Chapter 5
VIOLET
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
How did this happen?
How did this go from me having dinner at my parents’ house to finding out that my ex’s brothers are back in town for the first time in a while, to me somehow dating all three of them?
I grip the steering wheel so tight my knuckles are white, staring at the road. No matter how I arrange the events of the night in my head, it still doesn’t make sense.
I could have just said sure, take away my plus one. I could have said I was bringing a friend. I could have done anything else. And so could the older Sullivan brothers. They didn’t have to leap to my defense like this, tangling us all up in this lie, but they did.
They did, and now they seem determined to sell it.
And god. Thinking about that leads to me thinking about the kisses. Plural. Because they all kissed me. And they weren’t just little pecks either. Those were Kisses with a capital K. Each one intense and different, just like the three men who gave them.
Clearly none of them do anything by half.
I reach up, brushing my fingers over my lip, and a little shiver goes through me at the memory. Sawyer’s fingers in my hair, Lennox’s thumb dragging along my bottom lip, Rhett’s hand gripping my jaw. My lips still feel a bit swollen, and my body tingles with the phantom feeling of them touching me.
Someone passes me in a blur, and I shake myself, refocusing on the road. And the problem at hand.
I was prepared to own up to lying, but the three of them decided to stop me, so now we’re all in this. We’re going to have to keep it up, at least until Isabelle and Andrew’s wedding is over, and they all go back to their lives. That includes them staying with me while they’re in town.
I have no idea where they were planning on staying before, but after we left dinner, the three of them agreed to get their stuff so they could bring it to my place.
Which doesn’t give me a whole lot of time.
As soon as I get home, I get out of my car, listening to it wheeze and tick as it cools down. Even in the winter it’s prone to overheating, and I’m crossing my fingers that it will hold up until spring, when I’ll have a little extra money to throw at it.
My house is definitely not big enough for four grown adults to share. It’s cute and enough space for me, but it has one bedroom, and a decently sized living room to offer. I run through with a bag, gathering anything that doesn’t belong in the living room.
It’s not super messy, but I’ve been busy the last couple of weeks, so it’s definitely got a ‘lived in’ thing going on.
I gather the jackets and shirts that were thrown over a chair in the living room, as well as the magazine on the coffee table, still open to the ‘what’s your love language’ quiz I was taking the other night.
Empty coffee cups go in the sink, and I stuff the half-eaten box of Mallomars into a cabinet.
Anything that seems too personal for my three soon-to-be houseguests to see gets put away in my room. I swear under my breath when I catch sight of the two vibrators on my nightstand, quickly shoving them in a drawer under a pile of sweaters.
It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough for short notice, and that’s just going to have to do.
A moment later, there’s a knock on the door, and I jump, caught off guard.
I give the room one last quick scan and then go to get the door.
All three of them are standing on my doorstep, looking muscled and imposing. There’s distance between them, and the tension is palpable. Anyone looking at them would be able to tell that these are three men who do not like each other very much.
And then they’d probably wonder what the hell they’re doing on my doorstep.
My stomach flips.
“Um, hi,” I say. “Come in.”
I step back to usher them inside, hoping none of my neighbors are looking out the window right now.
Somehow, the three of them in the entryway makes the house feel even smaller.
They’re so tall and beefy that it’s as if my house shrinks in proportion to them.
I’m very aware of them glancing around the place, taking it all in.
My stomach flips again, wondering if they think it’s small or cheap, and I’m suddenly acutely conscious that it’s mostly decorated with stuff I found at thrift shops and the local buy/sell groups.
“I know it’s not much,” I say automatically. “But I bought it right after Andrew and I broke up and I had to get my own place. And now most of my money goes back into the bakery, so it’s…” I shrug and gesture. “It is what it is. So… yeah.”
God, I’m nervous, and that makes it hard for me to stop talking.
It’s embarrassing, standing here making excuses for the house I live in, when it serves me well enough.
