Chapter 34
Today was the day of the meeting. I was supposed to sit down with all the guys face to face and tell them how I felt. I was supposed to somehow break it to them that the Wolf brothers were offering me the option to move into a mansion they’d already purchased, and that I wanted them to all come live with me.
I was getting nervous just thinking about it.
“I figured you guys could do the meeting here,” Courtney said over coffee. “I could go get dinner or something in the lounge area. That way I’d be close if shit hit the fan.”
“Thanks,” I said flatly.
“I don’t think it’s gonna, though,” she said. “They’re all crazy about you. Do they wanna be picked? Sure. Everyone wants to be the favorite. But that’s all this is. They all want to be your favorite.”
“They’re not dogs; they’re men,” I said.
“Same difference,” she said, grinning.
“I just—what if they say no? What if they get upset? What if they all leave?” I asked.
“Well, you’ve made up your mind to move into the mansion, right? And I swear to fuck, if you tell me no, I’m checking you for a fucking stroke.”
“Yes, I’m moving into the mansion.”
“So you’ll at least have the Wolf brothers. And I’m sorry, but from all the stories you’ve told me, those two have my vote for favorite,” she said.
“Not helping, Court.”
“Look, I’m just saying that maybe they won’t want to live together, but that doesn’t mean they won’t all want to be with you.”
“You were just telling me this was all gonna work out,” I said.
“I’m just preparing you for all sides. You’re thinking best and worst case. There is a middle ground, where they all want you but don’t want to live with you.”
I slid back into the couch while I finished my coffee. If there was ever a day I wanted to be called into work, this was it. They’d been pretty good at not calling me in, especially after I’d conducted all those initial party planning meetings, but I really needed something to distract me.
“You think they’ll be upset with me?” I asked.
“Not a fucking chance. And if they are, I’ll come up and put them in their places. That’s why I’m staying close.”
Just then, a knock came at the door. I jumped a bit, then relaxed as Courtney gave me a wary look. My nerves were still shot with my mind running a million miles a second, but the voices that floated through the door were more than reassuring.
“Lexi? It’s us,” they said in unison.
“Which ones are those, and do you wanna see them?” she asked.
“That’s Cameron and Cole. I’ll let ’em in.”
“No. Stay. I got it.”
The door opened, and two athletes immediately barreled toward the couch. Cole pulled my coffee cup from my hand while Cameron sat on the floor in front of me. Without me even asking, his hands began massaging my feet, working his way up my calves as I sighed and closed my eyes.
“How’re you feeling?” Cole asked.
“Nervous about tonight. The meeting’s gonna be here. You guys okay with eight?” I asked.
“We’re okay with any time. We have the whole day blocked off,” Cameron said.
“Shit, that feels good,” I said, groaning.
“You’re pretty tense. You still on edge?” Cameron asked.
“Can you blame me?” I asked.
“I guess not. Are you, at the very least, sleeping well again?” Cole asked.
“I’ll do better once I talk to you guys tonight,” I said.
“Is there anything we can do to settle your mind? You’re worrying us,” Cameron said.
“It’s not a bad conversation, but Liam and Logan stopped by last night,” I said.
“Something happen on their job?” Cole asked.
“That’s what I thought, but no. They tried to convince me to choose them, and I got into a fight with them. I told them I didn’t expect much, but I did expect respect for my decisions, and I told them to stop asking me to choose.”
Cameron’s movements stopped as he looked warily over at his brother, and I realized then what was happening.
“You guys came over here to do the same thing, didn’t you?” I asked.
“Well, we just—”
“Get out,” I said, sighing.
“Lexi,” they both said in unison.
“I’ll see you guys tonight. Eight sharp,” I said as I stood up.
“Come on, boys. Door time.”
They sighed and got up off the floor, but they weren’t the only visitors I had that day. About an hour later, after talking with my boss about some last-minute party changes, Kyle and Kevin came knocking on my door—in their fucking white coats on their damn lunch break.
“Before you two even come in here, I have a question,” I said.
