“You don’t have to explain. I understand.”
They ate their breakfast, changing the subject so neither of them had to speak about the elephant in the room. He’d ordered waffles, coffee, orange juice, fruit, eggs, and sausages. He was starving after their night of lovemaking, and it appeared that River was too. They ate a hearty breakfast before taking turns in the shower.
After his turn, he dressed and came out of the bathroom to find that River was gone. His heart was broken until he saw the note she’d left on the table:
I’m sorry to leave without saying goodbye, but I need to be alone right now. I need to think. Last night was beautiful, and I love you. I’ll always love you. Yours, River
He folded up the note and pressed it against his heart as a tear slid from his eye. He wiped it away and stared at it on his finger. He couldn’t believe that he was actually crying. He hadn’t cried since his father died ten years before.
He picked up his phone and tapped the text-message icon. His finger hovered over her contact number. Then he sighed and closed the screen. She’d said she needed to be alone to think, and he had to respect that. He could only guess how hard it was for her. She clearly had feelings for both him and his brother, and the pressure of making the choice had to be eating her up inside.
He put the phone away and packed up his things. He took one last look at the room where he’d made love to his mate, trying to hold on to the memory in case it was the last time. He never wanted to forget the moments they’d shared.
When he made it back home, the last thing he wanted was to talk to Cal, but he couldn’t avoid seeing his brother when he pulled up. Cal was sitting on the front porch, drinking iced tea and talking on the phone. As Cash approached, he hung up. Their eyes met, and Cal frowned, but Cash’s heart was already breaking. Cal couldn’t make it any worse.
“You’ve been with her, haven’t you? I can smell it on you.”
“Yes. We were together last night. But she left first thing this morning without saying goodbye. She told me she loves me. The only problem is she’s also in love with you.”
Cash didn’t want to hear his brother’s reply. He walked into the house and jogged up the stairs to his bedroom. He was changing into his workout clothes when there was a knock at the door. He opened it to find his brother standing there.
“What?” Cash said.
“We have to get past this. It’s going to destroy us both.”
“Then just let her go. Tell her you want her to be with me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Cal snorted.
“I can’t let her go. Not now, after I’ve been inside her.”
Cal leaned his head back and took a sharp breath as he stared up at the ceiling. “I’ve tasted her too—the other night in the rain. Do you think I can let her go any easier than you can?”
“What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. We have to let her decide. It’s the only answer.”
Cash sighed. He met his brother’s eyes. Cal was right. River was the only one who could end this. But if she chose his brother, Cash didn’t know how he could go on.
They agreed to support each other no matter what, shaking hands. Then Cash left to go down to the gym. He spent several hours working off all of his emotions until he was completely spent. When he was walking back up the stairs, he heard a knock at the front door. Cal was there before he was, opening the door. On the other side stood the light of his life, River, with Boo beside her. Cash was sore and exhausted from his workout and at a loss for words.
“I need to speak with both of you,” she said, stepping into the house. They followed her into the living room, and they all sat down, River on the easy chair and the twins on the couch across from her. “I’ve made a decision…”
Cash felt his heart seize in his chest. This was it, the moment of truth. Will it be me or Cal? And how will our relationship change? He closed his eyes, bracing himself.
“The truth is, I can’t choose one of you. I’m in love with you both.”
The room was still and silent. Cash and Cal looked at each other.
“I would like to get a chance to have a date with both of you. Tonight, we can have dinner here at your house, and I’ll see how it feels to be with you both. I don’t know what else to do. My feelings for both of you are too strong. I don’t know if I could ever choose.”
“That’s fine with me,” Cash said, feeling that maybe, if she wanted to mate with both of them, he and his brother could still be friends. Maybe it was the best solution. He squeezed his eyes closed, praying that it could all work out.
“I would be fine with that,” Cal said, his voice thick.
“Good,” River said. “I’ll be back tonight at seven. You can make me dinner, and then we can all talk.”
She disappeared out the front door before Cash could even think about what had just happened. He and his brother looked at each other. Cash was unsure of what to say.
“How do you feel about this?” Cal asked.
“I think it could solve everything. It’s what I’d hoped for all along.”
“Really? I thought you wanted her for yourself,” Cal said.
“I don’t know. It’s all so confusing. I didn’t want to lose our friendship,” Cash said. “You’re my brother, my twin. Losing you would have been as difficult as losing her.”
“Do you think she can handle both of us?” Cal asked.
Cash turned away, wiping his sweaty brow with a towel. “I don’t know. River has been wounded. She’s a strong woman, but accepting two men might be too much for her.”
“And you wouldn’t mind?” Cal asked.
“I wouldn’t mind if you wouldn’t.”
“And I wouldn’t mind if you wouldn’t,” Cal said. The brothers regarded each other and nodded.
“We would have to claim her at the same time,” Cash said.
“I know how it works.”
And that was the last thing they said to each other before Cash turned away and headed up the stairs. After another shower, he went to help his brother Dylan in the warehouse with some shipping orders. He didn’t want to see Cal. It was all too awkward. Everything hinged on what River decided that night, even if she concluded she only wanted one of them or neither of them.
He still didn’t know what he would do if she ultimately chose Cal over him. He would probably have to leave the ranch. Seeing them together every day would be too much. But he had to prepare his heart for that possibility, no matter how painful or difficult.
After spending the day helping Dylan, he headed back to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner that night. While he was out, he saw his brother doing the same thing. They glared at each other, but Cash realized they probably should have coordinated some kind of plan. If she did choose them both, they would have to learn to work together and accept that they shared a mate.
Cash returned home first. When his brother entered the kitchen, he sat him down and told him what was on his mind. “We have to have some kind of plan for dinner tonight. There’s no point in cooking two different meals.”
Cal sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I was going to make Mom’s lasagna.”