Red and Viggo helped me set up the rocket while Dane unpacked the picnic. He set down a blanket and brought out a thermos of soup and a container of pork chops that he began heating over a portable stove.

I finished assembling the rocket, which Red had bought from Wal-Mart. It was eighteen inches and seemed to be good quality. I amusedly found myself running crude calculations in my head as I examined it. Is that what Dad did whenever we'd launched rockets together?

The engine that Red bought was way overpowered for the size of the rocket, so I sat down with a pocket knife and made some minor, MacGuyvered adjustments to the design to hopefully allow it to fly better. Red and Viggo crouched on either side of me, watching as I worked. I could feel their bodies close to me, and my heart beat a little quicker because of it. I wanted to be hugged by them again. Feeling them against me like that had felt so good, and I wanted more. I had all sorts of ideas going through my head, but none could become real. Or at least, I had no idea how I could make them real. Dreams of having three alphas all want you was just that—a dream. It was something that happened in fantasies and to extremely lucky people.

But wasn't I an extremely lucky person? I was lucky to have met these guys.

Okay, it only happened to people who were lucky and who knew how to make those kinds of situations happen for them. I had no idea how and wasn't going to risk ruining my relationship with the guys over something like that.

What could I do for three amazing alphas, anyway? I didn't know anything about that. I'd just end up embarrassing myself.

I slid the rocket down the piece of metal wire that would guide it off the launch pad. "Ready," I said, getting to my feet. Viggo and Red stood, too. The sun was dropping low, and it was starting to get a bit cold. I hadn't brought a good jacket, since I didn't know where we were going. Red put his arm around me and rubbed my shoulder.

"You look chilly," he said.

I nodded, feeling myself blush. His big body emanated so much heat. I stepped a little closer to him, basking in the warmth.

"Here," Viggo said, and he took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

"Oh, you don't need to..." I protested, but he'd already gone over to Dane.

"We're ready to launch," Viggo told Dane. "Let's do this."

"Let's stand over there," I said, pointing.

We moved away to a safe distance. Red stood behind me, and Dane and Viggo were on either side of me. I held the launch remote in my hands. I'd built and launched plenty of rockets for school, but it was my first time doing it like this since Dad had passed.

"Have you guys ever done this before?" I asked.

Viggo shook his head.

"Never," said Dane.

"This will be my first, too," said Red.

"You guys are gonna love it," I said, excitedly.

"Hopefully this thing doesn't kill us," said Viggo. "Are we gonna be okay? You had to do a lot of modifying."

"We'll be fine," I said. "Probably."

"Probably?" asked Red.

"Okay! Let's get this bad boy up in the air! Countdown from ten?"

"Why don't we sing 'happy birthday,' and you can fire it at the end?" suggested Dane.

"No, you guys singing it to me once was enough—"

"Happy birthday to you," Viggo sang, loudly. The guys joined him. I groaned but couldn't help but laugh. Dane and Viggo both put their arms around my shoulders, swaying back and forth as they sang.

"Happy birthday, dear Brendan... Happy birthday to you! Three! Two! One!"

I hit the button on the launch remote, and a plume of white smoke and orange flame roared out from the bottom of the rocket, sending it straight up into the golden sky.

I let out a giddy laugh as I craned my neck to watch it climb, leaving a white trail of smoke in its wake.

"Holy shit!" shouted Dane, and he started to jump up and down. "Look at that thing go!"

Viggo hooted and clapped his hands, and Red had a huge grin on his face. I pointed. "Come on," I said. "Let's grab it!"

The rocket finished its ascent and was slowly drifting down with the aid of a plastic parachute that had burst out from behind the nose cone. We ran to try and catch it, and I leapt over rocks and other debris along the riverbed doing my best not to trip and faceplant into the ground.

"It's going to fall into the water!" shouted Viggo.

"No, I got it! I got it!" I shouted. Then a gust of wind blew the rocket so that it was out of the path of the shore, and it plopped down into the river. I ran up onto a large fallen log that lay across the water and hurried to the middle of it to try and reach down to save the rocket.

"Just leave it!" Dane called after me.

I couldn't just let it go. I leaned over the log and stretched my hand down to the water. The rocket bobbed down the river towards me, and as it passed by I reached for it. My fingers touched it, and then I felt the bark of the tree crumbling beneath my body. I started to slide. "Shit!" I flipped and landed straight into the water. Cold shocked me. The river wasn't moving fast, but it was deeper than I'd thought. I kicked myself around, touched bottom, and came to the surface. Dane ran to the edge and looked like he was about to jump in after me.

