Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

“I’m sorry. I want to make sure I understand right. You’re complaining about a guy being too committed?” Aisling swirls her wine around.

We’re all sitting on the floor at a low coffee table in Hannah’s apartment, two boxes of pizza mostly empty between us. Her expression is extremely judgy.

“We just found out you had a boyfriend three seconds ago,” Hannah says, annoyed. “You didn’t even text us. And now you’re saying he’s looking for marriage and you’re running away scared?”

I slide over my empty glass with a pout on my lips. Aisling rolls her eyes as she refills it with wine.

“It’s just a lot, you know?” I sound pathetic to my own ears. “We’ve only been out once.” And with Quinn, we haven’t even had a first date. But my friends don’t need to know about all that yet. I’m especially not going to tell them that all three of my boyfriends are, apparently, werewolves. I don’t think they’d believe me for a second, and it’s not my secret to tell.

“But you hooked up,” Aisling says, eyebrow raised. “Twice. How was it?”

How do I even put it into words? I think about the first time Leon came home with me, how he bossed me around, how he told me I was beautiful, how he praised me until I was floating on a cloud as he fucked me into a shivering puddle. How I came so many times with Leon and Jace together that I thought my body might implode.

“It was amazing,” I say quietly into my glass of wine. “Best sex I’ve ever had in my life. And he really liked being in charge.”

“Oooh,” hums Hannah. “So he’s a dom?”

I guess that’s one way to put it. “Yeah. And it felt fantastic. He just told me what to do and I did it.” I feel blood racing up into my cheeks. “It was so comfortable. Like I could trust him to lead.”

Aisling and Hannah exchange a look I can’t decipher.

“A guy you just met, you say?” Aisling leans forward, chin on her hand. “And you trust him enough to boss you around in bed your first time doing it?”

I pull my shoulders protectively up around my neck. “Yes? He hasn’t given me a reason not to. He’s a really good guy. A little dense sometimes, but a great guy.”

“Tell me again why you’re so afraid of him wanting commitment?” Hannah asks. “You’ve got a man who’s an awesome lay, has a good personality, and he’s seriously interested in you. I’m not understanding the problem.”

I wish I could explain that it’s not just Leon, but all three of them. That’s a lot to ask of a girl on the same day she found out she’s fucking three werewolves .

“He kept a secret from me, though,” I finally say.

Aisling raises an eyebrow. “What kind of secret?”

“Just about who he is. His past, where he comes from.”

Hannah refills her wine, then turns a serious look on me. “Is it a big enough secret to be a deal-breaker?”

“Maybe there was a reason he didn’t tell you,” Aisling says.

She’s right, of course. If Leon had told me at the beginning he was a huge, furry monster, would I have even considered a relationship with him? Maybe he wanted to get to know me first, too, before trusting me with the truth.

And after Quinn showed me what his werewolf form can do in bed, it’s definitely not a deal-breaker.

“Yeah,” I say. “He did have a good reason, I think.”

“I know you don’t like surprises.” Hannah puts a hand on my arm. “It triggers your flight-or-fight response. But maybe it’s worth asking yourself why you’re running. Are you afraid because it could actually work out?”

Her question stuns me into silence. Is that it? Am I scared of what might happen if I lean in to what Leon, Jace, and Quinn are offering me? Being the one and only for three whole super-hot guys—who also happen to be giant wolves—is a lot to take on, sure.

But it could be supremely lovely, too.

I sigh and guzzle down some more wine. “Maybe. I’ve never dated anyone who wanted commitment. I don’t know what it feels like.”

Aisling props her chin up on her hand, studying me. “Tiff. Do you feel like you don’t deserve it?”

I pause. It’s the kind of question only someone who knows me well would ask, and it stings that she’s right to ask it.

Is that it? That I don’t understand what these three men see in me?

“I’m afraid they’re—I mean, I’m afraid that he’s going to change his mind. That he’ll see I’m nothing exciting.” I squeeze my glass tighter. “I don’t want to invest in someone who will leave me.”

“So you want it?” Hannah asks eagerly. “Let’s say he’s telling the truth. Let’s say he really sees you for what you are, which is a smart, fun, sweet woman with lots of love to give, and that’s really what he wants. Do you want him, too?”

It’s easy to dismiss what Hannah’s saying about me, because she’s my friend and she’s biased. But in her hypothetical universe…

“Yes,” I say. “I do.”

My friends grin at me.

“Then let yourself have it,” Aisling says. “Explore it. Maybe it won’t lead to happily ever after this time, but you won’t know unless you try. And it very well could. He sounds like a good dude, Tiff.”

I nod in agreement. They’re all great guys, each of them with their own wonderful qualities. Maybe they really could be the thing I’ve been looking for.

