Theirs (3 page)

He
stood by an unfinished cabin, the snow-covered ground bright white against the
dark coloring of his clothing. His smile was big as he posed, his arm
outstretched behind him, showing the camera the incredible work he was
accomplishing. His auburn hair seemed redder in the picture, as if the sun had
chosen that moment to peek through the clouds and shine down on him.

A
tear slipped from her eye and made its way down her cheek. She quickly wiped it
away and turned from the pictures. She walked over to where
Tallin
was sitting. His focus was still trained on her, his jaw set tight.

She
took a seat next to him, both of them staying quiet, their attention on the
people around them. She felt the lightest of touches and dropped her gaze when
Tallin’s
hand covered hers. She could see his tattoos peek
out from under the rolled up sleeves of his shirt, that dark ink snaking up and
around his wrists and forearms. His touch was light as his thumb ran over her
flesh. She swallowed, fighting back her emotions. She looked up and into his
face. He was already looking at her.

“You
always were the strong and silent type.” She moved closer to him, held his hand
tighter, and rested her head on his shoulder. He chuckled softly, the sound
deep yet emotionless.

“When
do you have to go back to Denver?”

“I
don’t know if I’m going to go back.”

She
felt him tense, and she lifted her head to stare at him. “What?”

He
looked down at her. A flicker of emotions reflected in his eyes but was gone as
soon as it had appeared. He smiled, and she saw a happiness cover his face she
hadn’t seen since she had come back to Burkett.

“I’ve missed you so much, and with
everything that has happened, you being here would be incredible.”

He
pulled her into a hug. She rested her head against his chest, and the steady
rhythm of his heart went through her. “I love you,
Tallin
.
You know that right?” She felt his hand cup the back of her head and heard him
exhale.

“Not
as much as I love you, Lilly.”

She
felt tears well up and closed her eyes, letting herself be surrounded by the
ones she loved.

Chapter
Four

The Happiness Isn’t
Gone

Lilly
brought in another trash bag filled with plates, napkins, and cups. Stepping
into the kitchen, she couldn’t help but smile at the scene before her.
Tallin
had his dress shirt unbuttoned at the neck, and his
sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He had a dishrag in hand and was busy
wiping down the counters, his movements efficient yet quick. Riley was
unloading the dishwasher, the first few buttons of his shirt undone as well,
and the sleeves of his shirt rolled up his thick forearms. His tie hung loosely
around his neck as if he had gotten frustrated and yanked on it. Her boys were
quite domestic when they wanted to be.

“Look
at you two. Who domesticated you guys?” She laughed as she set the trash bag by
the backdoor, amid the numerous ones already piled up.

Tallin
looked up at her, his lips tilting
at the corners, and shook his head. Riley glanced at her, winked, and went back
to unloading the dishes. She just stood there for a moment, watching them as
they did such mundane things. She would never take anything for granted again,
even if it was hanging out with the two men she loved the most as they cleaned
the kitchen.

She
walked into the living room to make sure she hadn’t missed any trash. She
straightened a few things, then went over by the fireplace, and stood in front
of it. She wrapped her arms around her waist and watched the flames. Her gaze
traveled to the mantel where a silver-framed picture of the four of them sat.
She picked it up and stared at it, the flames reflecting off the glass and
making the picture seem to move with life.

The
picture had been taken three years ago, right before she’d moved to Denver. The
four of them had decided to take one last big trip. They ended up going to
California, driving instead of flying and making it one long road trip. She had
hated that part of the trip, even in
Tallin’s
massive,
roomy truck. It had been three days of cramps and aches, but once they had
finally reached the beach, it had been well worth it.

She
ran her finger over the glass. The four of them had posed for the picture, the
men in the back in their trunks and her standing in front of them in her
polka-dot bikini. She put the picture back, refusing to cry anymore today. She
just didn’t have the energy or the strength. She felt big hands land on her
shoulders. She closed her eyes and leaned back, enjoying the sensation of her
muscles starting to relax.

“Here,
sweetie.”

Lilly
opened her eyes and saw Riley holding out a full glass of red wine. She took
it, grateful for the small distraction. She let him lead her over to the couch
and sat beside him. She curled her feet beneath her legs and took a sip of her
wine. She knew that if her senses weren’t so numb, the wine would have tasted
exquisite. She stared at the fire for a moment but then got the distinct
feeling of being watched. She turned her attention to Riley, surprised he was
staring right at her, an expression she couldn’t read covering his face.

