45 I Love You
KYLE
My heart pounded as I jumped into Anna’s room. I had been running and mountain climbing for years, and I was glad it was useful to climb up to her room upstairs from the backyard. Cillian was using a ladder, and I was waiting for him by the window when I heard the shriek of Alice.
I checked the bed and found it empty. Fuck .
“Alice is not in the bedroom,” I said to him when he was halfway up the ladder. “I’m going to find her.”
“No, Kyle, stay close— fuck! ”
I ignored him and slowly crept out of the room, keeping my breath quiet and slow. I heard another high-pitched scream and quickly darted away into the shadows when I saw Felix’s silhouette holding Alice and coming upstairs.
My fight instinct kicked in, and I braced myself to protect Alice and hold down Felix until the cops barged in or Cillian cuffed him.
“Come on, Alice!” he shouted at his own daughter. My blood boiled at the sound of her cries.
“Mommy!” she yelled.
“Get away from her!” I said, surprising him as he tried to find his footing on the rugged hallway. But it was too late as I had already grabbed Alice and pushed her into her room and said, “Hide here and lock the door. Don’t open it until you hear Mom, okay?”
She was still crying but nodded as I closed the door and turned around. It happened so fast that I couldn’t even blink. I gasped when something sharp pierced my stomach, warm liquid pooling out and painting my shirt red as Felix took a step back, his face angry and panicked.
My vision became dizzy, but I had to protect Alice. Protect Anna and Caleb.
“It’s all your fault!” He yelled, turning his back on me.
I didn’t care that the small pocketknife was stuck on my stomach and pounced on him, pushing him down on the ground and grabbing his arms. He was heavy but short. Pain twisted in my stomach, but I ignored it when he squirmed, trying to push me off of him.
In a few seconds, Caleb had pinned him down. Cillian had cuffed him, and I was lying on my back with paramedics looking at my stab wound and pulling me up on the stretcher.
My vision jumped from Caleb’s worried face to Anna hugging Alice to her crying face.
“Don’t fall asleep!” I heard Caleb’s voice from somewhere, but I was already floating into the darkness.
At least they’re safe was my last thought before I passed out.
* * *
Anna
Kyle was okay. Felix had used a small pocketknife to stab him, and he would wake up at any moment. The adrenaline dump had likely caused him to pass out.
“Mom!” I turned around when Aaron rushed towards me, his eyes wide as he hugged me. “I-I heard… oh God, are you okay? Alice?”
Kyle was in a private suite at the hospital and Felix was arrested and Cillian was making sure he never sees a light outside the prison.
“She’s okay,” I said, hugging him back and patting his back. Caleb was walking towards us with food when he paused and saw Aaron. He was still in his white tee with Kyle’s blood staining it. “She’s with Katie.” Jem and my sister were looking after her at Kyle’s house, since my place was full of cops.
Valeria had come clean. She had helped Felix. She was the one who had taken our intimate pictures because he had threatened her little brother. I didn’t want her to suffer more, so I had asked Caleb to help her out if he could. He didn’t look happy, but I knew he would try.
“I was so worried that you got hurt again,” Aaron said, pulling away, his eyes gleaming.
“I am okay,” I said and looked over his shoulder when Caleb cleared his throat.
Aaron turned around to see his friend and his face hardened. “What are you doing here?”
Caleb kept down the paper bag and said, “Kyle’s my boyfriend. Why wouldn’t I be here?”
I pursed my lips at the surprise on my son’s face and sighed, massaging my temple. “Aaron, can you please sit down? I need to tell you something.”
“What? You’re pregnant?” Aaron joked, laughing to himself as he sat down on the uncomfortable hospital chair.
Caleb raised his brow, looking at me, and I stayed silent. “What? Wait—what the hell, are you pregnant, Mom?”
“Not yet,” Caleb mumbled underneath his breath, making my blood rise high.
I glared at him and answered Aaron, “No, I’m not pregnant. But I’m dating someone… well?—”
“Oh, that’s good, Mom. I always told you to date someone and?—”
“I’m dating two people,” I blurted out. “I have a boyfriend, and my boyfriend has a boyfriend, and that boyfriend has a girlfriend who is… me.”
Aaron gaped at me.
“And one of the boyfriends is me,” Caleb said cheekily raising his hand. “Hi!”
Aaron’s eyes widened as he looked at Caleb and me. “Wait…”
We waited as I grabbed Caleb’s hand and put it down. Aaron shook his head and stood up, looking at me accusingly, “You’re dating Caleb and Kyle?”
