Page 113 of Shared By my Ex's Best Friends
I close my eyes and let it wash over me. Their words, their warmth, the weight of the sheets and the scent of all of us tangled together.
The ceiling fan creaks softly overhead, and somewhere in the house, the floorboards settle with a quiet sigh.
Jake’s thumb strokes slow circles over my knuckles. Ethan breathes in sync with me, our chests rising and falling in unison. Liam’s hold around me feels like a shield.
For the first time in my life, I don’t feel like I have to hide.
Not the jagged edges. . Not the wild, quiet longing that’s lived inside me for so long it’s almost grown roots.
Not even.
Because they see me. All of me.
And they want to stay.
Tears gather again—not hot and sharp like they used to be. These are softer. A tide rising gently at the edges of my heart, tender and healing.
I don’t fight them. I let them come, silent and salt-sweet, soaking into the pillow beneath me.
Jake shifts beside me, rising onto one elbow. In the low light, I see the sleep still clinging to his lashes, the lines of his face softened.
Moonlight paints a silver line across the arch of his cheekbone and disappears in the curve of his mouth. His gaze finds mine—steady, unflinching.
“No matter what. No matter who doesn’t get it. No matter how weird or messy ordifferentthis looks from the outside. You’re not alone in this.”
I try to speak, but my throat locks up. All I can do is nod, the tears coming harder now. Quiet but unstoppable.
Liam presses closer, his lips brushing against the bare skin of my shoulder, warm and reverent. His voice is a breath against me.
“You don’t ever have to wonder if we’re with you,” he murmurs. “You’re it, Maya. You’re everything.”
His hand flexes slightly against my stomach like he’s making a vow right into my skin.
Then Ethan, ever my soft place to land, leans in closer, brushing his hand up from my hip, along my side, until it finds Liam’s. They both rest there, together, layered over our child like a promise.
“You’re the heart of this,” he whispers, and the words hit like thunder. “The center. Everything else falls into place around you.”
A sob slips out of me—just one. But it cracks the silence wide open. It’s not broken, though. Not sharp.
It’s release.
Jake reacts immediately, pulling me closer, tucking me into his chest like I’m something he can shield from everything, even my own doubts. He presses his forehead to mine, his palm warm against the back of my head.
“You okay?” he whispers, his breath mingling with mine.
I laugh, a half-sound that’s more feeling than voice. I nod into his touch, tears slipping down into the corner of my mouth.
“Better than okay,” I manage. “I just… I’ve never had this before. Never felt this wanted. This… safe.”
Liam murmurs against my back, his lips trailing down my spine in a line of heat.
“You are,” he says simply. “Every day. Every version of you. Even the ones you haven’t met yet.”
Ethan kisses my cheek, soft and sure. His voice is velvet in the dark. “Always will be.”
I close my eyes and let it all settle in.
Their words. Their hands. The rhythm of their breath.
