TWENTY-FIVE
DAKOTA
I don’t even want to fucking know.
After irritably leaving the guys behind in the store with Josie, I sipped my coffee with an eerie pain brewing in my chest.
I’d never seen or heard about her. I didn’t know who she was… but based on the guy’s reaction, I had a pretty good idea of what they once were…
I hurried away and quickly slipped into a random store, trying to distract myself, but when that didn’t work, I texted Logan that I’d see them back at the house.
* * *
I dropped everything on my bed and changed into some comfortable sweatpants and a little tank top. I kept my socks on for warmth and made my way downstairs with my gigantic teddy bear, stealing a tub of ice cream before plopping down in the living room.
I turned on the TV and scrolled through it until I found Geordie Shore.
I stuffed my face with ice cream as yet another distraction, but as expected, it didn’t work. I kept thinking about the way Chase said her name, Kaden smiling at her, and the way Logan looked at her…
I swallowed a lump in my throat, feeling my eyes sting with tears. I blinked them away, taking a deep breath in as I lifted the ice cream to my lips.
I stared at it, then dropped my spoon into the tub, having no interest in it anymore.
And the worst part is that she was beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous, and not just physically, but her energy seemed magnetic.
The front door opened, and I heard their footsteps in the foyer. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw them enter, but I didn’t cast them a glance. I simply kept my eyes on the TV. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.
Kaden spoke first. “Dakota.”
“Kaden,” I said, having a spoon full of ice cream.
“We need to talk. Turn off the TV.”
“Talk about what?” I asked, making no effort to turn the TV off.
“Now, Dakota.” The edge in his voice made my spine straighten, so after careful consideration, I turned off the TV. Dammit.
I met their gaze individually. Kaden had his arms crossed over his chest in the doorway. Logan stood beside him with both hands in the pockets of his slacks, and Chase was sitting down on the sofa across from me.
“If this is about me leaving without you—’
“It’s not, and you know it,” Chase cut me off. “It’s about you meeting Josie today.”
I swallowed hard, dropping my eyes to my spoon as I dug out some more ice cream. “Right.”
“You left before we could explain—”
“Actions speak louder than words,” I cut Chase off, and in response, he fists his hand on the armrest of the chair. “So you don’t need to explain. Your actions were loud enough. There is no need to rub it in by going into horrific detail.”
Logan was quick to chime in. “You don’t know anything.”
“I know enough,” I shot back. I didn’t need to hear this. Didn’t want to hear this. Their actions wrapped around my heart, squeezing it senselessly, and with the ball in my throat, I was on the verge of tears.
I took advantage of this moment to get up, but with Logan and Kaden in the doorway, I had no chance.
“Please, can you move out of my way?” I didn’t meet their eyes.
“Not until you sit down and we discuss this.”
“There’s nothing to discuss. It’s fine, everything’s fine,” I dished him some false reassurance, but of course, it didn’t work.
“Sit. Now,” Kaden nodded to where I was just seated and reluctantly, I listened.
Each of them found their place on the couch as well, and it seemed as though Logan wasn’t keen on diving into their past with Josie, but he did, nonetheless. “Josie was our first submissive.”
I swallowed hard. I’m not an idiot. I knew that I wasn’t their first, but I still hadn’t expected it to make me feel such… unfamiliar things. Things I couldn’t explain.
“Years ago she suffered a terrible car accident that sent her into a coma for almost two months.”
My heart sank. For them. For her.
“We stayed by her side every day, but one day her family decided that it was best for them to move back to their home country.” Oh?
“We didn’t get to say goodbye to her, Dakota,” Chase added, and I shifted my attention to him. “I can understand why you reacted the way that you did, and we never meant to hurt you.” I know.
Chase’s eyes were sincere, and I could tell that he cared deeply for her. All of them did. I exhaled hesitantly.
“The last time we saw her…” Logan trailed off, twisting one of the rings on his fingers. “She was still in a comatose state, and her family didn’t stay in contact with us.”
My heart shattered for them. They didn’t get to say goodbye. They didn’t even know whether or not she’d ever wake up again…
My blood ran cold. Thick tension filled the silence until all eyes were on me. Fearful eyes. With a heavy heart, I avoided their gazes and kept my eyes on my lap.
“Say something,” Logan broke the silence first.
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “How long ago was it?”
Logan answered. “Four years.”
“And how long had you been together?”
He answered again—a bit more reluctant. “Three years.”
My heart dropped to below the pits of fucking hell. Three years. They’d spent three years with her until she was forcefully taken out of their lives by her family. And they didn’t get to say goodbye.
My brows drew together, and I blinked back tears, nodding. “Oh.”
My throat closed up, and goosebumps trailed up my nape with rapid speed.
“I’m really sorry that you all had to go through that,” I began, trying to calm my tremulous voice.
“But I—” I cut myself off, shaking my head in denial.
They loved her. They didn’t have to say it, but I know they did.
And now… now she’s back. The perfect submissive they’d spent three years with.
And I— “I’m sorry,” I choked out, getting to my feet.
I’m going to lose them, I— bile burned my throat, stirring an uneasiness in my stomach.
“Sorry,” I blurted out. I couldn’t be in this room. So I left. And I didn’t look back.