I spend so many hours at the bakery anyway, that I don’t need a fancy place, but it still feels like I have to say something when there are three men in my entryway.
“It’s nice,” Rhett says, shrugging a shoulder. “Homey.”
Something in my chest flutters at the approval, even though I’m pretty sure he’s just lying to be polite.
“Thanks,” I reply. “Um… let me give you the tour.”
It’s not a long one, since the house is so small.
“This is the living room. Remote’s there if you want to watch TV or something.
I have some DVDs and a couple of the streaming services.
The kitchen is through there.” I point through the arched opening that leads to the kitchen. “All the usual… kitchen… stuff.”
My cheeks flush and I clear my throat and keep going.
“Bathroom is right down this hall.” Thank goodness one of the perks of this house was a nice bathroom.
It’s probably smaller than any of these large men are used to, but it’s not some tiny closet with a toilet and sink and a leaky shower.
“You can put your stuff in one of the cabinets if you want.”
“I didn’t bring a lot,” Lennox says. “It won’t take up that much space.” The other two make noises of agreement.
“Well, just let me know if you need more room or anything. I can move some stuff around while you’re here.”
We keep walking down the hall until we get to the bedroom.
Of course, there’s only one bed. The room is big enough that I managed to get a queen sized bed in there, in the middle of the room with nightstands on either side.
It seemed almost luxurious when I was moving in, but now, with the three of them in here with me, I am very aware of how little space it actually is.
“I, um… there’s only the one bed in the house,” I say, and then my cheeks flush immediately.
It sounds like I’m inviting all of them to sleep in the bed with me.
Quickly, I try to pivot from that train of thought.
“So, I mean, we can take turns with the bed or something. There’s room in the living room for… an air mattress or something?”
Thankfully Sawyer gives me a look before I can put my foot any deeper into my mouth. “We’re not going to take your bed,” he says, like it should have been obvious. “You should still have your room to yourself. We’ll figure something else out.”
I nod, and the blush on my cheeks does not calm down even a little. It’s a tossup whether he’s saying that to be polite and gentlemanly or if he just doesn’t want to sleep in a bed with me. It would be understandable if it was that last one.
“Right,” I say, shaking myself from that thought. “Okay, let’s see what we have to work with.”
I lead them out of the bedroom and back down the hall to where my office is.
It’s not a large room, just big enough for the chair and desk that I shoved in there to work on business stuff so I don’t have to do it in front of the TV on the couch.
But there’s some floor space, and we quickly work out that it’s enough room for someone to sleep there.
“And there’s the couch and the recliner in the living room,” Rhett points out.
“The couch doesn’t pull out,” I say apologetically. “But I’ve got lots of pillows and blankets.”
“That’ll do,” he replies. “I’m used to roughing it.”
Sawyer snorts. “Barely have running water in that shack in the woods?”
Rhett turns and gives him a look. “You wouldn’t last a week out there. Which would probably suit you fine, since you never stay anywhere longer than that. Why don’t you take the floor? You should be used to sleeping like that, right? Anywhere you can squeeze in.”
“Don’t start,” Lennox cuts in, sounding tired.
“Or what?” Sawyer fires back. “You’re going to ground us?”
Lennox just sighs. “I’ll take the floor. You two can fight over the couch and the recliner if you want.”
“How magnanimous of you,” Rhett mutters.
“No, I’m just tired of listening to this, and it’s getting late. Make a fucking decision and be done with it.”
“Well, why do you get to be in a room by yourself?”
“That’s not the point.”
“Sure sounds like it is.”
It’s definitely awkward, standing there listening to them bicker with each other. None of it is cruel exactly, but their words are barbed.
It takes another few minutes for them to decide that Lennox will take the floor in the office, Rhett will take the couch, and Sawyer will sleep on the recliner.
“Okay, then,” I say, forcing a smile. “Blankets and pillows are in that closet there. Um… make yourselves at home?”
That’s definitely one of those easier said than done kind of things.
