Chapter Ten
She had no idea how long she stood there looking at the scattered pieces of glass littering the floor. Everything that had happened was a blur. She was trying to piece it together one disturbing memory after the other.
Her hands were shaking, but the worst of the adrenaline had worn off. She smiled and giggled under her breath like a patient in an insane asylum. It was liberating, and keeping things bottled up wasn’t healthy.
She tiptoed around the glass on her heels and found a broom and a pan next to the fridge. She cleaned up, feeling amazing after letting them all have it with both barrels. She picked up the cleaver. It took a bit of effort to pry it loose from the floorboard.
The feeling of the cold steel along her fingertips and the fresh blood made her realize how strong her conviction was. She was no longer going to be anybody’s doormat. She heard the scream coming from outside but had no idea the source of it. She was tempted to do the same thing to rid her of the demons weighing her down.
Yvette was feeling a little faint and had to sit down on the couch. The complete silence, void of any sound, was giving her a moment to think about everything. She found herself barely clinging to the last vestige of what she thought her life was going to be.
The end of her marriage was hard to digest, but her display of bravado had proven one undeniable fact. She had done the right thing and there was no use crying over spilled milk. She had found not one man, but two who made her feel butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.
She was startled by a knock on the door at this late hour. It made her hesitant, thinking it was Tony coming back to make her feel the back of his hand. It wasn’t uncommon for him to show his displeasure by physically dominating her with his words and body language.
“I hope you don’t think I won’t use this again. I’ve already gotten first blood and I have a taste for it like a wild animal after its prey.” She picked up the cleaver.
It was unwashed, still stained with the crimson aftermath of her altercation with the three of them. She couldn’t believe she had done something so bold, but they had brought it on themselves.
“It’s Blake and Adam from upstairs. We were concerned about you and came down to see if you needed anything. We understand if you want to be alone, but maybe it would be a good idea for you to see some familiar faces.” Blake waited with Adam standing vigil like a gargoyle behind him.
“It’s possible she wants to go to bed and throw the covers over her head to forget about what happened.” Adam heard the lock and the chain being released until they were soon faced with a woman who looked like she had been through the wringer.
“I don’t know what kind of company I’m going to make. You can come in at your own peril. I will understand if you feel you’re taking your lives in your hand.” Yvette was through shedding one tear over an ex-husband and a mother who had been controlling from birth.
They both stepped through the threshold and followed her into the living room. The solid wood beams and exposed piping gave the whole space a conventional feel. The red couch was situated to take advantage of the view of the city at night when the lights were the brightest.
Yvette’s mental condition was frayed. She sat down looking at her fingers and picking at her nails. It did make her feel better to have them within reaching distance. They sat down on either side of her like the living embodiment of bookends.
“I don’t want to pry, but I did overhear what happened behind these closed doors. I should’ve walked away, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I know it was an invasion of your personal space. I apologize profusely for sticking my nose where it didn’t belong.” Blake took her trembling hand and held it steady between his.
“I should be cross at you for hearing something that was none of your business, but I don’t have the energy to raise my fist in anger. I need this time to decompress. It wasn’t your place to fix anything. It must have a taken an amazing amount of willpower not to crash in like some Neanderthal.” She didn’t want the drama of trying to pull them off each other like pit bulls after the last scrap of meat.
“You have no idea. I went back upstairs and found myself screaming at the top of my lungs loud enough for the city to hear me. I inadvertently woke up Adam and we were able to talk openly and honestly about everything. We didn’t feel we could wait to talk to you until morning.” She felt the tension in the air between the two brothers.
“Blake, I find myself curious to know what couldn’t wait until morning. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you came down to soothe my nerves. I’m really in no mood for any more theatrics.” Her Latin blood was boiling and the only thing preventing her from snapping was her ability to count to ten.
“Blake is making this more difficult than it has to be. We both like you more than we were willing to admit, but there’s no hiding from it. We need you to make a decision. It’s time for you to take off the band-aid quickly. We’ve been dancing around this for too long.” Adam wasn’t beating around the bush.
He stood up feeling it was better to be standing when she brought down the hammer of rejection. He suspected Blake had more in common with her than he did.
“I would love to tell you what you want to hear, but I can’t do that. I know it’s wrong, but I fell for two vastly different men. I have no idea what to do about this. It might be better for you to do what every other person has done in my life. Leave me to wallow in self-pity.” It was humane to set them both free.
“We weren’t expecting you to say that. It’s necessary for us to have a sidebar to discuss this matter.” Blake was using a legal term he had seen on television.
