What He Left Behind(74)

Until my phone suddenly comes to life with his ringtone, and a smiling picture of him that seems so out of place right now.

I quickly answer. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He pauses. “So, Ian knows? What we talked about?”

My heart speeds up. “Yeah.”

“And he’s…”

“He’s not angry. No one is.” I glance at Ian for reassurance, and when he nods, I continue. “This just seems like something we should all talk about. Face to face.”

He goes quiet for so long, I’m sure I dropped the call. Or worse, that he hung up.

But finally, he says, “If you guys really want to talk about this in person, let’s do it sooner than later. I know it’s late, but…”

“Now?”

Ian’s eyebrows jump, but he shrugs. Why not?

Michael sighs. “I can be there in twenty.”

“We’ll be here.”

After I hang up, I meet my husband’s gaze. “Well, I guess if we’re gonna lose sleep…”

“Might as well be doing something other than staring at the ceiling.”

“Yeah.” I put my hands on his waist. “Before he gets here… We’re really okay, right? You and me?”

“I wouldn’t even consider adding someone else if we weren’t.” He gathers me into a tight embrace. “Whatever happens tonight, nothing changes.”

I just pray to God he’s right.

Almost exactly twenty minutes later, Michael’s at the door. As I let him in, Ariel goes crazy, barking and whapping herself in the ribs with her tail. Michael leans down to pet her, and though he’s tense, he laughs—it’s hard not to when she’s being crazy like that.

He glances up at me, and his laughter vanishes. He clears his throat. “I hope this isn’t too late at night.”

“No, definitely not.”

Ian steps into the foyer. “Better to clear the air now than lose sleep over it.”

Michael recoils slightly, as if he’s expecting Ian to lash out at him even though he’s never seen Ian lose his temper, not even when I’ve pushed him to the point where anyone in his right mind would have.

“Let’s go sit,” I say softly. “In the living room.”

Michael nods. “Okay.”

He follows us into the living room and takes the armchair. Ian and I take the couch, Ian on the end closest to Michael with me on the middle cushion.

Almost immediately, Rosie crawls into Michael’s lap and curls up. Even from here, I can hear her purring. Though Michael’s obviously tense—aren’t we all?—he still pets her, and he doesn’t even flinch as she kneads his leg.

No one’s speaking, and everyone’s focused on Rosie. She soaks it all up, of course. Nothing better for a smug cat than three people sitting in silence and admiring her.

Michael is still focused on her when he takes a breath and sets his shoulders back. “So, you guys wanted to talk.”

Ian and I exchange glances. He takes my hand.

I shift my gaze to Michael. “It’s about the conversation we had at lunch yesterday. About…”

Michael winces, drawing back a little as his eyes dart toward Ian.

“He told me what you guys talked about,” Ian says softly.

I glance down at our joined hands, then meet Michael’s gaze. “The thing is, everybody’s feelings got more intense than we thought they would. But we’re…”

Ian squeezes my hand gently.

I pull in a breath. “We’re not so sure that’s a bad thing.”

Michael’s eyebrows jump, and his gaze flicks back and forth between us, but he doesn’t speak.

“We…” My pulse is out of control. “The thing is…”

Ian breaks in: “We want you to be part of our family.”

Michael’s eyes widen.

“Actually, that’s not even accurate.” Ian clears his throat, and he’s holding my hand even tighter as he says, “Michael, having you here is what makes this”—he gestures at each of us in turn—“a family.”

My heart flutters. God, now that he says it like that, it’s so true. “He’s right.”

Michael chews his lip. Then he exhales and absently unsticks one of Rosie’s claws from his jeans. “Look, guys. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me recently. It’s made such a big difference, I can’t even put it into words. But this was just a temporary thing. So I could move on from my ex.”

“Do you want it to be temporary?” Ian asks.

I hold my breath, not sure I want to know the answer.

“You two are married.” Michael’s barely whispering. “I can’t… I don’t want to be the third wheel.”

Before I can speak, Ian says, “You’re not the third wheel. If anything, I am.”

My head snaps toward Ian, and Michael and I both say in unison, “What?”

Ian glances at me, then Michael. “You guys have had something special for a lot longer than I’ve been in the picture.” Slowly, his smile comes to life. “And Josh and I, we’ve had something special for a long time too. It almost seems like—”

“You’re not the third wheel, Ian,” Michael cuts in. “The two of you… That was fate if I ever saw it. I knew the minute I met you that you and Josh were in it for the long haul.”