25
24
E rin leaned back in her chair and exhaled. That last interview had been something else. She knew from their resume that they’d just gotten certified, and she wasn’t against hiring a new artist and giving them a chance to expand their skills, but they hadn’t even bothered to keep a profile or take any pictures of the work they’d done while getting their certifications, and they’d been unable to answer basic questions she’d asked them. It made her want to look into the program to see if they were really teaching and the person she interviewed hadn’t paid attention or if they just wanted money from students and were passing them.
Aside from them, she’d interviewed three others. One was fresh out of their program, but they had kept a portfolio of their work and had been able to answer her questions. A second artist had three years of experience under their belt and would come with regulars. They wanted to get away from their current environment because it was toxic. The third was only looking for part-time work, and while that wasn’t a problem with Erin, they only wanted to do one day a week, sometimes two.
Erin had an issue with this. Usually, it meant that the person was splitting their time between different shops, making it hard for them to get and keep regulars since it required the client to keep up with where they were.
She’d had two of them sign consent forms and releases, and true to his word, Cruz had sent his employee to conduct the drug tests. They’d both come back negative for everything. Erin would have been fine if they’d tested positive for marijuana. She wouldn’t accept any positive on a drug that could become addictive and cause them to attempt to steal from her to feed their habit.
Now, she was waiting for their background checks to be generated. Paetyn had given her the account information she needed to log in. It took a few minutes to run, but she hadn’t expected it to be instantaneous.
When they were finally generated, both were clean. Erin saved them and decided she would call them tomorrow morning. It was four o’clock, and she was going out with Cruz and Paetyn at six. She needed to get home and get ready.
As she was heading to the door, her phone rang. She paused to answer it. “Hello?” There was silence on the other end. “ Hello? ” she stressed. When she still got nothing, she hung up with a groan. She hadn’t thought it would be as easy as blocking the other number when they could easily make another with the apps, but she’d hoped they’d get bored if this was a prank once blocked and stop.
She pulled the shade on the window, set the alarm, and left the building. She slid into her car and headed to her apartment, going directly to her bedroom and into her bathroom when she stepped inside. They were going to dinner and mini-golfing. Erin hadn’t been mini-golfing in a while, so she was all for it when Cruz suggested it.
After her shower, she dried off, moisturized, and slipped into dark denim high-waist shorts, a purple haltered top, and matching Jordans . She pulled her hair up into a bun. The humidity from the day had curled it up a bit. She kept her makeup light, grabbed her purple and black crossbody from her closet, and moved her essentials to it.
Erin was sitting on her couch half an hour later when there was a knock on her door. She turned off her television, grabbed her purse, and checked the camera on the security console, even though she knew who it was.
She opened the door, and both of her boyfriends stood there. It didn’t matter how many dates they’d been on. They both always came to the door to get her.
“You look beautiful, Ma?y.” He leaned down and kissed her.
“I have to agree with him, Angel.” He kissed her, too.
“Thank you,” she responded with a smile. “You two look handsome as always.”
Erin set her alarm, and they walked to the parking garage and slid into Paetyn’s car. They drove for over twenty minutes, and she’d expected them to pull up in front of the mini-golfing place since it was still a bit early for them to eat. She had not expected to look through the windshield and find the building in front of them housing the name Vanilla Kink.
She didn’t have to ask them to know it was a sex store. Paetyn had told her when she’d found his playroom that they could buy new toys if she wanted, which Cruz co-signed the afternoon after they’d played in both rooms when she asked them if they only kept bondage toys. They’d told her no but that they always got rid of vibrators and penetrative toys when they split with whatever partner.
When they entered the store, a sales associate greeted them and asked if they needed help. Erin told her they were just looking, returning her smile.
She walked through the store, looking at the different items. There was a wide variety of bondage toys and lingerie, as well as other assortments of toys. Erin spotted one that looked interesting. It was shaped like a C; the box boasted twelve intensity levels and stated it could be app-controlled.
“Do you like that, Ma?y?”
“It looks like it could be fun.”
Arms wrapped around her waist, and Erin felt lips brush her ear. “The thicker part goes on your clit,” Paetyn whispered in her ear. “The other part goes inside of you, and they both vibrate while one of us slides under it and fucks you.”
