by Joya Ryan
“How can that work? I will never be able to choose. And a relationship between me and both of you is not…”
“Standard?” Jack finished.
I nodded.
“I don’t give a fuck about what everyone else thinks. Nothing about any of this has been standard from the beginning. You make my life worth a damn,” Jack said. “I won’t give you up, you understand?”
I smiled. “Even if it means you’ll have to share?”
He nodded and looked at Cal. “There’s no other man I trust more than you.”
Cal squeezed my hand. “I’m not letting you get away. Ever. Jack and I will do whatever it takes to keep you. Whether you like it or not.”
“Promise?” I asked, with a sob coming through. Because they were family. My family.
“Yeah, Kitten, we promise.” Cal rose and kissed me softly on the lips. As soon as he pulled back, Jack stood and leaned down to kiss me.
Could this really work? Maybe it was the drugs talking, but I seriously thought, why not? When death was on the table and life was short, clarity in the small things seemed so…clear. I loved them. Wanted to be with them. And we could.
The rest be damned.
“Okay,” the doctor said, shuffling in, a white coat gliding around his frame while he looked at his clipboard. “I’m happy to say everything looks good. You should make a full recovery. Surgery went well. The bullet is out and…” he read over the form then looked up at Jack. Then glanced at Cal. “Which one of you is the husband?”
“Husband?” I asked.
“Yes,” the doctor said, now doing a double-take between Cal and Jack. “Oh, fiancé?” he tried again. “Next of kin,” he finally settled on, but I still had no answer for any of those inquiries.
I just sat there in shock. This was how it would always be. Unsure how to answer that kind of question.
“We’re both her next of kin,” Jack said. Cal nodded in agreement, and the doctor didn’t push.
I smiled at my men. My men. That would take some getting used to. But they were trying. Maybe we really could figure out the rest later.
The doctor nodded. “Well, I’m happy to say that a full recovery is expected.”
Cal smiled bigger than I’d ever seen and Jack was beaming ear to ear.
Relief and happiness swept over the room. They both loved me. And I was the luckiest girl in the entire universe for that fact.
“I’ll give you all a moment. Buzz the nurse if you need anything,” the doctor said, and left.
Jack ran two hands through his hair and smiled up at the ceiling. “I can’t believe you’re really okay,” he whispered, like the last of his fear was let go.
“There’s so much to figure out,” I whispered.
Jack strummed his thumb along my cheekbone. “And we will,” he said. “We’re in this together.”
“We’re family,” Cal said, and took the thoughts out of my mind. Family. Our own family.
Could this really work? It had to. Because I was fighting for all of us now. And judging by the look on Cal and Jack’s faces, so were they.
“The real world doesn’t work like this,” I said.
“I don’t give a shit,” Cal responded. “There’s no law that says you can’t keep two guys on your roster.”
I laughed, Cal always made things seem so easy. But I had been thinking marriage, and that wasn’t something that was possible. Not to both of them.
The hand on my face brushed again, lightly along my jaw this time. “We will figure it out. We understand you won’t choose. It won’t change that we’re both here for you. We aren’t going anywhere. We’ll make it work.”
“I love you,” I whispered. I looked into Jack’s dark eyes and felt like I’d come home. Then I looked at Cal and knew I was whole.
One night had spurred a total sense of completeness.
I was theirs.
And they were mine.
Forever.
Epilogue
One Year Later…
“We’ve got to tell Bea to stop spoiling her,” Cal said, putting another wrapped box under the Christmas tree.
“She just loves her great niece,” I said, rocking my daughter to sleep. Tomorrow was Christmas. The past year had slowed down and been wonderful. Anita and Brock were in prison for their crimes. Harper was pregnant, and I was back at the cabin that was my saving grace with two men I loved.
“How’s my angel?” Cal said, coming over to us and gently running a palm over his daughter’s light blonde hair. She opened her eyes.
“Say, ‘Daddy is keeping me awake’,” I said in a cooing voice and Cal smiled at me.
“She’s just so…perfect.”
I nodded. She really was.
Jack walked in with hot chocolate, placed the mugs on the coffee table, and sat next to me on the couch.
“There’s my girls,” he said, and leaned in to run a finger along his daughter’s chubby cheek. Her dark eyes blinked a few times and she looked at Jack.
We didn’t know who the biological father was, because it didn’t matter. They both were daddies. It had been the best year of my life. I’d taken over my father’s company, and brought it back from the brink. What once was Case-VanBuren was now CPM Investments. While a part of me would always be Lana Case, I was a part of the Powell-Malone family.
My family. Our family.
“Have you thought more about our offer?” Jack asked.
I looked at him. Then at Cal.
“You mean marriage?”
“Yes,” Jack said.
I shook my head. “You know I’ll never choose.”
Cal grinned. “It wouldn’t be anything except a legal technicality.”
“Still can’t choose,” I said.
Cal blew out a breath. “You know she’s stubborn.”
“Believe me, I know,” Jack grumbled.
“Looks like we’ll just have to choose for her,” Cal said with a wink.
“Good luck with that,” I responded. “I think our own personal commitment ceremony sounds better. Something just for us.”
“I like that,” Jack said. “It will go well with these.” Jack and Cal each pulled a ring from their pocket. Jack had a single band with black diamonds and Cal had one with blue diamonds.
“Oh, my God, they’re beautiful,” I said, and tears lined my eyes.
“However we need to do it, just realize you’re ours. Forever.”
I smiled and they put the rings on my finger.
“Wow…” Another tear fell, but I was so happy I couldn’t hide it. “This is a pretty wonderful Christmas present,” I said, then looked at Jack then Cal. “To think I was just going to tell you I was pregnant again.”
Both of their faces lit up.
“Are you serious?” Cal said.
I nodded. “You two won’t leave me alone, is it any wonder?”
“There’s my sassy girl,” Jack said. And kissed me hard. “God, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Cal leaned down and kissed my lips, my nose, and my cheek until I laughed. “Love you so much, Kitten.”
“I love you too.”
And I did. Holding my world in my arms and surrounded by the men that gave me a future, I truly was happy.
Turn the page to get the entire Reign Series and all other Joya Ryan books.
Books by Joya Ryan
The Reign Series
Yours Tonight (Book #1)
Yours Completely (Book #2)
Yours Forever (Book #3)
The Shattered Series
Break Me Slowly (Shattered #1)
Possess Me Slowly (Shattered #2)
Capture Me Slowly (Shattered #3)
The Sweet Torment Series
Breathe You In
Only You
The Chasing Love Series (Entangled Brazen)
Chasing Trouble
Chasing Temptation
Chasing Desire
The Sweet Hill Series
/> Sweet Hill Temptation
Sweet Hill Homecoming
Visit the Joya Ryan website!