Chapter 42
BOOK BOYFRIEND MOVE
Trina
I say goodbye to Prana, then hand her the victory mug. “Well done. Your bang sense is most excellent.”
She clutches it to her chest. “It’s my top skill.”
The romance lover and nookie prognosticator waves goodbye and heads out of the store.
Aubrey sticks around to help me finish cleaning up, then flicks a strand of hair off her shoulder when we’re done.
“I have an early blowout. Which always sounds dirty no matter how many times I say it,” she says, breezily.
“I hope you enjoy your blowout, you dirty girl,” I say, then give her a hug and say goodbye. It’s closing time in a few minutes and the store is mostly empty on a Sunday night.
I make a few laps, straightening books that are sticking out of shelves and realigning them when the bell tinkles at the door.
Pretty sure it’s nine, which is when we close, but if someone wants a book, then dammit, they should still get it.
“Let me know if you need anything,” I call to the customer, glancing over my shoulder to the entryway.
I turn back to the shelves when my brain catches up with my eyes.
Was that…?
“We do.” Two voices. They speak in unison, and the hair on my arms stands on end.
No way. It can’t be them.
But I’m too full of traitorous hope. They disappeared from my life. It’s just my imagination playing tricks on me. Cautiously, I turn around and…
Oh.
Wow.
They’re here. Together. In my store. Chase in jeans and a dark Henley, his soulful brown eyes locking with mine. Ryker, in a trim T-shirt, glorious arms on display, with those midnight blues that see inside me. The guys I love.
Wait. Hold on.
These are also the guys who broke my heart.
All at once, my hurt rushes to the surface. My throat tightens. The heartache I felt this last week pummels me all over, and I want to grab the nearest hardcover. Like that one right here—Paris Off The Beaten Path. I want to grab it and fling it at them.
But I’ve let my emotions get the best of me before.
I won’t let that happen again. Instead, I adjust my glasses, lift my chin, and plaster on a customer service smile.
“You must be looking for Ten Ways to Break Up with A Woman And Make It Look Like It’s For Her Own Good.
I can show it to you,” I say brightly. “We also have Five Great Lines To Use When Dumping Her Gently. And the perennial favorite, But We Can Be Friends, Right?”
I bat my lashes.
Chase blows out a breath. Ryker mouths oh shit.
“I’m sorry,” Chase begins, setting down a canvas bag he’s been holding.
“I’m so damn sorry,” Ryker continues, dropping his bag too.
“Cool. Apology accepted. You’ll find that title on the self-help shelves. It’s called Fool Me Once,” I say, staying strong, even as they step closer, walking past our bright and bubbly romance bestsellers display, full of pastel covers and delicious stories THAT ARE ALL A LIE.
“Trina,” Chase says again, but I back up. Toward the shelves. Toward the safety of books. “Can we please talk to you? There’s a book boyfriend move we have to do.”
“And it’s called The Grovel,” Ryker says.
Oh. Wow. They’re serious. This is real. They’re not just here to say they’re sorry. They’re here to grovel? I’ve never seen a real grovel.
“I fucked up badly the last week,” Chase begins. “I tried too hard to solve a problem, and I didn’t stop and think about what the gorgeous, amazing, incredible woman right in front of me actually needed.”
“And I just let you walk away,” Ryker says, jumping in. “That was the worst decision of my life. I should have fought for you. I should have tried to keep you. Because you’re incredible, and I can’t stop thinking about you.”
And as they come closer and the scent of pine mingles with the smell of the ocean, my defenses start to weaken.
Ryker’s gaze is so vulnerable. Chase’s voice is so earnest. Their words are so outrageously romantic.
But they still hurt me so much. They left me. “You really broke me,” I say, looking from one to the other, my tone as tough as can be. “Both of you. So much.”
“We know,” Chase says, never looking away. The intensity of his gaze strips off another layer of self-protection. “I want to make it up to you. We want to make it up to you,” he says, gesturing to Ryker.
The bearded, broody man swallows roughly, then says, “I’m crazy about you, Trina. I have been since probably the night I met you.”
“You hated me,” I say, challenging him.
“Only because I liked you from the start. You were fun and feisty, and you called me on my attitude and you never stopped doing that. And even when I tried not to fall for you, you did all these things—wanting to help me, wanting to know me, wanting to meet my family. I don’t trust easily, but you showed me what it’s like to trust completely in just a little over a week. ”
God, my heart is mush. Where are my defenses going? They are crumbling like weak bricks.
“And when I met you, I thought we had this dog bond going,” Chase picks up the dialogue.
“I thought that was our thing. But really, our thing was understanding each other, accepting each other, wanting to help the other see that…you’re enough.
On your own, Trina, you’re enough no matter what your family thinks.
Just like you showed me that I’m enough even without hockey. ”
That’s official. It’s melted. My heart is a puddle on the floor. I’m trembling and my bottom lip is quivering, and I’m so glad there are no customers here because I’m about to cry stupid tears of happiness.
“I love you,” Chase continues.
“And I love you,” Ryker says, then takes a beat. “And we want you to be…”
In unison, they say, “Ours.”
Gasping, I cover my mouth with my hand. This is too much. Too romantic. Too good to be true. Except, it is.
“I love you both too,” I blurt out, and then they’re both coming toward me and wrapping me up in their arms. Chase is on one side, Ryker on the other, and I can feel it—all of their love, all of their protection, all of their promises.
I have no idea how we’ll make this work. What I’ll tell my family. What they’ll say to the world. But in this moment, I don’t care. They’re here with me.
Where they belong.
When they let go, Chase retreats to root around in one of the bags, and Ryker in the other. Anticipation thrums through my cells.
A gift is coming my way, and I do like their gifts. Always have.
Chase goes first, handing me a fancy, festive, studded dog collar with a bow on it, and a shiny dog tag. I take it, curious why they’re giving me a dog collar, besides, well, the obvious. I have a dog.
But when I see the name and address on the tag, my breath catches. “Is this—”
Before I can finish, Ryker hands me a velvet pouch. I dip my fingers into it and take out a simple, silver key.
My heart gallops so fast. My throat clogs with emotion. “Are you—”
“Move in with us,” Chase says. “You and Nacho. We don’t want to go back to separate places. We want you with us.”
I look to Ryker, confused. “But you have your own place.”
“My place is with you,” he says, then shrugs helplessly. “I want us to share a home.”
Share.
That word has become my whole entire heart.
“What do you say to that?” Chase asks, so hopeful.
I’m hopeful too. “Yes. I say yes.”
And I let go of the hurt. I step into my future with my two guys.