Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Evie
The pain in my arm woke me up before the sun rose. I took some pain reliever, applied the ointment Matthew gave me, and curled up on my couch with a cup of coffee.
I loved my friends. I really did. Everyone had swooped in to take care of me and they had thought of everything, including cooking for me so all I had to do was rest. My mom stopped by once she heard about my burn, and she’d lovingly fussed as she cleaned up around my house and made me comfortable.
While I appreciated everyone, resting was something I was notoriously terrible at.
I took a sip of coffee and checked my text messages. Oh god.
Matthew
How are you feeling this morning? Did you sleep? Have you had water yet?
Austin
Are you ok? Do you need anything?
Unknown Number
Hi Evie. It’s Nick. hope this isn’t weird, but Avery gave me your phone number. I got a friend to priority ship the part for the oven, so it’ll be here soon. I also wanted to check in on you and see if you need anything.
“What the fuck?” I whispered, staring at my phone.
What was happening to my life right now? Never had three different men texted me to check on me.
Matthew made it painfully clear he was into me yesterday.
I had a feeling he was going to take the “water Dom” thing seriously too, which .
. . I found exciting. I loved the idea of him domming me into drinking water.
If I’d realized sooner that he had a crush on me, I would have asked him out on a date.
He was sexy and kind and steady. He’d single-handedly kept me together yesterday.
Austin was . . . a sore point. I yelled at him yesterday because I knew I could. I’d known him my entire life, had a crush on him since I was sixteen, and I wasn’t sure he’d ever texted me like this to check on me. Usually he asked about me through Avery.
Nick. I didn’t even know what to think when it came to Nick. I never thought I’d see him again after our one-night stand, yet here he was in Whynot.
Another text popped up, but I was relieved it wasn’t from any of them. It was my group chat with June and Avery.
June
Good morning, sunshine.
Me
I hate my life right now
June
We know. Want us to come over and bring you breakfast in a bit?
Me
Come over for lunch. But tell me what the hell happened with Nick yesterday??? Avery, you gave him my number?
Avery
I sure did. You have some explaining to do. You left out some details about that date a couple months ago
I covered my eyes with a groan.
I doubted Nick said anything in detail about it, but my friends were smart. If he even mentioned he’d gone on a date with me, they’d put two and two together.
Which meant they’d figured out my night with Nick had been the best sex I’d ever had. Because I’d gone into detail the next day with them. I’d even told them he’d convinced me missionary could be just as hot as cowgirl, which was something I never thought I’d say.
Another text, this time from Matthew. A smile pulled at my lips as I clicked on the photo he’d sent. He was clearly in the hospital parking lot, sunglasses on, holding a massive water bottle. He wore a tie with tiny spaceships on it. Possibly Star Trek ones?
I snapped a picture of my coffee cup and sent it back. I smirked as the read receipt blinked, but then cursed when the phone started ringing.
“Uh, yes? Hello, doctor?” I answered.
Matthew chuckled. “The IV fluids you got yesterday don’t last forever, so you do need to drink water.”
I bit my lower lip, fighting a smile. It was easy to flirt with him. “Is that my prescription, then?”
“Yep. Just what the doctor ordered.”
I laughed as heat crept up my spine. “What . . . What are you doing this Friday?”
Matthew was quiet, then hummed. “Nothing. Would you like to go to dinner?”
“I’d love to,” I said. God, I needed to be honest with him about what I wanted, though. I felt nauseous, but pushed myself to tell him the truth. “Matthew . . . I . . . With Nick in town, I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’m interested in you, but . . .”
“Are you interested in him too?” he asked patiently.
“Yes.”
“And Austin? I know you’ve had a crush on him for a while.”
My mouth opened, but no words came out. June and Avery knew that, of course. But I’d never told anyone else. “Is it that obvious?” I whispered.
It was kind of humiliating. I’d had a crush on Austin for years, but nothing had ever come of it. It didn’t matter how many hints I dropped, he never seemed to get it. I hated myself for fawning over him so much. He was just a man. But god, I wanted him. I’d wanted him for so fucking long, it hurt.
“It is obvious to me,” Matthew said. “Evie, I really like you. And I’d really like to take you on a date. Let’s see how it goes, and we can talk through everything else in person. Does that sound good?”
“It does.” Relief brushed away the tension. “I’d offer to cook something, but I’ve been ordered to rest my arm by an annoying doctor.”
“Yes,” he chuckled. “Rest. Drink water. If you need anything, just text.”
“Yes, sir.”
He sucked in a breath, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Talk to you soon.”
“Yes. Talk soon.”
We hung up and I let my head fall back against the couch. “Oh my god,” I whispered to myself. “I’m going on a date with Matthew.”
I was giddy. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard as I closed my eyes, thinking about him. About Nick. About Austin . . .
In my perfect world, I wouldn’t have to choose between the three of them. Then again, Austin didn’t want me. All my years of pining were finally starting to crack apart. It was time to move on from the dream of us and give love a shot with someone else.
Polyamory had worked so well for my friends. Avery was so happy and in love with Mateo and Levi. June, Madi, and Dallas were in love and cuter than ever.
They’d all found their happiness with each other, so why not me?
A knock tapped through my house and I frowned. I wasn’t expecting anyone. I tightened my robe around me and crept to my door, looking through the peephole.
Speak of the devil.
