Chapter 26
Adrian
“We need to talk,” I say, pacing the floor of my penthouse.
“Right now?” Caleb sighs, which annoys me. “I’m kind of busy.”
“It’s an emergency.” The words slip out before I really think them through, and I clear my throat.
“Not a life-threatening emergency, but enough of one that I want to talk today. I don’t want to drag this out until Monday.
We need to deal with what’s happening between us before it wrecks the company. ”
“Nothing is going to wreck the company, Adrian. We all care about Modern Edge. None of us is going to let something personal ruin it.”
“Well, that something personal is also our assistant, so I would say it involves all facets of our lives. And now we all live in the same building.”
There’s a beat of silence, and then another pained sigh, as if I’m ruining his whole weekend. “Fine.”
“I’ve already let Beck know. He said he can be here in thirty minutes.”
“Uh-huh,” Caleb mutters and disconnects the call.
I raise my brows. “Well, okay then.”
It’s not like Caleb to be the kind of guy who just hangs up like that. He’s the type who triple checks to make sure everyone is okay and happy before walking away from a conversation.
Maddy is getting to him. But she’s getting to all of us.
I pause at the window and peer out. Thousands of people are making mistakes this very second. Most of them will wake up tomorrow, go about their normal life, and forget the panic that comes with realizing you’re the flaw in your own system.
I envy them. Because once I see a flaw in myself, I can’t unsee it.
And I hate the fact that I finally see the root of the control problem I have.
I’ve now seen both of my partners deep inside of Maddy, and while I feel like I have every right to feel jealous…
I really just feel scared.
And that’s the real problem.
I crack my knuckles and then step away from the window, pulling out my phone again. I scroll through my texts quickly, stopping when I see one from my dad.
Dad: How’s work going? You have time to meet for lunch any time soon? Your mom is bugging the shit out of me.
I curl my lip in disgust at the way he speaks about my mother. That is something I never want in a relationship. My father is an example of exactly how not to treat a woman…
And how I’ve been treating Maddy.
“Fuck,” I mumble under my breath, my mind replaying all the times I’ve been an asshole to her. I run a hand over my face, feeling like an absolute piece of shit.
I owe her an apology for that.
I let out a deep breath. I have no idea what my parents would think of some sort of quadruple relationship situation. I cringe at the disappointment I felt growing up, perpetually etched in my father’s face.
Before I can imagine that scenario any further, my door opens and in walks Caleb and Beck. Both look annoyed at the sight of me, and while normally, I might find that amusing, I do not feel that in this situation.
“So you want to talk,” Beck states the obvious, plopping down on the couch across from where I’m standing. “But for the record, if this turns into another fistfight, I’m fucking leaving.”
“Same,” Caleb mutters, taking a seat opposite Beck and folding his arms across his chest.
I lean against the window, a slight wave of nerves rolling through my body. “I’m open to hearing you both out. My reaction was out of anger and insecurity.”
Beck’s brows shoot upward. “Wait… Did Adrian Frank just admit that he’s insecure? I think we should record this moment, because it’s not likely to ever happen again.”
Caleb chuckles. “Agreed.”
I ignore the jab. “The point is that I think I’ve been the most problematic in everything that’s happened so far, and I need to hear what you two want.”
“Well, I mentioned being open to sharing,” Beck repeats what I already know. “And I think, based on last night, you didn’t seem to be opposed to that. But you also stormed off, so there must be some regret there.”
“I just don’t want to lose her,” I blurt out the painful truth. I hate being vulnerable, but maybe vulnerability is the only way we somehow all get what we want in this situation.
Caleb’s jaw flexes. “I visited Maddy today.”
Beck smirks at him. “And how did that go?”
He glares at me. “Well, it would’ve gone better if Adrian hadn’t called me in the middle of it. And you made it seem like this was some kind of an emergency.”
I inhale, steadying myself. “I’ve spent the last twelve hours trying to solve a problem.
And the problem is that I want to possess her, control her, and make her belong to me.
” I meet their eyes, one at a time. “And I can’t.
That would destroy our friendship—and I don’t want that. I’m just concerned about the dynamic.”
Beck’s face softens slightly. “I get that. I have the same worry. It feels risky, and the last thing I want is to fuck up anything between the three of us. You guys have been my family for years.”
“Yeah,” I say. “And I refuse to repeat my parents’ mistakes. My dad is the biggest asshole I know, and I don’t want to be like him.”
“So what’s your solution?” Caleb asks.
I rub my forehead, a headache looming. “We could share her equally. No secrets, no sneaking around. If she agrees, we do this as a unit—whatever that looks like. But I want it to be exclusive to us. Otherwise, I’ll go fucking nuts. I can trust her with you two. But I don’t trust anyone else.”
The words hang in the air, vibrating with energy.
“So…” Beck says. “You’re proposing, what, a merger? An exclusive, four-way…?”
I nod. “Yes. I think so. There are risks, obviously, but I don’t know what the alternative is.”
Caleb shifts, his fists clenching. “And what about Maddy? I mean, it seems fucked up to even discuss this without her.”
“She gets full agency,” I say. “Any one of us can end it at any time, if it gets toxic. But we agree to ground rules, and we enforce them together.”
Beck’s head falls to his hands, and he lets out a groan before looking back up at me. “Adrian, you’ve officially outdone yourself. Is this about fairness, or is this just some twisted new control experiment? Because this feels like a business arrangement, not a relationship.”
“Well, the truth is… I don’t know,” I admit. “Maybe both. But I’d rather lose a little power than lose her altogether, and I feel like this dynamic needs clear communication at all times.”
We all just sit there and look at each other for a minute.
Caleb crosses one leg over the other and picks at the hem of his jeans. “Maddy deserves the truth. All of it. And we have no idea if she even wants to be exclusive with us.”
“We’ll have a meeting first thing Monday,” I breathe out. “Get it all out in the open.”
Caleb nods. “That makes sense. And I do agree with you about needing ground rules.”
Beck leans in, curiosity lighting up his face. “How will this even work, practically speaking? Do we rotate nights? Is there a sign-up sheet?” His tone is half joking, but I don’t miss the underlying concern.
“I don’t know exactly what it looks like,” I shrug. “But the point is, no more hiding. No more lying. No more sneaking around. We can all be with Maddy… if she agrees.”
Caleb purses his lips. “I don’t know what she’s going to say about that.”
“Well, let’s fucking find out,” Beck says with a mischievous grin.
“Maddy has to come first in all aspects,” I say. “That has to be rule number one.”
I just hope this doesn’t overwhelm her completely.
After all, this plan is useless if she doesn’t agree to it.