“That was different. I was with her, too.” I let out a frustrated breath. “And I don’t know why you’re giving me a hard time. You’re going to quit her detail, if she chooses me.” I hate that outcome too. I hate not having him as a friend.
“Yeah, I will,” he says. “But maybe I like the scenario where I keep the girl and I keep you. Fucking sue me, I’m greedy.”
I smack his chest. “I think you get sued enough, man. I don’t need to add to it.”
He laughs. “Shit, I can’t believe you’re making me laugh.” His humor fades and the air sobers for a moment. “Either way, we lose each other, don’t we?”
I fit a toothpick between my lips. “She’s worth it.”
Akara nods. “Yeah, she always has been.”
Tires crunch gravel, and we both turn to watch the security vehicle drive down the road. The SUV parks near ours. Sulli hops out, waves to Gabe, and the car heads back to where it came.
She blows out a breath. Her hair billows in the wind and she hugs her arms to her chest. I want to bring her into my body, warm her, but Akara and I are rooted in place.
“Sulli—” Akara starts.
“Before you two say anything,” she interjects and holds up a hand. “I want you to know that the time I spent with both of you in Yellowstone has been undeniably some of the best times of my life. And whatever happens after today, just know I love you both.” Those words rush through me.
I glance to Akara. Is he going to say it first?
He looks to me. Waiting.
She smiles. “Oh hey, I know you both love me, and I love that you care about each other enough to not hurt one another by saying it.” She eyes me. “So I’m officially the second girl you’ve ever fallen in love with, huh, Banks?” She says it very fucking proudly.
Hate to ruin her good time. But I’m grinning like a fucking fool.
Her smile fades. “What?”
“You’re not the second, Sulli.”
Her fingers touch her lips, confused. “Wait, but you said you’ve been in love once before.”
“Yeah.” I nod strongly. “With you, mermaid.”
“All the way back then?” The realization chokes her up for more than a second.
I nod, but I don’t want to say anything else. This isn’t a hand I’m playing. It’s just the truth, but I can feel Akara’s tense energy beside me.
She looks between us. “I care about you two too much to drag this out any longer. That’s why my decision was already made this morning.” She exhales before she says, “I was going to choose your friendship.”
Was. Past tense.
My blood ices over. I don’t know whether to be fucking destroyed or overjoyed by this news.
I bite on my toothpick. “So in that scenario, we both watch you be with some other guy?” I wonder.
She shrugs. “Or I could stay single forever. Who knows?”
“I don’t like it,” I say gruffly.
“Neither do I.” Akara tugs on his beanie and nods at her. “What’s the new verdict, string bean?”
She puts her fingers to her lips. “It’s…unconventional. I didn’t even think it was an option until I talked to Beckett today.” She drops her hand. “Would you both want to be in a relationship with me…together? A triad. A closed triad.”
It’s like she’s speaking in Spanish—which she’s fluent in and I’m definitely not. “I don’t know what any of those words mean,” I say and glance to Akara.
Akara shakes his head. “No clue.”
Sulli looks over her shoulder at the road. “Fuck, I should have brought the M&M’s.” Don’t know what that’s about either. She lets out a frustrated breath. “I’m sorry. I’m not good at this or at words.”
“It’s okay, Sul,” Akara says. “We’re listening.”
“You have all my attention, mermaid.”
She smiles softly. “Alright, so basically, we’d be in a relationship. Like what we did in Yellowstone. Only there’s no end date that we’d have to worry about. No choice that has to be fucking made. We’re all just…together.”
I’ve got a lotta questions, but I’m not the logistics guy. Mostly, all I hear is we’re all just together.
My mouth curves in a smile that Sulli hangs onto.
I go where the wind blows me.
It’s sent me here.
To Akara. To Sulli. To home and love.
I’m ready to be rooted down, and this doesn’t feel like a consolation prize, having him here too. It feels like I’ve won it all.
My best friend.
And her.
I glance to Akara, hoping he’ll feel the same. But I see more questions in his eyes. And unlike me—he is that logistics guy.
56
AKARA KITSUWON
“I’m in.” Banks barely hesitates. I didn’t think he would.
They both look to me for my answer. I could back out, and if I do, I lose her. But I’m more scared of losing this. The ability to have what we had in Yellowstone. That’s like a dream. And I’d think I’m stuck in one, but it’s not snowing.