I nodded. “We are all in a relationship.”
To add salt to the fire, Caleb added, “And I’m going to marry her.”
I snapped my head at Caleb. I had never agreed to marry him since he had never asked, but I didn’t know if I wanted to reject him, either.
“Mom, tell me he’s joking.”
“I-I… I don’t know. I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn’t know how you’d feel about all this.” I raised my hand and waved it around the air.
“I feel nauseous,” Aaron whispered, sitting down on the chair as the door to Kyle’s private room opened and my lips parted, seeing him in his glasses.
“You guys are so loud,” he mumbled as Caleb went to his side to help him. He was in scrubs, his hair messy, and morphine stuck to his arm.
“Why are you standing?” I demanded and turned him around to help him sit back on the hospital bed.
Kyle winced as we helped him sit on the bed even though he promised he wasn’t hurt. “Shut up, no one asked you,” Caleb said, checking his IV drip. “You’re going to be good and rest until the doctor discharges you.”
Aaron faced me. “Are you sure you want to date him?” He whispered, but his voice was loud enough to reach Caleb’s ear.
“Aaron, he helped me with everything—they both did.”
“But… they’re so young!” Aaron glared at Caleb. “He’s a player, mom. He never has feelings for anyone.”
I licked my lips and said, “If he didn’t have feelings for me, he wouldn’t have protected me from that explosion. I know he likes me because of his actions.”
Aaron’s eyes softened, but he turned away, shaking his head. “He’s not a relationship type.”
“Why are you talking about me as if I’m not here?” Caleb asked. “And I am a relationship type, but only for Anna and Kyle.”
“I like you too,” Kyle mumbled, his eyes jumping around our faces since he wasn’t wearing his glasses. “I love Caleb and An.”
My eyes widened hearing his confession. We had never said it out loud to each other, and hearing Kyle’s deep voice say it first made my stomach clench with nerves.
“I still can’t process this all,” Aaron said, breaking the silence. “It’s weird as fuck to see you date two men, and one of them is him.”
“Aaron, be nice.”
“Yeah, listen to your mom, Aaron,” Caleb smirked, wrapping his arm around my waist. “Be nice to me.”
I pinched Caleb, making him yelp and pull away, pouting at me.
“Really him?” Aaron asked again.
I ignored his question and said, “Your husband is waiting for you outside.”
My son looked at me and closed his eyes. “You know I love you and want the best for you, right?”
I nodded as he hugged me. “It’ll take me some time to wrap my head around this, but if they make you happy and loved, I’ll come to accept it.”
I smiled when he pulled away, squeezing my shoulders. “Thank you, Aaron.”
“Family hug!” Caleb beamed and pulled us both into a hug, making Aaron groan. I chuckled when they started bantering, and I sat on the hospital bed and held his hand.
“I love you too, Kyle,” I whispered to him, his half-lidded brown eyes peering at me. A smile tugged the corners of his lips as I kissed his hand.
I didn’t know when Aaron had left, and Caleb was scooting a stool closer to the bed as he covered our adjoined hands with his and looked at both of us.
“I love you both,” he whispered, his eyebrow piercing gleaming under the hospital lights. “I can’t see a future without you two, and I’ll do everything to protect you both because I can’t live without your love.”
My eyes watered as their handsome faces blurred in my vision. My voice was thick and groggy as I confessed, “I love you both. So, so much. I don’t want to live without you two.”
“Aw, my angel.” Kyle ran a hand through my hair and kissed my cheek.
“And I think I might be pregnant,” I said, tears flowing down my cheeks.
“What?” Caleb whispered, his hands going around my stomach as he peered at me. “Are you sure?”
I shook my head as Kyle squeezed my hand. “I haven’t taken a test, but my period is one week late.”
“Of course,” Kyle mumbled. “I check your cycle and didn’t get a notification for your period this month.”
“We might become dads,” Caleb whispered to himself and blinked, shaking his head. “Even if you’re not pregnant, it’s okay. We will try harder.”
I chuckled as he leaned in to kiss me. I smiled into the clumsy kiss as Kyle held my jaw to kiss him. Soft lips brushed against mine, and soon we were all making out gently, giggling over each other’s lips as Kyle’s heart monitor beeped loudly for an increased heartbeat, making me laugh.
Caleb and Kyle were mine, and I was theirs.
Everything was perfect as long as we had each other.
THE END