34. Stella
CHAPTER 34
STELLA
I open my mouth to respond, but close it, then eventually just say, “Oh.” Because I don’t know what to say.
Is it a coincidence that they haven’t seen anyone else? Did they set aside their entourage for me? They told me I was special, but I didn’t put much weight in that word, since men can throw it around like confetti to get what they want.
“What’s he like, Jessie’s father?” Wyatt asks.
“He’s … he’s …fine.” I don’t know what to tell them about him, and I’m still surprised that they even care. Why are they suddenly being so serious?
Wyatt snorts. “Fine? Sounds like a promising start to a relationship.”
I squint at him. There’s a strong undercurrent of possessiveness in his mockery, and I’m not sure if I’m irritated or flattered, or some odd mixture of both. “Wait a minute, though. Let’s back this up. Are you saying neither of you have been out with anyone else since we went on our first date?”
“Not since before we met you, actually,” Cam says. “I haven’t. I don’t think you have either, have you, Wy?”
Wyatt shakes his head. “It had been a while.”
I try to square this with what I thought I knew, but something’s not adding up. “Trish told me you both liked to have a lot of fun with your female fans. To be honest, I had the distinct impression there was a steady line of women going through revolving doors in and out of your bedrooms.”
Their surprised expressions seem sincere.
“That’s not the case at all,” Cam says.
“Then why would Trish say that?”
He looks convincingly clueless. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s basing that on things our followers say.”
Wyatt shakes his head, looking disgusted. “Our followers say a lot of shit.”
“Right, and Trish helps with our social media, so she sees all that stuff.”
It doesn’t make sense that Trish would warn me about the men based on comments their followers were making—unless the commenters were implying that they’d had sex with Cam or Wyatt? But why would she believe that?
I don’t know what to make of it all, but I can’t think of a reason the men would lie to me.
“You’re special, Stella—” There’s that word again, though as Cam gently strokes my arm, I’m starting to think he isn’t using it lightly. “And we think the three of us could be something special together, but we don’t want to get in the way of you and Jessie’s dad, if you think there’s something there.”
“I don’t know if there’s anything there, but I think I should see.”
Wyatt takes my hand and starts to walk again. “What went on between the two of you? Why aren’t you together anymore?”
Cam takes my other hand, and we’re all connected.
“We were never actually together. He was in a couple of my classes at college, and I had a crush on him for nearly a year. One night, at a party at the end of my sophomore year, he finally noticed me.”
I take a deep breath. There’s a highly edited version of this story that I usually tell, one in which I don’t look quite so naive. But I decide to give Cam and Wyatt the full picture.
“We danced and talked, and he seemed so into me. Our lecture classes were huge, and I figured he’d just never noticed me, but at the party, he was looking at me like I was something special.
After we talked for a while, I confessed that I’d had a thing for him, and he seemed really flattered. He asked me if I’d go out with him. He even named a specific restaurant, and talked about what we’d do on the date. He talked about fun things we could do together over the summer. It was all like a dream come true, actually.”
The men are quiet while I pause, but I feel their support.
“He said so many nice things to me. Then he tried to lead me upstairs. Even though I was excited, I didn’t want things to move that quickly, but he laid it on thick and kept pushing. Told me how beautiful I was, how he couldn’t believe he’d never noticed me before. How this was all meant to be. He said all the pretty words, until I finally went along.”
The men’s faces are grim as I head into my conclusion.
“All his sweet talk, and his talk of future plans only had one purpose, and he got what he wanted that night. Afterward, he ghosted me. I never saw him at all until I had to track him down six weeks later to tell him I was pregnant.”
Wyatt’s hand has grown sweaty in mine. “Asshole,” he mutters.
“What did he do when he found out you were pregnant?” Cam asks.
“He resisted it at first, said it was probably someone else’s, but there wasn’t anyone else. I understood his surprise, because he’d used a condom, but he didn’t put it on soon enough. He messed around a bit first, and it turns out pregnancy is possible before … you know … even though odds are against it.”
There’s an actual snarl on Wyatt’s face as he shakes his head. Cam looks much more sympathetic.
“As rough of a start as that was, he hasn’t been a bad father. He’s not super involved, but he’s steady. Always sends support. He’s stepped up as much as I’ve wanted and needed him to.”
“He never tried to have a relationship with you before, beyond coparenting?” Cam asks.
I shake my head. “After the ghosting, I wouldn’t have wanted to be with him, unless he had some sort of incredible excuse, like he ended up in the hospital the next day or had amnesia or something.”
“But he had no excuse.” Wyatt sounds like he’d punch Brandon if he were here right now.
“No. He didn’t even try to make excuses. I don’t think he thought he did anything wrong back then, but he’s grown up. We both have. I’d like to think I wouldn’t fall for a line as easily as I did back then.”
Cam stops walking again, squeezing my hand in his. “He lied to you, Stella. It’s not your fault for believing him.”
When I don’t respond, Wyatt says, “He’s not good enough for you.”
“We were so young,” I say, nearly whispering. “And he’s Jessie’s dad. Maybe he deserves another chance.”
Wyatt’s jaw is set so hard, I wouldn’t be surprised if the bone broke through the skin. But his eyes are somewhat softer.
“It would be good for Jessie to have her dad in her life more,” I explain.
“We could be there for Jessie, too, you know.” Cam turns me toward him, his hands rubbing my arms. “Not to take her father’s place, but to support her in any way she needs. And to support you.”
Jessie certainly loves spending time with them, but do they realize what kind of responsibility that is? And how would being father figures fit in with their internet career? It’s much too soon to even think about that in any meaningful way.
Wyatt steps up behind me, the length of his body pressing against mine, his husky voice warm on my neck. “Go ahead and go out with him, Stella, and see if you can stop thinking about us when you’re with him.”
He slides his hands around my waist as Cam moves closer, his eyes fixed on mine, then dropping to my mouth.
I’m surrounded by the heat of their bodies, but a shiver runs through me that has nothing to do with the temperature.
Cam lowers his head to mine, his hand smoothly cupping my chin, tipping my face toward his. “See if you can forget about this when you’re with him.” And then he kisses me in a way that makes all of the spectacular kisses that preceded it pale in comparison.
Maybe it’s the rhythmic sound of the waves, or the ocean breeze, or the heated discussion we’ve been having, but the way his mouth moves, the way his lips taste, the way his hands—and Wyatt’s—claim my body, make the kiss more potent than I’d have thought possible.
My knees go weak, but both men are right there, making me feel utterly safe and supported.
I slide my hands over the stubble on Cam’s cheek and pull his face closer. A groan rumbles from somewhere deep in his throat, and his tongue finds mine, starting a fire below my belly.
I want to be consumed by this man, but then Wyatt’s turning me toward him, pulling me so close that I don’t know where I end and he begins. The stiff bulge pressing into me clears up any confusion. I know exactly where Wyatt is and how much he wants me. His hands slide into my hair, holding my head still as his mouth dances with mine, a sultry tango, one where I somehow know all the moves. Give and take, spark and ignite.
I’m ready for him to throw me down on the sand and do whatever he wants.
I love their mouths, and their firm muscles, and their strong hands. I want to get to know more of them, every inch, up close and personal. “Should we …go back to your place?” My voice is so breathy, I barely recognize it.
Cam takes one of my hands and folds it in his, pressing a kiss to my knuckles in a way that’s both lovely and infuriating. “Next time. First, go out on your date. Then come and tell us how it went.”