Christmas with my Three Best Friends (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems)

Chapter 29

29

Marius

I meet with Richard and Jax in my office. There’s a smidge of sunlight attempting to poke its way through the clouds outside, causing a powerful, filtered glow to make me squint when I gaze out the window.

My shoulders feel tense. The back of my neck tingles. I’m restless and eager to move forward, to do something, to stop letting fate take the reins and screw me out of the only relationship I’ve ever wanted. I can’t believe I fooled myself into wasting all that energy on toxic people when I could’ve focused all my resources on the one woman who has always been there for me.

Richard sits on the sofa, subtly biting the inside of his cheek as he goes through his phone, checking new messages. Jax joins us, fresh out of the sauna and covered in a thin layer of sweat, wearing nothing but his gym shorts—not a strange sight in these parts, for sure.

“Alright, we’re all here,” I say, taking a deep breath and looking at Richard. “We do need to talk.”

Jax nods in agreement. “We done messed up.”

“You can say that again,” Richard sighs deeply. “I can certainly say it. We have to do something about Shay.”

“I think the three of us are in agreement here,” I reply.

“You saw the marketing plan she left us before she went off on her break to Canada, right?” Jax asks me, and I respond with a single nod. “I think she wants to leave the gym altogether.”

I had my own suspicions on the matter, but the words still hit me like a punch in the gut as they leave Jax’s mouth. Reality has a way of cutting deeper than theories and thoughts. And when you’re faced with the hard truth, it’s as if your worst nightmares have suddenly decided to materialize. Hearing about this now only serves to tighten my shoulders to the point where I feel as though I’ve got a humongous boulder strapped to my back.

“I wouldn’t blame her,” I mutter mostly to myself. “It doesn’t mean we should make it easy for her to go.” I pause and look at Richard. “Then again, you’re leaving first. She’s got every right to do the same.”

“About that,” Richard replies, pressing his lips into a flat line.

“Are you serious, Rick? Don’t play with us, man, we’re already going through enough.”

“I’m serious,” he says, lowering his gaze. “Shay was right. I’m being selfish and afraid to commit in more than one aspect of my life. Good things are worth fighting for, and I should’ve thought thrice before announcing my departure, before I even considered the decision. This place is great, it’s got tons of potential, and with Shay’s new marketing perspective, I’m pretty sure we’ll finally have that competitive edge we so desperately needed.”

“I cannot believe I’m hearing these words coming out of your mouth.” I chuckle softly, leaning into the window frame. “Not that I mind. If anything, I’m happy to hear you’ve changed your mind on this, Rick. We do need you, man. Not just as a business partner but as a member of this… weird little family of ours.”

“It’s not a family without Shay,” he says.

Jax clears his throat. “We have to get her back. There’s no other way about it. I’ve sat with myself on the matter, and I can’t say I’m happy with how I handled things. I should’ve been more attentive toward her, especially when I could feel her slipping away.”

“It wasn’t her fault. Life sort of… got in the way,” I tell him. “I did the same. I didn’t push hard enough when she needed me to.”

“Same,” Richard sighs deeply. “This marketing plan of hers feels more like a goodbye, though. It’s as if she’s trying one last thing before she walks out the door. And if she’s already in that mindset, how do we pull her back in?”

It’s a good question. Shay isn’t the type we could appease with a mere apology and a promise of better days ahead. Shaking my head slowly, I look to my closest friends and allies and smile.

“We need to be honest with her. Whatever happens, we do have to accept the possibility that it may very well be over between us on an intimate level,” I say. “And we have to say it out loud. That we messed up. That we should’ve stayed closer, especially when outside elements started interfering with our relationship.”

“By outside elements you mean Vincent,” Jax says.

“And Roxanne,” I admit. “And the issues with the gym. Alice. Sales. All that jazz. We’ve always had a lot on our plates, if you think about it, but ever since we got together with Shay, the stakes went all the way up into the stratosphere, yet none of us adapted to that fundamental change in our lives.”

