Chapter 8

L IP

" Y ou're never allowed to ride that bike again," Joey said the minute we walked into Jack's hospital room.

Jack laughed, winced, and grabbed his side. "Damn, sweetheart, you aren't even gonna cut me a break when I'm an invalid lying in a hospital bed?"

Joey ran up to him, kissed him on the cheek, and examined every inch of him she could see. "No, 'cause you put yourself here. Why didn't anyone call us?"

"I lost my wallet. They didn't know who I was until I woke up and told them my name. That's when they called Lip." Jack turned to look at me. "You gonna stand there, or you gonna come say hi?"

"Not sure if I won’t kill you right now."

Jack patted the other side of the bed. "Come on."

As I drew closer to him, my rage fell away, replaced by relief. "You're a fuckin' idiot, but man, I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry," Jack said, looking between Joey and me. "I know I was a complete asshole. I've got some shit to deal with, but lying here, knowing what happened because of my stupidity, I'm gonna try harder not to be a fuckin' idiot."

I shook my head. "I can't keep doing this."

"What?" Joey and Jack asked in union.

"What the fuck do you mean you can't do this?" Joey demanded. "This is us . We only work as the three of us. What do you mean, Lip?"

"If you stop asking questions, maybe I can answer you," I snapped. "I meant that I can't keep doing this shit with Jack running away." I turned to look Jack directly in the eyes. I needed him to know that what I said next was for him. "I love you. I've loved you since I was four years old in one way or another. The idea of losing you and Joey makes me feel like I'm crawling out of my skin. You can't pull this shit anymore."

"I know. I'm not gonna. I woke up in this bed alone and realized what a complete ass I've been." Jack winced as he reached one hand to Joey and the other to me. Joey took it without hesitation, but I waited a moment. "I know I've fucked up, Lip. I know I am fucked up."

"You fuckin scared me, man. This is the first time you genuinely scared me."

Joey walked over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head on my chest. "You're not alone."

I focused on the bruises on his face, the black eye, the busted lip, the scrapes on his face, his broken leg, and the bandage wrapped around his head. "You're seeing a shrink."

Jack frowned. "I don't need to see a shrink."

"You do. You needed a shrink when you were four. It’s been a long time coming. You need help that Joey and I can’t give you. We can love, support, and be there for you in every way, but you need a professional."

J ACK

Lip wanted me to see a fucking shrink. He wanted me to sit in some office on a brown leather couch and tell a complete stranger what a horrible childhood I'd had. I had enough fucking issues talking to Joey, a woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Still, as I lay there, bruised and broken, looking at the two people I loved more than my life, I knew he was right. The fucker was always right.

"Okay," I relented. "I'll go."

"Thank you," Joey whispered. "I love you."

She kissed me, her lips soft and tender like her heart. Joey always saw the best in us, the parts of us no one else saw. She was pure goodness, and I wasn't sure why she'd stayed with us, with me, for so long.

"I love you too, sweetheart. So much."

Joey turned to Lip with a mischievous smirk. "You just gonna stand there? Kiss the man."

Lip and I stared at each other. We’d only kissed that one time, and we'd done it to please Joey. We discovered a while ago that when she was turned on, so were we. There wasn't much we wouldn't do for her sexually. But that kiss had been more than simply pleasing Joey. It was when I realized I loved Lip not only as a man but as a lover.

I looked at Lip, unsure if he felt the same way. But then he pressed his lips to mine. An aggressive kiss full of need, desperation, and acceptance.

"We fuckin' love you, you idiot. Don't fuck up again," Lip ordered.

"I won't. I love you." I turned to Joey, holding my hand out to her. "Both of you. You're my family, my home."

"When did they say we can bust you out of here?" Lip asked.

"The doctor told me they needed to run a few more tests, and if those all check out, I can get out of here. So hopefully, a few days tops."

"When can you have sex?" Joey asked.

Lip and I burst out laughing.

"You horny, sweetheart?" I teased.

Joey turned a deep shade of red. She was so damn cute. "No, it's not that. This is a new beginning, the three of us together for real. I want to be close to both of you and have you close to each other. I'm sure I'm not explaining it well, but you and Lip have finally realized what I knew all along. What works isn't just me in the center but the three of us together."

"Let's take it one day at a time," Lip said. Then he smirked. "But we need to get a bigger bed."