Light My Fire

I fucked up.

I knew I would, and I did.

I thought it was going to be my jealousy that pushed Brooke away.

It was, partly. But it was also the fact that it never, ever occurred to me that Brooke might want a long-term relationship with Luke and Jackson.

That this wasn’t just her exploring her newfound sexuality with men she trusts.

That when she said she couldn’t choose between us, she meant that forever.

I treated my two best friends like extras in my relationship with Brooke and I was so far off base it’s clear to me now I was only seeing what I wanted to see.

I’ve been unfair to all three of them and it’s taken me days of missing not just Brooke, but my friends, to realize that.

Pacing in my apartment, I keep glancing at my phone. I texted both Luke and Jackson and asked them to come over. They agreed, but now that I’ve officially pulled my head out of my ass, I’m impatient to make it right.

Sure, we’ve texted casually the past few days, but none of us have discussed what happened at Jackson’s new house the other day when Brooke unexpectedly showed up, then dumped all three of us.

Okay, to be fair, she said she needed a break, not that she never wanted to see us again, but it was still a shock.

I didn’t handle Jackson’s suggestion of living together well.

Or Brooke’s assertion that we’ve been a foursome all along.

Damn.

She’s right.

We have been a foursome all along, and it was good. Really fucking good. Not just the sex, which was amazing, but how we could all hang out together and just be ourselves.

It can be even better if we all just commit to a conversation where we lay out our feelings and come to an understanding. Together.

Being without Brooke has been hell.

I’d never forgive myself if I lost not only her forever, but if I damaged my friendships with Luke and Wyatt in any real way.

I’m not sure exactly at what moment I realized I needed to fix this. Somewhere between stunned shock on Friday to waking up alone this morning with no Brooke in the bed with me.

And nothing in between but one work shift and a whole lot of lonely as fuck time spent in my apartment going around and around in my head.

Finally, there is a rapid knock on the door. It’s Jackson’s knock. It also turns it into a musical rhythm. This is clearly the Jaws theme song.

I open my door and give him a sheepish look. “Thanks for coming over.”

“You know I’m always here for you,” he says mildly, strolling into my living room. “Even if you insulted the fuck out of me by saying I don’t take anything seriously.”

That makes me wince. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound so harsh. I didn’t mean it as a blanket statement. I just didn’t think you were looking for a relationship.”

“I wasn’t,” he says simply. “But there was Brooke and it was done. I fell in love with her, Wyatt. I thought that was kind of obvious, but I guess not. To you or to her, apparently.”

There’s another knock on the door. Normally, Luke’s knock always sounds a little angry, but this one is just a normal rap, which gives me hope that he’s not irreparably pissed off at me.

“Hey,” I say.

“Hey.” He puts his hand out for a fist bump. “So what are we going to do to reassure Brooke this can work? I’m assuming that’s why you summoned us, right?”

“Well, yes. One hundred percent. But I also wanted to clear the air. Do you guys want a beer or anything?”

“I’ll never say no to a beer.”

“Do you have craft beer or just domestic?” Jackson asks.

I give him an are-you-fucking-kidding-me look. “No.”

“Fine. I’ll just take a bourbon.”

We get our drinks and settle into the living room. Jackson is on the couch with me, Luke in the club chair.

As I’m debating how to say what I need to say, given how complicated all of my feelings have been, Luke speaks first.

“I went and saw Marci.”

Jackson chokes on his bourbon. “No shit?”

“No shit.”

We both stare at him. When he doesn’t elaborate I ask, “Why?”

“I needed closure. She did apologize for what happened, which was good to hear. Funny thing is though, when I saw her, I realized I didn’t need closure from her. I could get it on my own if I just allowed myself to move on. To trust Brooke and what I feel for her. I’m in love with Brooke.”

“Damn, I’m happy for you,” Jackson says. “Betrayal is a hell of a weight to carry around all these years.”

