Page 64 of Wrapped Up with the Three Scrooges

The second we were halfway to the car, Max exploded. “That was fucking humiliating.”

“Max-” Levi started.

“No, you don’t get to ‘Max’ me right now.” He whirled around, his expression hard. “Do you have any idea what it was like sitting there, watching you two play happy couple while your mother-”

“I know, okay?” Levi ran both hands through his hair. “I know I screwed up.”

“Screwed up doesn’t begin to cover it.” Ronan’s voice was quiet but sharp. “We spent almost two hours watching ourgirlfriendcharm your mother while pretending we’re just the weird roommates who tagged along.”

My chest tightened at him calling me their girlfriend. “I think you’re blowing this a bit out of proportion. I didn’t enjoy leaving you out either, but it was harmless.”

The silence that met my words was as sharp as the cold air around us. Max scoffed softly, but there was no humor in it. “Harmless? From where I was sitting, you seemed to enjoy your role ashisperfect girlfriend quite a bit.”

“You think I liked pretending to only be with him?” I glanced down, scuffing my shoe.” It’s not like I could just play musical chairs and cozy up to each of you.”

Ronan’s mouth twisted in a humorless smile. “Watching you stroke his thigh under the table didn’t exactly scream ‘I wish you were here too.’”

Standing there in the cold, seeing their faces marked by hurt and the bitterness they were trying to swallow, made me wish I could rewind the last few hours and do everything differently. But what would I have done? Claimed them all?

I didn’t have an answer. We hadn’t even defined what we were or how this... whatever this was... could work. If tonight was any indication, it wasn’t going to work.

“We should go,” I finally said, wrapping my arms tighter around myself, more to keep myself together than warm. “It’s freezing out here.”

Ronan clicked his key fob, the car’s lights flashing in the darkness. I couldn’t decide if being trapped in the car with them was better or worse than standing out here, wishing the night had gone a hundred different ways.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Emery

The drive home was excruciating, the only sounds were the soft Christmas music playing on the radio—some cheerful song about peace on earth that felt ironic at the moment.

I wanted to say something to break the suffocating silence, but what could I say? ‘Sorry I helped blow up your friendship’? ‘Hey, remember when this evening was about having a good time’? ‘Anyone up for a foursome to clear the air’?

Okay, maybe not that last one.

After we finally pulled into the garage, we filed into the house like a funeral procession. The Christmas tree lights were still on in the living room, casting everything in a soft, multicolored glow that did nothing to warm the chill between us.

I stood awkwardly in my heels in the middle of the living room, caught between fight or flight, while the three men positioned themselves around me like points on some emotionally charged Christmas tree topper. Max drifted towardthe kitchen, Ronan planted himself near his favorite armchair, and Levi hovered by the Christmas tree, absently fiddling with an ornament. The physical distance between us all felt symbolic somehow, like we were acting out some bizarre relationship geometry problem that definitely hadn’t been covered in math class.

“Well…” Levi finally broke the silence, loosening his tie with fingers that seemed unsure whether to yank the whole thing off or fidget with it. “That was...”

“A disaster?” Max’s voice had an edge I hadn’t heard from him before, something between disappointment and resignation that made me want to sink right through the floor.

“Predictable.” Ronan ran a hand through his hair. He looked at each of us, his gaze landing on me last. “We need to figure out what the hell we’re doing here.”

And there it was. The question we’d all been dancing around, the elephant in the room dressed in a Santa hat and jingle bells. I shifted my weight from one aching foot to the other, wondering if I should sit down or if that would somehow make this whole situation even more awkward.

I kicked off my heels because if we were going to have this conversation, I refused to do it while my toes staged a rebellion. “This thing between us... it’s incredible and terrifying and probably illegal in at least thirty states. But more than that, it’s complicated. You three have this amazing friendship and successful business, and I’m basically a human wrecking ball in sparkly earrings crashing into all of it.”

“Emery-” Levi started, but I held up a hand.

“No, let me finish. Reality is messier than fantasy. I mean, what happened tonight? That’s going to keep happening. Society isn’t exactly set up for polyamorous Christmas cards.”

Ronan’s jaw tightened. “I couldn’t care less what society thinks is acceptable.”

“Says the man who nearly had an aneurysm when I suggested casual Fridays at work,” I shot back, but couldn’t help smiling a little.

“That’s different,” he protested. “Professional standards are-”

---