Chapter 30
BEN
The hall is dimly lit, the golden glow of the wedding decorations casting long shadows over the room as the night stretches on.
Most of the guests are still milling about, celebrating, laughing.
Emily told us to wait for a few minutes before coming after her.
This is her way of making sure we don’t take the attention away from Hailey in any way.
Thanks to Chloe, we’ve had more than a few curious glances thrown at us. But I don’t really care.
Tanner, standing closest to me, shifts his weight and breaks the silence. “What if she’s picking Whit over us?” he says.
Axel scoffs, folding his arms across his chest. “She wouldn’t pick that asshole. Not after everything he’s done. And besides, she called us to the room, not him.”
“Maybe she just wants to let us down easily,” Tanner says, earning him a scowl from Axel.
“It has to be one of us,” Axel says.
How’s that not bad, possibly even worse? It would kill me a little every time I see Emily with one of my friends—whoever she chooses.
“She’s definitely not picking that asshole,” Axel says, more to himself than anybody else.
“Wouldn’t she?” Jace cuts in, his voice calm but pointed. “She went to talk to him this morning, didn’t she? Maybe she’s thinking about giving him another chance.”
“She did say she already made a choice,” I add, remembering what I overheard earlier when she was talking to Hailey. “And after that, she looked over at Whit. What the hell does that mean?”
Jace shifts, running a hand through his hair. “There’s only one way to find out.”
We all exchange looks, a silent agreement passing between us. Without another word, we head toward the stairs, making our way up to her room.
When we reach her door, Jace knocks lightly, his face set in that calm, unreadable expression he always gets when he’s nervous but trying not to show it. We wait for a moment that feels like forever until we hear her voice from inside.
“Come in.”
We step into the room, and there she is—Emily. She’s sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands resting on her lap, her shoulders tense. Her eyes meet mine for a moment before she looks away, taking a deep breath.
“I’ve made my decision,” she says.
“It’s not Whit, is it? Not to rain on your parade, but I’m going to kill that dude.”
“What? No! Why would you even think that?” Emily exclaims.
“Well, Jace said—” Tanner begins before being elbowed by Jace.
Emily frowns. “What? That I went to talk to him? I turned down his proposal, and he took it surprisingly well. He could see I had already moved on.”
Relief floods through me, but there’s more questions.
“So, which one of us is it going to be?” I ask, trying not to hold my breath.
“That’s the thing,” she says, sighing deeply. “I can’t pick just one of you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.
“Like a polyamory thing?” Tanner says.
Emily chews on her cheek before nodding.
“I don’t want just one,” she continues, her eyes flicking up to meet ours. “I want all of you. I don’t want to sound selfish, but that’s how it is for me. I didn’t want to lie to you or myself.”
Her words hit me like a freight train, and for a second, I don’t know how to process it. She wants all of us?
She’s not choosing between us—she’s choosing us. All of us. Together.
“The polyamorous thing…” Emily begins tentatively. “Well, I don’t exactly expect you all to be exclusive with me.”
“That’s not even an option,” I say. “You’re the only one for me.”
“And me,” Axel says. Even though Tanner and Jace don’t say that, I know they feel the same.
“Are you serious about this?” Tanner asks.
“What happened the other night,” she begins, “didn’t feel like a fluke. It felt…right. Like I belong with all four of you. But at the same time, I want to make sure that it feels right for you, as well. I don’t want to come between any of you.”
“That’s not going to be a problem for me,” Axel says. I’m surprised. Axel has always been possessive about everything. Heck, the dude doesn’t even like it when we get too close to his dog.
Her eyes dart between us, gauging our reactions. My pulse quickens, and the room feels charged. I know the others feel it too.
“And what you said, each one of you…well I definitely reciprocate. I don’t know how it happened, if it’s outlandish.” She scoffs a little. “I know it’s barely been a week, but I think I’m falling for you. All of you.”
It’s as if all the breath in the room is sucked out at once.
“Please say something,” she says quietly.
“I meant what I said before,” Axel says. “I have feelings, and it doesn’t change anything.”
“I just don’t want to be greedy,” she says shakily.
“You’re not being greedy,” I say. “In fact, we’ll be privileged to call us yours.”
Emily takes a tentative step forward, her voice dropping a little. “I can step back if this is too much, if any of you aren’t comfortable with…with this.” She’s nervous, but she’s trying to stay composed. “This is new territory for me too.”
Her uncertainty sends a pang through me, and before I can stop myself, I’m stepping forward, closing the distance between us. My hand reaches up to cup her cheek, and the words tumble out of my mouth before I even have time to second-guess them.
“I’m falling for you.”
I pull back slightly between kisses, just enough to meet her gaze. “This…feels right,” I murmur, my thumb brushing her cheek as I lean in for another kiss, deeper this time.
Tanner steps forward next, his usual playful grin replaced with something more serious, more intense.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he murmurs, sliding his hand along her arm.
He leans in, pressing his lips to the side of her neck, kissing a path up toward her ear.
“We’ve wanted this, Em. We’ve wanted you. ”
I feel my body respond to the sight of them together, a surge of heat rushing throughout my body.
I never imagined something like this—sharing her, all of us—but now, standing here, it feels like the only thing that makes sense.
I can see the same hunger in Tanner’s eyes as he touches her, as he moves in closer.
“Well, if we’re doing this, let’s do it right,” he says with that playful edge of his, slipping in next to her as soon as I release her from my grip.
He grins down at her, and Emily laughs, a soft, breathless sound, before Tanner dips his head and kisses her.
Axel walks up to them, brushing her hair back. He lets Tanner take his sweet time, his tongue brushing against hers. When he’s done, he takes her in his arms.
God, I’m already hard.
“I’m good with this,” Axel finally says, his voice a low rumble. “But you call the shots, Emily. It’s always up to you.”
“Are you really sure about this?”
Axel just gives a small nod before leaning down, capturing her lips in a kiss that’s all intensity.
He’s less restrained than I was—firmer, more direct—and Emily melts into him, her hand sliding up to wrap around his neck.
Watching them kiss like this, I can’t help the surge of heat that courses through me. It’s hot—all of it.
Jace, standing a step back, has been watching the whole thing unfold, his eyes dark and full of something I can’t quite read.
Emily must sense it too, because she turns to him, a question in her eyes.
“Jace?” Emily’s voice is soft, her words tentative. She reaches out, resting her hand on his chest, and I see the way his jaw tightens, the way he exhales slowly as if trying to make sense of what’s going on.
Jace’s eyes meet hers, and for a second, there’s something raw there—something that’s holding him back. “Are you sure about this?” he asks, his voice low, rough with emotion. “All of us?”
Emily nods, stepping closer, her hand sliding up to cup his face. “I’m sure,” she says softly. “I don’t want to choose. I can’t. This…what we had the other night—it felt right. I want this with all of you.”
“I’ve never been good at sharing,” he admits, his voice quiet but heavy with meaning. “But…I don’t want to lose you.”
Emily’s lips curve into a soft smile, and she leans up to kiss him, a slow, lingering kiss that seems to pull him in.
His hand moves to her waist, holding her close as the last of his hesitation seems to melt away.
When they finally pull apart, Jace looks at the rest of us, something shifting in his gaze, like he’s made peace with it.
And then he steps forward, joining the circle.