Linger(27)

right. With you. I want the chance, Emmy.”

She lay back, staring at the ceiling as she listened to Taggert’s and Greer’s rough breathing beside her.

“Are you sure?” she asked even as her chest swelled with hope. “Is this something you both want or is

this a sympathy move for your dead brother’s wife?”

“That’s a shitty thing to say,” Greer said in a low voice.

She pushed herself up, crawled to the end of the bed and turned so she could see them both.

“I’m not trying to be shitty. I have a right to ask these questions. Have you and Taggert even considered

what kind of life we’ll have? God knows I didn’t give it any thought before I came barging in here four

years ago throwing my feelings around.”

She hated the hint of vulnerability that shadowed her voice. Hated even more that her hands shook.

Greer elbowed up and shifted his body so he was closer. The muscles in his shoulders rippled as he

reached for her. She put her hands out to ward him off, but he caught her fingers and threaded them

through his.

“What we’ve considered is that we’ll have a life with you. That’s all we care about. Will it be easy? Hell,

I don’t know. I’ve never even tried to wrap my brain around a situation like this. Did I accept it

overnight? No. I wish I had. Then maybe you and Sean would be here. It took me a long damn time, but I

know what I want, Emmy. I want you.”

“Oh Greer,” she whispered. “Don’t blame yourself. What I wanted—what I suggested was so out of

bounds. You can’t blame yourself for thinking I was crazy.”

“I’ll make you a deal.” Taggert’s eyes glittered with grim determination. “You don’t blame yourself and

we won’t blame ourselves.”

“The point is, we can play the blame game for eternity,” Greer said. “But it won’t change a damn thing.

Sean’s gone. We can’t bring him back no matter how much we want to.”

Pain slashed through her chest, and tears clouded her vision. He didn’t say it to be hurtful, but the

resignation in his voice got to her in a way nothing else had. Sean was gone. He wasn’t coming back.

Ever.

She rolled away, unable to face either of them. She clutched her arms and bowed her head, willing herself

not to break again. There was nothing left. She didn’t have the strength for another emotional outburst.

Strong arms surrounded her, holding her, offering her love and support.

“Emmy.”

Said so tenderly her heart clenched, her name slid over her ears and straight into her soul. She turned her

face up to see Greer looking at her with the pain of so many memories burning in his eyes.

“We loved him too. We miss him. But he’s not coming back. You’re alive. You have to live. You can’t

go on like you have. Taggert and I love you. We want you to stay with us. We know it won’t be easy. We

don’t even know what to expect. It’s new to us and we’ll have to work at it. Together. Give us the chance

we didn’t give you four years ago. Let us love you.”

She raised haunted eyes and looked straight through Greer’s soul. He felt her pain. It was a tangible,

terrible thing. Her grief spilled over into the room. Her guilt. If only he could take it away. He couldn’t.

But he could love her. He could cherish her. Offer her all the things he should have given her four years

ago.

He glanced over at Taggert and saw the same grim resolve reflected on his face. Emily was theirs. They

might not have always acknowledged it, but it didn’t change the utter truth. She belonged to them. She’d

always belonged to them.

She sagged against Taggert in a gesture of surrender. Fatigue hollowed her eyes. Making love to her when

she was so fragile had probably been a bastard thing to do but he—they—had been unable to resist any

longer. They’d waited a damn long time. They weren’t waiting anymore.

Taggert pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head and snagged his fingers in her long hair.

“Lie back down, Emmy. Rest. I’ll be here. Sleep and we’ll face tomorrow together.”

She closed her eyes and then allowed Taggert to ease her down on the mattress. She crawled onto the

pillows and curled into a tight ball. She fell asleep before either man could recline beside her. Instead they

sat toward the end of the bed watching the soft rise and fall of her chest.

Greer drew in a deep breath and avoided Taggert’s thoughtful stare. Hell, he was sitting on a bed in his

underwear with his brother after they’d made love to the same woman. It didn’t get any weirder than that.