Page 164 of Drop Three

My heart drops as Crew’s tall frame saunters into the kitchen, holding a case of beer and a tub of…beef jerky.

He holds the tub in the air. “For the birthday boy. Now he won’t steal my shit in the dugout.”

Why? Why do I have to hurt him? I hate myself for it.

“Hey, Crew!” I call out to him, giving him my best smile even though cheery is the last thing I feel right now.

“Hey, pretty girl,” Crew says, walking up to me with a quick kiss on the cheek.

Fuck. My eyes immediately scan the room thinking Bodhi saw, but he’s not here yet.

I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thanks for coming early.”

He places the beer in the large cooler before turning to me with a smile. “Of course. It’s no problem at all. So where’s the birthday boy anyway?”

King laughs. “Little P took him for coffee. He should be here soon.”

King has nicknames for everyone. If he likes you, you get a nickname.

I had to practically beg Penelope to come early and distract Bodhi for the morning while we got everything set up. Gus and Mack were supposed to be more help; instead, they started a cornhole match and refused to quit until one of them won fair and square.

Competitive men.

Crew laughs and reaches out to grab my hand. “Did you still wanna talk?”

He’s holding my hand, and it feels wrong. I pull away carefully, enough not to make him think anything of it. I’d never want him to be embarrassed for showing his feelings toward me. He’s never been ashamed and has always made me feel desired without apology.

“Yeah. Let’s go over here. King, can you handle things for a minute?”

King salutes me. “You got it, boss.” Then empties the rest of the drinks into the cooler.

I lead Briggs to the dining room area for more privacy.

“It’s so good to see you,” Briggs says, pulling me into a hug.

I smile timidly. “You too. How’s Addie? And Boone?”

A big smile brightens his face. “Addie is great. She’s talking so much now. It’s crazy.” He laughs. “Boone is swamped. I couldn’t ask for much more.”

I nod. “I’m happy for you, Crew. It seems like everything is working out great for you.”

He smiles and holds my arm carefully. “What’s going on? You seem…sad.”

I’ve never been happier in my life. But right now, yes, I’m sad.

I look into his blue eyes and dread the words about to leave my mouth.

“Crew, I don’t think I can see you?—”

“Because you’re in love with Bodhi?”

My heart drops. “You know?”

Crew nods. “It was pretty obvious. Just been waiting on him to grow some balls and call me out.”

“I guess that’s fair. Crew, I’m sorry,” I tell him sincerely. “You are such an incredible guy, and I know it sounds like bullshit for me to say, but I thought I was ready to meet someone new and give dating a shot. Except, I wasn’t, and I’m so sorry for that.”

Crew reaches for my hand. “I get it, Navy. It sucks but I’d rather know now than six months from now.” He looks at me with so much heart it’s painful. “Do you love him?”

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