Erin licked her lips, a shiver running through her body at his words. Yes, that sounded like fun.
“That isn’t the only thing it can be used for,” Cruz stated. “Do you want it, Ma?y?”
Erin nodded. “Yes.”
They continued shopping, and she found several things she wanted. Aside from the lingerie she picked out, most of the items were things she wanted to try with them or have them use on her. The more they walked through the store, the more they whispered in her ear and drew visuals of what they could do with each item she chose; she couldn’t wait to try them.
Erin hadn’t realized until they went to check out that she had two full baskets. She’d intended only to choose a couple of things to start with. As the sales associate rang the items up, Erin considered returning some of them. Several toys she’d chosen were hundreds of dollars each, and she’d gotten at least ten lingerie sets. However, she was trying to embrace the fact that her boyfriends wanted to and didn’t mind spending money on her, that they could buy her every item in the store if she wanted them.
“Will that be all for you?” the associate asked.
“Do you want anything else, Angel?” Paetyn asked.
Erin shook her head. “No, baby.”
“Are you sure, Ma?y?” Cruz checked.
“I’m sure, babe.”
She watched the sales associate look between the three of them as Paetyn handed her his card. She gave Erin a knowing look that slipped into a sly smile.
Once their purchase was made, she tried to grab a bag, only for it to be taken from her. They put the bags in the trunk and got into the car. Erin would be lying if she said she wasn’t excited for the next time they could try some of the things she’d chosen.
C ruz chuckled as he watched Erin do a little happy dance as her ball sank into the hole. After leaving the first destination, they went to dinner and were now at Urban Putt. Going through the first course, each time their girlfriend sank a shot, she did a little dance.
He drank his beer while Paetyn got up to take his turn, and Erin walked over and sat on his lap.
“I’m leading the pack,” she told him.
Cruz chuckled. He was coming to notice if it was something either of them could win, they were competitive about it.
“Yes, you are. I’d like to say I’m letting you, but it isn’t true.”
Erin smiled at him. “You want me to let you win, baby?”
Cruz snorted before poking her in the side, causing her to squirm. “How sweet,” he responded sarcastically.
She got off his lap, sliding onto Paetyn’s when it was his turn, and Cruz placed his ball down, taking his turn. It took him three strokes before he got the ball into the hole.
They continued through that course and the second. Erin won both times. They turned in their putters and stayed for another drink before they left. As they were walking out, she paused, and he turned to look at her to find her looking up at the stars.
He’d noticed her fascination with stars. The way she seemed to get lost in them and this look of nostalgia overtook her. Cruz decided they’d take her somewhere that weekend where she could enjoy them.
Her eyes came to his, and she smiled at him before they continued to the car. They got into the car, and Paetyn pulled out of the parking lot.
“Should we stop somewhere and get dessert?” Paetyn questioned.
“It’s almost eleven,” Erin stated. “I know you have to work in the morning, and you still have to drive home.”
“That isn’t what he asked you, Ma?y.”
“I know, but—”
“Angel, if it were a problem, I wouldn’t have asked.”
“Mm, why don’t we go back to your house? I’ll make cookies and then make you breakfast in the morning,” she suggested, and Cruz knew she was proposing a compromise.
“We can do that,” he responded.
They drove out of the city, and half an hour later, they pulled into their garage. They entered the house, and Erin stopped in the kitchen to gather the ingredients to make cookies. Cruz asked her if she needed help, but she shooed them away, and he decided to go upstairs and change.
He placed his wallet and phone on his dresser, undressed, tossed his clothes into the hamper, and took his shoes into his closet, putting them on the shelf. He grabbed a pair of black lounge pants from his drawer and slipped them on before returning downstairs.
Erin was spacing the cookie dough on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and he slid onto a barstool to watch her. It was quiet between them for a few seconds.
“The new software update starts rolling out tomorrow, right?” she asked.
Cruz knew he shouldn’t have been surprised that she remembered, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit. Erin was the first woman he’d dated who took an interest in what he did, outside of the fact that it could afford him to buy them anything they wanted.
“It does. We’re rolling it out in segments, but it should all be done by Monday at midnight.”
