Page 35

MAKAYLA

I blink back tears as I sink in the backseat of my ride to Stockholm, watching the snowy world flash by.

My phone keeps pinging—texts from Bryan. Those I answer. I don’t want my brother worrying, so I apologize for bolting and promise to explain once my head’s on straight. I ignore everything else—texts from Oscar, Alex, and Kellan.

I don’t want to talk to them. The betrayal feels catastrophic.

I’m sorry for not sticking around for the proposal, I text Bryan. Please, tell me you’re still proposing. That I didn’t ruin that, too…

Three dots. Don’t even worry about it. I’ll see you soon, he says.

It’s a long drive back to Stockholm. After a while, my tears dry up, and a cold determination takes their place.

I don’t need the Anderson triplets. I’m better off on my own, and thank goodness I realized who they were before I got too deep.

It’s almost like I’ve dodged a bullet. As long as I think about it that way, the pain is a little easier to bear.

After three layovers and too many hours in the air, I shuffle out of Arrivals bone-tired and ready to crawl home. But I need to talk to someone about what happened. Someone who’s been waiting for me to call back since before I flew to Sweden.

“Janet?” I ask as soon as her weary voice crackles through the line.

“Mac?” she answers, her voice a welcome balm. “Jesus, I haven’t heard from you in a decade. How are you?” she exaggerates.

“So much has happened,” I say. “Please tell me you’re free tonight.”

“Of course,” she answers. “What do you have in mind?”

“I’m at the airport,” I tell her. “Give me an hour and a half to go home and get changed. Then maybe we can meet at the Queen’s Bar?”

“It’s that kind of night, huh?” she teases.

“You have no idea,” I reply.

A fter a scalding shower, I slip into the first dress I grab and a pair of chunky heels, twist my hair into a messy knot, then hail a cab to Queen’s Bar to meet Janet.

She squeals when she spots me, and we hug for what feels like forever.

“Oh God, I needed this,” I murmur, soaking up Janet’s sunny energy. She’s always been a human battery—generous with affection and unfailingly bright, even when life on her side of the fence wasn’t rosy.

I’ve always tried to return the favor—that’s what best friends do, after all.

“I’ve been waiting forever,” she says, stepping back to smooth her bright orange crop top. Paired with bell-bottom jeans, Janet is a living flashback to the disco era.

“Sorry—it took me a minute to plant both feet on the ground,” I say with a rueful smile. “It’s been a hell of a week, Jan.”

A quick sweep of the room tells me it’s pre-club hour; patrons are downing rounds before heading to swanky—or, judging by some outfits, grungy-chic—clubs around the block. The music booms, and the sweet bite of seasonal cocktails hangs in the air, distracting every sense.

I shimmy my shoulders, pulling Janet back into another, shorter hug.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!” I shout over the buzz of voices and clinking glasses.

“It has been a minute, yes,” Janet agrees. “And I’m still reeling from the last bombshell you dropped about your boss.”

“To be honest, that feels like it’s from another lifetime, already,” I nervously laugh.

“I can’t believe you just walked out on the guy…” She flags the bartender and orders two more of her specialties.

Judging by the salt-rimmed glasses, we’re talking margaritas—perfect. I need the fuel.

“What other choice did I have?” I reply with a shrug. “I couldn’t… you know.”

“Oh, trust me, I get it,” she says. “Problem is… He’s spinning the whole thing in his favor. My manager hates his guts, though, so I know for a fact that not everybody is buying his version.”

Janet still works in the same building I did, though thankfully under a different, non-creepy boss. That’s how we became friends in the first place. Sharing our daily lives by the coffee machine or trading quick jokes by the watercooler.

She and I differ in many respects, but Janet sees things clearly, steering me back on track whenever I start to slip.

“He wanted me to sleep with him,” I grimly remind her.

“Did he say that?” Janet asks, genuinely curious. “Or was it one of his not-so-HR-friendly jokes he’s already notorious for around the office?”

“Not exactly in those words,” I admit. “But it was clear. He always had something to say about the way I dressed. Like, ‘Can’t you wear something more attractive?’ or ‘You’re hiding your best assets.’”

“No way!” Janet interjects.

“Yeah,” I tell her. “He actually told me I have a “nice rack” and that I was doing the company a disservice by wearing bulky sweaters.”

“Ugh.” Janet groans. “I think I just puked a little in my mouth. Why didn’t you ever give me the details on that scumbag? I knew he was awful, and it wasn’t hard to notice you could barely stomach him, but I chalked it up to the toxic company culture. I had no idea it was this bad.”

