Misfit(115)
He was. Both she and Stretch had loved Cash, separate and alone, apart from each other. They’d each wanted him for themselves. She couldn’t speak for Stretch, but, now, she couldn’t imagine having one without the other.
“Cash,” Stretch began. “I resented Fee so fucking much. We’d agreed that we wanted a girl in our relationship. But we were supposed to choose her together. Instead, you introduced me and her, then told us to deal with it. Or else. You’re the motherfucker, not her. I was resenting the wrong fucking person.”
Cash laughed without humor. “Wrong, fucker. You show me all the time how much you resent me.”
“You’re an asshole.” Stretch leaned his head on the back of the sofa. “For fuck’s sake, you don’t take anything serious. You fucked me and Fee, then spent an entire fucking weekend with Daphne.”
“I didn’t touch her, so fuck you,” Cash shot back, shocking both of them. Before Fee had a chance to absorb the truth of that, he continued. “I paid her a thousand dollars to pretend I did.” For a moment, his mask dropped. “Just being with Daphne felt as if I were betraying you two. I’ve never known if I cheated on you with Fee, Stretch. Or if I was doing things my way, as I’m accustomed to.”
“Definitely cheating,” Fee said, drawing both of their gazes. “I didn’t know how involved you two were when we got together, Cash.” She raised her hands in supplication to Stretch. “I’m so sorry if what we did hurt you. You say you were going to bring a girl in. Choose me,” she said simply. Judging by their confusion, they didn’t understand her meaning. She wanted both of them to choose her, not only Cash. She wanted it to be clear that this was about inclusion and not exclusion.
“You’re already chosen, Fee,” Cash said.
“No, Cash,” Stretch said, staring at her. “She means both of us.”
“Yes, I do.”
This was a do-or-die instance, made on the spur of the moment after hearing Cash’s apology. She’d come into the relationship after. Had the situation been reversed, she would’ve been devastated and betrayed, and would’ve ended things in self-righteous outrage. However, as the other in this relationship, she’d been so sure of her power. She’d convinced herself that if Stretch made Cash happy, he wouldn’t have taken up with her.
She admired Stretch’s tenacity. He loved Cash, so he’d been willing to listen to what he needed, accept her to a point, even after Cash went back on his promise that they both choose a woman.
The thought of losing them left her hollow, but Stretch deserved respect. Having a say in the woman in their relationship gave him what he should’ve had all along.
“If you both aren’t in agreement that I should be with you, then I’m leaving. You have deep, strong feelings for Stretch, and he loves you a lot, as much as I do. That’s what I want. I don’t want to be second. I want to be equal. If I’m not what both of you want, I’m out.”
“You’re out?” Cash sneered. “How have we gone from you accepting my terms, to threatening to walk away?”
“Because of the change in our relationship, dickhead,” Stretch snapped. “You can’t say you’ve been unaffected.”
Cash frowned. “We’ve done nothing but sit and talk.”
“That’s what she’s talking about,” Stretch argued. “We haven’t been just about sex.”
“So now you’re talking for her, asshole? First, I find you two sneaking time together, without me, and now you’re both coming at me with this.”
Fee lost her patience at Cash’s arrogance and their name calling. “Stop being so damn childish. The way you two call each other asshole and dickhead is kind of…”
“Insulting?” Stretch provided.
“Yes,” she answered.
Stretch thrust his fingers through his hair, a lighter brown than hers. “It’s our terms of endearment for one another.”
Shaking her head, Fee chuckled, her mood lightening at Stretch’s quip. “You guys are awful.”
“We’re so bad, we’re good,” Stretch replied, his mouth tipping up in a half smile.
“Fuck.” Cash glared between them. “You two are flirting with each other.”
“Fuck off, Cash,” Stretch snapped. “What’s your problem anyway? Your jealousy is showing.”
Face reddening, Cash opened his mouth.
“Cash!” It concerned Fee that he might say something so nasty Stretch would leave before they finished this important discussion. “Okay, at the risk of being accused of backseat analyzing, you have issues, dude. I know it doesn’t matter if you lose me.” Passive-aggressive much? She ignored the little taunt to herself, needing to find a way to discover his true feelings. “You don’t want to lose Stretch.”