“Take all the time you need. It’s not like I’m going anywhere. You can use the kitchen so I don’t overhear anything. Better yet, you can go out onto the deck and close the door to keep whatever you say privately between the two of you.” She was half expecting them to beat each other to a pulp with the last one standing given the spoils of war.
The brothers Slim went out onto the deck, smiling at the one they cared for before turning to each other like rabid animals.
“We didn’t discuss this possibility. This is where we finally find out whose feelings for her are the strongest. I would die for her throwing myself on a grenade to protect her life.” Blake wasn’t sugarcoating it and felt it was necessary to profess his love by putting his very life on the line.
“I look out at all of these buildings and I know there’s enough drama to go around. I doubt anyone has a decision like this to make at this early hour. I suppose it depends on your point of view. Is it a glass half empty or half full?” He was waxing poetic trying to say what was on his mind without sounding like a gibbering idiot.
“Did you hear what I said? I would jump in front of a bullet to sacrifice myself on the altar of my love for her.” Blake felt Adam was trying to avoid saying what was in his heart.
“God really does work in mysterious ways. This has to be some kind of punishment for how I’ve treated women in the past. I love her with all of my heart and the very idea of losing her breaks me into pieces. I have an idea but I’m not sure you’re going to want to hear it.” Adam had come up with a compromise from seemingly nowhere.
“I don’t think we can go on the same way we have. There needs to be a unanimous decision one way or the other. We are not doing any of us any favors by stringing each other along. Someone is going to get hurt. There’s no way around that.” Blake was ready to fight for the woman he cared for more than he did breathing.
“There might be a way, but I don’t want to repeat it a second time.” He swung on his heels and went back inside with Adam breathlessly following like a puppy on a leash.
“The door is over there. I wouldn’t blame either one of you for walking away. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I was the cause for your bond to be broken. I would like to remind you your relationship has stood up to the test of time for years. We haven’t known each other more than a few weeks. It might hurt, but we will be better off going our separate ways.” She swallowed her pride and was regretting the words before she even finished her thought.
“I’m not going anywhere without you by my side.” Blake got down on his knees and placed his head in her lap.
“I have an idea that’s a little out there. We can have our cake and eat it too. It’s not hard to see the way we feel about you. I propose a polyamorous relationship.” Both Blake and Yvette looked at him like he had two heads.
“I’m not sure I understand, but please continue.”
“I’m assuming you love us for different reasons. It might sound crazy, but there’s no reason why we can’t all get what we want.” Adam was thinking outside of the box to prevent anybody from having their feelings hurt.
“I’ve never heard anything like this, but I’m willing to give it a shot. How exactly would this work? Color me curious. It does sound interesting enough to entertain the idea.” Her strict Catholic upbringing didn’t even enter into the equation.
“Blake and I can take turns having our own special alone time with you. It would be a good idea for all of us to have some time where all three of us are… I don’t think I have to spell it out for the both of you.” He had never considered being naked with his brother, and having the same woman waiting for them in bed sounded absurd.
“This is crazy. I can’t believe you even proposed something like this. You’ve got to be out of your freaking mind.” Blake was shocked and couldn’t even grasp the concept of the proposal.
“Do you want to be with me? It’s a simple question requiring a simple answer. I’m willing, but this only works if all three of us are ready to work at it.” Yvette held his gaze by lifting his chin and then kissed him.
Any reservation vanished on the tip of her tongue igniting a passion deep inside of him. He lost his breath and could barely speak after their lips finally parted.
Blake blinked back into focus and found her standing over him with her hand out. He looked at his brother and found the idea more appetizing.
Adam was waiting for his brother to make the right decision. It was a bold departure from any of their other relationships. He had his heart on the sleeve of his fluffy white robe cinched closed with only his boxer shorts underneath. There wasn’t much covering what God had blessed him with.
“I should have my head examined. I still don’t think this is a good idea, but there’s only one way to find out. I’m glad I had a drink before coming down here.” Blake got on his feet with the feeling of the room spinning around him. It had nothing to do with any form of intoxication.
He was drunk, but not on alcohol. Her natural scent was free floating in the air capturing him like a moth to a flame. There was no denying the chemistry he felt being in close proximity of her.
The only way he was going to get the girl was by sharing. He remembered something his mother said about sharing was caring. He had a feeling this was not what she had in mind.
“We are victims of circumstance, but we are stronger together than apart. I would like home field advantage for the first time. I would feel more comfortable in my bed.” She had them both by the hand and led them down the hallway with startled expressions on their faces.