The Boys Who Loved Me - Krista Wolf Page 0,48

were at the terminal, checking me in at one of those electronic kiosks. I had my carry-on bag, which Luke was holding, and that was it. I liked to travel light.

“Airports always make me sad,” I sighed.

“They make everyone sad,” said Warren. “They’re full of goodbyes.”

“Or hellos, depending on which side of the gate you’re on,” Luke pointed out. “But yeah.”

Together we walked, with the boys flanking me from all sides. It felt like they wanted to be close to me. That especially now, during these last few moments, they needed to be near.

Finally the security gate came into view. It was as far as we could go. This was it.

“I… I love you guys,” I said, the tears already flowing. “You know that right?”

They smiled. Nodded. One by one, they hugged me harder than I’d ever been hugged in my life.

“And you’ll come visit Big Sur, right?” I demanded of them. “Remember, you promised. All of you.”

“Yeah,” said Warren. “Sure.”

The knot in my stomach had moved up to my throat. I could barely breathe. I wanted to kiss them one by one, but I knew I’d lose control. That I’d be sobbing and kissing three guys in the middle of the airport, and that might look a little—

“Don’t choose.”

The words came from Adrian, who’d said virtually nothing the whole time. The strange part was, the others didn’t even look confused by the statement.

“What?”

“What he means is,” Luke cut in, “what if you didn’t have to pick just one of us?” His eyes were glassy, his voice deep and heavy. “What if you didn’t have to disappoint any of us?”

I shook my head. “I—I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“You said you couldn’t pick, because you never wanted to come between us again,” said Warren. “But what if you didn’t have to? What if you—”

The tears started flowing, as I shook my head. Suddenly I understood.

“Warren, no. That’s not what I—”

“We love you, Kayla. We don’t want to lose you. Not again.”

The knot in my throat was a softball, choking me out. There was no oxygen. Nothing to breathe.

“We’d do this for all of us,” said Luke, “rather than let you walk out of our lives. You make us better, Kayla. You always have.”

With that he swept me into his arms, kissing me in full view of a hundred people. The kiss was long, soulful, meaningful. When it was over, he smiled.

“But it’s not just about what we want,” he said, finally letting me go. “You’d need to want it to.”

Warren took my face in his hands, kissing me so slowly and tenderly I forgot everything else. And then Adrian was kissing me too. Holding me against his body. Crushing me in his corded, tattooed arms, while drinking so deeply from my lips it left me dizzy and breathless.

“I…”

My head swam, my eyes unfocused. I had such Bambi legs I could barely stand! And then just as abruptly they were gone, leaving me there with my bag. Standing there speechless, helpless.

Alone.

I felt half in a dream, as I floated my way through the security line. I reached the other side without incident, then focused on putting one foot in front of the other as I made my way to my flight’s departure gate.

Don’t choose.

The sheer insanity of it was staggering. The full measure of what they were suggesting still hadn’t washed over me.

We don’t want to lose you.

It was selfish. Stupid. Crazy and dumb. Not on their end, but on mine. To think I could somehow placate all three of them by sleeping with them at the same time. That things wouldn’t blow up and end exactly this way: with them disappointed, and me walking away in tears.

The flight was already boarding by the time I got to the gate, but my tears were so thick I could barely see. Somehow I produced my boarding pass. The smiling attendant scanned it, wished me a pleasant flight, and ushered me through without saying another word.

Not again.

Clearing my throat, I pulled myself together and slung my carry-on over my shoulder. Then I made my way down the jet bridge, still drying my tears.

Thirty-Four

WARREN

“This is the third time. The last time.” I shook my head. “It’s not happening anymore.”

I was kneeling beside our only tow truck, which was lowered nearly all the way to the ground. And the reason it rode so low was because it had four very flat tires.

“They could’ve slashed them,” Luke pointed out. “At least they only let the air