TWENTY-SIX
DAKOTA
“Dakota! Good news!” Daisy beamed as she rushed towards me. “You don’t have to go on stage anymore.”
“What do you mean? We need the money,” I asked in confusion, and she shook her head.
It was our annual fair fundraiser and the cheer team—like every other year—was in charge of the ring toss, kissing booth, and milk bottle knockdown.
The kissing booth wasn’t our favorite, but we soon realized that it was the most popular on campus—for obvious reasons. Thankfully, it only included a peck, no tongue, and I was immensely grateful.
Daisy pulled a white slip from her bra, and handed it to me. “Not anymore.” A cheque.
“Who’s it from?” I asked, looking up at her.
“No clue,” she shrugged. “The donor wanted to stay anonymous to the cheer team. Only the headmaster knows since he brought it to me not too long ago.”
I dropped my eyes to the cheque, scanning it thoroughly. Of course. C. Madden. Signed in perfect calligraphy.
“So there’s just no kissing booth?” I asked, looking back at the guys all lined up, waiting to buy tickets in anticipation.
“Well, since we have the money now, we can just kick the kissing booth off our list,” she shrugged. “Since it’s the only one the girls dread doing.” Right.
I glanced around, handing her back the cheque. “I’ll be right back,” I forced a smile and she skipped away in excitement.
My eyes darted all over the place, taking in the bright neon lights and people roaming up and down as I looked for that handsome little shit.
It had gotten dark already, so it was quite difficult to try and spot him amongst the giant crowd. Plus, if people weren’t carrying around a gigantic stuffed animal, it was a huge piece of cotton candy.
Instead, my eyes landed on Logan and Kaden standing far away from everyone with their backs toward me. I’d recognise Logan’s side profile anywhere.
After I left that dreadful afternoon, I went to my parents’ house and stayed there for a few days. I just needed space, and the guys understood that. I hadn’t talked to them, and I most definitely wasn’t planning on telling them about the kissing booth.
“What are you two doing here?” I asked, and they turned around to face me.
“It’s a carnival,” Logan shrugged.
“Where’s Chase?” I ran my eyes over the perimeter.
“Kaden, do you remember signing up to be Chase’s babysitter?” Logan asked, and I forced a mocking smile. Kaden shook his head, and I glued my hands to my hips.
“Well, did you know about the cheque?”
“Who do you think gave him the idea?” Kaden asked.
“How did you know I was working at the kissing booth?” I questioned, taking the slushy that Logan couldn’t stop drinking. I nervously chugged some down to cool the burning fire inside of me.
“College guys talk. A lot,” Logan emphasized, and I finished the drink, tossing it into one of the bins.
“Of course,” I mumbled.
“Why didn’t you tell us about it?” he asked, and I shifted my weight onto one foot.
“Because I thought you’d say no.”
“We’re mature enough to understand that it’s a fundraiser,” Chase said, and my head snapped towards him. He stopped next to Logan, and my heart rate picked up.
Suddenly, my heart was racing at the sight of all three of them standing in front of me.
I missed them. I wanted to be back at home with them.
In their arms, cuddling in front of the fireplace, enjoying dinner, stretching and doing yoga positions that made me end up in much more pleasurable positions… I missed my guys.
I sighed, dropping my arms to my sides. “Look, I just didn’t think it would matter—” Anymore.
“Of course it would have,” Chase insisted.
“It would’ve been nice if you were honest with us,” Logan added, and I couldn’t help the sarcastic scoff escaping me.
“Do you want to know what else would have been nice?” I rhetorically asked, unable to stop my eyes from ping ponging between them.
“Maybe you telling me about your three year relationship,” I held his gaze.
“Or maybe the fact that you didn’t willingly end things with her,” I finally said to Chase.
“And maybe—” I choked out, looking at Kaden with tears burning my eyes.
“It would’ve been nice not seeing you smile for the first time…
at another woman,” I finished, and didn’t miss the unfamiliar emotion flicker behind his eyes.
“That would’ve been really fucking nice,” my voice cracked.
Shifting my eyes between the three of them, I blinked back tears, swallowing a lump of sadness down my throat.
“So, excuse me,” I whipped around, walking away from them as I fought back tears. God, who doesn’t bring up the fact that they never technically ended a past relationship.
I headed straight for the trailer the girls and I had been given and entered it, slamming the door shut behind myself.
With my hands on my hips, I threw my head back, exhaling a shaky breath.
