Brokenhearted Beauty(Divine Creek Ranch 19)(89)

“It’s a little after the fact, guys, but Dad asked me a question earlier and I wanted to make sure of my answer.”

“Ask away,” Vincent quickly said.

“I told him about you proposing.”

“I wondered, since he didn’t say anything.”

“I think he was sparing Denny what was essentially a family conversation. Anyway, when we were alone and I told him you’d proposed, he gave us his blessing, but he also…kind of…asked for a definition of our relationship, to make sure that I would be taken care of properly, I think. His heart was in the right place when he asked…”

James smiled and said, “What’s your question, honey?”

“It’s just the three of us, right?” She began to feel a little breathless. “We didn’t talk about that and I know people have different ideas about polyamory. I won’t come home someday and find a woman sitting at my kitchen table, like, ‘Hi, honey, I’m home,’ ready to join our relationship, will I? Will I?”

They were both shaking their heads and James finally spoke up. “You wondered if we’d want to invite a fourth, sometime down the road.”

“Or fifth,” she added, beginning to feel a little sick at the thought that they might ever grow bored with sharing her. Cold sweat trickled down her spine.

Vincent clasped her cold hand that was balled up on the desk in his big warm one and said, “Breathe, fluff. You’re looking pale.”

“I freaked myself out, thinking about it.”

“Do you think we’d be happy if you brought Denny home and said, ‘Guess what, we’ve been talking…’?”

“No! I’d never do that!”

“It’s about as likely that we’d ever do that to you. In short, no way in hell.”

“The two of you are willing share. It just needed to be clarified for me, and I needed you to know, even though it’s technically not fair, that I will not share either of you with any other woman…like…ever.”

“You have nothing to worry about.”

Whew! “I just got this mental image of coming home and finding a strange woman there with you and…I think I worked myself up just a bit.”

James chuckled softly. “Maybe a little, although you had every right to ask. To be clear, it’s just the three of us, from now on. And we won’t change our minds. You’re it, and more than enough for us, honey.”

Vincent gave a distinct nod of his head. “Damn straight, fluff. Feel better now?”

“I do.”

“Those are the words we want to hear when the time is right,” James said with his eyes twinkling.

Leah giggled, still a little in shock due to her change in status. “He also asked if we’d set a date.”

After agreeing to sit down with a calendar that night to hammer the date out, the men left so all three of them could finish their workday. Leah recalled her dad’s request and headed over to the children’s department to pass his message on to Presley Ann.

“Hey, sis,” Leah said as she joined Presley Ann at the little trolley that contained new stock for the department that needed to be put out.

“Hey, what’s up?” Presley Ann said as she sorted thermal sleepers before placing them in a rack.

“Dad asked me to let you know that he was arranging for Dave to tow your car over to his mechanic.”

Presley Ann sighed softly. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. I already contacted Dave and he told me he would check it out before towing it. He said if he could fix it he would and bring it to me here. I didn’t want Dad going to that expense. I have an emergency fund set up for stuff like that.”

“What about your AC?” Leah knew how expensive those could be to fix and the summer would be another hot one.

Presley Ann shook her head and kept her eyes on her work. “That will have to wait. As long as the car can get me from point A to point B that’s all that matters right now.”

Leah nodded, as she opened another box of sleepers and began sorting them. She was impressed that Presley Ann didn’t have anything else to say about going without AC.

“I’m thinking about selling it.” Presley Ann’s brows knit together but she kept working quietly.

“Your Mercedes? Why would you do that?”

“It’s a two-door model. It’s really cramped getting into the back seat. I can’t imagine trying to get a little baby in and out of one.” Her cheeks flushed but she kept her eyes on her work.

Anything Presley Ann could get with the money from selling her used Mercedes wouldn’t be as rock-solid as what she was currently driving, all the other problems she was having with it aside. She thought of the vehicles her father currently had in his extended garage and knew that her dad hadn’t considered that Presley Ann’s transportation might become an issue. She made a decision she thought she’d never make. She was fixin’ to meddle.