Page 97 of Who We Love

Tristan

As I stand thereand soak in each word, each note, each sweep of the guitar, I weep. Matt baring his soul and telling us that he’d take the same journey, all over again, if at the end we’ll be waiting for him is… beautiful.

Never before had I believed that someone would love me with such intensity. I bring Thea closer to me, realizing what a lucky bastard I am because I have two partners who love me fearlessly—unconditionally—and we share a forever kind of love.

As the song ends, and everyone breaks out in applause, Matt smiles graciously, quickly, before he joins us once again.

“I love you, Matthew Decker,” I say, resting my head on his chest as he embraces us. “You did it, you fell in love and wrote a song.”

He chuckles. “I have others that you two have also inspired, but this one, this one is special. It’s the one that came together even while we were apart. Writing it, working on it, it was kind of my therapy. It’s about our love, how we became one—us.”

I lean in and kiss him lightly, because, after that, I can’tnotkiss him. I feel Thea’s hand take mine and squeeze gently. Once I gather my wits, I pull an envelope from my pocket and hand it to Thea. “My wedding present.” Matt and I included her in the Silver Moon’s deed, and also made her our business partner. “Our wedding present. It doesn’t compare to Matt’s, but… I tried.”

Thea smiles, biting her lip.

“What?” Matt gives her a cocky grin. “Do you have something better than a song, Butterfly?”

She takes one of our hands in each of hers and slides them to her belly, closing her eyes for a few breaths.

“I think I just might,” she says, her beautiful eyes glistening. “We—we’re going to be parents.”

I am speechless as my attention focuses on her belly. A baby. My heart picks up speed as the news settles in my chest. We’re going to be parents.

“Hands down the best present in the history of the world.” Matt picks her up from the floor, twirling her around. Then he stops and looks at me. “Coop?”

“We’re having a baby,” I mumble while my eyes create a second round of tears.

“Parents.” I take her into my arms and hold her for a long time. She’s giving me a family. They’re giving me a family to love. “You two just made me the happiest man alive.”

ChapterSixty-Three

Thea

Our conceptof bar hopping is different from the norm. We go through the places we own in the Los Angeles area, Oregon, and then head back home to Seattle. This weekend, though, we added a trip in between. We’re in San Francisco, searching for new venues. Tristan calls this business. Mattie and I call it his hobby. Why else would he keep acquiring more locations? He’s the CEO of what is now Cooperson Industries, plus he owns seven bars, three pubs, and co-owns two venues. Now that the Silver Moon is about to re-open, he needs a new project.

“How are you feeling?” Tristan whispers in my ear as he hugs me from behind, settling his hands on top of our little Jelly Belly.

I toss my head lightly, leaning it against his shoulder. My eyes close as I enjoy his elegant scent. It’s one of the few smells I tolerate since getting pregnant. The baby is pretty particular about scents and food. Dad had to switch colognes because I couldn’t stand the old one. So far that’s the only downside of my pregnancy… Well, that and the overbearing men who surround me. I love them all, but …

There’s my father who wants to put me inside a crystal case so nothing bad happens to his grandchild or me. He fears someone will recognize me, Aggie Levitz, is pregnant or someone will find out MJ Decker’s wife is pregnant. Matt’s fans didn’t take well to his marriage. For now, no one is aware of my real name, or my actual whereabouts. If the media found out, they’d do anything for the first picture of pregnant Aggie Levitz, and I’d be on baby bump watch.

My brother shares his concern and has offered the services of his agents. So far, I’ve convinced them to keep the craziness to a minimum. But that’s not the only thing. Mason checks on me twice a day because my health concerns him. He’s skittish about it since Ainsley had to be under medical observation twenty-four-seven during her pregnancies.

But the award for the most smothering man in my life equally goes to my husbands. They think I haven’t noticed, but I’m never alone. Not for one second. When one goes to work, the other works from home. If I’m at the office, my father-in-law is checking on me in between patients. If I’m working outside of the home, they both take turns stopping by to drop off a homemade snack or my lunch.

Oh, and they bought me one of the safest SUVs on the market. Not that it gets much use, because they always offer to drive me, or Chris comes over for breakfast and offers to carpool with me—where he drives. I do love being spoiled rotten and loved. Nope, there aren’t any downsides, they make my days brighter, filling them with happy memories. They exhaust me, but I couldn’t ask for a better set of partners.

“Our status hasn’t changed since the last time you asked—five minutes ago. I’m all right, babe.” I turn around and hug him back. “You and Matt got me used to walking long distances, being pregnant hasn’t changed my body that much.”

“What are your thoughts, babe?” Matt’s voice snaps my eyes open and just as I thought, his phone is pointing in my direction. I give him an annoyed glance, and he shrugs in response. “You two look too adorable not to take a shot, Butterfly. Coop, we have two more places to check out, but I like this one.”

Tristan releases me, taking out his phone. “The one close to Julius Park is still my favorite. But this one could hold more patrons if we want to use it as a venue, and it’s closer to Fisherman’s Wharf. I doubt I qualify for both. I’d have to check with the bank.”

“Why can’t we buy two? And why the hell do you need a bank when we have plenty of money?” Matt pulls me into his arms and kisses the butterflies on the back of my neck, tracing a trail across my shoulders. Turning me on and making me needy. “Just make the calls and get this done, babe. Take pity on this beautiful butterfly. She looks tired and in need of some bedtime—with us. Don’t you, baby?”

Tristan looks around, then glares at us. “Keep your PDA to a minimum when we’re not at home, Matthew. Arthur already warned you about the consequences. You’re going to put Thea and our baby in danger.”

“I’m cautious, babe, can you make a decision?”

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