BRENNA

 

It’s almost four in the morning when the police finally leave. They asked the same questions half a dozen times. Why did he leave the trip? Did anyone else help him? Was I aware of his plans? Why did I give him so much cash? And twelve different variations of those same questions until Dean, the Lawyer, stepped in and basically kicked them out.

“We’re going to have to report this to Child Protective Services,” the cop said in the hallway. Perfect.

“It’s just a formality,” Dean says, quickly.

His reassurance rings hollow, and I have the sudden urge to scream at him. There are too many variables in this situation to know anything for certain. “What happens if they decide I’m not a fit guardian? Where will Landon go? I’m the only family he has left.”

“That will never happen,” Tyler says. “This wasn’t even your fault. He was on a school trip. If anything, the cops should investigate the chaperone.”

“Well that jackass cop sure thought it was my fault,” I say, pointing to the closed door. “What if they revoke my custody? Will he end up in foster care? A group home?” A fresh wave of panic fills my chest. Followed by a fierce protective surge of adrenalin that sends my brain into overdrive. I start making contingency plans. “I won’t let that happen. We have money. I’ll take them to court. I’ll flee the country if I have to.”

“Slow down. There’s no need to plan a midnight dash across the border just yet,” Dean says and pulls me into his arms. “I’ve got a friend who specializes in family law. I’ll go upstairs and get her number. I’ll call her tonight and get an appointment for tomorrow. We can handle this. But right now, you need to get some sleep.”

He turns to Tyler, and they have another one of their silent conversation. At this point, it just irritates me further.

“You go ahead,” Tyler says. “I’ll get her all tucked into bed and be up in a sec.”

I pull out of Dean's arms and glare at my guys. Deep down I know the adrenaline that’s still coursing through my veins is largely responsible for my anger, but that realization doesn’t stop the words that tumble out of my mouth. “What the fuck is wrong with you two? I’m not a fragile doll that needs to be handle with kid gloves. I don’t want to be put to bed so the menfolk can handle my problem.”

“No one said you couldn’t handle this.” Dean glances over to Tyler, confusion written all over his face. “But you don’t have to handle this alone. I thought after this weekend you understood that. This isn’t a casual thing for either of us. This isn’t just your problem anymore. It’s our problem—all three of us. So we need to handle it like a team.”

“Dean is a lawyer for fuck’s sake. Let him handle the legal side of things. And I have plenty of friends down at city hall. I can call in a few favors if we need it. And you,” Tyler steps forward and kisses me on the top of my head, “you need to have a talk with Landon. He needs boundaries, but he also needs to know you’re not going anywhere.”

“But not tonight,” Dean says. “You’re both angry and exhausted. I figured that conversation would probably go a lot better once you both have a good night’s sleep. If you want to do it now, we’ll—”

“No, you’re right,” I say, interrupting him.

I know he’s right. They’re only trying to help. Since this whole nightmare began, both of them have been there for me, providing exactly the kind of help I needed. And instead of being grateful, I’ve turned into the world’s biggest bitch.  At this point, I just want to crawl into bed, safe between my two guys, and sleep for a few hours.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you. We’re all exhausted. Landon is already in bed. Let’s just go to bed and deal with this in the morning.”

“Don’t apologize. We’ve all had a long night,” Dean says and pulls me back into his arms for another hug.

With all the fight in me gone, I let myself sink into the warmth. My eyes slide shut and I let out a long, exhausted breath. I can’t believe I’m so lucky to have not one, but two caring men in my life.

I’m literally on the verge of falling asleep standing when Dean scoops up my limp body and passes me to Tyler. I grumble something about being manhandled and burrow deeper into his arms. The deep rumble of Tyler’s laugh vibrates against my cheek, and I let my eyes slide shut, content knowing that whatever tomorrow brings, they’ll be there for me.

I swear I’d just closed my eyes when the sounds of loud male voices coming from the front of the apartment wake me. Pale morning light is streaming in through the windows.

The only thing I want to do is roll over and go back to sleep. My head is pounding, my eyes sore and swollen, and to my disappointment, I’m completely alone. I don’t even remember getting in bed last night, let alone taking off my clothes. I glance around the room. Said clothing is neatly folded and stacked on the nightstand. I check out the bed. Except for where I’d been curled up asleep, the covers and pillows are undisturbed.

