Jamison
J amison finished up with the fence just as Ash called him to come back home. Regan finally made her way home and from the sound of it, she had some trouble in town. He should have known that she wasn’t the type to just run off, she had too much backbone to give up on them. But, seeing how Ash reacted to the possibility of her taking off scared him. His friend had come too far to be knocked down by a woman, especially one so young and with no other ties in the area. Nothing was keeping her here with them except one incredible night together and a job that she could get just about anywhere.
Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he felt about her staying after finding out that she lied about her age. Twenty-two fucking years old was just too young or at least that’s how it felt. Ash never reminded him of his age but at thirty-eight, he was starting to notice differences between him and his best friend. Of course, Ash wouldn’t understand him being upset about Regan being so young. Ash was only twenty-nine. He wanted to be all right with everything, just go with the flow but he was ready to settle down. He doubted that at twenty-two Regan felt the same. She was just getting started in life and he and Ash were most likely just a good time, something to check off her fantasy wish list. Fuck, why did he care so much? knew that Ash was looking to find someone special to share. That was the whole reason they hired Regan in the first place. She was gorgeous and they thought she was old enough to know what she was getting into with the two of them. But, at twenty-two, she probably just thought of the two of them as a good time, and that rubbed him the wrong way.
When she came clean, telling them that she lied on her application because she was desperate to get away from her stepfather, he tried to be understanding. Judging from the little information that Regan shared, gathered that her dear, old stepdad wasn’t very easy to live with. His protective side wanted to make sure that she never had a reason to ever leave them and go back to that asshole. But his stubborn streak didn’t want to give up being angry at her for lying about her age and job training. He knew that if he brought the topic up with Ash his friend would insist that they keep her—both in their bed and as an employee. Seeing the way that Ash reacted to Regan not coming home earlier, he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight. For now, would go along with their plan to put Regan between them. If it got too complicated he would bow out and let Ash navigate the relationship on his own. Ash deserved happiness, even if wasn’t sure that he would want to do the whole solo dating thing.
finished up in the barn and headed to the main house. He heard Regan’s giggle and Ash’s deep laugh coming from the kitchen and he knew that his friend was relieved that Regan made it back to the house in one piece.
“There you are, . I was about to come out and make sure that you didn’t need a hand with those fences.” Ash winked at him, and he knew damn good and well that he had no intention of leaving Regan to help with fixing the holes in the fence.
“Sure, you were, man.” smiled at the pair of them and found a beer in the fridge. Finding Ash and Regan cozied up in the kitchen, laughing and acting like a couple, made him feel like a third wheel. Maybe she had changed her mind about wanting them both. Ash was closer to her age and would probably make a better match for her if she was going to choose just one of them. He popped the bottle top off and downed half the beer in one long draw.
“Well, you two look cozy. What were you laughing about when I came in?” He took another swallow of his beer and didn’t miss the look the two exchanged.
“Katie is spreading rumors around town about the two of us again. Regan ran into her at the boutique and Katie gave her an ear full.” winced, the last thing he and Ash needed was Katie spreading more rumors around town about them.
“Fuck, what now?” was careful to keep his distance from Regan. He stood across the kitchen from her and Ash but every fiber of him wanted to walk across that kitchen and pull her into his arms to kiss her and remind her that she was also his. But was she? Not knowing where he stood with her was harder than he wanted to admit. Seeing how easy she and Ash were with each other made him long for that kind of relationship with her.
“She has outdone herself with her latest lies. She told Regan that we hired Mrs. Lucas to cook for us because we wanted to use her for sex.” just about spit his mouthful of beer across the room.
“You’re kidding? Mrs. Lucas is about twenty years older than I am. She was more like our mother than our lover.” must have made a face because both Ash and Regan laughed at him. The thought of him and Ash making a move on Mrs. Lucas was comical, to say the least. She worked for them for a few years after her husband died and retired a few months ago. She knew them both since they were just boys, being friends with their dads. After Mr. Lucas died, she was looking for something to do and they couldn’t even boil a decent pot of water. It was a no-brainer, everyone benefited from Mrs. Lucas working for them. It pissed him off that Katie was spreading rumors about that sweet woman. He didn’t care what that snake of a woman said about him and Ash but to drag poor Mrs. Lucas into the kink they were into was just wrong. He thought about going into town to have a little chat with Katie, but he knew he’d be wasting his breath.
“You know when Mrs. Lucas catches wind of what Katie is saying about us, she’s going to head into town and shut down that rumor mill,” said around another swig of beer.
Ash nodded and smiled at the thought of Katie getting what was coming to her and they both knew that Mrs. Lucas was just the person to stick it to her.
“She sounds like an awesome lady. I can’t wait to meet her.” Regan looked hopeful and saw his opening to ask about her plans. He needed to make sure that she was sticking around and not just passing through. They needed a cook and if she couldn’t commit to sticking around, they would have to advertise the position again.
“What’s the plan, Regan? You sticking around or taking off?” He knew that his tone made him sound mean and uncaring but dammit, he had a right to be. She lied on her application and most bosses would have already fired her. Hell, most bosses wouldn’t have shared and fucked their new employee all night long.
Regan sighed and crossed the kitchen to where he stood stopping within arm’s reach and fuck, he wanted to reach out and pull her into his body. “I told Ash, and I’ll tell you, —I’m not going anywhere. I want to stay—well, that is if I still have a job here.” grunted not replying to her. What did he say to someone making him another promise that might not be kept? He had a life full of empty promises and he was leery of being tossed another one.
“Just give her a chance, . She’s been through a lot today, but she still came back for us. With what Katie told her; most women would have run the other direction, but Regan came back and gave us a chance to explain.” Ash crossed the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Regan, pulling her back against his chest. She willingly let Ash touch her and damn if didn’t want the same thing from Regan.
His expression soured, “You two seem to have gotten closer this afternoon. What exactly happened while I was out in the field?” He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He sounded like the jilted boyfriend and that was the last thing he wanted. If Ash and Regan decided to move forward with a relationship—they had every right. He would even try to be happy for them—happy being a stretch. What he wanted was to be a part of their relationship and not be left feeling like an outsider wanting so desperately to be a part of their secret group.
Regan shook her head as if she couldn’t figure out why he was being such an asshole. He was starting to wonder the same thing himself.
“We didn’t do anything. Ash was here when I got back from town, and I was upset. He comforted me and that’s all.” Ash kissed the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her tighter.
“It’s okay, Regan. This isn’t about what we did or didn’t do without . It’s about the fact that he’s pushing you away because he thinks that he’s too old for you. Fuck, he’s probably decided that you’d be better off without him and that’s why he is shoving you away into my arms. He thinks that you don’t want him.” Regan gasped and her eyes filled with unshed tears.
“Is Ash right, ?” He wanted to deny his friend’s words, tell her that Ash is just being an asshole, but had to hand it to him, he hit the nail on the head. left the kitchen and started up the stairs to his room without giving Regan an answer to her question. He was ready for this day to be done, and he was bone-tired from their long night with Regan. He needed a hot shower and a good night’s sleep. Then, he could figure out just what he wanted to do about Regan. It wasn’t fair to either her or Ash to keep Regan if he didn’t want her.