It Started with a Crack by Piper James

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Dakota

“So, what’s the deal between you and Ethan?”

My eyes shot up from my bagel to look at Belle, who’d posed the question. She was staring at Ember, who was busy spreading jam on her toast while studiously ignoring Belle’s inquiry. We’d decided at dinner last night that we would meet for breakfast this morning while the guys had their ritual Sunday morning meetup at the diner. We met at Sage’s house, and I brought Kane so he could play with Peaches, Sage’s Westie puppy. Belle brought her giant French mastiff, Thanos, too, who was in the backyard getting ganged up on by the two littles.

“Oh, she hates him, now,” Sage said, answering Belle’s question when it became obvious Ember wasn’t going to.

“What? Why?” I asked, unable to imagine anyone ever hating Ethan Perry.

“He got shitfaced with Chase a couple of weeks ago—remember when we went shopping for a bassinet?” Belle nodded, and Ember’s scowl deepened, but she didn’t try to stop Sage from telling us the story. “Anyway, Ember came back to the house with me, and Chase and Ethan were so blasted, they didn’t hear us walk in. Ethan was saying some terrible things about Ember.”

“What kinds of things?” Belle asked, her eyes narrowing and her voice dropping an octave.

The mama bear in her had only intensified in the last few months as her pregnancy progressed. Hormones and the protective streak she already possessed made her a force to be reckoned with if anyone went against those she cared about…even if it was someone she loved who was doing the damage.

“Oh, that she’s wild and unpredictable. Embarrassing to be in public with…especially when she acts slutty.”

Belle leaned back in her chair. “So, he was just stating the obvious.”

“Hey!”

Ember chucked the crust from her toast at Belle, who dodged it with a laugh. She blew Ember an exaggerated kiss, and Ember flipped her off.

“Did he apologize?” I asked, tilting my head.

I didn’t know Ethan all that well, but what I did know was that he was the strong, silent type. The thinker of the bunch. Always level-headed, and incredibly courteous. I wasn’t usually one to let people use alcohol as an excuse for bad behavior, but hell, we all had moments like that.

“Of course, he did,” Sage said when Ember only frowned. “It is Ethan, after all. But Ember won’t accept his apology. She’s torturing him.”

I looked at Belle as I waited for her input. She was staring at Ember, her eyes narrowed as she had some sort of internal debate. Ember noticed Belle’s scrutiny and threw her hands in the air.

“What?”

“Since when do you let what someone says about you get under your skin?” Belle asked.

“Belle’s right,” Sage said, cocking her head. “You’ve never given two fucks about what people say, and let’s be honest, girl, there’s a lot of talk about you every time we go out. You’re a magnet for attention.”

“Is that your nice way of saying I’m an attention whore?” Ember asked, her voice petulant.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Sage said, then ruined it by adding, “not to your face, anyway.”

“You guys suck,” Ember said, angling the pointy end of her fork at first Sage, then Belle.

“Oh, come on,” Sage said, laughing. “You know we’re kidding. We love you just as you are.”

“It’s true,” Belle agreed. “But you never answered my question. Why are you so upset over what Ethan said?”

“I don’t know,” Ember mumbled, sinking lower in her chair. “He just gets under my skin, with all that holier-than-thou bullshit he spews.”

I’d never noticed Ethan patronizing anyone. I was pretty sure Ember was overreacting. Of course, I’d never say that to her.

“Anyway, enough about me,” she said, straightening and pinning me with a hard look. “Let’s talk about Dakota and Noah, and how she failed to call me after I talked her into going for it. And by it, I mean his hard cock.”

Belle and Sage both mock-gagged, and a laugh barked out of me. They had no desire to hear about Noah’s cock, considering he was the brother of the men in their lives. But they did want to hear all about our budding relationship.

So, leaving out any descriptive details of Noah’s anatomy, I told them the whole story, including the details I’d left out last night when the guys were there.

“I want to be you when I grow up,” Sage said with wide eyes. “Just strutting around nearly naked to get your point across? Genius. And ballsy.”

“And all my idea,” Ember cut in.

“Yeah, we already established how slutty you are,” Belle said, tossing a balled up paper napkin at Ember.

Ember laughed and threw it back, her mood improving now that she and Ethan were no longer the topic of discussion. I told them the rest, keeping the sex details vague while making it clear Noah was the best I’d ever had. When I mentioned our agreement to date, exclusively, all three women were grinning identical cheesy smiles.

“We’re so happy for you!” Belle shouted, tears filling her eyes. She swiped at them, mumbling, “Damn pregnancy hormones.”

“So, what is going to happen when the ranch eventually sells?” Sage asked carefully.

“I don’t know,” I said, my shoulders drooping. “I made a commitment to myself to live in the moment. I don’t want to miss out on anything because of what the future may or may not hold.”

“Are you in love with him?” Belle asked, lacing her fingers together and propping her chin on top like she was a praying child.

“What? No,” I said…too quickly.

The three of them pounced on the defensiveness in my tone, yelling over each other as they squealed their delight over my being in love.

“Stop. Stop,” I said, laughing at their absurdity. “While I really like Noah, a lot, I’m not in love with him. I couldn’t be. It’s too soon.”

“Shit,” Belle said, scoffing. “I fell in love with Ryder the first time he put his dick in me.”

“Stop it. You did not,” Sage said with a laugh, then turned her attention back to me. “But I fell in love with Chase in like five minutes, so I don’t think there’s any set time frame for this kind of thing. There’s no such thing as too soon.”

“Well, it’s too soon for me,” I said. “I’m enjoying the hell out of Noah, but I’m not in love. The mere thought is ridiculous.”

Shit, I knew I was protesting too passionately. The question had put me on the defensive, and I knew I’d be analyzing my reaction for hours until I came up with a viable reason for it. But for the moment, I tried to put it out of my head.

“Anyway,” I said, “we’re playing it by ear for now. If someone decides to buy the ranch, it is what it is. We’ll probably get our own places and date like normal people. We’ve done this whole thing ass-backwards anyway, living together before we even went on a date.”

Sage and Belle nodded and smiled, but I could tell they were only humoring me. Picking up my napkin, I tore it in half to make two paper balls. Then, I threw them at Sage and Belle’s faces.

“Ember’s right. You guys do suck.”

“Just know that we’re always here if you need to talk,” Belle said with a chuckle.

“Yeah,” Ember added, “if you need to vent, I think I’ve proven that I give great advice.”

She waggled her eyebrows, making me laugh. Sage said something similar as the other two, and my heart filled to the brim with joy. I felt so lucky, having these people in my life. I honestly didn’t know how I’d ever survived without them.

“I love you guys,” I said. “That I do know for sure.”

“Awww, we love you, too,” Belle said, her eyes tearing up again.

Everyone laughed, including Belle. I really was so fucking lucky. What started as the shittiest time of my life had turned out to be the greatest. And I refused to take it for granted.