“Does that mean you’re doing more than half a day tomorrow, and you’ll have to work this weekend?” She placed the cookies in the oven.
“I may be at work a little longer tomorrow to triple-check that the rollout schedule is set, but I won’t be working the weekend. I did during the last update, so my engineers will split the shifts during this one.”
Paetyn returned from upstairs, dressed in gray lounge pants, and sat on one of the stools.
“How do you decide which businesses go in which update section?” Erin asked.
“By size. Smaller businesses tend only to have one security system, while larger ones may have multiple.”
“That makes sense,” she responded, leaning against the island. “So, I don’t know if I told you, but my dad was supposed to visit me for Father’s Day but got called away—a hazard of the job. Anyway, I’m inviting him to my opening. So, I thought I should let you know.”
“What would you like us to do, Angel?” Paetyn asked.
“What do you mean?” she asked, head tilted.
“Parents don’t always take our relationship well. We aren’t opposed to you introducing only one of us since we plan to be there for your opening, too,” Paetyn informed.
It wouldn’t be the first time they’d done so. While everyone that mattered to them knew about the relationship they liked to have, it didn’t mean that other people wouldn’t have an opinion. It was often hard for parents to comprehend or accept that their daughter was dating more than one man. They’d both always understood that, and Cruz had no issue with them doing that for Erin until she felt comfortable enough to tell her father.
“Absolutely not,” she replied, shaking her head. “I’m not in this relationship with only one of you, and I’m not ashamed of that. I won’t be hiding it. I’m a grown woman, and my dad has no say in who I date. Besides, he’s always been accepting of my partners regardless of their gender, so having more than one shouldn’t be any different.”
Cruz had forgotten that Erin dated or used to date women also. He was pleasantly surprised that she had no issue introducing them both. It was the first time he could remember that being the case upon an initial meeting.
“If that’s what you want, Ma?y.”
“It is,” she assured.
P aetyn wasn’t shocked that Erin shot down the idea of introducing only one of them to her father. Throughout their relationship, he’d realized that she had no issue with their relationship and no intention of hiding it away from people. When they were out, she was always affectionate with them and didn’t care who was watching. He figured now was a good time to bring up her meeting their parents.
“Since we’re on the discussion of parents, Lena has asked that we bring you over to introduce you,” Paetyn stated.
Erin furrowed her brow. “But I’ve already met Lena.”
“We both told her that, but she claims she wants to meet you as our girlfriend, and my father is co-signing her request. They want to have dinner at their house,” Paetyn informed.
She looked between the two of them. “Your parents live together?”
“They do,” Cruz responded.
“Duh, I knew that. I remember you telling me that at dinner, Paetyn, but I guess it didn’t click. Are they married?”
“Mm, no. Not legally. I suppose they’d be considered common law married,” Cruz supplied.
“So, the two of you are like…brothers. Why am I just now knowing this?” she questioned.
He chuckled. “I guess we never really think about it. We were raised together after our parents started dating. In a sense, it makes us brothers,” Paetyn responded.
“How long have your parents been together?”
“Since we were nine and ten,” Cruz answered.
“They met two years after my mother died, and we all moved in together a year after that,” Paetyn told her.
“I’m sorry, baby, but wow,” Erin stated. “I learn something new about you every day.”
“That’s the point, Ma?y.”
“I guess whenever Lena wants to have dinner, let me know, and we’ll make it happen.” Paetyn watched her turn and look at the timer on the oven before going to the refrigerator. “Do you want milk with your cookies?”
“No, thanks, baby,” Paetyn responded while Cruz shook his head.
She pulled the milk from the fridge and grabbed a glass and plate as the timer began to count down the last minute.
When it went off, she pulled the cookies from the oven, turned it off, and laid the baking sheet on the stove. Once the cookies were on a plate she sat it on the island between them.
They each had a cookie, and Erin drank her milk. When they finished, Paetyn covered the plate while Cruz loaded the dishes in the dishwasher. He turned his attention in time to see Erin yawn.
“Come on, Angel. Let’s get you to bed.”
Paetyn took her hand and led her up the stairs with Cruz behind them. He led her into the guest room directly in the middle of their rooms.
