After being abandoned by my parents, who were conservative politicians that didn’t agree with my sexuality, I thought finding love would be much more difficult. If my parents couldn’t love me enough to want to keep me around, who the fuck could? But here these two were… loving me. Protecting me. Worshiping me. And even though Shane had been topping both of us the night before, it was clear he and X had been focused on me while still somehow also taking care of each other.
“I can hear you thinking,” Shane murmured, his voice low and husky with sleep. He nuzzled the back of my neck, and I shivered, pressing back more firmly against him like it was second nature. He tightened his arm around me and pressed a kiss to my shoulder. For a man who’d fought X so hard about being with us at first, he sure had transitioned into our fold easily.
I wasn’t complaining. Just surprised.
“Sorry,” I whispered, not wanting to wake X. He needed rest, too. I knew that he hid it well, but this stalker had him pissed and on edge. X didn’t like situations being out of his control, and not only could he not get his hands on our stalker, but Shane had practically taken over the entire situation, ordering X to stand down and let him take care of things.
It wasn’t X’s style, but he was obeying Shane’s order… surprisingly.
“Don’t be sorry,” Shane quietly replied. “What’s going through your head, baby?”
Fuck, hearing X call me that always melted me, and having Shane call me that, too? It just about fucking undid me every single time. I was a sucker for affectionate pet names, even something as simple as baby.
“Just thinking about how being here with you two feels unreal.” I swallowed thickly, letting my eyes slide shut so I could soak in more of this moment—the feel of their hard bodies pressed against me, the way Shane was softly stroking my flat stomach, his warm breath fanning the skin of my neck, and X’s legs tangled with mine.
“Unreal?” Shane questioned. I only nodded. “How does it feel unreal, baby?”
I blew out a soft breath. “How much do you know about my past?” I quietly asked.
“Not much,” Shane replied. “I finally dug into X just a bit, but I didn’t pry into your privacy like that.”
I sighed, both loving and hating that he hadn’t invaded my privacy. Loved that he hadn’t because it meant he respected me, and hated it because it meant I now had to explain my past.
“My dad is a congressman for the state of Georgia—district fourteen, to be exact. He’s a career politician, and when I came out as gay, they dealt with it, though they made it clear where they stood. They didn’t agree with my sexuality and kept forcing me to date women because they thought they could somehow force me to be straight. My sexuality had to be kept under tight wraps.”
Shane made a small noise of disgust, his arm tightening around me once more. Silently, he brushed his lips across my upper back, soothing me. I sank more into his hold, taking the comfort he was offering. Didn’t matter that I’d made it through college on my own, that I’d become a successful doctor and built the life I wanted. Losing my parents how I did just fucking hurt because my parents were supposed to have loved me unconditionally.
Them dying might have been easier to cope with. Their abandonment just… cut deep.
“I got caught on camera in college sleeping with a guy. It got leaked to the tabloids. And it all went downhill from there. My parents disowned me, pretended I hid my sexuality from them on camera, and they told everyone that I was a sinner, a sick human being who refuses to have a talk with Jesus, and that my betrayal was something they couldn’t look past. They disowned me on television. That was how I found out why they were no longer answering my phone calls and my text messages.”
“Christ,” Shane snarled. I was surprised by the venom in his voice. He drew in a deep breath and nuzzled the back of my neck, like he was trying to self-soothe by scenting me. My belly swooped. “Their karma will come, baby,” he promised against my skin. “People like that always get what’s coming for them.”
“I don’t wish ill on them,” I confessed. “It just… hurts.” I circled my fingers around his forearm. “But this, knowing that I still have people who care about me, is more than enough, Shane. I promise. But that’s why this moment feels just a tad unbelievable. Because for so long, I thought that if my parents couldn’t love me, no one could. Yet here you and X are, choosing me.”
“I’ll always choose you,” Shane softly promised, his vow sending warmth sliding through my veins. “I know I fought this, but I mostly fought it because of X and his pushiness. But the moment I decided I was sticking around, Preston, I knew I was sticking around permanently. Forever. Until you two don’t want me any longer, at the very least.”
I was shaking my head before he even stopped speaking. “We’ll always want you, Shane,” I swore. “When X wants someone, I’ve come to learn there’s no stopping him. His obsession knows no boundaries. And I don’t think I’m much better. I’m addicted to this. Whatever we have, I crave it. Need it. I’m not letting it go anywhere.”
Shane pressed more firmly against me, his naked body cocooning me from behind. “Good. I don’t want to go anywhere, baby. I’m an old man—” I snorted a quiet laugh— “and I like my comfort. This is comfortable.”
“I think I’m falling in love with you,” I softly confessed, my voice barely audible.
A low rumble sounded from Shane’s chest. “I don’t think I am, baby.” My heart stopped, and tears unexpectedly sparked behind my closed eyelids. Everything suddenly hurt. “I know I am. For both of you.”
And just like that, my heart wasn’t so tense, and the tears that’d been threatening dissipated. A stupid smile tilted my lips, and as Shane nuzzled the back of my neck again, I found myself drifting off to sleep again, feeling lighter.
Because this right here—this was my family. My home. And while a part of me would always miss my parents, I didn’t need them. Especially not when I had two men ready to worship me, love me, and take care of me for the rest of my life.
Chapter 21
Xan
Shane was bent over his tablet, pencil in hand, when I made my way out of the bedroom. Waking up alone hadn’t been ideal, especially when I’d gone to sleep thinking I’d see him and Preston still in bed with me when I opened my eyes. But the scent of coffee and bacon had been enough to quell my irritation. After last night, I was starving.
Preston noticed me first just as he was turning from flipping the bacon, and he smiled at me, his eyes lighting up. Clearly, he was in a good mood, and something inside me settled at the sight of his happiness, even if it did feel a bit too early in the day still to be so chipper. Preston happy was one of the biggest highlights to my life. I didn’t give a fuck about much, but him? This man? Preston was the center of my entire fucking universe.
If I lost him, I’d lose the last bit of my sanity.