But Lennox was right that it’s getting late, and I can already feel the day wearing on me. I was tired before I even got to my parents’ house, and with everything that’s happened tonight, I am ready for bed.
There’s a bit more tension while we try to work out who’s going to use the bathroom first, and I force a smile and tell them they can go first. “Maybe in order of age just to keep things moving,” I say, an attempt at a joke that falls a little flat after the tension from just a bit ago.
No one laughs, and Lennox gestures for me to go ahead. “It’s your bathroom, and we don’t want to keep you up waiting for us,” he says. “You should go first.”
I do, trying not to take too much time. I’m very aware that they’re waiting for me, and it makes me rush through washing my face, taking off my makeup and doing my skincare routine. I brush my teeth and try not to feel like I’m in over my head here.
It’s powerfully weird, having this many people in my space.
Ever since I stopped living with Andrew, I’ve gotten used to it being just me. Being able to use the bathroom when I want, and only taking up as much space as I need.
Having these three here is definitely going to take some getting used to. They’re so large, both in size and presence, and no matter where I go in the house, I’m aware of them.
“Okay, I’m done,” I say when I step out of the bathroom, and Rhett goes in next.
I walk into the kitchen just to get a little space, but a few seconds later, Sawyer comes in as well. He’s changed out of his clothes from dinner into something more comfortable, and he’s wearing baggy sweatpants and a worn t-shirt. It’s a good look on him, and I try not to stare.
“Is it cool if I grab some water?” he asks.
“Oh yeah, of course. Glasses are over here.” I open the cabinet to the right of the sink.
He moves in to get one, and I’m very aware of the smell of his body wash and shampoo this close. It’s something woodsy and warm, like a campfire in a pine forest.
He fills up his glass from the pitcher in the fridge and leans against the counter to sip at it.
It feels awkward to just stand there, not saying anything, so I glance at him and smile. “You know, it’s nice to have you back.” My words come out soft and fond. “People in Sweetwater Lake have missed you. I’m sure your dad did, and I…”
I trail off, flushing lightly. I was about to say that I missed him, and he can probably tell.
Sawyer turns the glass around in his hands. “I meant to come back more often,” he says. “But things always come up.” He shrugs a shoulder, trying to brush it off, but I can tell there’s more to it than that. I don’t know what the truth is, but there’s something there.
Rhett said that Sawyer never stays in one place long enough to call it home, and it’s a mystery why he moves around so much. Maybe he just likes to be on the move, but maybe it also has something to do with the rift between him and his brothers.
“I get that,” I tell him, moving in a bit closer. “Sometimes you just get so busy, it’s easy to forget about everything else.”
“Yeah. Something like that.” He looks at me, and I hope the flush on my cheeks isn’t as intense as it felt a minute ago.
“Seeing you all together like this makes me think about the old days. How we all used to hang out all the time. We were good friends, right?”
“Sure,” he says, shrugging again.
“You guys were always such a unit. You used to be so close. What happened to that?”
He stiffens a little, and I can tell I’ve said the wrong thing. Or at least asked a question that he doesn’t want to answer. That just makes me even more curious to know what the hell happened between the three of them that makes this so hard for them to talk about.
Sawyer’s eyes meet mine, and our gazes hold for a moment. He opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, but then the bathroom door opens and Rhett knocks on the doorframe to the kitchen.
“Bathroom’s free,” he says.
“I’d better get in there,” Sawyer says, slipping away.
All I can do is stare after him as he goes, leaving my question unanswered.
Rhett glances at me as he steps away from the kitchen doorway, his expression unreadable. It’s hard to tell if he heard what Sawyer and I were talking about, and if he did, it’s impossible to tell what he thinks about it.
I suppress a sigh and force a smile. “Goodnight, Rhett,” I say. “See you in the morning.”
It’s a relief to go into my bedroom and close the door. I lean against it for a minute, one hand pressed over my fast beating heart. It’s only been about an hour, and things already feel out of control.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?