Stay With Me(13)

She lost all sense of time and place. She hovered on the verge of consciousness, Rhys’ face swimming below her. Sharp, vivid colors burst in her vision. And then she was falling. Faster and harder.

She slumped forward. She was vaguely aware of Rhys catching her, of Logan’s hands surrounding her. Her cheek met the warm skin of Rhys’ chest, and her eyes fluttered closed.





Chapter Six

Catherine awoke in the still of the morning, when all was quiet and faint light shone around the curtains. She listened hard and could hear the roar of the ocean in the distance.Hard arms lay over her body, and muscular legs twined with hers. And for a moment, she lay there, simply absorbing the warm contentment of waking in their arms. Their touch was possessive, determined, even in sleep. She gazed at Logan, his jaw dark with stubble. His hair was mussed, and he didn’t so much as twitch in his sleep. He looked exhausted.

Carefully, she turned her head to look over her shoulder at Rhys, sprawled out beside her, his hand over her hip, her buttocks drawn into his groin.

When was the last time she’d awakened like this? An ache began in her chest, fierce and piercing. They stumbled into bed long after she went to sleep and got up with barely more than a brush of their lips across her forehead. There was no intimacy to their relationship anymore. They coexisted. There was no other word for it.

The longer she stared at them, the heavier her chest became. Quietly, so as not to awaken them, she extricated herself from their embrace and crawled from the bed. Not pausing to shower, she pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, not wanting to be bothered by it.

She left the room, no clear path in mind other than she wanted to find a quiet place to be alone with her thoughts. There were many alcoves set amongst dense, strategically planted foliage. Single tables to allow for privacy were in the little niches, and each afforded a view of the beach.

She chose one as far away from the actual hotel as possible and settled into the chair facing the water. A waiter appeared promptly, and she ordered fruit juice, mourning the fact that she’d given up coffee since learning of her pregnancy.

She felt less anxious here. Calm settled over her as she enjoyed the quietness of the morning and the salty breeze off the ocean. Her life might be a wreck, but for the space of a few moments, she could pretend that she was on her dream vacation having the time of her life.

And it should be the time of her life. She should be celebrating her pregnancy, the five years of her marriage to the men she loved more than anything.

She glanced down at her wedding ring and idly twisted the band in circles around her finger. It wasn’t a traditional ring. No simple band with a flashy engagement ring on top. They’d chosen a design with three twisting ropes intertwined. One continuous circle, no beginning or ending.

Two years ago, Logan and Rhys had tried to talk her into one of those ostentatious rocks. They felt she deserved something big and expensive now that their financial situation had improved so drastically, but she’d said no. She liked her ring. She didn’t want or need bigger and better, not when her first ring held such a wealth of meaning.

So much had changed since their days of barebones existence living hand-to-mouth. But they’d been happy. God, those were the best days of her life. No, they didn’t have much money, but it hadn’t mattered to her. It never had. What she did have was their love and complete devotion.

The three of them had been together since their early days in college. Logan had come from a dirt-poor family and was only able to attend university via a scholarship. He’d always been the most determined to make something of himself.

Rhys’ mother had worked two jobs to make sure he could go to college. When she died during his sophomore year, he’d vowed to see her dream of him graduating and becoming successful come true. Catherine and Logan had gone with him to her funeral, and Rhys had stood there at her grave, head bowed. Catherine had held his hand as he whispered his goodbye to his mother—and his vow to make her proud.

Catherine took another sip of her juice and stared over the water, lost in her memories. Looking back, she couldn’t really pinpoint when things had changed from friendship between the three of them to something more. She’d been deeply conflicted about her feelings for both men and desperate not to lose either of them, even if it meant suppressing anything beyond friendship.

Logan, being Logan, had simply brought things to a head one night in their tiny apartment. He’d asked Rhys very bluntly if he loved Catherine. Rhys looked stunned—and guilty—as though he knew Logan loved her as well and that his admission would be a betrayal. But neither could he tell her to her face that he didn’t love her.