Page 34 of Love Loathe Devotion (Tightrope #3)

The leash slips from my fingers, and Merlyn darts ahead a few steps, sniffing something invisible near the base of the fence.

The morning air is cool, mist still clinging to the edges of the grass like the world hasn’t fully woken up yet.

The house behind me is quiet—too quiet—and the space Eddie usually fills is still. .. empty.

I’ve fed the horses. Walked the property. Run Merlyn through a few basic commands. Still, the ache under my sternum won’t budge.

I miss him.

I’m trying not to wallow, but his message from last night lingers like fog in my chest, and there’s this gnawing feeling that he’s holding something back. That something—or someone—is making things harder on the other side of the world.

Merlyn sits beside me, tongue lolling, tail gently wagging as I bend to unclip her leash.

“That’s it,” I murmur, scratching behind her ears. “You and me against the world.”

That’s when I hear it.

Tires on gravel.

I straighten, shielding my eyes against the morning sun, just as a sleek black Audi pulls up the driveway. My heart stutters. It’s unfamiliar. Sleek. Too clean for these roads.

Then the driver’s side door opens and out bounces a flash of pink hair, combat boots, and a whole lot of Cherry.

“Cherry?”

She grins like the cat who’s about to steal the canary—and maybe burn down the whole coop for fun. “Surprise!” she calls, waving her oversized iced coffee in one hand and adjusting her sunglasses with the other. “Spa day, bitch. Get dressed.”

“You weren’t kidding about that?”

Cherry plants one hand on her hip. “Laney, I’ve been puking every morning for a month straight, and if I don’t get a scalp massage and someone to rub hot stones on my back, I’m going to punch someone in the face. Possibly a stranger. Possibly a nun. It’s getting dicey.”

I laugh, warmth blooming in my chest. “You dramatic little gremlin.”

“Excuse you, I’m glowing. Or I will be, once I get exfoliated back to life.”

The other doors open and two strangers step out. One is tall and elegant in a floral maxi dress, with dark hair flowing past her shoulders, streaked through with vivid blue, and a calm grace about her that immediately soothes the space around her. The other?

The other is a glitter bomb in human form.

Bleach-blond hair, silver rings on every finger, mirrored pink sunglasses, and a tank top that sparkles ‘ICONIC. NO NOTES.’ as he struts around the car like a runway is about to appear under his feet.

“Laney,” Cherry says, tossing an arm around my shoulder. “Meet my best friend since we were twelve, Lexi. She’s the calm to my chaos, not spiritual at all, and somehow still chooses to hang out with me.”

Lexi smiles as she walks over and offers her hand. “It’s true. I’m her permanent damage-control companion. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“And this,” Cherry continues, gesturing with her cup, “is Frankie. He works at my mom’s salon, gossips better than any small-town bartender, and will absolutely ask if he can fix your ends within the next ten minutes. Just say yes. It’s easier.”

Frankie strikes a pose. “The rumors are true. I do hair. I cause drama. And I serve looks. Now come here, sunshine.”

He pulls me into a hug that smells like citrus and expensive mousse. “You’re even prettier in person. Eddie didn’t do you justice. You’re like a golden retriever and a goddess had a baby.”

My cheeks flush. “Wow, uh. Thank you?”

Merlyn barks, offended that someone other than her is being adored, and trots up to sniff his boots.

“Oh,” Frankie gasps, crouching down. “And she’s perfect. What did we do to deserve her?”

Lexi crouches beside him, running a hand down Merlyn’s back. “This is already the best part of my week.”

Cherry claps her hands. “All right! Laney, grab your stuff. We’re stealing you. Spa time waits for no emotionally exhausted country princesses.”

“I haven’t even showered yet—”

“That’s what the spa is for,” Cherry says, heading toward the porch like she owns it. “Trust me, you’re not saying no. Eddie gave us full permission to drag you if we had to. He even told me where the snacks are in the kitchen, so don’t make me go full-blown pregnant hostage negotiator.”

I shake my head, smiling now despite myself. “You’re unbelievable.”