Hannah squints at me. “You didn’t tell us how you met.”

“Oh.” I swallow another big sip of wine. “Well, uh… Remember those landscapers?”

“What?” Aisling gawps. “The ones who howled at you from the side of the road?”

I nod slowly.

“Oh my god.” Hannah starts laughing. “No way. You went out with one of them?”

“I ran into him at the bar. He was a lot nicer of a guy than I expected.”

Soon, both of them are cracking up.

“What a meet-cute!” Aisling almost spills her glass. “From ‘random dude howling at you’ to ‘serious, long-term boyfriend.’ I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“That will make a fun story to tell at your wedding,” says Hannah, smirking. “I’m happy for you, Tiff. Just don’t let the anxiety get the better of you.”

I ponder these words for the rest of the night as we drink far too much wine.

Maybe I do deserve to be happy. Maybe when Leon says I’m what they really want, I should believe him. And, maybe, the three of them are worth the risk.

As I walk home, I take out my phone and text Leon.

I’m really sorry I flipped out

I hesitate before typing out another message. Maybe it’s just the wine talking, but it’s the truth.

I miss you. All of you

The three dots appear that say he’s typing an answer, and my breath comes short. What if they’ve changed their mind about me already?

We’ve missed you, too. And I understand why you said what you said. I didn’t mean to come on so strong, but I can’t lie to you about what we want, either

My heart swells, and I type out the message so fast it has a few typos in it.

I thimk I want to try it. Being with you

The response comes as I reach my apartment building.

I would love that, and so would Jace and Quinn. You said you wanted to get to know us better, so what do you think of a date?

I quirk an eyebrow.

A date? With all 3 of you?

Yeah. We’ll take you somewhere fun!

Smiling to myself, I open my front door and stumble inside. I fall back against it as I hastily write my answer.

I’d love that

Getting Jace, Quinn, and Leon all to myself for a few hours? Sounds like a dream.

But I wonder what Eli would be doing while his brothers go out with me—and if it’s as awkward as I’m imagining it is. Do they usually do everything together? Does Eli have his own life, or his own girlfriend? I realize that I have no idea.

But I also loved hearing from him when I was uncertain. I loved that he was watching out for me, asking his brothers to give me room to breathe while I sorted out my feelings.

So I type out another message.

Would Eli like to come?

Maybe I’m overreaching, but the wine is working its magic on me, and I feel bolder than usual. I think about Eli’s kind text messages and find myself wanting to see the version of him that held my hand that day and talked me down from my anxiety attack.

There’s a long pause before Leon starts typing his answer.

He would love to

I grin and hug my phone to my chest as I stumble into bed, still wearing my makeup. I fall asleep wondering what I did to deserve them—and for once thinking that maybe I just do.

Mini-golf.

That’s the big “date” that the landscapers have planned for me. Mini-golf.

Jace is the one who started the group chat with all five of us.

It’s the perfect place. Big, long shafts and lots of balls

Quinn seems the most excited about it.

And all the cute little courses! I love the moving obstacles!

Besides, Tiff, then we all get to see you bend over

Leon, I’ve discovered, is the filthiest one. He has an endlessly dirty mind and isn’t afraid of making it known how hungry he is for me.

You’re disgusting, Leon.

Eli, as I expected, is the gentleman.

“What are you doing on your phone?” snaps Mr. Bosley. Shit. I didn’t even hear his door open. These guys are so distracting.

“Sorry.” I slip the phone into my pocket. He narrows his eyes but doesn’t say anything else as he strides out of the office for his lunch meeting. I quickly sneak out to get some drive-thru food, then bring it back so I’m eating at my desk when my boss returns, completely red in the face.

“Ms. Dockett!” He comes to a halt in front of me. “When you’re done getting ketchup all over your keyboard, I need you to sign off on this inventory manifest.”

I stare at him. Why would he want me to do that? I wasn’t there when inventory was taken—it’s usually the warehouse manager who signs off on what equipment we have in stock.

“I’m not authorized to sign off on these?—”

“You have one job,” he says with a withering scowl. “It’s to do what small things I ask of you. Do I need to go out and find another assistant?”

Fuck. I can’t get fired. Maybe he forgot to have the manager do it. Mr. Bosley would never, ever admit when he was wrong or made a mistake, and I don’t want to make him even madder. He might really just fire me in a fit.

Instead, I say, “Oh, o-okay. I’ll handle it.”

With a huff, Mr. Bosley drops the papers in front of me and returns to his office.

“This is a lot of AC units,” I mutter to myself as I sign on the line for almost a hundred of them, ten times as many as we usually have. Must be that time of year.

Then I file it along with everything else.