Page 10 of Paper and Passion (Ghostlight Falls #2)

“Oh, sweet, pretty girl,” Alex coos, stroking my hair. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

Adrian is quiet for a minute. His knuckles are white as he clenches around his water glass. It breaks, shattering in his grip. I jump with a yelp. Alex laughs.

“He’s fine,” she says.

He turns his palms over to show me. The cuts are deep, but they heal within seconds as I watch. He carefully brushes the glass into his napkin and sets it to the side of the table.

“Where did you say Chad works?” Adrian’s voice is deceptively calm, but there’s no mistaking the way his veins pop with tension.

“Oh, um, don’t hurt him. I’m fine. And apparently he and Samantha were really in love, because they got married that same day. Stole my wedding right out from under me.” I try to laugh it off, but it still stings. Not because I have feelings for him—or either of them—but rejection always hurts.

“We would never make you feel that way.” Alex pats my hand, then threads her fingers between mine. “Did you feel left out this afternoon?”

“No. But did you? I mean, you did most of the work and didn’t even get to… well, you know.”

Her smile is so beautiful. White teeth, full pink lips, a little more lifted on the left. It takes my breath away.

“As I told Adrian earlier, love isn’t transactional.

” She looks down at our fingers. “But someone you’re with should be invested in your pleasure, too.

It pleased me to go down on you. I never felt like you weren’t invested in what was happening or that you didn’t want me, so I never felt like you did with your ex. ”

The food arrives, and for a time, we’re all quiet as we eat.

The silence gives me space to think about what Alex said, but more than that, it gives me time to study the two of them.

There’s no awkwardness between them, only sweet looks and gentle touches.

Adrian holds up his fork for Alex to try his fish.

Alex gives him her megawatt smile. They don’t seem like they’re discontent and trying to fix something.

They seem completely and totally smitten with each other.

Maybe this could work.

“I’d like to try,” I whisper .

They both immediately look up from their food.

“I knew you would,” Alex says with a pleased grin. “You’re ours.”

The words are so simple, so certain.

“Alex,” Adrian’s voice has a warning in it I don’t understand. They share a look, and there’s tension between them that wasn’t there before.

“I don’t want to come between you,” I say, moving toward the edge of the bench seat.

Maybe I was wrong. I just finished telling them how I felt about threesomes, and now they’re already at odds with each other, though I’m not sure why.

What Alex said wasn’t anything different from what they’ve expressed so far.

Okay, maybe saying I’m theirs is jumping the gun a little. But it somehow feels true.

Does Adrian disagree?

I should go, leave them to work it out, and see where we all stand tomorrow.

When I move to get up, Adrian stops me, scooting his chair to block my exit from the booth. “Don’t misunderstand, sweetheart.”

“There’s no disagreement,” Alex adds.

“There’s just some things you should know first.” Adrian’s hand comes to my knee and gives it a light squeeze .

Just then, there’s a commotion on the other side of the restaurant. Someone drops a platter and it shatters on the floor.

“Let’s take a stroll by the waterfall,” Adrian suggests. He drops enough cash on the table to cover our meal and a generous tip, then takes my hand and leads us outside.

The night air feels crisp and cool, autumn just setting in.

I can hear the mermaids singing from somewhere under the waterfall, but can’t see them.

When I was young, I always wished I was a mermaid like them.

My grandma would bring me here whenever I needed to burn off some energy.

We’d swim and climb to the top of the falls and throw pinecones into the water.

“Earlier,” Alex starts, “when Adrian talked about knocking you up, that wasn’t just dirty talk.” She says each word slowly, like she’s feeling me out.

Adrian sighs. “Perhaps we should start by asking if you want children.”

“Yes, very much.” That’s an easy question to answer.

I was an only child, and my parents died when I was young, so I was raised by my grandma.

I’ve always dreamed about having a big family.

It was some of why I went along with Chad’s throuple idea in the first place.

Three parents. Lots of kids. Crowded dinner tables. Laughter. And lots of love.

But Chad was always wishy-washy on whether he wanted a family.

Alex and Adrian stop walking and make a collective sound of relief. Alex’s smile is bright even in the dark. She takes hold of my hips. “And how would you feel about having kids now?”

“Right now?” My voice comes out higher pitched than normal. She can’t be serious. We only just met.

“We aren’t like you, Tillie.” Adrian comes behind me as Alex presses closer, her hold on my hips tightening. “We can’t just knock each other up whenever we feel ready.”

Alex slides her hands up and down my sides. “I’m only fertile once every ten years, and it’ll happen soon.” She gives Adrian a concerned look. “Very soon.”

He brings a hand to her forehead and nods.

“But what does that have to do with me?”

“We can’t create life without a human,” Adrian says from behind me, lips close to my ear, voice low. “ Our human. Our mate. One human who will give us offspring and, in doing so, bond with us for life.”

“For life?” I shiver, whether from the cold or his words, I’m not sure. “What do you mean?”

“When our seed takes root in you, it’ll change you.” Adrian rubs my arms. “You’ll become more like us. Longer life. The ability to breathe underwater.”

“Will I have tentacles?” I can’t decide if I like that idea or not. They’re super hot, but I think I’d feel weird without my hair.

Alex shakes her head. “Our babies will, though. They’ll have a little of all three of us.”

Babies. Mine and hers and his. The idea is strange, but no stranger than anything else in this town.

“This is too fast,” I whisper, unable to meet Alex’s eyes. “I need to think about it.”

“Take all the time you need,” Adrian whispers sweetly. He wraps his arms around both me and Alex, cocooning us in his warmth.

“Not all the time.” Alex nips at my shoulder.

“I’ll wait another decade if we have to,” Adrian says, as calm and cool as ever. “Now that we’ve found you, I’ll wait however long you need.”

“And I’d bond you right this very second.” Alex drops a line of kisses up my neck.

Adrian chuckles, the sound vibrating against my back. “She’s always been the impulsive one, but you should know, I’m just as all in. Say the word, and I’ll pull my cock out right here and coat you with my cum.”

Unable to speak, I tremble between them. Why is that so hot? I want his cum in me more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I want a part of both of them inside me. A family. With them.

But I shouldn’t want that. Not yet. It’s too soon. We just met today.

How do I know they won’t end up exactly like Chad and Samantha the second we’re bonded?

What if they’re just using me in order to have a child, and once I give them that, they’ll ignore and reject me?

I can’t go through that again. Especially with them.

I already feel so connected to them. Losing them would devastate me.

“I need time.” I push out of their arms, and they let me go. My car is parked back at the visitor center, and I don’t feel like making that trek right now, so I go back to Sheet-y to clean up and think about the mess I’m in now.

They don’t protest or follow.

But as I open the door to the shop, Alex calls out, “See you tomorrow, pretty girl.”