"Fine by me," I answer, drinking from my pop can.
Cole agrees, and Foster takes out his phone to get on the restaurant's app. The door to the basement opens, and Talon walks into the room.
"Just in time. What do you want on your pizza?" Foster tells him.
"Don’t care," Talon says and walks over to me, giving me a toe-curling kiss in front of the other two. "Hi," he says when he pulls away.
"Hi," I whisper back to him as I resist the temptation to look at Cole and gauge his reaction. Is he aware of my tentative relationships with the two of them? I shouldn't care. It's none of his business.
"I'm going to go unpack my stuff. Text me when the food gets here," Cole says, leaving the kitchen. I hear his footsteps going up the stairs.
I raise my brow, looking between Foster and Talon. "Unpack?"
Foster winces as Talon answers me. "He's moving in. He didn't want to stay with his mom, and we had more than enough space. It's just temporary until he knows whether he has a contract with the Dragons."
"Whatever. How long have you known Cole was going to move in here?" I ask, more than a little annoyed.
This time, Foster answers me. "A couple of days. We didn't want you to freak out because it won't change anything around here." He pulls me into his arms and kisses me. “We promise.”
I couldn't agree less with that statement. I am confident that being around Cole Thorne will change everything.
I dip another bread slice in the egg mixture and sling it on the griddle. I’m celebrating Mother’s Day by cooking Mom a brunch of French toast, bacon, and fresh fruit. Mrs. Thorne was nice enough to find something to do out of the house and didn’t mind letting me use her kitchen. It’s disappointing that I don’t get to spend the actual day with her, but we’ve gotten used to being flexible these last few years.
When everything is done, I pile it high on a plate and set it down in front of Mom at the dining table before returning for my own.
“This looks delicious. Thank you so much for doing this,” she says, digging into her meal.
“It was the least I could do. You cooked me breakfast for years.”
We’re quiet while we eat, and when we’re done, I clean up the kitchen before settling with Mom in the living room.
“How’s it going, living here?” I ask her.
“It’s great, just like we knew it would be.”
“I feel bad not being here more.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re young still. You should be out more, not taking care of me. How are you doing, living in a house full of those men?”
“It’s not bad. Better than I thought it would be,” I answer her honestly.
“And Cole? He moved in yesterday, right? I know your relationship is tense.”
“We mostly ignored each other. I’ll be okay if we can continue like that.”
“Or you two could work through all the hurt between you,” Mom points out.
I don’t know if Cole and I could ever work out our past. I know I wounded him when I asked to date Foster and Talon, and our ultimate end shattered my heart completely. We may never be able to get past that.
“Do I need to tell them?” I ask Mom, knowing she’ll understand what I’m asking about.
“Not for them, but I think maybe for you. I don’t know exactly what went on between all of you, but I know it hurt you deeply. You don’t owe them anything. Revisiting your trauma will be difficult but might heal so much for you. I don’t see how you further a relationship with either or all of them while holding that back.”
She makes a very valid point. They can blissfully skip this chapter of our story because they don’t even know it exists. But I do, and I can’t move forward while holding that in my heart.
“You’re right. I need to tell them. It would be better all at once because I can’t do it over and over again.”
“Whatever you think is best, but remember it’s about you and not them. You don’t have to coddle their feelings.”
