“YouareDane’s family.”Joy shot him a look that clearly said she thought he was stupid.
“I’m his crutch.”Walker shook his head.He wished Dane was there with them right now.They’d been needing to hash this out for a while.It was time for him to cut the other man loose so Walker could stop holding him back.Especially now that Joy and happily ever after was within reach again.
“What do you mean by that?”Joy narrowed her eyes.“My brain isn’t functioning at full capacity.Spell it out.”
“When his whole world caved in, after you two split apart, he leaned on me.Because of our relationship, and how we stuck together, he never had to face it and grieve fully.Never had to address the things that are broken deep inside him.And now, he should already be healed and ready to take on this new adventure with you.Instead, he’s still damaged.”Walker had fucked up again.“It’s my fault.I just…I was selfish.I didn’t want to let that part of my past go because I knew if he went on without me, I would be lost.”
For a moment there was dead silence in the car.The yellow line whizzing by was all he had to anchor him as he waited for Joy to say something.Anything.
“Wow, Walker.I don’t think I’ve ever heard you be so…honest.And sincere.”Joy put her hand on his knee and squeezed.That did not have any sort of reassuring effect on him.Instead, it riled him up.He considered swerving onto the side of the road to do something unwise about it.Too bad the backseat of her car was far too small for what he had in mind.
Oh, yeah.It was also the dumbest idea he’d ever had.
Because no matter what she said, Walker knew the truth.Dane and Joy were meant for each other.Then.Now.It didn’t matter.They were perfect together.They liked to joke, they watched the same shows on TV, they had the same favorite foods, they were both giving and attentive and so much better as people than he was.They could live a happy life together.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t miss them when they figured that out for themselves.
And the thought of getting attached to Arden only to lose her too—
No, he couldn’t.
Not when he was already giving up so much.
“Can I ask you something?”The question popped out of Joy’s mouth as if she hadn’t quite intended to utter it out loud.
Before she could think of some decoy to offer up instead of whatever it was she was really wondering, Walker glanced over at her.“Anything.I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
“Are you and Dane together, liketogether, or do you only fool around when you’re sharing women in bed?”
His muscles tensed so abruptly, they swerved onto the rumble strip at the edge of the road before he corrected their course and took their exit.“Shit, Joy…”
“You don’t have to tell me.I think I already know the answer.And I can see why it wouldn’t be smart to advertise your relationship given your father’s views on the subject.”Her grimace turned into a wide smile when she said, “I’m happy for you two, you know that, right?”
“It’s not like what you’re thinking.”He tried to think of how best to explain.
“So you don’t spend your nights sweaty and naked, making each other come so hard your balls nearly fall off?”Joy pouted.“Damn it.There goes all my decent masturbation material.”
Was she trying to make him crash?“Oh, well, yeah.We do that.”
“Thank God.”She angled her body more toward him, a blush staining her cheeks even as she grinned.
“But I wouldn’t say we’re like…a couple.”Walker felt weird even putting it that way.“It’s more like we’re partners, and we make do.”
What he couldn’t quite bring himself to say, because he didn’t want to give her false hope or ruin Dane’s chances at making a lasting bond with her, was that they weren’t complete.They were a threesome looking for their third.Because the only time he’d felt like they had been whole was when they’d slept with her.Even the other women they’d shared were only a stand-in for the real thing.
It had always been about Joy.
The rest had sort of developed out of their mutual need, and now it was how they existed.They were fused together.But even a weld like the one keeping them together could be broken by something as powerful as Dane’s love for Joy and now Arden as well.
Walker had been preparing to let Dane go from the instant he’d seen Joy walk in to Hot Rides holding an infant in her arms.
Dread coiling in his guts, he decelerated and coasted into the Hot Rides driveway, unsure of how they’d gotten there already.He’d been on autopilot.
“My turn to ask you something.”He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer he sensed was coming, but he had to know for certain.
Joy braced herself against the door then said, “Oh boy.”
“Why has Dane been acting so fucking weird around me the past week?Did you two already have a talk like this?”Walker put the car in park and turned to meet her stare directly so she couldn’t avoid telling him the truth even if it was about to hurt like a motherfucker.