Page 89 of The Dom with the Clever Tongue

But this, this fucking letter, had set him on the path to seeing how wrong he might be.

He unfolded the paper and reread, though half the time the words blurred.

The note was typed.

To Malachi,

Reece and Scarlet have a very special love. Please, you seem a genuinely nice person, don’t interfere with what they have. Neither of them are mean enough to tell you to leave them alone. So it seems to be up to me.

Please, leave them be. Just by being with them, you’re destroying something that is so right and so good.

There was no signature, but a few damp blotches at one edge made him think someone had cried over this letter.

That morning, he’d cycled from annoyance to anger to sadness to...regret. But, was this person right? He wondered if it was Scarlet’s mom. She’d been shocked when she’d seen him kissing Reece.

His text alert beeped.

He pulled out his phone and checked the screen. Ivy. The sigh that came out shocked him. He didn’t want to read whatever she’d sent. He had to though. Man up.

Got a minute?

He tapped it out.Sure

Have you thought about it? Us getting back together?

He had but he hadn’t decided, because the girls were on his mind so much. For a long time he’d thought he had a chance. Now, though, it just wouldn’t happen. Not ever.

He’d told Scarlet he was getting back with Ivy. A white lie because they all needed to get their shit together and move on. Maybe that had been his subconscious telling him what he needed? Ivy? He used to think she was the girl ofhis dreams. The one. Why was he hesitating? Had he changed that much?

I’ve been thinking.

And?

I don’t know.

Can you tell me what’s stopping you? I mean...is there someone else? I heard there was. Like two girls. Please. I need the truth.

“Shit.”

Jake shot him an odd look.

There is and there isn’t.

Malachi. WTH?

It’s complicated. They’re a couple.

That’s what I heard. Lesbians. Right? You have zero chance there. And if you did, you really think that’s a nice thing to do? You’ll wreck what they have going. I heard they’re in love.

He heaved in a breath, and rubbed his forehead. This town was too fucking small sometimes. It wasn’t worth explaining to Ivy that they were bi, not lesbian. And she should know that. As if he could convert lesbians to cock. Was she trying to make it sound worse?

Yes. They are in love.

And that made him think. Even though he’d broken off with them, it seemed like his heart hadn’t quite figured that out. Stupid though. They’d never asked him to butt in like he had. Just because his friends had polyamory figured out didn’t mean he could just wave a magic wand and do the same. He sat back in his chair. The alert beeped again.

You said that you loved me.

God. The room seemed to throb in time with his heart.

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