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Jake’s hold on me tightens, his thumb rubbing reassuring circles against my stomach, as he presses a gentle kiss against my neck. Miles closes the distance between us, stopping when he’s right in front of me.

There’s a pain in his eyes that I hate seeing, but when he rests his hand on my face, his thumb stroking over my cheek, I’m relieved to see the smile he gives me.

“We never wanted you to feel like that, Gorgeous Girl.”

“We’re nothing without you,” Jake adds.

His voice against my ear sends a shudder down my spine, and for the first time in days, I feel like I can really breathe.

Miles lets out another sigh, looking a little deflated as he stares at me with his beautiful blue eyes. “Part of this is my fault. I’ve been letting my body and my heart guide me in the moment, but then my own insecurities get into my head, and that’s prevented me from communicating properly with you both. So why don’t we do that now?”

Miles takes hold of my hand and starts leading me over to the couch. Jake doesn’t let go of me, allowing himself to be pulled along with us.

When I go to sit, Jake picks me up and sits first, pulling me onto his lap. He wraps his arms around me again, snuggling his face into the crook of my neck, making me feel warm and safe.

Miles sits beside us, a small smile on his face when he sees how comfortable we are. At first, there’s silence, as if we’re each waiting for someone else to start. Ever the grown-up of the group, Miles clears his throat to speak first.

“I’ve been spending time with each of you, working on the issues I need to overcome from the past. As you know, my insecurities won’t go away overnight, but I am trying to build trust with you both.”

Initially, he addresses both of us, his bright-blue eyes flicking between us as he speaks. Then he pauses, pulls in a breath, and turns to Jake.

“Jake, I’ve been sleeping in Dee’s room since she moved in because she has nightmares. That first night, her screaming woke me up, and I rushed in to check on her. I stayed, as it was the only way she’d be able to get back to sleep. The second night, the same thing happened.

“When I’m with her, she’s able to sleep without nightmares disturbing her, so I kept joining her each night after that. It’s not something we discussed. I just went to her every night, wanting to help in any way I could.”

Jake groans loudly beside my ear, and I turn to see him roughly dragging one of his hands through his dirty-blond hair, pulling on the ends slightly in frustration. When his gaze meets mine, he looks almost like he’s in pain.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were having nightmares, Baby? I could have helped.”

The flutters in my stomach almost turn into a tornado when he calls mebaby, while the rest of my body floods with embarrassment at him learning how weak I am. My cheeks flush and I drop my gaze, unable to bear the way he’s staring at me.

“I would have told you, but our time together gave me the opportunity to talk to Miles, and we really needed that. We talked about our past, and we both explained our sides of the story, helping each other understand why things happened the way that they did. I didn’t want to lose that,” I admit, hoping like hell Jake doesn’t take my admission the wrong way.

When his lips tip up into an understanding smile, I breathe a sigh of relief. “That’s fair,” he says, pressing a kiss to my neck that makes me shiver.

Miles agrees with me. “I’m grateful that it gave us the time to talk, too. It certainly helped me understand a little more, and it’s the reason I decided to give you a second chance. But I am sorry I didn’t communicate that properly. Honestly, I only recently decided that I was going to try and leave the past where it belongs, and I didn’t know how to bring it up.”

I can’t help the grin that lights up my face as I ask, “What happened recently that made you decide to give me a second chance?”

There’s not been one specific moment recently that would have been a game changer, helping him to decide to give me a second chance, and my nosiness is getting the better of me.

Miles shuffles in his seat, his gaze flicking between me and Jake, looking a little nervous. “Honestly? I decided to give Jakea second chance, and I figured I couldn’t give him one without you, too. You both broke my heart in different ways, but you had reasons for doing it. I decided to give you both a little trust, and hope you don’t hurt me.”

“We won’t,” Jake says adamantly as I nod in agreement.

“So, something happened between you?” I ask, more through curiosity than accusing them of something.

Miles nods, the most delicious blush spreading across his cheeks as he looks at Jake, and the heat in their gazes makes my core burn. “Yeah, it was the other night in the office at the club.”

Jake chuckles as he expands on what Miles has left out. “We gave each other blowjobs, and it was really fucking hot.”

My eyes widen and my core tightens as the mental images flash in my head, heating me up in a way I never expected. “And since then?”

Miles shakes his head. “Some kissing, flirting, and hugging, but that’s all,” he replies quickly, sounding nervous.

I give him a reassuring smile as I slowly nod in acknowledgment, my brain running rampant. “Okay,” I reply tentatively, not trusting myself to say anything more.

Miles lets out a long sigh as he relaxes back against the sofa, rubbing his hand over his face. “I think the time has come for us to talk about what this is between us, and to come up with some ground rules, so that nobody feels left out.”