“What?”
Lilly chuckled, his features seeming of deep concentration. She lifted her hand
and ran her finger down the bridge of his nose. He closed his eyes, and his
hand came up and cupped her palm against his cheek.

“Can
I hold you?”

“Oh,
Riley.” Sympathy welled up within her, knowing he must be so torn inside. She
set her wine down, moved closer to him, and snuggled into his hard, muscular
chest as she wrapped her arms around him. “Everything will be okay.”

“I
know.” He exhaled and started rubbing her back lightly with his hand. He
whispered, “Everything will be okay now that you’re here.”

She
didn’t comment, knowing that she knew she would never be able to go back to
Denver. They watched the fire before she knitted her brows and sat up. “Where’s
Tallin
?”

“Shower.”

“Oh.”
She laid her head back down on his chest, smiling when he covered them up with
the throw that hung over the couch.

“It’s
snowing pretty heavily out there. Why don’t you just stay the night? The roads
are most likely horrible. I would feel better knowing you’re here and safe.”

“I
have no intention of leaving tonight.” She didn’t, not because of the snow,
although that was a big unavoidable factor, but because she just wanted to be
with her boys.

****

Four
days had passed, and Lilly was finding it a little bit easier each day to cope.
The storm had been immense and hadn’t stopped for those four days. Several feet
of white, crystalline powder covered the ground, the scene breathtaking in its
beauty. She hadn’t been able to leave because the roads were closed. Plow
trucks hadn’t been able to clear the streets because the snow had just kept
coming, especially this high in the mountains.

Being
snowed in wasn’t so bad, especially since she was with Riley and
Tallin
. Luckily, she had forgotten to take a bag of clothes
out of her trunk when she arrived in Burkett.

It
was like old times, like one giant adult slumber party, although they were
missing one person. Lilly would wake up in the middle of the night, crying so
forcibly that it had been hard to catch her breath. As the days progressed, she
was crying a little less until she was feeling the strength grow inside of her.
The anguish was still there, but she realized the more time she spent with
Tallin
and Riley, the more the pain was tolerable.

She
knew that if she went back to Denver, she would crumble and the grief and pain
would be too much for her to cope with. She was just so thankful that she had
two incredible men in her life. The three of them worked together, drawing
strength from one another and making sure they each got through it.

Lilly
padded barefoot into the bathroom connected to the guest room she was staying
in. It housed a Jacuzzi in the corner and lots of shiny tile and marble. The
tub was her favorite amenity at Riley’s place.

She
looked at herself in the mirror and ran her finger under her eyes. Although she
rarely wore makeup, she wished she had some cover-up to hide the dark circles
under them at least. She ran a brush over her hair, the straight, light strands
lying lifeless on her shoulders. She grabbed an elastic tie, put her hair in a
ponytail, and smoothed her hands down the thin cotton t-shirt and fleece pants
she wore. She turned off the light, walked over to the dresser that sat off to
the side, pulled the top drawer open, and grabbed a pair of socks. Riley kept
the house extremely warm, so the thin material of her clothing, even though it
was ten degrees outside, kept her comfortable.

It
was barely eight in the morning, but she knew they would be up.
Tallin
usually woke before the sun even rose, and Lilly
assumed it was because of all of his years in the military. She could smell
bacon when she reached the top of the stairs, and, despite not having much of
an appetite lately, she found her mouth watering and her stomach grumbling.

She
descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen, seeing Riley behind the stove
and
Tallin
sitting at the table with a cup of coffee
in his hand.

“Something
smells good.”

They
both regarded her and smiled. She walked to Riley and gave him a hug, then did
the same to
Tallin
. She sat across from him and
poured herself a glass of orange juice from the carafe sitting on the table. It
was fresh squeezed, but then again, Riley never did anything half ass.

“Are
you hungry, sweetheart?”

She
turned her attention to Riley as he brought over two plates and set them on the
table. Bacon and eggs filled one plate and pancakes and waffles the other. She
wasn’t surprised to see the spread. During the week, Riley had made every meal
like this. That she hadn’t had an appetite and hadn’t been able to fully enjoy
it was just a shame.