“It is. So I put it to bed. One woman’s selfish actions don’t define all women. Or me. Maybe I could have been a better husband. It doesn’t excuse what she did, but I didn’t hear what she was asking me for, you know what I mean? I worked a lot. I spent most of my free time with friends and not with her. Maybe I wasn’t ready for marriage or maybe she just wasn’t my person.”

“Brooke is your person,” I say, already knowing the answer.

He nods. “But the thing is, she’s yours too, and Jackson’s. She belongs to all of us, and all of our hearts belong to her. We need you to be okay with that.”

“That’s why I called you here. I owe you both an apology for making assumptions that you both weren’t invested in Brooke or our relationship. And I do mean our relationship. This only works if it’s all four of us and I guess I needed what happened Friday to be the thing that knocked me over the head and made me understand it.”

“So you’re willing to commit to it being the four of us, permanently?” Jackson asks. He’s eyeing me carefully. “Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes. I realized that we all give something different to Brooke that she needs. But more than that, we’re best friends. We’re a team. I’m the kind of guy who goes all in on a relationship and I have to admit, I would have a hard time dragging myself away from Brooke for time with friends. Now I don’t have to. I have the best of both worlds.”

Luke grins suddenly. “Only you would see it that way. But you’re right.”

“I thought through some things too,” Jackson says. “I’m in love with Brooke. But I shouldn’t have made assumptions and sprung living together on her or either of you. I need to communicate more effectively. If and when we all move in together, the three of you should be in on that decision, anyway. I’m going to sell the house. It’s too far out of town for all of you.”

My jaw drops. “You just bought it!”

He shrugs. “So? It’s not right for my people. It’s already on the market. I had to compete with like ten other buyers so it won’t be a problem to unload it. I want to take care of Brooke but this isn’t the way to do it. I’m going to take my time, get certified as a trainer, and look for a commercial property to run a rescue shelter out of. I also don’t need six dogs. I’m giving Tank to my mom and dad. Luke, you can take Angel if you want. She’s almost weaned now.”

“Damn. That sounds like a great plan,” I tell him. I really mean that. “You’re good at anything you put your mind to, man.”

“Thank you. Now can we put our minds to helping Brooke work through what just happened? How do we reassure her that we understand she’s feeling overwhelmed and that we’re all in, but we’re also willing to take it slow and by her rules?”

“I’ve been wracking my brain for two days,” I admit. “And I don’t. Just tell her?”

“We can’t text her,” Luke points out. “She told us not to.”

“I thought about flowers, but that’s so… ordinary,” Jackson says. “I want something better than that.”

We all sip our drinks.

There’s a knock on the door.

We all sit up straight. “What if that’s Brooke?” Jackson asks.

“Why would it be Brooke?” I stand up and go to the door. I look through the peephole. It’s an expedited mail delivery man. I open the door. “Hi. Can I help you?”

“For Wyatt Doherty.”

“That’s me.”

He hands me an envelope.

“Thanks.”

I shut the door and see the return address is from Brooke. Heart racing, I rip it open. For a split second, I’m terrified it’s something terrible, but then I grin as I quickly scan it.

I hold it up. “Guys, we’re in business. Brooke invited me to the cabin.”

“What?” They both jump up and race over. They read it over my shoulders.

“Brooke Wilder requests your attendance at a private poker tournament,” Jackson says out loud. “Buy-in is one sex toy to be used on the organizer at competitors’ discretion. Rules are as follows: Brooke deals every hand. RSVP to Brooke via text.”

My dick is instantly hard. My heart soars. “I think we’re in business. This is in three days. Our girl is telling us she’s going to be in charge. Are we all good with that? Because I sure as fuck am.”

“Hell, yeah,” Jackson says.

“I’m all in,” Luke says firmly. “I’m going to assume both me and Jackson have an invitation waiting for us at home?”

“I’m sure of it.”

I pull my phone out and text Brooke.

She responds immediately.

It means the world to me.

We’re all on the same page now, and Thursday can’t get here fast enough.