“Honestly, I hoped he’d eventually get bored—that another intern would come along or he’d leave me alone once he saw I wouldn’t cave.”

She laughs. “Honey, the man is well known for being a relentless skirt-chaser outside the company. I’ve heard rumors inside the company before, too, but none of the accusations stuck. I’m just… I’m sorry you had to deal with all of that.”

“One day I was in his office, and he was just staring at me. I got up to make him some coffee, and I saw that he had a hard-on,” I confess, feeling all the disgust of that day as if it was happening all over again. “I knew I had to get out, so I just stopped by HR to return my keycard and I left.”

“Did you tell them what he was doing?” Janet asks. “That’s harassment, plain and simple. He would’ve gotten fired, and you wouldn’t have had to leave your job.”

“Are you kidding?” I scoff. “They’ll never fire him. He’s the uncle of one of the board members, and no one would ever believe me without proof. He’d just deny everything.”

“I don’t know, Mac… It’s clearly a pattern,” Janet cuts me off. “What he did was wrong, and you shouldn’t have to suffer for it.”

I roll my eyes as the bartender slides our drinks across the bar. Behind us, a colorful jukebox automatically flips from one song to another, following a preset playlist of weekend favorites from the past couple of decades.

“Excellent—just what the doctor ordered,” I mutter, taking a long sip and licking the salt from the rim.

“How was Sweden?” Janet asks, her lips pressed to the rim of her glass as she studies me.

“So… I need a favor.”

“Terrible way to deflect. But I’ll play along. What’s the favor?” Janet wonders, her eyes sparkling with interest.

“On second thought, I do have to catch you up,” I concede. “I just don’t know where to start.”

“The beginning is always an option. But let’s go somewhere slightly quieter.”

Janet takes the other glass and we move toward the back of the room to find a place to sit. The venue is quite large, with a dance floor and a stage for performances. There are also plenty of booths lining the walls and a few scattered tables where people can congregate to eat and drink.

I snag a booth in the far corner, where the music isn’t quite so loud. Janet sits down opposite me and I begin to fill her in on my Sweden escapade.

“Do you remember the boys I told you about when I was growing up? Bryan’s three best friends who are identical triplets?” I begin.

“Of course,” Janet responds. “You had quite the crush on all three of them, if I recall. You crazy gal…”

“Yeah, well, they were there,” I explain. “Actually, the four of us shared a suite together, and one thing led to another…”

“One thing led to another?”

I stare at her while she fights a laugh. “Yes,” I reply.

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Janet doubles over, eyes wide with awe and shock. “By the stars, Mac… I knew you had a bit of a wild side to you, but I never thought you’d put any of that theory into practice.”

“I didn’t think I was capable, either, but Janet, I swear.

The Anderson triplets, they have a way about them.

I just couldn’t refuse. I didn’t want to refuse.

Hell, I wanted the whole thing, from top to bottom and everything in-between.

It was like a dream come true.” I pause to take a deep breath, then let it roll out of me like a shuddering sigh.

“All three, huh?”

“Not at once, not right away,” I say with a blush, my cheeks burning as I remember those sizzling moments. “We had the brakes on for a while. A short while.”

“How long did those brakes last?”

I give her a hard look. “You can guess.”

“Less than 24 hours?” she asks, and I nod once, which causes Janet to laugh again. “Now, that’s what I call unstoppable chemistry.”

“Yes, but with three guys? At once? It doesn’t strike you as, I don’t know, maybe clinically insane?”

“Not when there’s that kind of chemistry,” Janet replies with a shrug. “What can I say, Mac? I probably wouldn’t indulge, but if they did, if you did, it’s your business. Who the hell am I to judge? Did you like it?”

I can’t help but giggle with delight. “Oh, I loved every second of it…”

Janet’s eyes go wide. She puts a hand over her mouth as she digests the news. “Consider me stunned.” She pauses and gives me a curious look. “Hold on, they’re identical, right?”

“No, they’re not exactly the same,” I explain, sipping my drink.

“Oscar is a workaholic. He tries to be relaxed, but he really shines in the boardroom, and he knows it. Kellan is very laid back. When I first saw him in the hot tub, he was naked, and apparently that’s a big bone of contention between him and Oscar. ”

“A big bone, huh?”

I swat her shoulder. “Janet!”

“It was right there,” she chuckles. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. And while I’m impressed that you can discern the personality differences between them, it’s not what I was asking about.”

“You asked if the triplets are identical.”

“Not in character, sister.”