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Jud raised his eyebrows. “Seriously?”
Ada wrapped her arms around her waist and glanced back at the twins playing in the water. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I just… I don’t know.”
Jud rested his hand on the small of her back. “It’s okay, Ada.”
Collin and I exchanged a look, waiting on Jud to lay claim to her the way he had been in Collin’s office. We were both almost knocked off our feet by what he said next, though.
“You don’t need an answer. You don’t have to choose.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Are you coming in for lunch?”
Ada looked just as confused as I felt when she turned into him. “Jud…”
He kissed her and tried to tuck one of her unruly curls behind her ear unsuccessfully. “I’ve waited a decade, Ada. You’ll be surprised by how much I’m willing to do for you. We can talk later, though. Okay?”
My heart pounded as I watched my little brother flay himself open for Ada. His words held such a depth of honesty that I knew he meant it. If Ada never chose between the three of us, he’d still give himself to her fully. I realized I’d never felt that way about anyone before. I’d never loved so wholly and selflessly. I didn’t even think it was possible.
Collin rubbed at his chest and I wondered if he was feeling the same thing I was. “Well, anything I say now is going to sound lame.”
Ada laughed through the tears filling her eyes. She cupped Jud’s cheek and then stepped back. “This is crazy.”
Jud nodded. “Yeah, but we’re not bored. That’s something.”
He and Collin went ahead of me towards the house, leaving me to share one meaningful look with Ada before I followed them.
Back in the kitchen, Jud sat at the island and let out a big breath. “Well, shit.”
Collin stood across from him and I sat next to him. We all stayed quiet, lost in our own thoughts, until David came in with bags of groceries and screamed when he saw us sitting there.
“What are you guys doing? You scared me!” He looked at our pensive faces and shook his head. “Oh, no! You’re letting me go, aren’t you? What did I do? Was it the orange juice? That was someone else. The sour cream? That was someone else, too. I can’t name names but I swear it wasn’t me.”
I shook my head at him. “No, you’re not fired, David. We’d starve to death without you. We’re just sitting here.”
“That’s weird. I’m really glad you’re not firing me, but this is just as weird.” He blew out a relieved sigh. “Speaking of starving, I ran into Henry from the diner today. He was very upset with me and seems to think I don’t let you all leave the house. He couldn’t understand why else you haven’t been in for breakfast in over a month.”
Collin frowned. “Henry?”
“The owner of the diner that you used to visit once a week?” David started unpacking bags of groceries. “Whydidyou stop going?”
I frowned, thinking back. The last time we were there, the waitress got our order wrong. That had happened before, though, and we always went back. The only other thing that changed was Ada. She’d turned breakfast into an experience. Every morning, there was something.
“We just stopped, I guess.” I shrugged and pretended like I wasn’t reeling from seeing how much we’d changed since Ada arrived. Our routines had been so exact before her.
“Uh huh.” David laughed to himself. “Sure.”
I looked out the window and could just see Ada playing in the water with the kids. She’d changed so much already. I wasn’t sure I could handle it if things kept changing.
33
***Ada***
ThenightbeforeKendall’sperformance I spent with her because she was incredibly nervous. I wasn’t sad to avoid the guys or my room. I was so confused and thrown off by everything that had happened. I didn’t know what the guys wanted or even what I wanted. I just knew that I was freaking out. I’d slept with all three brothers without thinking about it for a moment and I was ashamed. I was terrified, too. I’d found my mystery man but I felt like things were already so twisted. I wasn’t even in their house for honest reasons. They were still the guys who’d gotten me fired so easily. They were still crappy a lot of the time. But my heart raced when I was around them and my body reacted to each of them.
I felt like crying that night and ended up falling asleep on Kendall’s floor after talking her down for the sixth time. She’d forgotten to mention that she was in the play with Beck. She still hadn’t found out if Beck liked her so she was going crazy with her teenage hormones.
I drove Kendall to her camp that morning so she could get ready for the play and then I went back home and hid away with the boys until it was time to get ready for the play. Kendall had been kind enough to tell me that the parents always dressed up for the plays, to make the kids feel like it was even more real.
I dressed Milo in the cutest suit I’d ever seen and made sure the twins were clean and knew what to put on. Then I retreated to my room and stared at my closet. I still hadn’t gotten the rest of my things from my parents. They’d picked it up but had informed me that they were busy with a few parties so they couldn’t bring it to me yet. I was fine with that, since my parents meeting people always left me feeling mortified but I’d only grabbed a few necessities the morning I’d left Camden. I was mid-panic with Milo tugging at my shirt for me to hold him when Collin showed up in my doorway.
Seeing him in what had come to feel likemyspace made me flush and I immediately picked Milo up as a shield. He was in a tux and I looked him over appreciatively before realizing what I was doing. “Um… Hi.”