"I'm fine!" I shouted, holding up the rocket. "I got it!"

I swam back to shore and the guys pulled me out. "You should've just let it go," Dane said.

"Do we have a towel?"

"We have the blanket," said Dane.

I tugged off my shirt and rung the water from it. Viggo gave me his jacket again, and Dane jogged over with the blanket and draped it over my shoulders. I was embarrassed to have to go so far, but my legs were cold and clammy in my wet pants, so I stripped out of them too and wrapped the blanket tightly around my body like a robe.

"We should get back," said Red. "Before it gets too cold."

"No! You guys brought me out all the way here for this picnic, we can't just go back."

"You're like, ninety percent naked," Viggo said. "Once that sun goes down you're going to freeze."

"I'll be fine," I said, stubbornly. "Come on, let's eat. We're not leaving until we eat."

We walked back to the spot where Dane had set up the food, and I sat down on a rock, bundled up in the blanket. My underwear was wet, and it clung uncomfortably to my butt. I wanted to strip it off too. I hated to admit it, but Viggo was right. The entire riverbed area was now in shadow, and the temperature had dipped. The rock I was sitting on was starting to feel like it was draining the heat from my body. I wrapped the blanket tighter.

"Soup," Viggo said, holding out a steaming cup. I slipped my hands through the front of the blanket and took it from him.

"Thank you," I said, sheepishly.

"Can't believe you jumped in after it," he said, and he reached out and brushed a strand of wet hair from my forehead. "So stupid."

"I didn't jump in," I said, trying to act cool as my heart raced. "I slid off the log."

"Whatever. Good going." He smirked.

I sipped from the cup of soup and gave him a dirty look. Then he walked around to the other side of the rock and climbed up on it, pressing his back to mine.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You're going to get cold," he said.

"I'm fine, really."

"Bullshit, you're shivering. I can feel it."

"No," I said. Even though I protested, I still pressed my back against his. I could feel his warmth through the blanket.

"Okay," Dane said. "Pork is ready. Let's chow and get the hell out of here."

The sun dropped even lower, and a brisk wind had begun to push along the river. The rock had lost all of its heat, and it felt like I was sitting on top of a block of ice. Now I really was cold, but I didn't want to let it show.

"We can just pack all this and take it back," Dane said.

"No!" I said. "I'm telling you, I'm fine." I thrust my hand out from the blanket and held it out. "Really."

Dane shrugged and gave me a plate of pork chop, and then he and Red both came and sat on either side of me and pressed their backs against my body.

"Thanks guys," I said. "Thanks for all of this."

"How high do you think it went?" Dane asked. "Two hundred feet?"

"At least," I said, looking up. The moon had appeared, a pale white circle in a pastel sky. I loved the excitement and anticipation of launching a rocket, of wondering if it would work, and wondering how high it would go. As amazing as that feeling was, I realized that I'd discovered something even more wonderful: being with them. Could anything match how I felt at this moment?

"I'd like to do that again," said Red. "That was a lot of fun."

I closed my eyes. With their backs against my body, I could feel their voices as they spoke. Red's voice, though soft, was powerful and resonant and it rolled through me like thunder. Dane was like... an excited dog. His whole body moved slightly when he spoke, like he could barely contain his own energy.

"Yeah," Viggo said. His voice was sharp, and like Red's it had a projective energy that I could clearly feel whenever he spoke. But where Red's was steady, Viggo's was pent up and tense. It was really slight, but I could definitely feel his body tighten when he spoke. It was like he was holding on to something heavy and trying to lift it.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew across the river and hit me in the front, the one side of me that wasn't protected. "Oh shit," I said, clenching my teeth. “I'm cold."

"Pork chop race," said Dane, cramming the rest of his into his mouth. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

* * *

With my clothes still soaked, I rode the train wrapped up in the blanket. It was a little embarrassing to sit there looking like a crazy naked homeless person, but the guys all stood around me to protect some of my dignity. When we got back into downtown Elworth, I was glad when Dane offered to call us a car. Biking back in my underwear, though it would've been an experience, wasn't really something I wanted to do.

The car stopped in front of a building that looked like it'd once been an industrial warehouse but had since been converted into living spaces. Viggo pressed a key fob up to a sensor at the big gate at the entrance, and the door unlocked. The warehouse complex had been renovated to feel like the grounds of a five star modern hotel. The landscaping was finely manicured, and there was a brightly lit lobby with a security guard and a full lounge. Viggo's loft had one of those roll-up warehouse garage doors, with a smaller regular front door next to it. He scanned his key fob, and we went inside.