“Okay?” Kyle asked.
“Are the two of you here to convince me to choose you guys over everyone else?”
They swallowed hard while I giggled in amusement. All of them were absolutely relentless, and with every pair of twins I saw, my dread for the evening rose.
“We just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Kevin said.
“Yeah, along with the Castles and the Oakleys. But that’s not why you’re really here,” I said.
“Just come live with us,” Kyle said. “It’ll solve at least one of your problems, and then we can all slowly take things from there. If we all slowly warm up to the idea, Kyle’s house has enough rooms to house everyone.”
“I’ve already got living arrangements now that Jeremy has been plucked off the street,” I said.
“You do?” Kevin asked.
“Is it the Wolf brothers?” Kyle asked.
I sighed heavily as I leaned against the door. What the fuck was I going to do about tonight? None of this was going the way it was supposed to be going, and it was only lunchtime!
“I knew it,” Kevin said. “None of us can hold a candle to the debonair smiles and the unimpeded riches of the Wolf brothers.”
“I’m not choosing anyone, all right!?” I exclaimed.
That silenced the Jameson brothers. I slowly drew a breath in through my nose. I dug my phone out of my pocket and pulled up all the group chats I had with all the guys, and I drafted a message. I stood there while the Jameson brothers simply ran their eyes up and down my form.
“Have you been sleeping?” Kevin asked.
“No,” I said, “and I don’t need your help with it.”
I edited the drafted message before copying and pasting it to all the group chats. I sent it out and listened to Kyle’s and Kevin’s phones ring in their pockets. I nodded for them to pull them out. Their eyes scanned across the message before they both sighed heavily, and I cocked my hip out while I folded my arms across my chest.
“Read it,” I said.
“Tonight we all really need to talk. I have some plans I want to talk through with everyone, and I need to speak my piece. Come to my hotel suite at eight o’clock tonight. And don’t come by until then. Maybe some of you can actually respect that,” Kyle said.
“Lexi, we’re just—”
“I’ll see you guys tonight,” I said, cutting Kevin off.
“We’re really sorry. We didn’t mean to upset you,” Kyle said.
“I will see you tonight,” I said, emphasizing the last three words.
I shut the door softly as they stood out in the hallway. I leaned my head against it, listening as their feet slowly carried them down the hallway. I felt my phone already buzzing, no doubt with questions from the Wolf brothers, but I wasn’t in the mood to answer them. I wasn’t in the mood to do anything.
All I wanted to do was sleep until it was time for this meeting.
“Wanna go shopping?” Courtney asked. “Get you a gorgeous outfit for this meeting?”
“Can’t I do it braless and in my pajamas?” I asked.
“You could, if that’s your thing. Or you could drive them all wild and command their attention by showing off those long legs and giving them some cleavage.”
“Can we get food while we’re out?” I asked.
“Fuck yeah. That’s what we’re doing first,” she said.
“Shouldn’t we shop and then eat so the clothes fit better?”
“Have I taught you nothing?” Courtney asked as she grabbed her purse. “If you shop on a full stomach, you know those clothes will look hot on an empty one.”
“All right, but I’m not changing,” I said.
“You’re gonna go shopping for clothes braless and in pajamas?” she asked.
“What better way?” I asked. “That way, if I’m feeling all sorts of sexy, I can just throw this away and wear one of the outfits home.”
“Maybe I have taught you a thing or two,” she said, winking.
“But first, the all-important decision,” I said.
“Which twin’s dick you’ll suck first once they all say yes and bow at your feet?” she asked.
“Close, but no. Where are we gonna unfashionably stuff our faces?” I asked.
“I like that question a lot more.”
“I figured you would.”
“Can we go somewhere that has wine?” she asked as I reached for my purse.
“The hell kind of question is that? Wine is always in play with me,” I said.
“Damn, I love having you as my best friend.”
“I’m one of a kind,” I said, grinning.
“Which is why this meeting will be fine. In the meantime, wine to chill your bones and clothes to make you feel desirable.”
“I like the sound of that.”