Chapter 33
HOW DO YOU DO
Trina
The pine scent of the forest twists around the smell of the ocean breeze as I adjust Chase’s sage-green tie on Sunday afternoon, knotting it nice and snug at the collar of his dark blue shirt. We’re in the living room, getting ready to leave with Nacho watching from the couch, head cocked.
“Don’t ever stop wearing suits. They definitely hooked me the first night I met you,” I say, feeling kind of fizzy for them, like I have been all day.
“And I thought it was my charming personality,” Ryker deadpans as he finishes looping a knot in the burgundy tie he’s wearing. I swat away his hands, taking over.
“I was pretty sure Chase was just a cocky playboy,” I continue, reminiscing.
Chase scoffs. “Yeah, not quite.”
“More like you’re married to hockey,” I add, tossing him a hopeful glance.
He says nothing—just gives me a smile that’s full of longing.
Maybe he’s letting go of some of that all-or-nothing mentality? Or maybe that’s wishful thinking.
When I finish Ryker’s tie, I set a hand on his strong chest, remembering the first time I did it, when I explored the scar and his ink, then I place my other hand on Chase’s shirt, picturing his scratches and cuts.
My two men, with their big bodies they push to the limits to provide for their families. And their bigger hearts.
Everything about this moment just feels so right. Me doing the finishing touches for their outfits. Me enjoying the scent of both of them.
Us getting ready to leave as one.
All day long, I’ve been borderline sad, thinking about tomorrow and the end of the most unexpected and wonderful week of my life.
Thinking that it’s ending like any vacation inevitably does.
Now, with me in the teal dress they bought, with us looking like we belong together, new thoughts—fragile thoughts—circle my mind.
What if this could be my life?
It’s a wild thought, but it’s taken hold of me as we leave together for the wedding.
* * *
“You must be Trina.”
The woman with the piercing blue eyes and bold style—her bright paisley-print dress is eye-catching—can only be Ryker’s sister.
“And you must be Ivy,” I say, then I gesture to my dress, the one that she helped to pick out, for all intents and purposes. “Thank you so much for that recommendation.” Then I quickly add, “I’m so glad you told Ryker, who told Chase.”
And shoot. Did it just sound like I was covering something up?
Ivy just smiles, kind of slyly. We’re at a gorgeous hotel in the Presidio, in a classy ballroom teeming with white roses, and offering a stunning view overlooking the Pacific. Ivy shifts her gaze from me to Ryker to Chase. The guys are saying hello to Chase’s teammate Ledger.
My cheeks flush. And in a heartbeat, it’s clear that Ivy knows something.
It took all of two seconds, and I’m positive Ryker’s sister knows this isn’t a fake date with her brother’s best friend.
But before I can figure out what to say next, her brother turns away from the other guys and brings Ivy in for a hug. “How’s it going, troublemaker?”
“Fabulous,” she says brightly.
Like a hawk, I watch her every move as she chuckles then whispers something in his ear. With a light laugh, he lets go. He says nothing, but there’s a smirk on his face.
And I still don’t know what to do with this moment except wriggle away from the awkward. “And I hear you write all about fashion,” I say to Ivy.
“I’m kind of obsessed with it,” she answers. “I wish I had the skills to design, but I guess I’ll have to do the second-best thing.”
“I feel the same way about books. I can’t write them but I sure know how to read them.”
“I’ll have to get some book recs from you,” she says.
Whew. This is much safer ground. “And you’re going to have to tell me what all the trends are in clothes. And then basically how to get knockoff versions at Target,” I say as other guests shuffle in, big guys who are clearly from the Sea Dogs and the Avengers.
As the goalie from Ryker’s team walks in, Ryker slides past me. “Give me a sec. I need to chat with Dev.”
“Sounds good,” I say, and now I wonder if that came out awkwardly too. If Ivy or anyone else can read into everything I say to the two childhood best friends.
But what exactly is she reading into it? Does she know I have feelings for her brother and his friend? Does she think I’m some kind of trollop?
My stomach churns. Then it loops when Ivy moves into the aisle and pats the seat next to her. What the hell do I say if she asks me what’s up?
I sit, hoping she won’t ask prying questions. I gesture to the ocean crashing against the sand in the distance, hoping small talk can save the day. “This is such a gorgeous view, isn’t it?”
“I heard you met my grandma.”
Well, that small talk didn’t last long at all. “I did,” I say evenly since I don’t know where she’s going with this line of conversation.
Ivy leans closer to me, her voice low. “She likes you.”
“Well, I liked her too,” I say, wishing I knew what Ivy was getting at. Is she friend or foe? Is she as protective as her brother? Is she going to give me the third degree for being Chase’s date but making eyes at the guy who looks out for her?
“I think she sent me here on a matchmaking mission,” Ivy says, and whew.
I breathe a sigh of relief. That makes so much more sense. She’s Dorothy’s soldier rather than my jailer, but still, I don’t know what she thinks of unconventional arrangements.
“I do really like her,” I say again, and that’s completely honest.
“She’s convinced that my brother really likes you too.”
All I can do is smile. If I speak, she’ll hear the emotion in my voice.
Mercifully, the guys rejoin us, scooting into the aisle. I’m dying to ask Ryker what on earth is going on, but then he turns around and says, “Hi, Mom.”
My heart climbs into my throat. What the heck do I say to the woman who raised him? I turn, too, as he gives her a big, adoring hug.
I melt into a puddle.
Then, I go even squishier when Chase embraces his mother with a “Hey, Mom.”
And my head fills with confusing thoughts as I fall even harder for both men.
