Uniting the Souls (Souls of Chicago #6)(37)

I stared at her, stunned by her easy reaction to the news. My sister had always been very open-minded and my biggest supporter, but I’d figured the news that I was getting involved in a ménage would’ve thrown her just a little.

“You seem to be taking this very easily,” I said and Aysha laughed.

“Hudson, you’ve always done things your own way; moving to L.A., starting your own practice, and it’s worked out for you each and every time. I don’t see any reason for this to be any different. You’re a smart guy with a good head on your shoulders and I know you wouldn’t rush into something like this without giving it some serious thought first,” she explained.

“You’re right. I have thought a lot about what it would be like to be with both of them and it just feels right, you know?” Aysha smiled at me knowingly and I could see the excitement in her eyes.

“Don’t get too excited though. It’s still very early and I’m not quite sure how they each feel about it yet. We have a lot of things to work out and there are many things we don’t know about each other yet,” I cautioned her.

“Okay, I get it. I’d still like to hear about them though. I’ve never seen you look the way you did when you were thinking about them earlier. It has me intrigued about who these men are,” she said.

I felt so much love for my sister right then and I relaxed as I spent the rest of our meal telling her everything I knew about Isaac and Matt. She thought they sounded like amazing people and said she couldn’t wait to meet them someday. I wanted that too, I just hoped we made it that far. I worried that in the light of day, they may be second-guessing what had happened between us.

Aysha took Nicholas to the bathroom while I paid the bill and I smiled when I saw the waiter’s name, and his phone number written on the receipt along with a note. To the beautiful woman seated at my table, I’d love the opportunity to take you out and get to know you. If you’re interested, please give me a call. I held the receipt out to her as we climbed in the car and she immediately opened her mouth to object, but I cut her off, folding her hand around the thin strip of paper.

“Don’t say anything right now. Just promise me that you won’t throw it away, okay? Even if you never call him, let it serve as a reminder that there are perfectly nice men out there who find you attractive and want to get to know you. Not every man is a sleaze ball like Tommy,” I said, hoping she’d finally start to believe me.

I breathed a sigh of relief as she took the paper and folded it carefully before sliding it into her purse. I leaned over and kissed her cheek. I knew how difficult it would be for her to take that first step towards trusting people again, but she was a wonderful woman and she deserved to be happy. I smiled as I pulled out of the parking lot and started heading towards the movie theater. Maybe it was time for both of us to find some happiness.





I checked the time on my watch and then leaned against the small counter in my kitchen as I drank my coffee. I had a few minutes before I needed to leave to catch the L train into work. I’d spent all day Sunday feeling as if I were in a daze. I worked on autopilot as I cleaned my apartment and did laundry. I tried to relax and read, but my thoughts constantly returned to the night before and I found myself reading the same paragraph over and over without taking any of it in. My body was sore, but every twinge and ache served as a delicious reminder of what had happened between me, Matt, and Hudson.

I’d always wondered what my first time having sex would be like. I’d hoped that it would be with someone who liked me and would do their best to make it good for me, but never in my wildest dreams had I imagined anything as good as my night with those two men.

There’d been an instant chemistry between the three of us from the first time we met. It had continued to smolder each time we were together, but the night of the party, that slow burn had ignited into a fiery passion that I was surprised hadn’t left my body in a pile of ashes.

However, it was so much more than just desire between us. It was also the looks that had been exchanged. The way we all seemed to feel the need to reach for one another, keeping the connection between us. The gentle, caring way they’d taken care of me, making sure my first time was nothing short of amazing. I’d never experienced anything like it before and I craved more.

I’d always been kind of a loner, keeping to myself both at school and at home, but with good reason. I’d only ever had one person I was really close to, but even he hadn’t known all my secrets. Although I think he suspected, especially there at the end. I pushed the thoughts away, not allowing myself to go down that dark path.

Once I’d started living at Agape House, I’d learned to accept help from others, to trust in other people. For the first time in my life, I’d begun to let my guard down. Once I began working there and I was in the position of helping others, I’d opened up even more, spending time with the kids and making friends with the other staff members and volunteers. I’d slowly begun to realize that I wasn’t the introvert I’d always thought I’d been. Given the right environment, I was actually quite outgoing and friendly.

Still, with all my newfound friends, I’d never felt fully connected with any of them. Even Matt who knew me better than anyone else at the center was held at arm’s length. Although I’m not sure if that was more on my part or his. Probably a combination of the two. The other night had changed all that though. I’d seen deeper inside Matt than ever before and it had given me the confidence to hand over more of myself.