I bury myself in work at the gym for the rest of the day. I would have loved to join Hunter’s friends for something to eat, but Carter’s jealous of his son and doesn’t believe me whenever I tell him I have no feelings for Hunter—other than friendship.

I like Hunter, he’s a good man. I’m proud of him for surviving boot camp. I know he has other tough tasks ahead of him if he actually wants to join a special unit in the Marines. But I’m not in love with him. I didn’t lie to him when I said I could have fallen for him if we’d met under different circumstances. But that doesn’t mean it would have turned out that way, just that there would have been a possibility. Anyway, it’s futile thinking about it because this is how it is. Period.

I never thought Carter was the jealous type. We’ve been together for more than two years, and he has never complained about another man before. Not about my colleagues, not about strangers whistling at me in the streets. Not that it happens very often—I’m not a supermodel or anything like that. I’m curvy, though not fat—at least I wouldn’t call myself fat—but I’m not exactly slim, either.

Not that it matters. Carter has never let himself be bothered by any of that. Hunter, however, is a different story.

When I get home in the evening, Carter’s sitting on the couch. I can hear music coming from upstairs, so I guess Carey’s home, too.

“Where were you?” he asks, folding his paper.

“At the gym.”

“And before that?”

Ah, so he knows.

“At Hunter’s graduation ceremony,” I say. There’s no point in lying.

“And when were you going to tell me that?” he asks, his voice sounding slightly sour.

I sit down on the arm of a chair. “I wasn’t.”

“You weren’t going to tell me?”

“I knew you’d be pissed, but I wanted to show Hunter that I’m proud of him.”

He laughs bitterly. “What’s there to be proud of? What he’s doing is suicidal.”

“Carter, he’s an adult. He makes his own decisions. It’s his life. He has to be happy with it. But he needs his family.”

Carter raises his eyebrows. “So he’s family to you, is he?”

It feels like he’s just stabbed me through the heart. “He’s your son. I’m your girlfriend. That makes us family.”

He snorts. “I’m his family. You’re not related to him.”

“Family is not just marked by blood.”

Carter laughs mockingly. “True, sweet Mackenzie. You can also be connected through other ties, such as sex.”

It’s like he’s slapped me across the face. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Did you sleep with Hunter?”

“No, of course not! I would never cheat on you. And I’ve told you more than once—I’m not in love with him!”

“But he’s in love with you!”

“That doesn’t change anything about my feelings, Carter! I love you.”

He puts his head in his hands. I sit down next to him and put a hand on his back.

“Carter, please. I know the situation is not easy, but you have to trust me. It’s you I love. You and nobody else.”

He slowly sits back up and looks into my eyes. “I wonder what a beautiful girl like you sees in me.”

“You’re hot, and you treat me well. Also, incidentally, you’re good in bed,” I add, my voice slightly seductive. “You’re smart. I can talk to you and laugh with you. And when you take off your clothes, I get wet.”

“Really?” he asks playfully.

I lean against him, pushing my breasts against his arm, and lick his ear with the tip of my tongue. “Really. And, actually, you don’t even have to get naked for it to happen.”

“Oh, really?”

I nod, nibbling on his earlobe. “Yes, but you know what really makes me wet?”

“Tell me.”

“Touching your dick, kissing it, sucking it.”

He swallows before he says, “I guess we should put that into practice.”

I push him down on the couch and move on top of him. My lips gently graze his. I feel his hands close around my butt.

Behind us, somebody clears his throat. “Excuse me, guys, but Katie and I would like to order something to eat. You want something?”

Carter sighs, annoyed. “Your timing is terrible, son.”

Carey laughs. “I’m afraid so.”

We order some Chinese and watch a movie together. But to me, it feels like someone is missing, and I know Carey feels the same. Sometimes he can’t hide his despondent look.

I wonder how Carter can stay mad at Hunter. He loves him. He’s proud of him. He wants only the best for him. So why is he so stubborn? Why can’t he reach out to his son again? I don’t get it. But in my heart, I know it can’t just be Hunter’s career choice that’s caused the breach. It’s too drastic a reaction for Carter. He’s a great dad—and a great boyfriend. Which means the cause is me. And it eats me up inside that I’m the reason they’re not in touch.

Like almost every night, I lie awake while Carter is sound asleep beside me. It’s quiet in the house, but my thoughts torture me. I want to help them, these men that I love, but I don’t know how. The only solution I can think of is to leave. But I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to lose Carter, and I definitely don’t want to lose Carey. And I also hate the idea of never seeing Hunter again.