Page 28 of Triple Tidings
From the corner of my eye, I see August watching me. “What are your plans? For the holiday?”
Gosh, it’s Christmas Eve, isn’t it? I’d completely forgotten in the wake of recent events.
“No plans,” I tell him once my panties are back in place and I’ve forced myself to stop pouting over Wells. “My grandmother lives in Florida, and everyone goes down to see her. I’m not sad about taking a year off, though. A few days of quiet is waybetter than watching my brother’s kids break family heirlooms for sport.”
August chuckles. “Sounds… Eventful.”
“Oh, it always is.” I barely contain a shudder at the memory of last year. “Are you doing anything today? Or is all the family stuff going down tomorrow?”
“My brother and his wife just had a baby. It’s their first Christmas as a family, so I thought I would hang out today and make myself scarce tomorrow.”
I nibble on my bottom lip, watching as August pulls back the covers and stands with a stretch, totally naked, and apparently unbothered by his audience. Then again, if I was almost forty and looked like he did, I wouldn’t mind being ogled either.
Just for something to do with myself, I bend to pick up the boxer shorts on the floor, offering them up from the end of my finger. “I believe these are yours, Doctor Vogel?”
He strolls forward to accept them, a playful glint in his eyes. “They are. Thank you, Miss Lovette.” As he bends to put them on, however, his expression turns thoughtful. “You should come with me today.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “With you? To your brother’s house?”
“As a friend,” he clarifies calmly. “Considering your only other guest has fled the premises, I can’t imagine you have a lot of work to do.”
“Oh, there’s always work to do,” I assure him airily, even as butterflies have erupted in my stomach at the offer. “Don’t worry about me.”
August isn’t having my evasiveness, however. Lifting his own brows, he steps forward, crowding me back into the desk. “Come with me,” he offers again, more insistently now. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal. I’m here to spend time with my family, but I don’t particularly like the idea of going anywhere without you or—” His words falter, and I know he was about to mentionWells. Apparently determined to shake off the sticky moment, he smiles. “You’ll like my sister-in-law. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
Even as I open my mouth to tell him I couldn’t possibly impose, my second rejection to this offer gets caught in my throat. “Okay.” I find myself agreeing, a little sheepishly. “If you’re sure I won’t be in the way, and that they wouldn’t mind, and...” My words turn to a giggle at the exasperated face August gives me.
As I spent the night being vigorously fucked—and definitely look like it—I go back to my cottage to shower and change. As I wash my hair and brush my teeth, I give myself a stern lecture on not reading into this visit, or to begin hoping anything could come out of this. August is going back to California in a few days. Between that and Wells’ disappearing act this morning, it’s fairly obvious I’m not about to become part of a throuple.
This is a short-term thing, and even if remembering that seems to put a puncture in the happy bubble that keeps inflating when I catch myself thinking about last night… yeah. I need to calm the hell down.
August is waiting in the lobby when I make it back to The Chestnut, dressed in a wool coat, gingham scarf, and hat pulled low over his ears. My heart flutters as he holds out a hand at the sight of me, his lips curving in a full, breathtaking smile.
I take it.
“You’re beautiful.” He gives my hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
“Is this okay? I wasn’t sure if they were casual, or…” I wince, praying I’m not going to embarrass myself with my wardrobe choice of jeans and a sweater. The last time I met the family of someone I was seeing, we’d been seeing each other for six months, not twelve hours, so I’d had sufficient time to overprepare, overthink, and annoy him with my questions.
August chuckles at this, tugging me toward the front door of The Chestnut. “If my parents were coming, I would suggest you go find something a little nicer. They’re abroad, though, so you’re in luck.”
As we step outside, however, it quickly becomes apparent it won’t be just us.
Wells’ truck is sitting in the parking spot closest to The Chestnut, and its owner has paused in the act of closing the door, his eyes zooming between me and August. “Hi,” he says cautiously, finally pushing it closed. “I,ah.” Words seem to be failing him, though, and he looks miserable.
“Hi,” I echo, offering him a tentative smile. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” He steps toward us, his boots crunching over the packed-down snow on the edge of the parking lot. “I’m sorry I took off like that.” His eyes dart between us again. I’m guessing right about now, he’s wondering if he’s been cut out of… whatever this is.
August breaks the silence. “Lacey is coming with me to my brother’s place for brunch. You should join us.”
Wells lets out a choked laugh, as if the idea alone transcends belief. “Ah, I’m good. Thanks.”
“He’s going to bully you into it.” I smile at him conspiratorially. “I tried to say no, too. Now look.”
“No pressure,” August adds hurriedly. “It’s as friends. I’m not planning to fill my family in on what we did last night.”
My heart lifts as my gaze darts back and forth between them. Now that it’s becoming clear Wells hasn’t totally noped out, a very important question has appeared at the forefront of my consciousness:Is it going to happen again?
