37. Simon

CHAPTER 37

Simon

Elise is standing at the end of the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. She’s wearing one of Blake’s T-shirts. It hits just above her knees. Her hair is mussed, she has a pillow crease on her cheek, and her eyes look puffy, as if she hasn’t gotten much sleep.

My heart aches in my chest.

She and Aidan are the loves of my life and I’m not letting her go. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.

“Hey, Elise,” Blake says, starting for her.

She holds up a hand. “You really came back from London early because you found out about the wedding?” she asks me.

“No,” I tell her. “I came back from London early because I realize that I haven’t told you that I’m in love with you. And I couldn’t go another day without saying it. And I had to say it in person.”

I take a step closer to her. Her eyes are locked on me and she’s pressing her lips together.

“I’m in love with you, Elise. Madly.”

“I thought you were in love with Aidan.”

I nod. “I’m madly in love with Aidan too. I want you both. And I want you to stay married to Blake. But I want you and Blake to keep seeing me and Aidan.” I take a step toward her. “I’m moving to Chicago. I’ll still have to go to London at times. And other places. But this is where I want to live. Where I want to make my life. With all of you.”

I take a final step, stopping about a foot in front of her. “I’m very spoiled. I’ve lived a very privileged life. Please don’t make me start learning the word ‘no’ now.”

She’s blinking her big brown eyes, but I see the corner of her mouth twitch.

Aidan steps up beside me and takes my hand. “Me too, Elise. I’m in love with you too. I’ve fallen for you both so fast, but it’s completely real. Yes, I was jealous when I found out that you really married Blake. But only because I want to be a part of your forever too. We screwed up not telling you how we felt as soon as we realized it. I guess we didn’t really have a great moment? We were waiting for a good time. But we shouldn’t have. We should have just blurted it out.”

She’s pressing her lips together, staring at both of us. Her gaze goes to Blake.

“I’m in love with you, too,” he says, his deep voice even gruffer than usual. “Asking you to marry me was the smartest thing I’ve ever done. I did it in a really stupid way, but the idea of having you forever, is the best idea I’ve ever had. I love you, Elise. And I am so sorry I didn’t say that before now. In my defense, I just realized it as we were standing in front of the judge. So I didn’t really have time before that. But…I was an idiot to not realize it before that.”

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

Aidan jumps in. “And before you say anything about how this can’t work or how we can’t deal with messes or disorganization or lost phones or whatever…no. It will work. It’s already working.”

“What messes?” Blake asks.

She opens her eyes and focuses on him.

“You mean your organizational style?” he asks. “None of us care about that.”

I smile. I love Elise’s “chaos” and I love how Aidan and Blake have embraced it as well. As I’ve gotten to know Aidan, it doesn’t surprise me. He is loving and accepting and just a good man. I had my doubts about the big, burly hockey player, but he’s all in. The way he cares for Elise and just rolls with all of the beautiful things that make her the unique, gorgeous woman who stole our hearts, makes me appreciate him and makes me look forward to a future with him in our lives.

“We will give you an entire room wherever we live and you can do whatever you want with it,” Blake tells her, stepping forward until he’s within touching distance. “Or you can have four rooms. Or hell, I kind of hope you’ll set up some racks and stuff in every room with your dresses and accessories. You and your passion have brought color and creativity and sexiness and fun into my life in a way I would have never imagined and I want it around me all the time.I love being at your apartment. It makes me smile and feel surrounded by joy. This place—” He glances around his apartment. “Is empty and sterile and I hate it here now that I’ve spent time with you.”

She gives him a shaky smile. “Wow.”

He returns the smile, looking almost relieved.

Aidan continues where Blake left off. “And, as for your schedule, where sometimes you forget you need to do something until the last minute, that just means there’s never a dull day. I never know what to expect and honey, I’m perfect for that. As a firefighter, I live with that kind of routine constantly. I’m so good.”

I jump in. “And the phone thing is nothing. To me that just means you need one of us with you most of the time so people can call us if they need you.” I shrug. “Needing one of us by your side all the time is an easy fix, because there’s nowhere else we’d rather be.”

Blake nods. “Yeah, sorry to break it to you, but if that’s the best you’ve got to try to scare us off, you’re stuck with us. Forever. Because that’s nothing stacked up against love.”

“He’s right, love,” I tell her. “You’re going to have to do a lot more than just leave things lying around to scare us off.”

