Page 130 of Too Far

“Wait.” I look from Kendrick to Locke to Kylian. “Did you all know about this? Is this some sort of prank?”

I’ve pulled plenty on Cap over the last few months. Maybe this is his way of retaliating. Although this one is unnecessarily cruel, given the circumstances. Sugary cereal and rubber ducks are no match for the prospect of not so wedded bliss.

Anxiety creeps up my spine when no one dares to respond.

“Somebody answer me.” My lungs seize, once again stealing my oxygen. If they were in on this, if this is some sort of joke…

Kendrick speaks up, finally. “Not a prank, Mama. But it would work.” He sighs, scrubbing his hand down his face as he looks from me to Decker.

I spin in my seat to analyze Decker’s reaction.

“This isn’t a joke? You really think I wouldmarryyou?”

He grumbles under his breath. His head is bowed low between his shoulders, and he’s back to gripping the table.

“We’re not even together, Decker. Just last night you refused—”

“Last night?” Kylian sits up straighter. “What happened last night?”

I dismiss him with a wave of my hand. I’m not interested in embarrassing Decker or myself by detailing our late-night run-ins.

Changing tack, I assert, “I don’t trust you.”

“You don’t trust him?” Kendrick challenges.

I whip my head around to glare, my anger spiking again. “To care for this family? Sure. But with my heart?”

With my focus trained on Decker again, I shake my head. “No.” I survey him, the defeat painted along every inch of him. After a few breaths, I go on. “Besides, even if I did trust him, even if any of this made sense, Decker isn’t the only person I love.Loved,” I quickly correct.

Even if I was willing to legally commit to him, my heart doesn’t belong to just one person. I want a life withallof them. A future that’s uniquely ours.

“It’s a good idea.”

Kylian’s words are a punch to the gut.

“Wh—what?” I stammer out, gasping for breath. He can’t be serious. Except Kylian doesn’t joke.

“It’s a good idea.” He shrugs. “That may have been the worst proposal I’ve ever heard,” he lobs a disappointed scowl at Decker, “but it’s a solid plan. One Thomas likely hasn’t considered.”

“You don’t mean—”

“I think you should do it.”

Just like that. Cut and dry. Black and white. It’s such a Kylian response, and yet my insides crumple into a heap at the prospect. A whimper escapes me as I work to school my expression, to keep my face from revealing the horror currently pummeling me.

I’m out of my depth here, blindsided, and very clearly unprepared for the other guys’ reactions. Never in a million years—

“Jo. Come here,” Kylian beckons, recognizing my mounting panic for what it is.

I race to him and nearly trip over my own feet trying to climb into his lap.

He pulls my hips closer so I’m straddling him, our bodies flush. His hands quickly find the hem of my hoodie and slip beneath it to smooth up the bare skin of my back.

I bury my face in his shoulder, wishing I could climb inside him and soak up the comfort he brings me. He rubs up and down my spine, assuring me that I’m okay in quiet whispers until the panic ebbs and my breathing evens out.

Eventually, his hands travel lower, grazing along my hips and cupping my ass.

“What are you thinking about?”