Chapter Fifteen
Pierce
Rafe and I were going to spend the afternoon together. I wasn’t sure exactly what we were doing; it was a surprise, but I was looking forward to it. More than looking forward to it. Time had slowed to a standstill as I waited for his call to let me know it was time to go.
Part of me was sad that Quill was working and wouldn’t be able to come. But the other part was thrilled that I was going to get to spend some alone time with Rafe.
We’d talked as a triad about how important it would be for all of us to spend time as couples as well as the three of us. Each of those connections was equally significant, and I was glad we thought to make it a thing from the get-go to foster them individually. As wonderful as it was to do things together, all three of us, I also liked having moments that were just with Rafe or Quill.
Getting ready had been a pain, since I wasn’t sure where we were going. It was a “surprise,” but I’d been told to wear something comfortable. After far too much deliberation, I settled on jeans and a T-shirt. Among other things, I’d considered shorts, given how nice the weather was. I wasn’t sure if we were going to be doing any hiking, though, and shorts and hiking weren’t a great combo for me. I was too clumsy for that.
It was hard to believe this was my life. I was going on a date with a sexy alpha who treated me like gold, and we both had another sexy alpha who doted on us as well. What a difference one job listing could make.
And to think I almost threw it away that first night—not realizing that Rafe was mine and rejecting his offer at face value. If I knew then what I had grown to know, that his decision to have a contract husband had been made out of heartbreak not desire, I probably would’ve reacted differently. But also, the results would be the same. Quill still would’ve come into our lives and in the end, it would’ve been the three of us together.
Maybe I needed that kick in the ass that came with driving away. I needed it to realize I couldn’t let the human side of me dictate what people “normally” did in relationships and follow suit. Because based on that way of thinking, we’d still be dating, or possibly not dating at all. Triads weren’t exactly welcomed in my circles.
Regardless, it all worked out for the best. The three of us were mated, blissfully happy, and beginning our lives together.
The phone rang, letting me know it was time for my date.
I ran outside, not even pretending to have any restraint. Rafe had given me a two-minute warning with his call. I wasn’t sure why he didn’t come up to get me at the time, but when I reached the front, I saw the reason.
He wasn’t picking me up in his car. He was standing there with two rental bicycles. Bringing those inside would have been a chore, but leaving them outside was risky. The loft was nice but it was in a busy area. Me coming down had been the best plan, for sure.
“We’re going for a bike ride?” It had been ages since I’d done that and never in this city. I couldn’t wait.
“Yeah. I thought it’d be fun.” He leaned one in my direction, and I grabbed it. “But it’s fine if you’d rather do something more traditional.”
“No. This is perfect.” I hadn’t been on a bike in a long time, and I was a little nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to handle it. But by the time we were halfway down the road, I was pretty steady.
It was a beautiful day. We wove through the streets, looking around the city, checking out different architecture, people watching, and enjoying the day. We stopped as we reached the park.
“I thought we’d get some ice cream.” Rafe pointed.
I hadn’t realized what he meant by that until I looked in the direction he was indicating. There wasn’t a little ice cream cart or truck. Nope. They were having a full-on ice cream festival in the park. I couldn’t think of anything better than that.
We got off our bikes and walked them through the festival, checking out the different vendors. They had everything from the ice cream pops shaped like video game characters to more flavors of soft serve than I knew existed, to ice cream from around the world, and old-fashioned fountain ice cream sodas. It was a magical wonderland of icy goodness.
“I think I want the bubble waffles,” I said. I’d never had them before, and they sounded delicious. “What are you going to have?”
“Rolled ice cream for me.” That didn’t surprise me. I’d seen the way his eyes lit up watching them create the custom flavors.
We stood in one line and then the other before finding a nice comfy spot on the grass to sit and enjoy our delicious, milky goodness.
“I didn’t know this was going to be here.” I reached for my mate’s hand.
“I saw it this morning and thought it would be fun.” He wiped the tip of my nose with his napkin. Apparently, I wasn’t as neat an eater as I should be. “And it sounded like fun.”
“It is fun.”
We ate every bite and then lay down on the grass, holding hands, enjoying the sun and the breeze and the sounds of people laughing. It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
That was…until the bugs started to come out.
“Time to head back?” I was no fan of bugs.
“Yeah, let’s head back. Quill should be getting home soon.”
“Do you think this is something he’d like to do one day?” As much as I loved spending this time with just Rafe, I wanted to share the event with Quill, also. I didn’t exactly picture him as the bike-riding type, but the ice cream? He’d for sure be down with that.
“I was thinking it might be nice to own our own bikes, too. These are fine, but they don’t really fit right.” Which made sense given Rafe was so much taller than me, and his rental bike was the same exact size as mine.
We meandered in the direction of home, stopping at the rental place to return the bikes and strolling the rest of the way.
“I had fun,” I said, leaning into his side. “Thanks for coming up with such a cool idea.”
“Thank you for being my sexy date.”
We reached the door around the same time Quill did—his arms holding a large bag of something that smelled absolutely delicious.
“That lasagna?” Rafe asked, sniffing the air.
“Very close. Homemade ravioli.”
“You spoil us, Quill. You really do.” Rafe unlocked the door for him.
“As it should be.” Quill walked inside. “As it should be.”