Page 38 of Triple Tidings
Except, I know and understand him a little better than I did. For such a gruff, unapologetically masculine person, Wells Davis is also surprisingly soft. He might have a bigger heart than anyone I’ve ever met, and he’s put up a whole lot of defenses to stop himself from getting hurt by it.
He was never going to be the person to make the first move toward a relationship.
Then there’s August Vogel, who hides his loneliness and yearning behind the gleaming facade of the intelligent, confident doctor. He almost had me fooled, too. I know better now.
Spurred on by a reckless, desperate daring, I lift my chin to peer between them. “I liked the three of us together. A lot. Not just the sex, but,” my words falter as August leans back on the couch, his expression grave, “all of it. I liked all of it.”
Wells’ throat bobs as he stares at me. “Yeah,” he admits. “I did too.”
We both look to the third participant in this conversation, who is staring, silent and grave faced, at the wall across from the couch. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen him so serious. Finally, when I’m about a second from begging him to say something, August blows out a heavy breath, turning his gaze to meet mine, then Wells’.
“Obviously, I liked it too. That doesn’t mean it could work, though. Realistically speaking, this is an unconventional relationship dynamic, which would almost certainly require some navigating. Taking that into consideration, along with my work schedule, and the fact I live across the country, and the time difference?—”
“We get it,” Wells interjects, calm but not cold.
Silence falls again, broken only by my tiny sniff. “Sorry.” My voice cracks, and I look at the ceiling, willing the burning in my eyes to lessen without any success at all. “This justreallysucks.”
Across the room, the antique grandfather clock chimes, announcing the end of Christmas Day.
“Lace.” I lower my watery gaze back to August, who offers me a sad smile. “Come here.”
The guys shift, making room for me to sit between them, and I do, tears streaming down my cheeks. They’re both attentive and sweet, kissing my hair and wiping them away, showing me with quiet, placating words that do nothing to lessen my sorrow.
When I have no more tears left to cry at last, and there’s nothing to be done but the inevitable, August gets slowly to his feet. He pauses before the couch, looking down at Wells and me with a grim sort of acceptance. “I wouldn’t blame either of you, if you”—he swallows—“if you… Carried on without me.”
The wound borne from his leaving is too new, too raw, to find any comfort in that. No, I’m not losing both of them, but it’s painful to think the magic which existed between the three ofus will never be again, or of August all alone in California while Wells and I are happy here.
It just doesn’t feel right.
“Will you come back?” I ask him, a little desperately. “Just to visit?”
August smiles sadly. “I’m not sure I could stand it, Lace.” His gaze lifts from mine to Wells’. “Take care of our girl?”
The arm Wells has wrapped around my shoulders tightens. “I will,” he promises.
I really thought I’d run out of tears, but I’m proven wrong as August turns toward the stairs, leaving us behind.
Epilogue
August
10 Hours and 36 Minutes Later
When I got on the flight to Connecticut, my spirits were high.
It had felt good to be doing something proactive, to be setting aside my all-consuming career, and taking a step in the right direction. One away from hiding behind my work, and toward the kind of connection I’d been craving for so long. I was excited to spend time with my brother, his kids, and, if fate was on my side, see Lacey Lovette again.
My trip was, by all accounts, a success. My brother and I are on better terms than we have been in years, and I did a hell of a lot more than see Lacey Lovette.
Even with all that, however, as I get out of the car at the airport, it strikes me how I should really be… well. Notthis.
This weekend was probably the best I’ve had in years, possibly far longer, but as I hand over the keys to my rental car and drag my rolling suitcase through the automatic doors of baggage claim, dread seems to weigh on me. It grows heavier and heavier with each step through the luggage claim, my mindon the two people I left behind at The Chestnut Bed and Breakfast.
Reconnecting with Wells Davis wasn’t something I anticipated, not in this lifetime, and my hopes of seeing Lacey again never went farther than just that—seeing her.
I had no way of knowing, no way of preparing myself, for what it would be like to create something entirely new between us three. When we were together, I felt like being a doctor was merely a part of who I am, not my entire life.
Now that I’ve experienced that, all I want is more.
