Callan
C allan got home to his dark, empty house and drank a six-pack of beer before Cash showed up to give him some shit. Honestly, he expected his friend to come around at some point, he just didn’t think it would take him so long. He scoffed at the thought of just what held Cash up and he had a feeling that it had to do with a curvy, sexy, pregnant brunette. Hell, she was his curvy, sexy, pregnant brunette too, but no one seemed to remember that. Cash was the hero of the night, swooping in to rescue their damsel when she fainted at a wedding and bringing her back to his place. They probably spent the past few hours in his bed making up for lost time and that thought had him seeing red.
Cash pounded on his front door and made no move to get off the sofa and let him in. He had nothing to say to him or Mercy. They could have each other because he didn’t give a fuck. Yeah, he couldn’t even lie to himself, he wanted her more than he thought was even possible and that scared the shit out of him. It was clear that Mercy and Cash had their own little side thing going and he wouldn’t be a third wheel. He wanted to be an equal partner to Mercy, but he knew that Cash wasn’t into sharing anymore.
had known Cash since he opened the bar. He knew that Slade and he were best friends and that they shared women. When Jasmine moved into Cash’s apartment, could tell that his friend was in for a world of trouble. The way Jasmine looked at Cash told that she was in love with him. And he could tell that his friend didn’t return her feelings. The night Cash found her body, he was playing at the bar. He remembered the guilt and shame that Cash felt after they took her lifeless body out of the bar in a body bag. It seemed to take Cash years before he bounced back, and he wasn’t sure that his friend would ever be the same again. Losing Slade just about killed Cash, they were like brothers. felt that way about Cash, never having a brother himself but he could tell that Cash was holding back not wanting to let anyone in his life that could cause him the amount of pain that Slade did.
“Open up asshole, we need to talk.” Cash barked from the other side of his door. He was pretty sure that the flimsy apartment doors wouldn’t hold up to Cash beating on them, but they were about to find out. Unless one of his nosey neighbors called the police first—either way, Cash didn’t seem as if he was about to give up.
“ open this fucking door, or I’ll break it down,” Cash growled. could hear his neighbor from across the hall open her door and Cash barked at her to mind her own fucking business. knew that this wasn’t going to end well for either of them, so he gave in and pulled the door open just as Cash was about to bang on it again.
“Why are you here, Cash?” barked. He already knew exactly why his friend showed up unannounced, but he wanted to make Cash squirm.
“You know damn good and well that I’m here about Mercy. You ripped her heart out when you walked away today. How could you treat her like that?” Cash balled his hands into fists and smiled at him, almost daring him to throw the first punch. Hell, he’d welcome the distraction because the two of them standing in the middle of the living room yelling at each other wasn’t going to get them anywhere.
“She all but lied to us, not telling us about the baby for six months. Fuck, we don’t know anything about her, and now, one of us is going to be a father.” ran his hands through his short, blond hair. “How fucked up is this?”
Cash shook his head, “She’s alone and afraid in all of this. She did what she thought was best and she messed up. I know that she feels bad, and she wants to let us in, man.” At least Cash seemed to calm down when he talked about Mercy. But the way that he talked about her as if he knew her pissed off. He had no one to be angry with but himself.
“You seem to know a lot about a woman that we both just spent one night with, Cash.” knew that he sounded jealous, and he didn’t care. He hated thinking of the two of them together tonight.
“Well, if you didn’t run out of there, with your tail between your legs, she would have let you get to know her too. You didn’t give her that chance and that’s on you.” Cash was right, but would never admit that to him.
“You’ll excuse me for needing to take a break from the two of you cozying up together in the parking lot. You made me feel like a third wheel and that’s not my thing Cash. I wanted to be an equal partner, not an afterthought,” growled.
“You want to be an equal partner then step up and be one. But you’ll treat Mercy with respect, or you’ll leave her the fuck alone. I won’t let you hurt her like you did tonight.” Cash walked past into his kitchen and came back into the living room with two beers, handing one to him.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” asked, taking the offered beer.
“We’re going to sit here until we work this shit out because Mercy deserves that from us. We were the ones to fuck up, Cal. We didn’t protect her that night, that’s on us. Now, the three of us are going to figure our shit out because we have a baby coming in less than three months.” Cash took a long swig of his beer and set his on the table.
“You mean that one of us has a baby coming in less than three months. One of us will get the girl of our dreams and a baby—hell, an instant family. The other one of us is going to be sent packing and will sit around wondering what might have been.” Cash shook his head and took another drink of his beer. He seemed way too confident for a man that stood a fifty-fifty chance of losing.
“How about you shut the fuck up and let me talk for a change. I spent time with Mercy tonight.” couldn’t help his grumble; he didn’t want to hear about their evening together. “Let me finish, Cal.” Cash waited out as if asking permission to go on.
“Fine,” barked.
“We talked, nothing else happened. Okay, we kissed some but what you’re thinking happened didn’t. I got to know her unlike our first night together when we all just fell into bed and she’s sweet. She’s a true submissive and she wants both of us.” picked up his beer and took a long drink. He needed to get his mind around everything that Cash just told him.
“Did she say that she wanted both of us?” Cash cringed and knew that Cash was reading into the situation, seeing things that might not be there.
“No,” Cash whispered. “Listen, I know that Mercy wants you just as much as she wants me. She talked about you, wishing that you were there with us. I think that this might be an all-or-nothing thing for Mercy.” Cash finished off his beer and went back to ’s kitchen for another. had to admit that he hoped what Cash was saying was true.
Cash sat back down and popped open his beer, “Tell me you don’t want her or that she hasn’t been all you have thought about for the past six months,” Cash barked. “Tell me, and I’ll walk out of here and it’s every man for himself. You can do whatever you want—either win Mercy for yourself or walk away from her. But I won’t give up on her—I want her more than I care to admit and the thought of having to share her is tearing me apart. If that’s what’s going to win her back then I’m willing to put her between us.”
sat back, going over Cash’s words in his head. What if they could make a threesome work? They would be happy, even make Mercy happy, and then what? Where would the baby fit in? He had so many questions he wasn’t sure where to even begin. He decided to start with the truth.
“I want her, man. I’ve wanted her since I watched her walk out of your place the next morning and I want her now. There hasn’t been anyone else for me since we were all together,” admitted.
Cash smiled, “Same here man. I thought you had fewer groupies hanging around Manholes.” threw a pillow at Cash causing them both to laugh. It felt like it had been forever since they laughed like that, and hoped that they could one day get back to being as close as they once were before that night with Mercy. worried that putting her between them would stir up issues again and drive another wedge between him and Cash. He wasn’t sure if their friendship could take that. But he knew for certain that he couldn’t walk away from Mercy. Leaving her tonight just about killed him, he wouldn’t be able to do that again.
“So, what’s the fucking plan, man?” barked. Cash flashed him a wolfish grin and was sure that he was going to like whatever Cash had planned for their Mercy.