“This is the room Alijah, Chayse, and I changed in last summer,” she stated.
“It is. Since it’s the same distance to each of ours, we figured it could be yours,” Paetyn stated.
“And why do I need my own room?”
“You may want your own space,” Cruz stated. “Or there might be a day where you’re pissed at both of us and don’t want to be in bed with us.”
“If I’m mad at you both, I’m going home,” Erin countered.
“There’s no way we’re ever letting you leave mad, and the only reason you’d get to go to bed mad is that you were being stubborn,” Paetyn informed her. “We also don’t typically tend to sleep in each other’s bedrooms.”
Paetyn felt the need to clarify bedroom because they did end up sleeping in each other’s playrooms from time to time. It’d happened over the weekend, which was likely why Erin was confused about why they were giving her a room to herself.
“So, you’ll sleep with me in here when I want you to?”
“Yes,” they answered simultaneously.
“But if for some reason I only want to sleep with one of you, I could do that in your bedroom.”
“Right,” Paetyn responded.
“I guess I can understand that. You share so many things that I get how keeping your bedroom as that overall separate space sets an easy boundary for now.”
“For now?” Cruz asked.
“Yes,” Erin responded. “It works for now because we’re still in the beginning stages, but it isn’t feasible in the long run. Three years from now, I won’t want to flip-flop between your rooms every other night or constantly have you sleep in a room designated as mine, and there’s nothing of yours in it.” She shrugged. “But we’re a ways off from that. We can deal with it when and if it comes.”
Paetyn understood where she was coming from, and he agreed that when it was time, they could come to an arrangement that worked for all of them. However, they had never reached that point in their other relationships, not even their longest one.
“Can I borrow a T-shirt from one of you?”
“Of course, Angel,” Paetyn stated, exiting the room. He went to his bedroom, grabbed her a shirt and his phone, and returned to find her standing in only her panties. Paetyn gave her the shirt, and she thanked him.
She slipped into the shirt before climbing up the middle of the bed and getting under the comforter. She patted the left side of the bed before shaking her head and patting the right.
“You prefer this side,” she stated. Paetyn couldn’t help smiling at her because he did.
He slid into bed beside her, placing his phone on the nightstand and turning on the lamp. A few minutes later, Cruz returned, turned off the overhead light, and got in on the other side. Once they were all settled in, Erin’s leg over Paetyn’s waist; after she pulled Cruz against her back, Paetyn turned off the lamp.
“If I don’t hear your alarm go off, Cruz, wake me so I can make you breakfast before work.”
“You don’t have to do that, baby.”
“I want to, and I know that you’ll be tempted not to do so if I don’t hear it, but you should know I won’t give you any for a while,” Erin stated, then gasped. “Don’t bite me,” she demanded, and Paetyn chuckled.
“Ma?y, I’m not too tired to bend you over and spank you.”
“I think you are,” she countered. “Ow,” she then stated, and Paetyn could hear the pout in her voice. “I said don’t bite me.”
“Then you shouldn’t have pinched me,” Cruz shot back.
“Go to sleep, children,” Paetyn stated, and Erin huffed before laughing.
“I’ll wake you, baby. I promise,” Cruz stated.
“Thank you. Goodnight,” she responded, wiggling between them to get more comfortable.
“Goodnight,” they replied in unison. Paetyn closed his eyes and soon was drifting off.
P aetyn allowed Erin to pull him along as they walked through Denver Botanic Gardens. The week had passed quickly, and since they’d kept her in bed last weekend, breaking in their playrooms, they’d taken her out. It was to spend time with her, but it could also be considered a celebration for her. She’d hired the two artists she’d liked and set a date for her opening event.
The gardens were extensive, with multiple exhibits, collections, and a plethora of programs offered. They weren’t taking in all the collections since it would take them almost two hours, depending on how long they spent at each one.
They were currently taking in the living plant collection in the cactus and succulent section. The fragrance from the flowers and plants permeated the air. They stopped at an area containing white flowers with red tips.
“This has to be a typo, right?” Erin asked.
“What does it say, Ma?y?”
“It says you can eat this plant, but the top of these blossoms look pointy.”