* * *
My mind is a train depot at rush hour, racing with ideas I never expected to entertain. I barely pay attention to the ceremony, but when Erik pledges to love Lisette for the rest of his life, my throat tightens. Tears prick my eyes.
Can’t help it. I don’t even know them and I’m overwhelmed with emotions and with hope.
Maybe I am a big old traditional romantic like my parents. Or maybe I’m a romantic in a whole new way. Here I am with a heart that’s being stretched between two men.
With a hope that’s making me think everything is possible.
When the officiant asks the all-important question, the bride gives a joyful, “I do.”
“You may kiss the bride.”
Erik cups her cheeks and kisses her, and my mind races way too far ahead.
How can three people even be together? How do you get married? How do you do Thanksgiving? How do you have kids? How do you do life? What do you say to others? These are my boyfriends, and this is our girlfriend? What will everyone think?
These thoughts dog me as the wedding ends and we make our way to the reception, where the photographer snaps pictures of all the guests. Chase and I stop and smile for the camera. Then Ryker and his sister, and so on.
Finally, before we can head into the glittery room, I pull the guys into an alcove and I whisper to Ryker, “I think your sister knows,” as a warning.
He winces, like he feels bad, but he nods, resolute. “I think so too.”
“What do you think she knows?” I ask, my nerves high and kicking through me.
“That you’re not my girl,” Chase cuts in. “That you’re our girl.”
God, that word—our.
It makes me crave a brave new future so badly. And in a way, it’s a relief that Ryker’s sister isn’t cringing or saying get the hell away from me with your polyamory.
But on the other hand—the more important hand—I’m not their girl for much longer.
Only one more night.
Sure, Chase means what he says in this moment. But could he ever mean it beyond tonight? Beyond tomorrow?
I won’t know unless I put myself out there, and now isn’t the time to do it. Maybe later though. I can’t wait much longer. I feel like I’ll go mad if I don’t ask them if they want to be together with me.
For the moment, I focus on brass tacks. “Do you think she cares?”
“No, I don’t,” Ryker says, giving a simple answer to a complex question.
He’s so lucky to have a sister like that. I can’t even imagine.
“She told me what she thought was going on when I first saw her before the ceremony,” Ryker adds.
Ah, when he laughed and smirked after that hug. I’m so relieved, I can’t even be mad that he didn’t save me from the what if questions in my head.
Then, a throat clears, and I turn around and it’s Chase’s mom, all sun-kissed brown hair and a simple yellow dress. I blink, then automatically smooth a hand over my dress even though it’s not messed up.
We step out from the alcove, adopting, I’m sure, overly innocent expressions. “Hi there,” I say, my voice uncertain. Will she hate me for liking another man too?
“You’re the girl with the cute little dog,” she says, and that’s a promising start.
“I am.”
“Join us.”
My pulse spikes. Suddenly, my fake date’s mother is guiding me to her table, and the guys hang back to chat with teammates, and I’m sitting between Ryker’s mom and Chase’s mom.
Ivy is across from us, as well as a younger version of the fashionista, who I learn is Ryker’s other sister, Katie. Am I in for the grilling of a lifetime?
“So, I hear you run a bookstore,” Chase’s mom says.
“I just manage it.”
“Well, that would be running it,” Ryker’s mom says in the same laconic tone of her son. She has a tattoo on her wrist. A simple circle of black ink, and the word strength.
“That’s so fantastic,” Chase’s mom says. “To spend the day surrounded by stories. To help people find stories. And you run Page Turners Book Club.”
“You know about that?” I ask, surprised she’s aware of my whole CV.
“I might have looked you up,” Ryker’s mom adds playfully. “When Chase called me about the photos you wanted.”
Right. Of course. How could I forget that?
“It’s good to see him on social. I can spy on him more now,” she says dryly, and I know where Ryker gets his sense of humor.
We chat some more, and no one lambastes me. No one gives me the third degree. No one asks when I’ll pop out babies either.
It’s a nice, normal conversation.
I might be foolish but maybe this thing could work. Perhaps their mothers being so cool is the sign I needed.
Maybe it doesn’t matter if my family doesn’t understand me. I’ve become used to that. But I’ve found my own family with Aubrey and Nacho and my book club, and maybe now with these two guys.
I try to let go of all the noise in my head. All of the questions chasing me. I relax into the moment as we talk about the city, and hockey, and books, and dogs, and weddings, and flowers, and how happy Chase’s cousin is with his teammate.
Every now and then someone else from Ryker’s team or Chase’s team stops by to say hi, and it’s so endearing to see all these players playing nicely with the parents. The women are warm and welcoming and treat them like family too.
With every minute that passes, I’m feeling like maybe the impossible is possible.
When the band begins to play, Chase swoops by and pulls me out to the dance floor. We slow dance, and he looks at me with soulful brown eyes that seem to understand me in a way my own family doesn’t. When he looks at me like that, my heart thumps.
But I’m careful to keep some distance between us.
I want to pull him close—too close. I definitely want to. But I don’t feel right doing that just with him. I don’t feel right doing that unless I can declare myself as theirs.
When Ivy and Ryker swing by, Ivy gives me a friendly nod. “Let’s switch. I need to dance with Chase.”
We trade off, and I’m in Ryker’s arms, and this feels right too. My heart beats hard all over again.
Somehow, a few weeks after my dog ate another woman’s underwear, I’ve fallen deeply for the two men who helped give me sweet revenge.
But with them, I’ve found so much more than sweet revenge. I’ve found a Golden Retriever and a grump who like me just the way I am.
Maybe, just maybe, I can put myself out there at the end of the night.