Chapter 38: Renee
“I am so angry at Jason I could spit!” Jami stomped around our front living room later that day, throwing her hands in disgust. I watched her from my place on the couch, nodding my head along with her outrage but too exhausted to rehash the memory repeatedly.
The boys had dropped me off earlier, but only after breakfast, coffee, and sixty minutes or so of reassuring the boys that I wasn’t going to keel over in my house and fall down the stairs. Only then did they drive me home, much to Jami’s paranoid relief.
Honestly, I’ve still been trying to wrap my head around the fact that I spent the night with them last night, and they’d taken care of me like I was one of their own. A friend. Maybe even more. Not a single one of them had touched me, crossed any boundaries. I’d slept through the night because I felt safe there, with them, and it was a feeling I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
“You need to report him,” Jami said, stopping in front of me as she placed her hands on her hips. “You need to report Jason to the police. He drugged and tried to rape you, Ren. He deserves to be punished.”
“I think the guys got after him last night,” I said. “Physically, I mean. I don’t think Jason will be a problem anymore, James.”
Shaking her head, Jami plopped down on the couch next to me, scooting closer so she could rest her hand on top of mine. I rolled my head to the side and rested it on her shoulder, happy that I managed to escape the bullshit with Jason. It could have ended badly last night, and I have the boys to thank that it didn’t.
“As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters,” Jami says, squeezing my hand. “I was so worried, Ren. I knew I should have just gone to that party with you. Maybe it wouldn’t have escalated so quickly.”
“It was no one’s fault but mine.”
“You mean no one’s fault, but Jason’s,” Jami corrected me, and I nodded. “I was glad the boys showed up,” she continues. “After I texted Matt, I wasn’t sure if they’d end up going or not. I felt bad asking like it wasn’t my business, and maybe they didn’t want to. But I was really, really glad they did.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, remembering how safe I felt in Matt’s arms as he carried me to the car, away from Jason and the dangers of the real world. Falling asleep on the couch with three good men watching over me, a pyramid of safety made me feel safer than I’ve ever felt.
“I was telling you,” Jami continues, reaching for her glass of wine on the coffee table to take a sip. “Harems are things, Renee. Could you really choose just one now?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper. “I want them all. I feel like I need them. All three of them. I’ve never felt this way before.”
“They all clearly care about you,” Jami said. “Do you think they’d be down for it?”
“No, Jami. It’s weird. It’s just … weird.” I don’t know what else to say because that’s all that keeps running through my mind. Matt. Aaron. Jake. All of them. Together. Three of them.
Jami stands up and goes to the kitchen to rinse her wine glass in the sink. “I was going to walk to the library and study. Are you up for it?”
“Not today. I have some things I have to think about.”
Jami nods and leans down to wrap her arms around me. “I love you,” she says. “You’ll make the right decision. I know you will.”
Carly had not come home last night, so the house was silent. Usually, I loved to be alone, bask in the peaceful silence, and allow my brain to temporarily shut down. But today, it unsettled me. I couldn’t stand the silence.
I pull out my phone and realize I have three missed text messages, one from each guy. I smile as I read them, wondering how high school bullies could merely change their ways for the better. Men I once hated more than anything in life were quickly becoming friends … best friends. Lovers.
I swallow the lump in my throat and answer Matt first.
How’re you feeling?
Much better, thanks 2 you 3. How are you?
I set the phone on the coffee table and then got up to ensure the front door was locked. I slip the deadbolt into place, shivering at the thought of Jason showing up at my front door. I feel vulnerable without the boys here, and I hate that feeling. Since graduating high school, I have seldom allowed myself to feel this way.
I sit back down on the couch and check my phone. There’s a response from Matt.
Good. I’m glad. I’m on a shift at the station.
I smile, gnawing my bottom lip without realizing it. Matt’s surprise firefighter career was still difficult for me to wrap my head around. I never envisioned Aaron or Matt working in public service, actually helping people.
Before I could type back a reply, my phone buzzed again.
Do you want to stop by? You could meet the crew.
I swallow, frowning at the phone. Matt wants to introduce me to his friends, coworkers, and team. My fingers skim over the screen as I type up a response.
Sure. I’ll head over now.