“I don’t think you should eat them, but if you’re out in the wild feeling dehydrated, you could chew on the petals. It’s a succulent, so it should hold some water,” Paetyn offered.
“Maybe that’s what they meant because I don’t think I’d eat that.”
They continued to the other six sections of that collection before moving to the art statues outside. At each one, Erin stopped to take them in and took a couple of pictures of a few. Paetyn knew she would enjoy the sculptures more than the flowers because she was a creative.
When they reached the piece entitled Colorado, which was made with Colorado sunsets in mind, Erin took a couple of pictures before she requested they take a picture with her.
Once they finished looking at all the pieces outside, they went inside to look at those hanging on the walls as accents to other plants. They made their rounds through the building, taking in everything Erin wanted to see. When they left the gardens, Cruz headed towards the zoo.
“I got a good tattoo idea while we were there,” Erin stated from the backseat, where she’d insisted on sitting.
“What was it?” Paetyn asked.
“It’s hard to explain, but once I draw it, I’ll show you.”
They pulled into the parking lot of the zoo twelve minutes later. Paetyn opened the backdoor for Erin, and she smiled up at him after taking in where they were. They’d told her they planned on taking her out; however, they hadn’t given her the destinations.
“It’s been years since I’ve been to the zoo,” she stated as Cruz came around the car and joined them. “If nothing else, we have to get a picture with the Elephants,” she said.
“We can do that, Ma?y.”
They went to the entry booth, and Paetyn paid their admission. When they walked in, she looked between them.
“Where to first?”
“Wherever you want to go, Angel,” Paetyn responded, and she pulled them towards the path that led to the birds.
They walked around the section, taking in the various birds. Erin stopped to read the different information provided. He knew she enjoyed going to the zoo to relax and look at the animals when she was younger. He’d remembered it from a conversation they’d had in passing before they’d started dating.
When they finished with the birds, they followed the path to the primates. Cruz stopped when they reached the smaller monkeys, but Erin pulled him past them towards the gorillas.
“I don’t do little monkeys. They’re disgusting little asses like to throw shit, and you will see me fight one if that happens,” she stated.
Cruz snorted, and Paetyn couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. He was aware that sometimes happened, but he’d never seen it done, and the probability of it happening to them was slim. At least, he would hope so.
“You’re laughing, but I’m serious. I don’t remember how old I was, but I was young. Like seven or eight, maybe, my grandmother took my sister and me to the zoo, and the monkeys there were throwing shit at the people passing by. They were known to do it, and the zoo would give out free umbrellas and ponchos at the gate because of it. I missed being hit by like six inches.” Erin shivered at the memory.
“Why not close that part of the zoo or get rid of them?” Cruz asked.
“Unfortunately, some people went just for that…experience. I think they still may. It’s beyond me why they would want feces thrown at them but to each their own.”
They came upon the gorilla enclosure and stopped at the stand with information. There was a profile for the gorillas in the enclosure: one male, four females, and a few infants.
A few minutes passed as the three surveyed them when the male approached one of the females and mounted her. Some of the kids around gasped, while a couple of parents acted scandalized as if it wasn’t something they thought the animals should have been doing. Paetyn refrained from rolling his eyes.
After a few minutes, they moved on, and he and Cruz allowed Erin to continue pulling them around to the animals she wanted to see.
E rin walked out of the restroom, drying her hands. She tossed the paper towels in the trash outside the door as her eyes found Paetyn standing next to the table she’d left him and Cruz at. He was talking to a woman who didn’t seem too happy and gestured behind her. She walked over, stopping beside Paetyn.
“Is everything okay?” Erin asked.
“Of course not!” the woman snapped, a look on her face that said Erin should have known that. Erin wasn’t a fan of her attitude, but she was having a good day out with her men, so she wouldn’t let it get to her.
“What’s the problem?” Erin inquired instead of snapping back.
“I was speaking to him,” the woman responded, pointing to Paetyn.
Erin stepped in front of Paetyn, looking down at the woman before her. “Now, you’re speaking to me.”
“No, I am—”
“Yes, you are,” Erin cut her off. “If you say something rude to him, and he snaps back, you play the victim. That’s not happening. So, let me repeat. Now, you’re speaking to me.”