I unlocked it and opened the door.
Austin stood on the other side, rocking on his heels awkwardly.
The sun was already bright on us, kissing the tan he already had from working outside so much.
He didn’t have his ball cap on this morning, and his dark brown hair was actually brushed.
Was he here for me? What if he confessed his undying love and I’d been wrong—
“You can’t date Nick.”
Oh.
Of course.
He was going to do the over-protective thing.
I should have seen that coming. I let the door swing all the way open and his cheeks turned red, his eyes dipping briefly to the swooping neckline of my silk robe.
I wasn’t wearing a bra, and you know what?
Fuck him. Fuck him in so many different ways.
I hoped the outline of my nipples haunted him.
“And why not?” I asked.
His expression hardened. “Don’t be funny right now. It's serious. You can’t date Nick.”
“I can date whoever I want, actually. I’m not your little sister.”
Austin’s jaw stiffened. “I know that. But I still protect you—”
“Protect me from what? A nine-inch pierced dick?”
His mouth dropped. “What? What—”
“I thought you were here to—I don’t know—check on me?” I growled, flashing him the burn along my arm. “And instead, you show up on my doorstep when the sun is barely up, to tell me I can’t date Nick. Who, by the way, I’ve already been on a date with. So you missed that boat.”
“Evie—”
“Why would you try to even tell me what to do with my dating life?” I continued. I’d slept fitfully because of my burn, which was hurting even with the pain reliever. My bakery was in shambles, my life upside down. He’d picked the wrong day to pull this sort of stunt. “You know what? Never mind.”
I slammed the door, but before it could shut, his boot jammed it. It swung back open and I glared as Austin stepped inside.
“Dammit, I’m not leaving yet,” he said. “I’m trying to protect you, Evie.”
I smacked him hard in the chest and his eyes lit up like fireworks. “Protect me from what? Nick is a good guy.”
“You don’t know him like I do—”
“I know you guys hated each other in high school,” I said. “I know you still hate him. Why?”
“Just trust me.”
“No,” I growled. “No. Why are you here?”
“Because I don’t want you to date him.”
“Why?”
“Because, Evie,” he growled.
“Because why?” I demanded. “Tell me. Otherwise, I’ll make a point of going on another date with him. I’m already seeing Matthew on Friday. Who knows, maybe they’d be interested in each other too and you can watch the three of us run off and be happy while you grow old and burned out and bitter.”
Hurt flashed on his face and I knew I’d gone too far. I winced and stepped back from him, looking down at the floor. He had me all riled up now. I didn’t take joy in being mean or rude, but sometimes he brought out the worst in others, including me.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
“No, don’t be. I’m sorry. I . . . Fuck, Evie. I didn’t even ask if you’re okay. I know you’re not.” He slumped back against the wall. “I’ve known you forever. I care about you.”
God, every word was like a knife through the chest. I care about you, but not like that.
“I know I’m overstepping about Nick.”
I stared. Over the last few years, I’d watched Austin slowly wither away. It was hard to see. All of us had been pushing him to take better care of himself, but he didn’t listen. Not even after watching Levi recover from burnout too.
When it finally hit him, it was going to be bad.
“Is Nick a bad guy?” I asked pointedly. “Like, really. Not because you dislike him or whatever, but something bad.”
Austin’s cheeks ballooned as he blew out a breath. “I have my reasons for hating him.”
“But?”
“He’s not an evil person, I guess. He is a womanizer, though. He’s a flirt. He’s unreliable. He’s a liar. God, he has a fucking mullet, Evie. What kind of grown man has a mullet?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I’d gotten myself off at least once thinking about that man’s mullet. “So going on a date with him is totally fine.”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “It’s not fine.”
“Okay. Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”
Austin’s throat bobbed and he shoved his hands so deep in his pockets, I wondered if they had holes in the bottom. “Of course not. I’m just looking out for you.”
Just looking out for me.
I’d rather he shoot me.
“Right. Of course not,” I whispered.
Austin’s eyes were pinned on the floor. He cleared his throat. “For what it's worth, I like Matthew a lot more.”
“It’s not really worth anything, thanks,” I muttered, looking away from him. “I like both of them.”
“So you’d want to do the whole polyamory thing?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Yes? Maybe? Yes. But it’s not like I’ve had much luck finding one boyfriend, let alone three.”
“Three?”
Shit. That slipped out.
“Who the fuck is the third guy?”
I stared at him. Was he really that oblivious? For a split second, I considered laying it all out for him. I was in a bad mood, in pain, and he was ruining my morning by being so damn Austin.
Fuck it.
“Out,” I growled. “I want you out.”
“Evie. Who the fuck is the third guy?”
I reached for the door and pulled it open, pushing him back out onto my doorstep.
“Evie? What the hell? I could cook breakfast—”
“I don’t want you to cook breakfast for me.” I looked him square in the eye. “You’re a god damned idiot if you can’t figure out who the third guy is. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
His mouth dropped and he turned paler than a ghost.
I slammed the door and twisted the lock.
Dammit. My arm hurt. My heart hurt. I’d probably just ruined everything with Austin. Not that there was anything there to begin with, aside from years of being in each other’s lives, spending almost every holiday together, sharing every birthday together.
Well, only if he figured out what I meant.
What the hell was I going to do now?
Date Nick and Matthew?
I’d had worse ideas.