Page 2 of Sweet Little Spies

Sweetheart, Jake and Serena and Adam were set in theircareers when they got married. They knew who they were and what they wanted todo. They were settled. I worry meshing two lives is hard at your age. I don’tknow how you’ll manage three.

She’d told her dad they could do it because they loved eachother. Because love was enough.

It turned out she was wrong.

“No? All right, then what are we supposed to do?” Tristanasked. “Car, you’ve been quiet this whole time. It scares me.”

It should. She shut down when she was done with something.“I need to ask you a couple of questions before I make my decision.”

A brow rose over his eyes. “There’s a decision?”

“Maybe we should take this discussion home.” Aidan couldalso be the peacekeeper. It was kind of his place in the relationship. She andTristan could be combustible. Aidan was the calm voice of reason bringing themtogether.

Without Aidan, she and Tristan would explode. They wouldhave passion but no peace.

Without Tristan, she and Aidan were floating through life,muddling by in a sea of study and workouts and routine.

They were perfect together as a threesome, but sometimesperfect wasn’t enough either. “He wanted to meet us here for a reason, Aidan.He’s been gone for three months and when he gets home, he doesn’t come to myplace or to the place he literally shares with you and Cooper. He goes to ahotel and asks us to meet him there. He chose this place for a reason, and it’snot for hot sex.”

Aidan’s face fell because hot sex was probably what he’dbeen looking for.

She knew better. This wasn’t an invitation to intimacy.

It was a breakup.

“Sex is certainly not off the table, sweetheart.” Tristan’sbad boy made a sudden appearance, and she knew this wasn’t going to go well.

So she should get it over with. “It is. You haven’t touchedme in months. I understand. Honestly, I don’t get the whole wait-for-me thing.Be brave. Rip the bandage off. Make a clean break.”

And then his scared boy was right there in his eyes. “Carys,I’m not breaking up with you. Why would you think that, baby? I know I’ve beendistracted, but you have to admit, it’s not like you’re the queen of free timeright now.”

It was odd how cold she felt in this moment. Like an icyshroud had descended. Probably because she needed it. If she didn’t have it,she might be on her knees begging him not to leave them. She wasn’t sure theycould make it without Tristan. They fit and without him… But no. She suspectedshe knew what was really behind this new delay of his.

All of her life she’d loved nothing more than she’d lovedthese two men. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt if she needed Aidan to giveup medicine, it would hurt, but he would do it. It was precisely why she waswilling to follow him.

But Tristan had found something he loved more than them,something that fulfilled him in a way no relationship ever could. If it wasanything but what she suspected, they could probably work it out.

But Tristan’s secret love left no place for anything else.Not in the end.

Still, she thought she should be thorough.

“Is there another woman?” She didn’t ask about a man.Tristan and Aidan loved each other, but they’d never seemed to want to getphysical past sharing her.

“No.” He didn’t hesitate. “I’ve been faithful to you. Iwould never cheat on you. Hell, I don’t even look at other women.”

“He wouldn’t,” Aidan said with a frown. “He’s just being adick.”

“How is it being a dick to want to do my job?” Tristanargued.

The job was the problem. “Why didn’t you come home when youcould? You had leave two months ago.”

A fine flush hit Tristan’s face, but he otherwise didn’treact. “I had some things I needed to take care of.”

She bet he did. “Were you auditioning?”

Aidan frowned. “Auditioning?”

He was a brilliant man. A truly gifted surgeon who wouldsomeday save so many lives, but he missed some of the small details of life.Carys took care of them. “For the Agency.”

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