Neither of the guys came to bed last night.

Or did they go home?

We still haven’t talked about how we’re going to handle this new relationship dynamic. When Landon was gone, it’s easy for me to stay over at their place. But now that he’s home, I’m not sure how we should handle it.

Maybe it doesn’t really matter. I know how I feel. Last night, I wanted them to stay.

No, I needed them to stay.

I didn’t care how it would look to Landon or anyone else for that matter. The need to have them close overshadowed any sense of discomfort.

Dean is right. Sometime over the last few weeks, I stopped being an individual and became part of a us. Tyler and Dean are mine, and I’m theirs. Our connection is real and meaningful, and I’m not going to be ashamed of what we have.

I just hope the guys feel the same way. Determined not to waste another second, I pull on a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt and follow the voices into the kitchen.

“I appreciate you pulling some strings. I owe you one. Send the courier to apartment 11C. And when you decide to buy the new office space, give me a call,” Dean says scribbling some notes on a legal pad. He laughs and shakes his head. “Unfortunately, my brother is off the market, so the best I can do is offer you our real estate expertise. Thanks again.” He hangs up the phone and shoots a look over to Tyler who’s busy making breakfast.

“Did Leslie Mason try to use this as a way to get a date with me?” Tyler asks.

“She’s had a thing for you since college.”

“Even if I wasn’t head-over-heels in love with Brenna, I would be afraid to date that woman. I’ve heard too many stories.”

Neither one of them looks as though they’ve slept. Dean is hunched over the table, and his dark hair is standing on end as if he’s been raking his hands through it all night. His sexy five o’clock shadow has morphed into a short beard. Tyler has dark circles under his eyes and is still wearing the clothes from last night.

Tyler turns around and catches a glimpse of me in the door. His lips curl into a sexy smile, and my insides go liquid.

“Good morning,” I say, smiling back like an idiot.

There are a million things that should be stressing me out, but one look and everything else fades into the background like so much unimportant noise. I know, without a doubt, that everything is going to work out.

I stroll into the kitchen and kiss Tyler, and then head over to the table and kiss Dean. “I was awfully lonely in bed last night. I thought we agreed that we all needed sleep.” I make sure to emphasize the all.

Tyler sets down a plate of scrambled eggs and shrugs. “We didn’t want to go home in case you needed us.”

“And there was work we could get done while you slept,” Dean added.

“I know I don’t have a monster bed like Dean, but we could have made it work,” I say, plucking a piece of sausage out of the eggs.

“You were dead to the world by the time I got you in bed, and with Landon down the hall, we didn’t think it was a good idea,” Tyler says.

“We thought it would be better if everyone assumes that you’re just dating me,” Dean adds. “At least for now.”

I nod my understanding and try to settle the butterflies that have taken up residence in my stomach. I didn’t think they’d want to keep our relationship a secret. Can I live with that? Dating one brother in public while secretly sleeping with both of them?

I look back and forth between the two men I love, and my heart starts to race. No. I couldn’t live that way. Not only would I hate it, no one would believe it. The truth would be written all over my face.

I steal Dean’s cup of coffee and drain the cup, hoping the shot of caffeine will give me some much-needed courage.

“I don’t want to hide,” I confess.

Tyler tilts his head to the side and looks at me funny. “What do you mean hide? You’re not still thinking about fleeing the country, are you? I thought we talked about that last night.”

“I mean us,” I say. “I don’t want to hide our relationship.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Dean asks. “People will judge us, judge you.”

“We don’t have to take out a full-page announcement in the Times, but I do want to tell Landon and my friends.”

“Are you sure? Not everyone will understand,” Dean says, shooting a pointed glance at his brother.

“I want to be with you both. And we can’t do that if we’re lying to people close to us.” I look between the two of them, trying to gauge their feeling. And damn it all to hell, they are both stone-faced. I hope I’m not screwing this up. “I know I’m asking a lot from both of you. You have family and a whole life here. I only have Landon. We can be discrete, but—”

“God, I love you,” Dean says. He grabs my hand and brings it up to his lips. “We’ll tell whoever you want. I would even take out that announcement if you’d have asked.”