She in no way thought either of her men would snap at this woman or any woman for that matter, but she was not going to subject them to the woman trying to talk to them any kind of way and then play the victim.
“The problem is that I don’t need the three of you walking around doing…whatever you’re doing in front of my children. Keep your relationship and bedroom antics behind closed doors. My kids don’t need to be influenced by your life choices.”
Erin raised an eyebrow. Their bedroom antics? All they’d been doing was holding hands. She’d sat on Cruz’s lap; she recalled Paetyn kissing her temple, but the woman acted like they’d been naked doing those things.
“First, don’t be dramatic. It isn’t like we were fucking in public.” The woman opened her mouth to speak, but Erin continued. “Two, if society has more influence and sway on your children than you do, you may want to reevaluate your parenting approach.” A surprised squeak left the other woman, and Erin refrained from rolling her eyes. “Have the day you deserve,” Erin finished dismissing her.
She didn’t give her a chance to respond as she took Paetyn’s hand, grabbed Cruz’s, and walked away from the woman.
“Is there anything else the two of you want to look at?” she asked. They’d been at the zoo for over two hours, and she’d taken a few pictures and had some cotton candy.
“Not unless there’s something else you want to see, Ma?y.”
Erin shook her head. “No, I’ve seen everything I wanted to. Can we go get some food?”
“Sure, Angel.”
They left the zoo and headed to get food.
E rin leaned back in the passenger seat as they traveled down the highway, the soft sound of music filtering through the car. After they’d eaten, they told her they had one more place they wanted to take her.
The city surroundings faded, and the sun was setting on the horizon. She saw a sign for a state park several miles off and wondered if that was where they were taking her. She didn’t have to wait too long to find out as they pulled off onto the exit fifteen minutes later.
They soon pulled into a parking area that housed several other cars. Erin leaned into Paetyn as Cruz came around the car.
“Neither of you are dressed for a hike,” she teased.
“You aren’t either, Ma?y,” Cruz responded, running his fingertips against her slightly exposed midriff. “But we aren’t hiking.”
“What are we doing?”
“You’ll see,” Paetyn responded.
She took Cruz’s hand, and Paetyn wrapped his arms around her waist as they headed to the trail. The walk was quick, and they came to a circular pit with seating. It was artificial, with concrete stairs that led down the different levels.
Several other people were there, but it didn’t take them long to find what Cruz deemed a good spot.
“Are you ready for your opening, Angel?”
“I am. I’ve been doing a lot of social media advertising, and Alijah put up some flyers at her gallery. I’ve been getting a lot of interaction on my advertising posts, and I think I’ll have a good turnout.”
Her men and her friends would be there as models for her work. While it was apparent through pictures what her skill level was, she knew there was nothing like seeing it firsthand. However, since Alijah’s tattoos were in places typically hidden when wearing clothes, the only one she’d be showing was the dream catcher on her side that Erin had given her a couple of years ago when she’d first started dating Kieran.
They continued to talk until the sun had gone completely down, and Cruz placed his finger under her chin, tilting her head to look up at the sky. Erin couldn’t contain the smile that spread across her face.
The stars were bright without the city lights drowning them out, and she felt nostalgic. Laying out and looking at the different constellations had been something her family used to do together. A tradition her mother and father kept with her after her sister passed, and one her father still participated in with her when they visited one another.
Looking at the stars and finding the constellations never failed to cause a pang of sadness, but it was often overshadowed by the memories of the time she was able to spend with her family.
“Thank you,” she stated, bringing her attention to Cruz and kissing him softly before doing the same to Paetyn.
She wasn’t sure how they knew, but she shouldn’t have been surprised that they’d discovered her love of stars or brought her somewhere she could enjoy them unfiltered.
C ruz watched Erin take in the sight of the night sky. The stars were brighter than they could ever be seen from the city. The smile that blossomed on her face made his chest tighten, and when she thanked them quietly, lips pressing softly to his, he realized if no one else thanked him for anything in his lifetime, that would cover them all.
He wasn’t sure why she enjoyed the stars or if it were just the night sky, but he’d caught her stopping to gaze at it anytime they went somewhere at night. So he wanted her to see it away from the city, away from the lights that drowned out the brilliance, and enjoy it.
