Page 39 of The Triple Play

Cole leaned slightly on the living room side of the kitchen island, a mug of tea steaming on the counter beside him, his body a little rigid in his pajamas. Colton had half his body sprawled across the kitchen side of the island, his phone face down in front of him, his chin resting on his hands as he leaned on his elbows. No cocky grin, just a look of pure determination on his face, his hair down for once and his hoodie slouching over the counter.

My stomach knotted immediately.

“What?” I muttered, already dreading whatever this was.

Cole glanced over at Colton, almost like he was waiting for him to say something, before sighing and opening his mouth. “We need to talk.”

This was either really bad or I’d somehow massively fucked up.

“Can it wait?” I asked, taking a single hesitant step in. I knew what the answer would be, but I was dead tired from practice this morning and I didn’t have the bandwidth for whatever this was. “I’m tired.”

“Ideally not,” Colton said. His mouth pressed into a thin line, his expression almost sheepish, like he knew what he was about to say was going to hit me like a slap.

My stomach sank before he even began talking.

“She called me,” he continued, pushing up from the counter with his palms flat. “This afternoon.”

I didn’t move a muscle. Colton didn’t need to say who — it was obvious. My thoughts spiraled immediately, the main one in my head screaming,You should have given her your number, you idiot.

“She needed someone, and I…” He rolled his lips between his teeth, glancing at Cole before turning his gaze back on me. “We hooked up.”

The air that left my lungs was the only thing that filled the bitter silence. He slept with her. He slept with Annie, he slept with her, hefucked her?—

My vision tunneled.

“Youwhat?” My voice was low, ragged, gravelly in a way I couldn’t control. I took a step forward and so did Cole, his body moving almost as if he was ready to jump between us.

Colton’s hands came up in front of him, palms out like I was a feral dog he was trying to calm down. “It wasn’t planned, Xav. She was having a rough day and has been going through hell with the Elliot shit. She needed someone, and I was there.”

“She needed someone and youfucked her?” My voice cracked across the space, loud and angry, my breathing sharp. It was more than an accusation of him being an absolute asshole — it was bitter, too. Bitter that he’d beaten me to it.

My hands flexed at my sides and I took another step forward, but Cole cut in front of me, blocking my path. “Xavi,” he said, his voice calm, his face steeled. “It’s not like that. Calm down and let us talk to you.”

“You’re okay with this?” I balked, one hand pushing flat in the center of his chest, his body immovable, but not mine. I shifted back, my mind reeling, bile rising in my throat. She’d chosen. She’d fucking chosen, and it wasn’t me, and as much as I wanted to be okay with that, I wasn’t. Iwasn’t.

Cole took a deep breath and clapped me on the shoulder, his grip tight. “Yes. Just take a deep breath, Xav. You’re panicking, and that’s okay, but you know you don’t want to fight him.”

I tried to take another step back, my chest tight, my throat closing, heat building behind my ribs like a ticking time bomb about to explode. Cole was right, Ididn’twant to fight him, but I’d let myself build up hope that I had no business holding onto and I couldn’t deal with this. I couldn’t handle being left behind again. This was why I didn’t have proper relationships often, this was why I avoided falling for anyone, andColton? Of the three of us, she went forColton.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, my voice a little broken, and I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about it. “When shit gets real, why go for either of the two who actuallyfeelsomething when you can ride the guy who treats everything like a fucking game?”

Cole winced on Colton’s behalf, his eyes blinking slowly with the utmost patience in the world.

“That’s not fair, man,” Colton huffed from behind him, his tone a little sharp. “You don’t know what I feel.”

I stared at him over Cole’s shoulder, my heart pounding, regret already seeping in for what I’d said. “So that’s it, then? You just get there first and I’m supposed to, what, step back?” My chest rose and fell too quickly, too angry. “I’m just supposed to forget about her?”

I felt like an idiot. I barely knew her, and yet here I was, getting emotional, gettingangryover this. But I couldn’t help it, not when it brought up everything else, not when it hit on every single abandonment issue I carried around with me.

“Xav,” Cole said again, his grip on my shoulder tightening sympathetically.

“No, man, neither of us are saying that,” Colton sighed. I admired his ability to push past me lashing out and not rise to it, but I still wanted to punch him until blood coated my knuckles. “We have an idea—fucks sake, how do I explain it, Cole?”

Cole took a deep breath in. “We think there’s a way we can do this that won’t end up with two of us upset and one personwinning.”

I stared at him, my brows knitting together, and laughed, the sound raw and harsh. “Right. Sure. What’s the brilliant idea, then?”

“Colton thinks she might be open to being with all of us,” Cole said, no buildup, just the idea dropped between us like a grenade.

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