Chapter 42 Evie
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Evie
Austin
Austin’s cryptic message had been on my mind for exactly twelve hours now.
I baked, prepped, sold a full case of pastries—but Austin Whynot was on my mind. When wasn’t he, though?
Things had settled down over the last couple days. Phil was, thankfully, out of the picture. The Whynot family was safe, and we no longer had a stalker.
Something was still missing, though.
I was getting in my head. I knew I was. But now that the dust was settling, part of me wondered if this was the moment it all fell apart.
Twelve fucking hours was a long time to wonder if Austin was ending things with us.
It was my greatest fear. What if he was done? What if he didn’t want to give this a try? Matthew and Nick had no idea what he could want to talk about tonight either. They were just as worried, it seemed, even though he and Nick had finally come together (in more ways than one.)
God, what if I was walking into that?
I pulled my car into his driveway and leaned back in my seat, staring at the front door.
Nick and Matthew beat me here, of course.
I pulled out my phone, reread his text message, then decided to panic-text Avery and June.
I’d told them about Austin’s cryptic text at lunch, so they were eagerly waiting for an update too.
Me
What if I walk in and he breaks up with us?
Avery
Austin loves you, Evie. He loves all of you. We saw it the other day.
June
I agree. That man is so in love. It’s really really sweet to see. You should have heard Dallas talk about it. He’s so happy for him
Avery
Yes, exactly. Mateo and Levi said the same thing. There’s no way he’s doing that
June
But obviously, if you need us, the Breakdown Couch is available
Me
Okay. Wish me luck. I want to throw up
Avery
You’ve got this, babe. We love you
June
Love you SO much. Madi and Dallas are rooting for you too
I breathed in and exhaled slowly, trying to temper my pounding heart. It’d been a while since we’d used the Breakdown Couch. Those cushions held enough tears, both sad and joyous, to fill an ocean.
My hands were sticky and I was sweating, but I finally gathered the courage to get out of my car and head up the steps of his porch.
I really wanted this to be forever.
I wanted the three of them. I loved Austin. I loved Nick. I loved Matthew. I was so insanely in love with them, and the very idea of losing it all made me nauseous.
My cheeks were hot. Worry was weighing me down, freezing me in place.
When I met Nick, I had no idea that he was going to change my life. I had no idea that months later, I’d be wanting to move out of the house I’d been in for years to be closer to him. And not just him—but Austin and Matthew too.
Fuck.
The door swung open and I squeaked. Nick was on the other side, and he was the face I needed right now. He cocked his head, studying me.
“It’ll be just fine,” he whispered. “Come on. Austin’s pacing a path into the floor.”
“Oh god,” I mumbled, letting him pull me inside.
Breathe, breathe, breathe. I was trying to.
I slid out of my boots and smoothed my hands down the front of my dress.
Nick paused to admire me, the corner of his mouth tipping up.
It didn’t quite reach his eyes though. He was just as stressed as I was, but he was better at hiding it behind his attitude.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured. “As always. How was work?”
“Busy,” I said. I squared my shoulders. “Okay.”
He nodded and led me to the living room. Matthew was on the couch and turned his head, patting the cushion next to him. Austin paced back and forth in front of the TV, his brows drawn together. He was sweating.
I sat down next to Matthew, and Nick sat on the other side of me. Instinctively, my hands intertwined with theirs. Matthew’s thumb found the inside of my wrist, rubbing small circles there, calming me down.
“Austin,” Nick said. “You’re killing us.”
Austin looked up, his eyes widening.
“Are you breaking up with us?” I blurted out.
Nick and Matthew stiffened on either side of me.
His mouth dropped. “What? No. Oh my god. No. Of course not.”
I immediately melted, the tightness in my chest loosening. Matthew ran his hands over his face and Nick simply folded over to the side, his head landing on my lap.
“Jesus Christ,” Austin mumbled, raking his fingers through his hair. “You thought I was gonna break up with you?”
“I got scared,” I said. “I got so scared.”
Austin shook his head and pulled the coffee table back, giving him enough space to get on his knees right in front of us.
His eyes softened as he took us in. “I am so sorry if I made you think that. I wanted to talk to all three of you tonight because I don’t think I’ve really expressed how much you mean to me. ”
“Oh,” Nick whispered. He was still in my lap, and I swear I felt something wet drip against my skirt. I ran my fingers through his hair, comforting him. “Okay. Next time, can you maybe tell us you want to talk about something good?”
“Yes,” Austin said. “Of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare any of you.”
Matthew leaned forward, his eyes also shining. “What did you want to say, Austin?”
“I love you,” he rushed out. “I love you. I love all three of you. I’m in love with you, and you’ve completely changed my life in ways I didn’t know I needed.
I’m stubborn. I’m so fucking stubborn and half the time, I’ve felt broken.
But each of you have shown me a future I can have that is good and bright and .