Frankie loops an arm through mine. “And fabulous. Let’s go, darling. Steam, tea, gossip. And you’re going to tell me everything about the night he kissed you for the first time.”

Cherry winks. “And I’ll give you the behind-the-scenes dirt on this one,” she says, jerking a thumb toward Frankie. “But that’s spa talk.”

I glance at Merlyn, who gives me a hopeful tail wag like she’s voting for this plan too.

I sigh, my chest already lighter than it’s felt all week. “All right. Spa it is. Okay,” I say, pausing on the porch, one foot still inside the house. “But what about Merlyn? I can’t just leave her here all day. She’ll chew through my laundry basket again or try to eat the couch.”

Cherry waves a hand like I’m being dramatic—which, okay, fair. “Handled. Get in the car.”

“Wait—what? Handled how?”

She sighs like I’m the slowest student in class. “Get. In. The. Car, Laney.”

“Cherry—”

“You’re bringing the dog.”

I blink. “What?”

She’s already popping open the back door of the sleek black Audi like we’re escaping the apocalypse. “I’m dropping her off with Jake. He’s got the day off, he loves dogs, and he needs a break from deep-diving YouTube content about brisket rubs before he invests in his own smoker line.”

I hesitate, glancing at Merlyn, who’s already bouncing around the driveway like she’s in on the plan. “Are you sure he won’t mind?”

Cherry gives me that grin—sharp and knowing. “Laney, Jake’s obsessed with me. He’d raise a baby alpaca if I told him it helped my nausea. He’ll worship the dog. He’ll probably get her a personalized water bowl before noon.”

Lexi slides into the front passenger seat and turns toward me, her voice warm and smooth. “It’s true. Jake is totally gone for her. He’s a dangerous-looking billionaire with abs that could slice fruit, but put Cherry in the room and he turns into a golden retriever.”

Frankie, glittering in the back seat and fanning himself with a rolled-up copy of GQ, lets out a dramatic sigh. “He’s so hot, though. Like ‘hostile takeover in a tailored Tom Ford suit while giving you bedroom eyes’ hot. I would absolutely let him financially ruin me.”

I laugh, shaking my head as I lift Merlyn into the back seat. “You all need help.”

Lexi smirks. “Frankie can’t talk—he practically needs CPR every time Hunter walks into a room.”

I slide in beside Merlyn. “Wait—Hunter?”

“My husband,” Lexi says, her voice somehow even calmer. “He’s the CEO of a Communications empire. Ridiculously tall, always in black, and makes other boardroom alphas look like interns.”

Frankie presses a hand to his chest. “He’s a walking thirst trap. When he picked up Theo in that charcoal cashmere and called Lexi ‘mama’, I almost ascended to another plane.”

Lexi blushes, rolling her eyes but clearly used to the attention. “Okay, okay. Yes. He’s a good man. And a terrifyingly good-looking one.”

“Hunter looks at Lex and that baby like they’re the only stars in his sky,” Cherry adds as she adjusts her sunglasses and pulls onto the road. “It’s nauseating. In a cute way.”

I glance between them, my heart squeezing a little in my chest. The teasing, the warmth, the way they talk about their men like they’re more than just lovers—they’re home.

I miss Eddie with a kind of quiet ache that wraps around my ribs.

Turning toward Frankie, I smile. “So, what about you? You have a man?”

He gasps like I’ve proposed to him. “Laney, that is a spa story. And trust me, you want the full, uncut version. There will be hand gestures. Maybe tears.”

Lexi laughs. “And glitter. Always glitter.”

“Also,” he adds with a wink, “it involves a yacht, a Gemini, and a very illegal parrot.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Okay, now I really need that story.”

Cherry just grins. “Told you this would be fun. Let’s go get pampered, gossip like we’re getting paid for it, and remind you that you’re still a goddess, even when you feel like a ghost.”

And just like that, I let myself get swept into their chaos—glamorous, ridiculous, and weirdly healing.

And for the first time in days, I actually breathe.

We pull up to a house that could absolutely be on the cover of Architectural Digest. Sleek lines, clean glass, soft wood paneling, and not a blade of grass out of place. There’s a quiet luxury to it—expensive without being showy. Like the kind of place you don’t stumble on by accident.

