I figure my news won't spoil the surprise she has in store for you and Stone."

"Surprise? What surprise?"

Niyah laughed. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it?"

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"I'm the little sister. It's my job."

***

As he drove to Stevie's, Stone's gazecontinued to dart to the flowers, teddy bears, and chocolates sitting in the passenger seat. He hadn't been sure what to get Stevie for Valentine's Day, so he'd gone the safe route and grabbed as much as he could. And to round it out, he'd grabbed a bottle of bourbon for Nico. He'd noticed the other day that Nico had quite the collection on a bar cart in the dining room, so he wanted to add to it. It was likely overkill, but what was a guy to do?

He'd only celebrated Valentine's once, and that was with Stevie many, many years ago. In fact, she was the only girl he'd ever celebrated significant holidays with. Since he hadn't had a real relationship since then, he was a little rusty.

Plus, this thing with Stevie and Nico was new. Sure, it was moving at warp speed, but that didn't change the fact that he was still treading on unstable ground. The last thing he wanted was to make a wrong move and hurt her feelings or, worse, make her think he expected more than he deserved.

He wished he could give her good news about his business plan, but he didn't have any yet. He still had to meet with Ethan and Beau tomorrow night. If that went well, then it was just a matter of tracking down Zane. Up to this point, his efforts had been wasted, but he wasn't giving up yet. He left a long-winded voicemail yesterday but hadn't heard back from his cousin. He was starting to think he wasn't going to.

But that was a worry for another time, he thought as he pulled into Nico and Stevie's driveway.

Stevie's Bronco was there, but Nico's truck was noticeably absent.

His thoughts drifted back to last night when he'd come over to find Nico and Stevie on the couch. His heart had skipped a few dozen beats when his brain registered the scene. It was as though they'd plucked the fantasy out of his head.

He found himself smiling as he grabbed the loot in the front seat and carried it to the house.

As soon as he knocked, he heard a voice call out from inside the house, telling him to come in.

At least, that was what he thought she said, so he opened the door and peeked inside. "Stevie?"

"In here," she announced.

A yip sounded, and a moment later, J?ger rounded the corner, racing toward the front door.

"What's up, little guy?" he asked the dog as he set his stuff down so he could take off his coat.

Unable to resist, he took a moment to pet J?ger before standing tall and grabbing the gifts. He started toward the kitchen, expecting to smell the aromas of whatever meal Stevie was preparing. Either his olfactory senses were offline, or she wasn't making anything because he got a whiff of nothing.

When he turned the corner, he came to an abrupt stop. "Holy shit."

Stevie turned her head and smiled at him. It was forced, he could tell.

"I want you to know that preparing this was not nearly as easy as it looks."

Stone fumbled to set the flowers and shit on the counter while he continued to stare at the scene literally laid out before him.

"I hope you're hungry," she said, her eyes tracking him as he moved closer.

"Goddamn," he groaned.

This was one gift he would never forget, not for as long as he lived, and he wasn't sure what to say or do. Stevie had turned herself into a human dessert, complete with strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and, yes, even a cherry or two.

His mouth watered with the need to lick his way through the fruit and sugar to get to the best part, which was the very naked woman underneath.

Thankfully, there was noise at the front of the house, followed by Nico's voice echoing through the house.

"In here," Stevie called back, her eyes still on Stone.

A moment later, he felt Nico's presence as he stopped beside him.

"Jesus."

"I know, right," he muttered.

"Seriously?" Stevie huffed. "Y'all choose this moment to be speechless?"

"Hey, it's not every day a man comes home to find his woman laid out like a dessert buffet," Stone said, his gaze still skimming her delectable curves.

"Is it all edible?" Nico asked, moving closer.

"Yes," Stevie answered.

Stone got with the program, moving around to the end of the island so he could admire her from a different angle.

"All of it?" Stone asked, staring at the small pieces of fruit that were piled high, adding what he assumed was supposed to be a discreet element to what could only be described as erotic art.

"How exactly did you do this?" Nico asked, voicing the question that was running through Stone's mind.

"Does it matter?"

No. No, it did not.

"Goddamn," he muttered again, stepping closer so he could touch.

"Is that chocolate syrup?" Nico asked, dragging his finger through a puddle of dark liquid pooling in Stevie's belly button.

She inhaled sharply. "Yes."

Stone touched a mound of white that was steepled over Stevie's nipple. "And whipped cream?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"What were you goin' for?" Nico asked, but even Stone knew the answer didn't matter.

Before he realized what he was doing, Stone was rolling up his sleeves, gearing up to dig in. This was gonna get messy.

Hours later, as the three of them were taking turns in the shower, Stone found himself grinning like an idiot. He never did get a chance to give either of them the gifts he'd gotten them, but he hoped the hours of pleasure and multiple orgasms made up for it.

It was a Valentine's Day that would go down in the history books, that was for damn sure.