Richard checks his phone. New messages are pouring in, and he frowns slightly. “I know where she is in Canada with Cassandra.”

“How’d you get a location so fast?” Jax asks, slightly amused.

“Cassandra just texted me,” he replies with a cool grin.

“We could go up there,” I say. “The more time she spends away from us, the easier it’ll be for her to cut the cord completely when she comes back. And I know it sounds manipulative, but it’s not. Shay is probably trying to go through each day adjusting to the idea of a future without us, and the longer we let her, the less likely it’ll be for a reconciliation to actually work. She needs to know we’re still here and willing to make this into something more.”

Richard gives me a curious look. “Are you really willing to keep sharing her with the two of us for the long term?”

“I am. If she has feelings for the three of us, and the three of us are clearly having trouble being without her, why not give it a try for the long term, huh?” I reply with a shrug.

“I’d rather it be the four of us together,” Jax concedes. “We’re stronger and happier together. Hell, I never thought I’d feel this way, but I don’t see a point in fighting these feelings any longer. I tried that, and now Shay’s in Canada trying to get over us.”

“How would it work?” Richard wonders.

“Like it did until now. We each take time with her, we have time together, too. Who knows, we could even move in together. What would that be like?” Jax replies.

My mind wanders into a possible future. I can almost see the sun pouring through the window, casting sparks through her long, sandy-blonde hair as she sips her coffee, wearing nothing but a smile. I can almost see myself holding her close and losing myself in her scent while Jax gets breakfast ready and Richard starts taking his work calls in the den. It may sound crazy, but it’s certainly not impossible.

There are seven days in the week and the possibility of spending a lifetime with Shay. If that involves a compromise here and there, I’d rather it be that than not being with her at all. Love is a funny and crazy thing, so why not play along and see how much we could build together, the four of us? I cherish my friends, I would do anything for them, and they would do the same for me. What happened in Chappaqua couldn’t have been a mere fluke. It felt too intense, too real, too beautiful for it not to last for a lifetime.

“I’m down with whatever the four of us agree on,” I say after a while. “As long as our most precious needs are met. And right now, my most precious need is to have Shay in my life, to be with her, to protect and cherish her the way she deserves to be protected and cherished. We each serve a role in this dynamic. All we have to do is assume it and live by it.”

“Shay has found something in each of us,” Richard agrees. “And that’s what made our relationship special, why we have never felt the need to compete with one another for her attention and her affection.”

“It’ll work if she’ll have us.”

“Alright, then,” Richard concludes. “We’re implementing the marketing plan as soon as she gets back. I’m letting a friend of mine take over the other gym space. And we’re going to Canada this weekend.”

“You’re letting some other dude snatch your precious new gym space?” Jax chuckles.

Richard gives him a shrug. “Meh, I’m not such a big fan of the industrial design, anyway.”

“Excuse me,” the receptionist comes in after a quick knock on the door. “Hi, Marius. Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to let you know that your next appointment won’t be coming in today. Or for the rest of the week.”

I feel my eyebrows popping up in surprise as I remember precisely who my next appointment is. “Vincent’s not coming in? He never misses a training. Did he give you a reason?”

“Yeah, he said he’s off to Canada for a week,” she replies.

And that’s when the ugliest of truth begins to sink in. One look at Jax and Richard, and I can tell we’re all thinking the same thing. That son of a bitch didn’t stop at flowers and Belgian chocolates. He found out where Shay is staying. It’s no surprise. It shouldn’t be a surprise. He’s a relentless prick, and he’s clearly not done with her.

Richard takes a deep breath and clicks his teeth. “Well, then, I guess we’re headed to Canada today.”

It doesn’t matter that we’re going to have to cancel our appointments for the rest of the day, and probably for tomorrow and the day after, too. It doesn’t matter that I’ll be leaving most of the administrative duties to Lyle and the reception staff. They handled it well during the Christmas holidays. West Key won’t crash and burn for a couple of days in our absence. It doesn’t even matter that the receptionist is staring at us with genuine confusion.

What matters is that Vincent’s got a head start.

And we need to beat him to it.