I rapidly blinked away my tears as my heart ached. What if her coming back changes things? What if now they regretted starting something with me? I mean, three years? I can’t compete with that. Not to mention, I hadn’t been the easiest submissive, but… but I’m trying.
With a trembling bottom lip, I plopped down on the chair, lowering my head in my hands. I don’t want to lose them…
My thoughts went haywire. I couldn’t stomach the idea of losing them… of them choosing her… of them longing for her.
The door opened, and instinctively, my head snapped up as I wiped my tears. I got to my feet, calmed my breathing and saw Logan had entered.
His eyes softened at the sight of me, but I simply held back my tears as I approached him. “I need to get back—”
He cut me off, pulling me into his arms, and I froze, feeling the heat of his body smooth the infuriating pain in my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut and he kissed the top of my head, slowly caressing my back. I needed this. I needed him.
Slightly pulling back, he gently held my face in his hands, tilting my head up so that our gazes met. My eyes stung with tears, but I blinked them away, releasing a shaky breath.
“I’m sorry that we didn’t tell you about her,” he said, making the slow thumps of my heart echo in my head. “We didn’t think it mattered because we had moved on,” he gently wiped a tear from my cheek. “She’s in the past, Dakota. She doesn’t matter to us as much as you think she does.”
“But—” I choke out, trying to pull his hands from my face, but his grip only tightened as he stepped closer.
“Her coming back doesn’t change anything. Old feelings haven’t resurfaced, and we most definitely don’t regret our decision. It’s you, Dakota,” he reassured me. “We choose you.”
With a trembling chin, I shook my head in denial. Uncontrollable tears streamed down my heated cheeks and I squeezed my eyes shut. “You don’t mean that,” I breathed.
“Of course I do, baby,” he brushed my tears away, and I didn’t miss the hint of sadness in his voice.
“But you seemed so happy to see her, and—and Kaden—” my words got caught in my throat, and he pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly. I swung my arms around his waist, burying my face in his chest as I fought my tears and the painful ache in my heart.
He held me in his arms with constant reassurance, shutting down every doubt I had. He made it clear that they weren’t going anywhere because they wanted this. They wanted me.
I broke the hug, staring up at him.
“Was it about her?” I finally asked, and when he seemed confused, I elaborated. “The tattoo Kaden got removed.”
Suddenly, it all clicked in his head. “Ask him about it.”
I immediately shook my head. “No, Logan, I’m asking you. Was the tattoo Kaden got removed about her?”
A beat passed, and he seemed hesitant. “Yes.”
One singular word knocked the air out of my lungs. Involuntarily my eyes widened, and that was the final blade to my chest. He felt so deeply for her that he got a tattoo relating to her. Great. Fucking great.
Logan caressed my face in both of his hands, gently running his thumb over my cheek. “He wasn’t ever going to get it removed,” he finally explained. “But after meeting you, everything changed for him. For all of us.”
Silence fell over us, and I could feel my tears dry up.
“She was important to us at some point, yes, but not anymore. We moved on. Chase did. Kaden did. And so did I.”
Heat blossomed in my chest as his words soothed the continuous ache my heart had been in recently.
“You truly have nothing to worry about.”
A sad smile tugged at my lips. “Yeah?”
He leaned in and a sense of tranquility washed over me as he pressed a soft kiss to my lips before looking down at me. “Yeah,” he nodded. “You’re the woman I love, Dakota.”
His warm embrace consumed me until I finally wrapped my arms around his neck, staring up at him with unease.
Leaning up, I pushed my lips to his, allowing my eyes to fall shut. With a deep pressure building in my head, my arms around him turned firm to pull him closer.
His hand lifted to my nape and when our tongues found the familiar sensual rhythm, his arm around my lower back tightened.
Butterflies came to life in my belly and my heart swelled with joy. His kiss was still the same. Nothing had changed.
I pulled back, smiling up at him. “There she is,” he grinned in a low murmur, stepping toward me but I backed up, earning a chuckle from him.
My back eventually hit the wall, and when he leaned in, the trailer door swung open—making my stomach drop—and we turned to see Solace in the doorway with wide eyes.
“Oh my God,” she blurted out before darting her eyes between Logan and I. “Oh my God,” she breathed before whipping around and rushing out.
“Solace!” I called out after her, leaving the trailer. No, no, no.
She rushed through the crowd, ignoring me, and my heart hammered. “Solace, wait!” I pleaded, finally catching up to her as I grabbed her hand.
“D, what the fuck?” she choked out with disbelief. “Oh my God—I—I was fucking with you when I made the jokes about you and—” she stammered and tears swelled in my eyes.
“I can explain—”