Page 86 of Fractured Hearts

“I bet this puts a wrench in the wedding plans,” I mutter to myself and then stifle a laugh. I don’t think anyone could hear it over the ruckus out there, but I’m not risking it. “Too bad. I was really looking forward to that exotic Pittsburgh venue.” I can’t help the laugh that escapes this time. Once I calm down, I realize it’s eerily silent.

Sitting up slowly, I spin on my butt and face the door. There’s a loud thump and then a grunt. I stand quickly, sway a little, and grab one of the empty wine bottles from the table. I left them there neatly and not on the floor because I’m not a heathen. Raising the bottle above my head, I watch as the door slowly opens with a loud groan; the metal protesting against all the dust and debris.

My heart beats wildly in my chest, and I stop breathing when I see the man who squeezes his way inside. “Ezra?” I whisper, pretty sure this is a wine dream. That’s a thing, right?

“Oh god,” Ezra whimpers, then runs for me. I’m in his arms, the wine bottle dropping to the floor and shattering. “Sweetheart, you’re okay.” I think he’s saying that more to himself. Then I see the blonde head of hair that flies into the room and wedges her way in between us.

“Angel?” I still can’t believe they’re both here. I pull away and cup each of their cheeks in my hands. Ezra first and then Jo. They’re real, and they’re here. Other than looking like they haven’t slept in a week, they’re healthy. At least I think that until my eyes find Ezra’s shirt. “You’re hurt!”

“He’s going to be more hurt when we get back and Martha sees how many stitches he’s ripped,” Jo jokes. She’s smiling with tears streaming down her face. Ezra is, too. Eyes shining with happiness and relief. One set brown, one set blue. I know mine are the same. I pull them both back into my embrace, trying to be careful of Ezra’s injury, but he won’t allow it, making sure we’re as close together as possible.

“Uh, guys? What did you find?” I hear Kai yell.

“I’m alive, dude! I drank too much wine and my tummy hurts!” I yell back. I can hear Kai chuckle, or maybe I just think I hear it because I know the sound so well. I’m alive. I have the two people I love most in the world in my arms, and it sounds like everyone I consider family is here, too. There’s nothing more I could ask for or care about.

Actually, wait.

“Where’s Patrick?”

Jo turns green, and Ezra pales.

“You really don’t want to know what happened, but he’s gone,” Ezra supplies, rubbing Jo’s back and looking concerned. I know with how Ezra is relaxed, even if he is bleeding and worried about Jo losing her lunch on his shoes, that Patrick is dead.

“Aw, man, that means no donut wall,” I say and laugh. I laugh even harder when I notice the confused looks on their faces. Jo shakes her head and grabs both of us by the hand. I just smile and let her lead us home.

ninety-two

JO

I was so tired I could sleep for days, but also so wired I think I could run a marathon. Darren stitched Ezra back up, and Martha withheld her lecture when she saw the way Maverick was clinging to him, probably having realized what happened before Ezra even explained it. Our group was heading home. To their actual houses this time and not a hotel or Jeanne’s. Even Harlow let me know that she and Cal were packing up Cora and the puppy and heading out in the morning. Cal really missed his house and hovering over everyone he loves. Jasper is staying with Willa and Declan for the night before he flies back to Nashville. Declan seemed a little too excited to have another athlete in the house, so hopefully he lets Jasper leave.

Maverick muttered something about needing to renovate his bathroom before we went home, so we’re all squished into the bench seat of Ezra’s truck on the way back to the cliff house. I’m driving since I’m the only one not injured or drunk. Although Maverick is probably fine to drive by now, but I’ve long since gone past my ability to give up control and need some of it back.

Maverick is sitting in the middle with his hands firmly on both mine and Ezra’s thighs. “Darren said he went and locked the house up for us,” he says, breaking the silence. It wasn’t awkward, but sometimes Maverick just hates quiet. We chat about inconsequential things for the rest of the drive. What food we should pick up at the store tomorrow, how long it’ll take Cal to show up at the door and demand we come home, whether the plant Ezra bought me for my birthday is still alive. They’re the silly and mundane conversations that I thought I might never have again.

Maverick’s place always felt like home to me, but not in the same way this small house does. The minute we walk in, I realize why. Ezra walks around and examines the rooms, checking the windows as he goes. It’s him. He’s what was missing from Maverick’s house. Here I get to have them both.

“Why are you smiling, Bambi?” Ezra asks, smiling just as wide as I am. He walks over to me and pulls me to him by the back of my neck. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he says, before kissing me with a tenderness that melts my heart.

“Holy shit! When did this happen?”

We break apart quickly and look at Maverick. We meant to talk to him about us, but I guess we forgot the moment we walked through the door. The sheer happiness on his face put us at ease. This is one of the best things about Maverick. He doesn’t question Ezra on his sexuality or ask for a timeline of when and where we got together. He’s just so happy that we are.

“This is the best! I kind of hated that it wasn’t all three of us and just me as the center. This is so much better. I love that you guys love each other just like I love you,” Maverick exclaims and then pauses, realizing what he just said. His expression sobers into a much more serious one. We haven’t exchanged the ‘L’ word yet. Not that we’ve had time to do that.

Ezra and I open our arms to him, and he immediately embraces both of us. “I love you. I love you both so fucking much,” he says. Kissing Ezra first, then me. Maverick kisses with an intensity that Ezra matches with softness. You’d think it would be the other way around from the look of them.

“I love you, too, Maverick,” I tell him, taking his mouth in a slow kiss that has me throbbing between my legs. I turn to Ezra, but he kisses me before I can say anything, like maybe he already knows I love him or he’s too scared to find out I don’t. It doesn’t matter because I’ll show him how much I love him every day.

“Bed,” I gasp against his lips. I’m pulled from Ezra’s arms and thrown over Maverick’s shoulder. I squeal when he climbs the stairs two at a time. It’s unnerving from this position.

“Who do you want, angel?” Maverick rasps as he strips me and then himself in record time. Ezra moves a little more slowly. I catch his eye, and I see the burning heat there.

“I want Ezra under me and you behind me.”

I watch Ezra lay carefully on the bed, the fear of getting his stitches fixed again overriding his lust enough for him to take precaution. His dick stands proudly at attention, and I lick my lips as I watch him stroke it slowly.

“Fuck, baby, that’s hot.” Maverick stands beside me, stroking his own impressive length as he watches our boyfriend. Ezra swipes a bead of precum from his tip with his thumb and sucks it into his mouth, keeping eye contact with me the entire time. My mouth waters, and I pounce on him, taking him to the back of my throat and sucking like my life depends on it. I moan around the taste of him. “Oh, fuck. I could come just watching the two of you.”