Aidan gives her a grin. “Yeah, you’ve really screwed up trying to push us away. We are all completely head over heels and we’re not going anywhere.”

She swallows, then takes a breath and says simply, “I know.”

We all just stand there, like dumbasses.

She watches us, her smile slowly growing. “I know that you are all okay with my messes, and my disorganization, and my phone issues. You’ve all been here, becoming a part of my life seamlessly. You’ve made me feel special and loveable and have never made me feel like a problem. I know this can work.”

She stops and takes another breath. “But there is one big thing I screwed up.”

“It’s okay. Whatever it is,” Blake says immediately.

“There’s nothing too big,” Aidan adds.

God, these two are gone for her.

Just like I am.

“What is it, love?” I ask.

She gives us all a dazzling smile. “I haven’t told you all how much I love each of you either.”

Blake steps forward, nearly on her toes. “Well, of course you do. We’re very loveable.”

That makes her laugh. “You already knew?”

He lifts a hand, cupping her face. “No,” he confesses. “Not at all. In fact, I spent the whole day completely convinced you were just doing me a favor marrying me. But I’m so fucking happy to hear it.”

She looks at me. “Did you know?”

I shake my head. “Hoped, love. Hoped.”

She looks at Aidan. “How about you?”

“Did I think I might deserve to have an amazing, feisty, sexy, passionate, creative, special woman fall in love with me?” Aidan asks. “Girl, I was thrilled as fuck when you just let me kiss you.”

She smiles, then a little pink touches her cheeks. “I think I begged you to kiss me.”

He makes a little growling sound. “Yes, I believe you’re right.”

She takes a deep breath and looks at each of us again. “Well, I do love you. All of you. So much.” She shakes her head. “I can’t believe how much. I want this. I want all of you, all of us, together.” She pauses and wet her lips. “Can we do that?”

“Yes,” I say immediately.

“Absolutely,” Aidan answers.

“Fuck yes,” Blake says.

Her smile grows bigger and brighter. “Okay. Great. Awesome.”

“Blake?” I say.

“Yeah?”

“I think maybe you should carry your wife into bed.”

Now he growls. He immediately bends and scoops Elise into his arms. But he glances back.

“You guys are coming, right?”

I smile. That’s how this needs to work and it looks like we’re all on board.

“Right behind you,” I tell him.

“Nowhere else I want to be,” Aidan says.

Once in the bedroom, Blake settles Elise in the middle of the bed and climbs in on her right side.

Aidan and I strip down to our underwear, dropping on our clothes on the floor without concern for where anything lands.

I take Elise’s right side and Aidan slides in next to me, moving in close and leaning over me.

He presses a kiss to Elise’s mouth. “I love you, El.”

“I love you too,” she says softly, touching his cheek before he pulls back.

I lean in to kiss her next. “I love you, my love.”

“I love you so much,” she tells me, giving me a sweet smile.

Then her husband rolls her toward him. He cups her face and kisses her deeply. He lifts his head and stares down at her. “Love you, Mrs. Wilder.”

Her smile is bright. “I love you, Mr. Wilder.”

Then he settles in, tucking her close, her back to his front, splaying his hand over her belly. My hand rests on her hip, and Aidan’s hand is on my chest.

We’re all quiet for a long moment.

Finally, Elise asks, “That’s it?”

We all laugh.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“We’re not going to have celebratory we’re-all-in-love-and-together sex?” she asks.

Aidan is hit by a huge yawn.

Blake shakes his head. “It’s been a big day and it’s the middle of the night. We’re just going to sleep now.”

“Oh.” She sounds disappointed.

I lean in and kiss her cheek. “No worries, love. We have the rest of our lives to ravish you. You’ll be trying to come up with ways to keep us off of you.”

She grins up at me. “I can’t imagine that. Danielle and Luna are two of the happiest people I’ve ever met.”

We all laugh.

“You just keep that in mind,” Blake tells her.

“How do you feel about being awakened by the smell of pancakes and bacon while your new husband eats your pussy?” Aidan asks. His voice is sleepy and mumbled, a sharp contrast to his words.

Elise giggles. “I think that sounds perfect.”

“Great. See you in the morning. Goodnight, El,” he says.

“Goodnight, love,” I tell her softly.

“Goodnight, wife,” Blake says.

She let out a happy sigh. “Goodnight.”

I put my hand over Aidan’s on my chest and close my eyes.

I have never been happier in my entire life.

I’m home .