. . I’m going to therapy. I’m making the changes to take care of myself.
I’m going to work to be better because all of you deserve to have a partner who is there for you too.
I can’t express how much the last couple months have meant to me, and I don’t even know where to begin with how grateful I am for you being patient with me. ”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. I leaned forward and cupped his face, drawing him into a kiss. He melted against me, thumbing away my tears.
“I hate seeing you cry, baby,” he whispered.
“These are good tears,” I sniffled.
“Mine are too now,” Nick croaked, sitting up. “Do you really love me?”
“Yes, Nick,” Austin chuckled. “I really really love you.”
“And not just because I’m good in bed and finally cracked your back?”
Austin didn’t even laugh at that, and instead, pulled him close. He kissed him hard on the mouth until Nick caved, his expression morphing with pain. When Austin released him, he pressed his forehead to his.
“The sex is obviously really damn good,” he whispered. “But I think I’ve probably loved you since you broke my nose all those years ago.”
Nick let out the softest laugh and kissed him again, then sank back in the couch, fully blushing and clearly giddy. It was so fucking cute. I leaned into him, my head resting against his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head, sighing in contentment.
Austin’s attention turned to Matthew, his expression turning serious. Matthew stared at him for a few seconds.
“Is it too soon?” Austin whispered to him.
“No,” Matthew said. “Not at all. I love you, Austin. I’ve been in love with you.
I was thinking about what you said. You are stubborn, yes.
But all of us can be. All of us have things about ourselves that we’re working on.
For me, it’s been stepping away from my past. It’s been letting myself love and feel loved again.
I need you to know that no one is perfect.
I’m certainly not. But it’s all of those imperfections that make you you, and I love you, the good and the bad. ”
Warmth spread through my chest, as if a flame had been lit. Matthew reached for Austin and hugged him first, holding him to him until Austin crumpled against him, more tears falling.
“These are happy tears too,” Austin whispered.
“Good,” Matthew murmured, kissing his neck. “Are you happy?”
“I am,” Austin said. He sat back on his heels.
“I . . . It’s been years since I’ve felt like this.
When my dad died, I took on so much, and I think a part of me died too.
But when I’m with you, I’m happy. When I’m with you, that part of me is alive again.
Alive and stronger than ever. I’m so happy. ”
“I am too,” I breathed out. Where did I even find the words to express how I felt?
There was so much to say. “I . . . I’ve been in love.
With all three of you. And I never expected any of this to happen.
” I looked up at Nick, smiling at him. His eyes widened, still shining with tears.
“I’m so happy we met. I’m so happy that date went badly, and you were right there. ”
“I’m so happy you took the chance,” he said. “That we all took the chance.”
“A chance to be happy,” Matthew said.
Nick let out a soft hum. “Not to be cheesy and add this on, but I’m painfully in love with the three of you too.
I’ve been redecorating the house in my imagination with all your stuff for weeks.
I think I’ve been a goner since Evie smiled at me, since Matthew pet my cat, and Austin .
. . I don’t know. It’s hard to say when.
I think I fell for you when I fell off the roof. ”
Austin laughed, wiping away his tears. “There’s no way that’s when you fell in love with me.”
“I mean it would have to be a moment that scared the shit out of you, so . . .”
Austin gave him a playful shove, causing him to laugh.
“Okay, but really, I think it was probably all those years ago.”
“Surely not when I broke your jacking-off wrist.”
“Oh my god,” I giggled. “Not the jacking-off wrist.”
“Seems like it healed just fine,” Matthew teased.
“I don’t know, doc,” Nick said. “It could use another look, I’m sure.”
“Mm-hmm. Sure. I’ll take a look once you stop using humor to deflect feelings.”
Nick wrinkled his nose. “Doctors are mean.”
Matthew laughed and leaned over me, dragging him into an open kiss that had Nick groaning. My cheeks warmed and I tried to pay attention to the way my pussy throbbed from watching them kiss.
Austin caught me looking and smirked. “She likes it when you guys kiss.”
“What a little pervert,” Nick teased.
“Hey,” I quipped.
“It’s okay,” Matthew said. “We love it about you. Always thirsty for more, hmm?”
Now I was completely blushing from head to toe. “Is this going to be my life from now on?” I asked.
The three of them smiled at me, and Austin was the one who answered. “As long as you’ll have us.”
“Then forever,” I said, feeling all the doubt disappear.
“Forever,” Matthew said.
“And always,” Nick said, letting out a happy sigh. “I never thought I would have this.”
“Have what?” I asked.
“A family,” he said. “People that . . .”
“Love you,” Matthew finished.
He nodded, his breath hitching. “Yeah.”
“We’ve earned it,” I decided. “Each and every one of us.”
“We have,” Austin agreed. “And why not?”
I smiled, because he was right.
Why not have that happy ending I’d been wishing for my entire life?
Why not fall in love with three gorgeous men?
Why not?