“Really?” I look over to Tyler who’s been quiet this whole time. “If you’re worried about your father, we don’t have to tell him.”

“The only person I care about is you.”

Tyler kisses my temple and then trails kisses down my jaw until he reaches my lips. His kiss is so tender and soft it steals my breath. My eyes drift shut, and I kiss him back.

“What’s going on? Why is everyone still here?”

Landon’s voice breaks into the moment, and I pull back. Heat floods to my cheeks. I feel like the proverbial girl caught stealing kisses behind the bleachers.

“Do you mind giving us a minute?” I say, looking between the guys. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the talk we’re about to have. But before anyone can move, there’s a knock at the door.

“That’s probably my courier,” Dean says and squeezes my hand. “I need to fax those document to the school, so I’m going to head upstairs to my office.”

“I’m going to jump in the shower and get a change of clothes. If you need me, call,” he says getting up and following Dean’s lead. “I’ll come right down.”

“What’s going on?” Landon asks. “You guys are acting weirder than normal. What’s Dean doing with the school? Are you shipping me off to boarding school? I knew you didn’t want to be here. Please just let me stay. I promise I’ll be good.”

Landon goes from a cocky teen to a scared kid in an instant. He wraps his arms around his middle and slumps in on himself. I swear, he looks as if he’s on the verge of tears.

“Of course, I want to be here. I’m not shipping you away. Why would you even think that?”

“That’s what they were planning on doing.” A few fat tears spill down his cheeks, and it guts me.

He doesn’t have to tell me who they are. The neglect Landon has faced over the years is unforgivable. I stand up and cross the kitchen. And for the first time since Landon was a toddler, I engulf him in a hug. He tries to push me away, but I hold on.

“I’m sorry,” I say, trying to keep my own tears at bay. “I’m sorry I let my anger at our mother drive me away from you. I’m a terrible sister. Can you ever forgive me?”

“You don’t owe me anything. Just please don’t send me to boarding school.”

“You don’t get it do you?” I ask. I let him go so I can look him in the eyes when I say my next words. “We’re family. Family sticks together. You’re not going anywhere, and neither am I.”

He doesn’t say anything. The silence in the kitchen stretched out into an eternity. Finally, he nods. “Okay.”

It isn’t exactly the Hallmark moment I was expecting, but from him, it’s practically a soliloquy of Shakespearean proportions.

“What about Dean and Tyler?” he asks. “I’m not a kid. I know there’s something going on between the three of you. I saw you kissing Tyler in front of Dean while holding his hand.”

I lick my lips. Trying to figure out exactly what to tell him, when he surprises me.

“Are you dating both of them? Is that what you want? They’re not being douchebags and making you do something you don’t want, are they?” He looks at me, face stony with seriousness. “Because I’ll kick their asses.”

I press my lips together to hold back the smile. Despite his normal teenage indifference, the fact that he still feels the brotherly need to protect my honor warms my heart. Maybe there’s hope for us yet.

“We’re still figuring things out,” I say. “But everything between us is consensual. I know we don’t exactly have a normal relationship. Does it weird you out? “

“Nah, it’s cool,” Landon says and pours himself a cup of coffee as if we’re talking about something mundane.

“I didn’t want to keep our relationship from you, but we don’t have to let anyone else know. I don’t want your friends to make fun of you.”

“It’s not the Fifties anymore. No one cares,” he says, casually. “This isn’t even the strangest relationship at my school. Ricky’s dad divorced his mom and is now a woman. Hector’s parents run this private club. Everyone at school knows it’s some kind of sex dungeon. And Liz has two moms and a dad, and they all come to school functions together. So, I don’t really care if people know. I just want to know if this means we’re going to be moving into the penthouse?”

“This is your home. I’d never make you leave.”

“No,” he says, flatly. “This was mom and dad’s home.” He leans back against the cold marble counter and stares down into his cup. “I hate it here. When they died, I secretly hoped Dean and Tyler would adopt me, and I could leave this place.”

“We aren’t quite to the moving in stage of our relationship,” I say. But in the back of my mind, I add call a realtor to my mental to-do list. “I don’t like this place either, so maybe we can look for a new place that can be ours. Until then, let focus on getting things fixed with your school.”