Micah dared to glance at Kai, whose eyes had lit up. Gods, I can’t do this to him. To both of them.
“No.” Micah shook his head. “I messed up. I just... it was a slip of the tongue. That’s all. I don’t love both of you.”
And now they were both watching him, attempting to read all the things he was trying so hard to hide. Micah eased out of Spike’s grip, his entire head flushing hot. He didn’t have the energy for this. He shouldn’t have done anything with them. He should be at the hospital.
They followed him out of the shower, their arousal filling the rest of the bathroom with musk. Sticky white droplets clung to Kai’s abs.
“You love someone,” Kai said slowly. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have said it at all.”
He exchanged a look with Spike. Micah saw the question in their eyes—was it Kai that Micah loved, or Spike, or both of them?
If Micah told them the truth, Kai would feel left out, wouldn’t he? That wasn’t what he wanted to happen at all. He liked Kai.
He staggered to the door, pausing when Spike stepped up close, slipping his arm around Micah’s waist. Micah shivered at his touch, his entire body tingling.
“Tell us,” Spike murmured. “We want to know.”
“Someone’s going to get hurt if I do,” Micah said, closing his eyes. “I don’t want that to happen.”
“But you love one of us,” Kai said, his gaze heavy on Micah’s back.
When Micah had started this thing with them, he hadn’t foreseen this happening. He wet his lips. “No.”
“Liar,” Spike said, nuzzling Micah’s shoulder.
Micah blew out a breath. “Yes, I’m a liar.”
“I still love you anyway,” Spike said.
Micah’s heart missed a beat. If Spike knew... he would be so happy.
“I should be at the hospital,” Micah said, squirming out of Spike’s arms.
Kai stepped forward then, touching Micah gently on the waist. “If you love Spike, you should tell him.”
Micah froze. How had Kai figured it out? He turned, glimpsing Spike’s disbelief and hope, and Kai’s wan smile.
Briefly, he thought about denying it again. But in the very act of hesitating... Kai would have confirmed his suspicions. Spike’s smile widened.
“You’re not denying it,” Spike said, his eyes gleaming.
Micah gulped, backing against the bathroom door. “I...”
“I like you,” Kai said, his lips tugging into a bigger smile. “I don’t mind that you love Spike.”
Micah held his breath, meeting Spike’s eyes. Spike beamed, stepping forward to pull Micah into a tight hug.
“I love you,” Spike whispered, kissing the sensitive spot just behind Micah’s ear. “I’ve loved you forever.”
Micah’s heart pounded. “I love you,” he whispered back. Spike rumbled, pleased.
But it didn’t feel right, when, over Spike’s shoulder, he glimpsed a brief shadow in Kai’s gaze. Like the time Kai had watched them from across the podium, back when they’d given Micah the pair of lace panties. Back then, Kai had looked... left out, almost. Like he wished he could join in, instead of watching from the outside.
But love was a fickle thing—you couldn’t tell yourself you’d love someone, and automatically feel it for them. It was something that blossomed on its own.
What if you tried your hardest, but love never happened? Micah’s stomach flipped. He couldn’t promise Kai anything.
He kissed Spike on the lips, savoring him for a heartbeat. Then he turned to Kai, reaching for him, too.
“I really like you,” Micah said, hoping it was good enough. “I can’t... promise anything. But I enjoy your presence. I’m grateful for your protection.”
Kai cheered up a little. He pressed himself behind Spike, hugging both of them. Over Spike’s shoulder, Micah kissed Kai on the lips, trying to tell him You are worthy, too.
Spike joined in, kissing Micah’s cheek, and Kai’s jaw.
Despite liking Kai, and loving Spike, having all three of them together like this—that felt the most right.
“I love you both,” Spike said, his eyes bright. “To the end of the world and back.”
“Now you’re just getting sappy,” Kai muttered. He pulled away with a bigger smile, though, slapping Spike’s ass.
“We really should head to the hospital.” Micah winced. “I promised York I’d be there.”
Their smiles faded. “We’ll go with you,” Kai said, opening the bathroom door. “It’s just the one car between all four of us.”
Micah grimaced. He wasn’t short on money, but having both a car crash and an ER visit to pay for—it still hurt his wallet. And that wasn’t counting all the expenses his new baby would bring.
Kai handed Micah a towel; Spike headed into the bedroom for some warm clothes.
When they arrived at the hospital, they found the emergency room full. Babies wailed, children fussed. Harried nurses hurried to and fro.
The anxiety of the place burrowed under Micah’s skin. He held Kai’s hand, searching the crowd for a familiar head of brown hair.
He couldn’t find York. Micah gripped Kai’s fingers tighter, pulling him deeper into the emergency room. Panic pressed up through his throat.
For two decades, York had been Micah’s anchor, the person he relied on for a reason to be strong. Over and over, Micah remembered York’s words. I missed a stoplight. A car crashed into me.
Micah had been so close to losing his son.
“We’ll find him,” Spike said, touching the small of Micah’s back. “Do you wanna sit down and let Kai and I—”
“Dad,” a familiar voice said from somewhere behind.
Micah’s heart leaped. He hobbled around, finding York a few paces away, his arm in a sling, his hair all mussed.
“York,” Micah cried, his heart unclenching. He blinked, afraid that he was seeing an illusion. But York was still there, his gaze steady, looking just a little worried.
With a ragged cry, Micah launched himself at York, pulling him into a hug.
York yelped, turning so Micah didn’t crush his injured arm. Micah hugged him tighter. Breathed in York’s hickory scent. York was so much taller than Micah, but he still felt like Micah’s baby. He had fit in Micah’s arms when he was a newborn, and he’d stopped wailing when