As soon as Cherry parks, the front door swings open.

Jake steps out like a damn magazine ad come to life.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and all casual perfection in gray joggers and a soft black tee that clings to muscles that do not belong to a man who sits at a desk.

His dark brown hair is slightly tousled, like he just ran a hand through it on his way to kiss his wife—and judging by the way his eyes light up the second he sees her, I’d bet he was already thinking about it.

Cherry barely shuts the car door before he’s there, curling an arm around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss that makes me glance away.

It’s not PDA for attention—it’s real. Grounded. Like he’s been waiting all morning just to taste her mouth.

“Hi,” she says against his lips, smug and breathless.

“Hi,” he murmurs back, hand spread protectively across her lower back like he owns every inch of her.

When they finally break apart, he turns to me with a warm smile. “You must be Laney. I’m Jake.”

I shake his hand, trying to blink the swoon out of my system. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for watching Merlyn.”

“My pleasure,” he says, crouching down to greet the pup. Merlyn gives him an instant tail-wag of approval. “I’ve been dying for an excuse to get away from Hunter and the spreadsheet war.”

“Spreadsheet war?”

Speak of the devil.

Hunter appears in the doorway, somehow even taller than Jake, with darker hair and this intense, alpha energy that could probably make entire rooms go silent. He’s dressed in all black—tailored joggers, fitted zip-up, and the kind of posture that says CEO and black belt.

In his arms, he holds a toddler.

Tiny, dark-haired, clutching a plush fox and blinking up at us with sleepy curiosity.

Mini-Hunter.

My heart squeezes so tight I forget to breathe.

“Hi,” he says, walking over and kissing Lexi like no one else is here. It’s sweet but loaded, the kind of kiss that speaks volumes in one second. When he pulls back, he nods to me. “You must be Laney. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You too,” I manage, quietly melting.

Hunter shifts Theo in his arms and glances at Jake. “We narrowed it down to five. I highlighted the pros and cons.”

Lexi turns to me and mutters, “They’re comparing car seat designs again.”

Jake straightens up. “It’s not a joke. Safety specs matter.”

Cherry rolls her eyes. “They’re all crash-tested. You act like the baby’s gonna be in a Formula 1 accident.”

Jake’s eyes narrow in that dangerous way. “I’m not taking any chances with our kid.”

And just like that, Cherry’s whole face softens. “Okay, baby,” she says gently, and kisses his cheek.

Frankie makes a dramatic noise from behind me. “Swoon. They’re so annoying. Why don’t I have a man who cross-references infant product safety like it’s his side hustle?”

Hunter smirks. “You wouldn’t survive one date with me.”

“I’d die happy,” Frankie fires back without missing a beat.

Lexi laughs and slides her arm through Hunter’s. “He means that. Don’t tempt him.”

I stand there watching all of them—these powerhouse couples, glowing with affection and quick-witted banter, completely unafraid to show how much they love each other—and something in my chest pulls taut.

I want this.

I want Eddie here. With his hand in mine, his mouth brushing my ear as we laugh with friends, his eyes on me like I’m the only thing that matters.

I want the easy comfort. The deep love. The home and the family and the quiet certainty that the person you love is also your life.

But a voice in the back of my mind whispers: What if this isn’t where your story goes? What if he leaves, and nothing is the same after?

I shove it down.

Because right now, I’m part of this—invited in, wrapped up in the warmth of it. And that has to be enough for today.

“All right,” Cherry says, turning back toward the car. “Puppy secured. Husbands successfully admired. Back to operation: steam the sadness out of Laney’s bones.”

Jake kisses her again before opening the front door. “Try to relax. And call me if you need anything.”

Frankie’s already sliding back into the Audi. “Don’t worry, sugar daddy. We’ll take good care of her.”

As we pull away, I glance out the window.

Jake is rubbing Merlyn’s ears, and Hunter’s bouncing Theo gently on his hip as the little boy points at the car and babbles something that makes both men smile.

And my heart aches so beautifully, I almost forget to breathe.