Tallin
grabbed a plate, added a little
bit of everything on it, and then handed it over to her. She raised her
eyebrows as she took it. “I’m a big girl,
Tallin
. I
could have gotten my own plate,” she teased.

“You’ve
lost weight. I can tell. You need to eat more protein.”

She
looked down at herself, knowing her clothes were a little looser but
embarrassed he’d actually noticed. “Thanks,” she mumbled as she reached across
the table.
Tallin’s
hand landed on hers as she
grabbed the bottle of maple syrup. She lifted her eyes to his.

“I
didn’t mean any offense. It’s just that you’re going to get sick. I’m just
worried about you.”

She
breathed out and nodded. “I know. It’s just that with everything that has been
going on, my appetite has been pretty nonexistent. I’m starting to feel better
though, and I’m actually hungry this morning.”

His
nod was tight and quick, but he still examined her eyes and kept his hand on
hers. She stared into his bright blue eyes, and her heartbeat accelerated with
an emotion she wasn’t too comfortable with. It was a feeling she didn’t want to
explore too much into, because that would be crossing a line. Her cheeks became
hot from his intense gaze, and she quickly glanced down, thankful when his hand
didn’t give her any resistance.
What’s
wrong with you, Lilly?
She poured the warm syrup on her pancakes and
started eating.

“I’m
going to go get some more wood. I’ll be back a little later.”

Lilly
glanced out the window as she chewed her food. “How do you plan on getting wood
when there’s like six feet of snow out there?” she said around a mouth full of
food. She raised a brow at him, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly with
amusement.

“Snowmobiles,
love. Besides, we went through a lot of wood the past week and are running
low,” Riley smiled softly at her.

Riley
had a generator for if the power went out, but on several occasions this past
week, the lights had flickered and everyone worried about the power going out
because the storm was so bad. No, not worried about it going out, but trying to
be prepared for when it did go out. It was only a matter of time.

Tallin
got up and brought his dishes to
the sink. He walked back over, kissed her on the head, and left out the side
door. She watched as the door shut and then, turning back around, noticed that
Riley had taken
Tallin’s
seat. He pushed a bowl of
fruit in front of her as he started eating. She picked up a strawberry, brought
it to her mouth and gently bit the tip, and let the sweet juice fill her mouth.
She stared out the window again and saw
Tallin
get on
the snowmobile and speed away. The machine was loud and fast as he disappeared
in the bordering forest. She took another bite of the strawberry, again leaving
it in her mouth so the sweet juices coated her taste buds.

The
back of her neck prickled, the sense of being watched filling her. With her
lips still around the strawberry, she turned to look at Riley, feeling her eyes
widening at the expression that covered his face. His head was slightly
downcast, his eyes at half-mast as he gazed at her mouth. She realized that she
still had half the strawberry in her mouth and the juice was spilling out of it
while her lips were suctioned around the red flesh. His fork was midair, the
syrup covering the pancake square slowly dripping from the prongs.

She
put the strawberry on her plate and finished eating, very aware of the tingle
traveling through her. She knew she shouldn’t be feeling the emotions currently
bombarding her. These were her best friends, and here she was, experiencing
unfamiliar emotions that she had no right to feel. It was wrong to feel arousal
when they had done nothing but comfort and protect her.

The
fact that the sight of them made her lustful had shame and guilt filling her.
She remembered how
Tallin
had stared at her, his
smoky emerald eyes seeming to see right into her soul, and Riley’s heated amber
gaze that spoke of hidden desire.

Lilly
shook her head, knowing that there was no way they could possibly feel arousal
for her. For God’s sake, they had been friends since they were toddlers. They
had never showed sexual interest in her before. Both of them had had plenty of
dates in high school, even serious girlfriends during college.

Stop thinking about them like this.
Stop thinking they might want more from you.

It
was all in her imagination. Her brain was fried, and she was imagining things
that could and would never be.

“When
do you have to go back to work?” She glanced up at him, needing to change the
subject.

His
jaw was tense as he stared at his food. “I took some personal time.” His words
were gruff, and he cleared his throat. “What about you? When do you have to go
back?”

She
had had this conversation with
Tallin
and had told
him she didn’t know if she was going back. As the days passed though, she really
had no desire to go back to Denver. Her mind was pretty much made up. She would
be losing a really great job, but there was work in Burkett, and just being
around the people she loved was worth the financial loss she would take.