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They both sit on the edge of the bed, watching me as I pace back and forth, wanting to remember everything and tell them once so I don’t have to ever repeat any of it. Iris grabs Beau’s hand, holding it while they listen. I continue, “At the time, it was no big deal. Every woman on campus wants me so it was a no brainer to find the woman, get what I needed and be done with it. My night took a twisted turn when the woman I was searching for, turned out to be you. I knew then and there you were in danger, most likely because your father had done something, and the society was keeping tabs.”
“Did they say as much?” she asks.
Beau shakes his head. “They don’t tell us anything but the bare minimum.”
“He’s right. But, like I said, the thing standing out to me the most was your safety being in jeopardy, pair it with the fact the woman I’ve dreamed of seeing for years was in front of me, and I was all in from that point on. I made sure you wore my clothes through the party so the multiple witnesses working for the society would report back how I’d made my claim on you. The idiots around campus would be smart enough to back off and the powerful people would realize I was ready to go public with you. Anything happening to you after my silent announcement, and it would’ve been the only thing everyone on campus would be talking about. Not only them, but their parents, and things would get messy for the society. Hell, one call to my father and he’d be throwing a lavish party in our names, making it even more public, so I thought it was a step in the right direction.”
“What about the information they want? I doubt the society would simply give up their search.”
“They didn’t.” I shake my head, running my hand over the back of my neck. “I had to give them your phone and laptop.”
“My phone? But… how? When? It never leaves my side.”
“When you were doing your sorority group activities.”
“Oh my God, I remember now. I had like twenty people call and text then it showed up out of nowhere. I thought I’d been too tired I somehow overlooked it, but the entire thing never sat right with me.”
“Now you know.”
She nods. “And I wouldn’t have noticed my laptop missing if it wasn’t for very long. You and Beau have had my mind tied up in knots, it’s kept me distracted, much more than I typically am.”
Beau leans forward, releasing her hand to rest his elbows on his thighs. He sighs. “I have a feeling there’s a lot we don’t know.And now with the three of us, where do we go from here with this trio?”
“I’m not giving Iris up,” I immediately respond. I love her and I need her in my life. I want both of them. “But I don’t want to give you up either, Beau. This situation has turned into a clusterfuck.”
Iris stands, wrapping her arms around my waist. “It’ll be okay, Kingston. We’ll figure this thing out with the society and us.”
“How?” I grit, my chest tight with emotion. “We all know the consequence of not following an order from the society will be harsh at best.”
“To start, I’m not walking away from either of you, ever again. I love you both, with everything I am. I would never do anything to come between you, but I can’t help how I feel.”
“Baby, we love you too.” Beau pulls her into his lap and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear while she smiles and gazes into his eyes. “And for this to work, we have to be completely honest with everyone in this room. There can’t beanysecrets.”
Dread enters my veins and even though I’m starting to lose my mind wondering what he’s referring to, I stand in feigned patience in front of them both.
Iris rises to her feet and takes my hands in hers. “Kingston. The past few weeks have been some of my favorite memories and I will cherish them forever. Just like the memories Beau and I have shared through the years.” Her confidence wavers just slightly before she begins again. “My history with Beau goes back to when we were kids.”
“Yeah. And if you remember correctly, I was right there with you both. The three of us were inseparable.”
“Beau was myfirst.We had sex right before my father made me move away.”
The betrayal of her admission and what it means practically chokes me. The one person I thought I knew better than I know myself has kept this little secret from me for years. He gets the free pass on the recent stuff because he can hide behind the initiation of the society. But the years of our tightly bonded friendship should’ve been reason enough for him to spill the fuckin’ beans on this.
With a huff, I drop her hands and resume my pacing. “When you think you know someone like the back of your fucking hand… and then you discover they’ve had secrets for years. Tell me Beau, do you get off on knowing you fucked her first?”
“No. It wasn’t about you, King. What we shared has never been about you.”
Iris interrupts. “I love you both and I don’t want you two fighting over this. When I fell for each of you doesn’t matter because at the end of it all, I can’t choose between you two and refuse to try. We’re together now, how we’re supposed to be.”
“Baby, this anger I’m feeling isn’t meant for you. This is all for Beau and the years of us talking about missing you and wondering where you were. There were thousands of opportunities for him to come clean about the two of youlongbefore you showed up at Bentley. At one point we’d come up with a plan to go see you and bring you home. It hadn’t happened, but now I can’t help but wonder what would’ve gone down if we had. I was in love with you then, just like I am now.”
Beau sighs, pulling my stare to him. “I should have. And if I could go back in time, it would be the first thing I did.” He remains sitting on the bed, but has his head lowered. “I was in a fucked-up place and I’m not one for talking through shit; you understand me better than anyone and I know you recognized the darkness I was dealing with.”
“Yeah, I fucking noticed. Hard to miss a broody, miserable asshole.” God, I want to beat his ass. The high road I’m walkingright now by not punching him in his fucking face isn’t one I usually take.
“If he had told you back then, I wouldn’t have you both. You would’ve kept your distance from me because he’s your best friend. You and I would’ve never happened. Everything is for a reason and here we are today because of our past. Because of the decisions we made.”
I nod. “Yes. Here we are with death threats coming any moment… all in love, while some of us have no idea just how fucked we are.” I can’t pretend this is all going to turn out perfect with the love of my life, my best friend, and I all playing house together. This is deep shit we’re in and I have no clue how to get us out of it.
