Page 63 of All of Us

He slid down the wall and pulled me into him. Both of us sat there breathing hard as I lay against his chest. He kissed the side of my head and the side of my mouth.

“Oh my god. Joe. You rocked my world.” He then kissed me deeply. “You made me feel so good.”

I nodded against his chest. “We can eat or shower or something in a bit. Come with me.” I crawled into the living room, pushed the coffee table out of the way, then grabbed the pillows and blanket off the couch. Gentry was next to me. “Lay with me.”

That’s exactly what he did. It sounded like he had fallen asleep. “Oh, sweet Gentry. You have my heart.” I said quietly, assuming he wouldn’t hear me.

“You have mine too.” He rolled on his side and pulled me against him.

Chapter twenty-three

DUSTY

I knew Jacob and Joe were together last night, and it didn’t bother me like I thought it would. It was strange because I had spent the evening wanting to text one or both. Most people would probably be jealous, but more than anything, I wanted to know if they had fun. Did they have sex? Did they talk about me? The only way I could describe it was feeling left out.

This whole thing was new to me. I hadn’t been interested in anybody in a long time. Since I met Montgomery a few years ago, I had hooked up once, at one of the tour stops. When Joe entered my life, having someone to fool around with regularly was a perk. Having a relationship was something I had adamantly sworn against. Somehow, though, Joe had reached my heart, and I could see myself being with him.

Joe wasn’t like most men, starting with letting me be myself. If I wanted to talk, he would listen, but if I wanted to have sex and leave, that was okay too. We had spent hundreds of hours on the couch where we talked about nothing, or didn’t talk at all. Joe had flirted and teased, wanted to have sex, and one day, I finally gave in. That was the best decision I had ever made. The only thing that changed between us after that was sometimes we’d get off, but the long talks were still part of our routine, and I really liked that about him.

Now I had this amazing bond with him, and I wanted to build on it—I wasn’t willing to give up what we had. Telling him that maybe there could be more between us terrified me, but he took it in stride. Of course, he did because it was Joe, and that was how he was.

Jacob’s return to my life was like some sort of fever dream. There was still a bond between us that would never be broken, and there was no doubt I felt comfortable enough to share my secrets with him. I didn’t know him as a man, though. There could be a forever for us, but that was something we needed to work out over time—but there was Joe.

This was a situation I had never expected. I had feelings—very strong feelings—for both men. It was easy for me to see myself with either man, both different, offering me what my heart needed. How did I go from having no feelings and being content to having too many feelings? I wanted to talk this out, and I couldn’t go to either of the men who were now always in my head.

DUSTY

I’m coming over. You know why.

MONT

Now?

Arthur is here. Does he need to leave?

DUSTY

None of it is a secret. It’s up to him if he wants to stay.

MONT

I was afraid you’d pick me.

DUSTY

You saved me once. Time to do it again.

MONT

I’ll pour some scotch and get comfortable. See ya in ten.

There wasn’t much Mont could do to help, but saying it out loud would help me organize my thoughts. He would likely have some feedback. When I was on tour with him, he shared stories from his past. When he fell for Arthur, it had changed everything for him, and he was happier than I had ever seen him. And I had spent a year as his fake boyfriend.

As I pulled into the driveway, Arthur and Mont were making out like teenagers on the porch.

“Is this really necessary?”

They both turned toward me. “Yes.”