Erin leaned against the row behind them and stared at the stars. Cruz shifted, propping his elbow on the same row.
“When I was younger, my family and I used to lay outside several times a month and look at the stars and identify constellations once we’d learned them.” She paused for a moment. “My sister originally wanted to learn about them, and I was always interested in what she was. So, she taught me as she learned, and then we pulled our parents in. We started a tradition of having nighttime picnics while we looked at the stars. My father and I still do sometimes.”
Cruz understood. She still enjoyed it because it held good memories. Instead of stopping or avoiding doing it as she told him she had with kite flying, she’d decided to hold on to it and allow it to comfort her instead of cause pain.
He couldn’t imagine how difficult that may have been for her at first. The only people he’d ever lost were his grandparents and Paetyn’s grandmother, but they hadn’t seen them much since they lived in their heritage countries, and Cruz didn’t know his father, so there was nothing lost there.
Cruz enjoyed the way Erin opened up to them. Their relationship was still new, barely four months in, and sometimes, it took longer for that to happen. After she told them she suffered from a fear of being abandoned, he thought it would take her longer, that she might still be afraid to open up. However, now and then, she would give them a glimpse into a more vulnerable side of her, and he took it as a sign that she believed what they’d told her.
“We can do this as often as you like, Angel. We can find new places each time.”
Cruz watched Erin shift her attention to Paetyn, that smile on her face again. “That sounds like fun.”
“I can’t say I know much about stars,” Cruz said. “You, Paet?”
The other man shook his head. “Can’t say that I do.”
“Will you show us some constellations, Ma?y?”
Erin nodded before searching the stars momentarily, then pointing out the first one.
S everal hours later, Cruz slid his arm slowly from under Erin and slipped out of bed. He went downstairs to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and leaned against the counter, drinking it slowly. He was only alone for a few minutes before Paetyn entered the kitchen.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” Paetyn asked.
“It’s hard to sleep when you know that you’ll be telling someone you’re going to do the one thing you told them you wouldn’t. Leave them.”
“Temporarily,” Paetyn stated, taking a seat at the island. “We’ll only be gone temporarily.” He sighed. “Honestly, if I’d known our obligations would overlap, I wouldn’t have accepted.”
“They wouldn’t have. At least, not as much as they’re going to, but I pushed off going so I’d be here for the update and again for her opening.”
“It isn’t but a few weeks. I’m sure it’ll work out, but we’ve put it off long enough, and we have to tell Erin in the morning.”
“Tell me what in the morning?”
Both men turned to the kitchen entrance to find Erin with one of Cruz’s t-shirts on, hand wiping at her eye, a yawn slipping past her lips. Cruz couldn’t help but think how adorable she looked.
“What are you doing awake, Angel?”
“Neither of you were in bed,” she responded, sitting beside Paetyn. “What were you going to tell me in the morning?”
Cruz glanced at Paetyn before his eyes shifted back to Erin. “I have to leave the country for work. I’ll be gone five weeks.”
“When?”
“I leave on the first of August.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“And the cooking competition I’ll be judging starts filming the third week in August, and it’ll film for four weeks,” Paetyn informed.
“You’ll be gone at the same time?” Erin asked.
“Just a few of the weeks will overlap,” Cruz clarified.
They studied her for a minute, and Erin looked between the two of them. “Why are you both looking at me like I’m going to have a breakdown?”
“It isn’t that, but our conversation about you having a fear of being abandoned being so recent doesn’t make this an ideal situation,” Paetyn stated.
“We’d ask you to come with one of us, but we know that isn’t a reasonable option since you’ll have just opened your shop,” Cruz said.
“I’ll be fine. Besides, it isn’t like I can’t call you.”
She was right. The time difference would have to be figured out, but they could still call or video call one another.
“Come on,” Cruz stated, placing the bottle aside to put in the recycling in the morning. “Let’s go back to bed, Ma?y.”
They left the kitchen, and Cruz turned the light off. Once they were back upstairs in her room, they settled into bed, and he closed his eyes as she moved into his side. They’d gotten the conversation over with. Now, they only needed to focus on her upcoming opening.