"Let me grab you some clothes," Viggo said, waving his hand in front of a panel. The lights slowly came on, revealing a big, open space with vinyl sealed concrete floors and exposed brick walls. On one side of the space were three motorcycles and a work space that looked like a mechanic's wet dream. On the other was a kitchen, and next to it a living area with a big leather couch and sheepskin rug. Instead of facing a television, the couch was opposite a tall shelf of books. There was a narrow spiral staircase that went up to a second story, which looked like it contained a bedroom or two and a bathroom.

Dane went to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of whiskey from one of the cabinets. "The celebration continues," he announced.

Red gestured to me. "Let's toss your clothes into the drier."

Viggo came downstairs with a t-shirt, a pair of gym shorts and underwear. I went to the bathroom and changed. As I pulled the shirt over my head, I drew in a breath of Viggo's scent. Then I slipped into his underwear. I was surprised at how intimate it felt to be wearing his clothes, especially his underwear.

When I came out, the three of them were sitting in the living area with their drinks. I went over to them, and Dane handed me a glass.

"Cheers," I said. "Thank you, guys, for giving me such a wonderful birthday. I'm still not sure what I did to deserve it."

"It's been fun since you've showed up," said Red. "Spending time with you has been great."

"It's a nice change from seeing these fools every day," said Viggo.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we really love having you around, Brendan," said Dane.

"I can't imagine why," I said, taking a sip from my glass. I licked the whiskey from my tingling lips.

"Because you can actually stand being around us," said Viggo. "That's pretty impressive."

"I really love being around you guys, too," I said, softly.

"You can't really explain how these things work out," Dane said. He was sitting on the floor, and he lay back and stretched out on the rug. "Like, how the hell have the three of us stuck together for all these years? There's just something that works, and it's not quantifiable."

"We've been a trio for nearly ten years," said Red. "All that time we never had a fourth."

"Nope," said Viggo.

"Hold on, you're not really saying that I'm on that level, are you?" I asked.

"We've had girlfriends and boyfriends come around," Dane said. "But that's not really the same."

"Yeah," said Viggo. "Those were always more of a, 'I'm going to tolerate you' sort of deal. At least one of us would feel that way. You aren't really one of us, but I'm gonna put up with you because you're dating Dane."

Dane laughed. "Whoa. I think you're the guiltiest of that, not me."

Viggo shrugged. "Maybe."

"Anyway," said Red, "I think we all don't feel that way with you, Brendan."

"Did you guys discuss this or something?"

"We don't discuss anything," Viggo said.

"Nah, we just feel it. We know each other well enough."

I nodded. "I'm really not used to this, but I do feel that way about you guys, too. I've never had friends like you guys before, where it feels so easy to be around you. It's like I've known you guys for years. That's the way I feel. Like I could do and share anything with you. I feel like... I'm so safe. It's crazy, honestly. I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone before. It can't be normal."

"I can definitely say that it isn't normal," said Viggo. "This feeling is special as hell. I should know."

I felt my face grow warm as that incredible feeling of happiness welled up inside of me. It was a feeling that I'd only just started to experience being around these guys. I didn't know how else to classify it other than love.

Dane sat up from the rug. "I've got something I want to ask. Do you have feelings for any of us?"

My heart did a quadruple backflip and just about exploded out of my chest. He didn't seriously ask me that, did he?

Red groaned. "Dane, seriously? What the hell?"

It was brief, but I noticed Dane and Viggo exchange a glance. "If you think it'll make things uncomfortable for you, don't feel like you need to say anything," said Dane.

"Don't you think asking it is uncomfortable enough?" Red grumbled.

"Well, I want to know," he replied. "And I'm not gonna go behind your backs to find out. We might as well find out as a group."

Red shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"No, it's okay," I said. Even though it'd flustered me, I was surprisingly comfortable with the question. I realized that Dane knew that I would be, otherwise he wouldn't have asked. "It's actually been on my mind a lot, and it's been a little overwhelming because I've never dealt with this kind of thing before." The three of them sat silently, staring intently at me. I swallowed nervously. "But I'm afraid of ruining what we have. I don't know if I should say anything, because I really appreciate you guys and how amazing it's been."

"I can say that whatever you say won't change how I feel towards you, or towards these guys," Viggo said.

"I can say the same," said Dane.

Red nodded. "I mean... Yeah. Same here. But I don't want Brendan to feel uncomfortable."

"No," I said. "I won't, especially now that you guys have told me that." I took a deep breath. My heart was racing, and when I spoke it felt as if my voice didn't belong to me, like I was hearing it from another room. "Actually, the truth is that I've been feeling something for all of you. Uh, what I mean is, I have feelings for all three of you."

They stared at me, and their silence felt eternal. I tensed up and started to babble.

"I know it's not normal. I mean, I guess it is, because you're all such great guys, and you're all really handsome and good looking, but it's not normal to tell them all, and I don't know what I'm even expecting anyway, I guess nothing because why would you feel that way about me? But it's nice to get it off my chest."  

"You like all three of us?" Viggo asked. Was he amused? I couldn't decipher his expression.

I wanted to disappear into the couch. I was so embarrassed! I shouldn't have said anything.

"We definitely didn't expect that answer," Dane said.

"We? You mean, you guys talked about this? About who I might like?"

"Of course," he said.

"Why would you talk about that?"

"Why wouldn't we?" asked Viggo. "We all realized we have a crush on you."

"Hey!" Red's face was, well, red. "Why did you tell him that?"

I sat there, blinking at them like an idiot. Wait, wait, wait.

Viggo laughed. "Why are you getting shy, Red? He just said he has a thing for you."

"Wait, hold on," I said. "Go back a second. You all realized what?"

"I told them that I have feelings for you," Viggo said. "I couldn't keep it to myself."

"It was pretty shocking," Dane said. "I don't think Viggo has ever once come out and said that about anyone. Someone always likes him first."

Now Viggo was actually blushing a bit. He looked away from me and covered his mouth with his hand.

"We don't keep things from each other," Dane went on. "And we definitely don't get jealous of each other."

"We’re unusual in that way," Red said. "But it's true."

"So I confessed to Viggo that I felt the same way. I had a feeling that Red did too, and sure enough. So we talked about who we thought you might like. My bet was on none of us," said Dane. "Viggo thought—"

"I thought me, of course," Viggo said.

Red was still blushing madly. "I didn't really want to guess. I wanted to it to be me, but I also knew you'd be a great match for both Viggo and Dane."

"I'm in shock," I said. "Seriously, this doesn't make sense. You guys like me? What the hell... I think I need more to drink. This is just surreal."

"I could use more, too," Red muttered, and he went off to the kitchen.

"Is it that weird?" asked Dane. He got up from the floor and sat down next to me on the couch. My heart skipped a beat when he reached out and took my hand and held it firmly between both of his. "You're a wonderful person, you're fun to be around, and you're not so bad to look at, either."

"Come on," I said, embarrassed. They were the good-looking ones; I just couldn't imagine them thinking that way about me.

"You're a hottie, Brendan," Viggo said, and he dropped next to me on the couch. "Don't argue."

I shot to my feet. I was beyond thrilled, but also just as equally terrified. I was overwhelmed. The three of them had feelings for me? I couldn't choose just one of them. How could I? And anyway, a relationship? I'd never been in a relationship. Did I even want to be in one? I had no idea how I would go forward, and there was definitely no going back.

Red came over and handed me another glass of whiskey, and I gulped it down in one go.

"Let's talk about this," he said, calmly. "We all should talk about this."

"What do you want, Brendan?" Viggo asked. "Tell us honestly. We can take it."

I stood there as still as a statue, clutching the empty glass in my trembling hands. My whole body was trembling with nervous excitement. What did I want? What did I really want?

"Well, I don't know. I think I just..." A big part of me wanted to run away from this, because the confession I wanted to make felt like it went against everything I thought was normal, right, and acceptable. I couldn't stand the thought of confessing it, because rejection seemed to be the only outcome. And I'd feel like an idiot for doing it.

I looked at the three of them. I loved Red's quiet and thoughtful manner, and the intimate way we spoke with each other that made me feel like everything he had to say was a secret meant only for me. I loved Viggo's don't-give-a-shit attitude, and how protective he could be. I loved how incredibly comfortable and good Dane always made me feel, and his upbeat energy. Each of them had something that complemented a part of me, whether it was something I wanted to change about myself, or something about myself that I gave to them that made me feel more complete. It was incredible, and it was real. What I felt for them was magic. I knew it, because I'd never experienced anything like it before, not in my whole life. It had to be something special.

That was when I realized that I had nothing to be afraid of.

"What I'd really want," I said, "is for us to be together. Me with all of you. Our group, but more than just friends."

After the words left my mouth, all I could hear was the deafening sound of my racing heart.