Theirs by Jenika Snow

“I miss you, too, Tallin ,”
she whispered. “We have a lot to talk about when you two get home.”
    “Yeah,
we do, and I’m looking forward to that, baby.”
    She
smiled even though he couldn’t see her. She was looking forward to that
conversation, too.
    “I
love you.”
    “I
love you, too, baby. Everything will be the way it’s supposed to be.”
    She
knew Tallin spoke the truth, but she did hope things
would work out as perfectly as she envisioned them to.
    ****
    Lilly
stood in the living room staring out the picture window as the sun set over the
Rockies. She took a sip of her tea, the smell of the dinner she made still
thick in the air. She’d tried to call Tallin , but she
just kept getting his voicemail, and her nerves were bothering her over the
fact neither of the men were back yet. Riley was a doctor, and occasionally did
house calls, or was on call for emergencies, so he might be gone for longer
than she was comfortable with if it was an emergency, but Tallin should have been home by now, or at least she assumed.
    “It’s
okay. Everything will be okay,” she whispered to herself.
    She
turned from the window and went back to the fire she’d made. She watched the
flames lick over the wood, trying to keep her thoughts from going to anything
morbid. She drew her eyes to the mantel and glanced at the picture of the four
of them. Even though she had seen that picture a million times, it never got
old. Standing, she went over to the mantel and picked up the picture, her
reflection staring back from the glass at her in a sad way. She ran her gaze
over Christian, his auburn hair sticking up everywhere and the sun making his
freckles more pronounced. Remembering all the wonderful times they’d shared,
she ran her finger over his face. He had kindness and warmth, an energy that
filled him that couldn’t be matched. He’d been her shoulder to cry on, her ear
to talk off. Christian had been the one she’d shared all of her problems with,
and now he was gone.
    She
heard gravel crunch outside and turned her attention to the window. Tallin’s heavy-duty truck, the back of it filled with boxes
and bags, rolled to a stop. Seconds later Riley’s Honda Pilot pulled to a stop
next to the truck. They both got out, a bouquet of flowers in both of their
hands as they scowled at each other. She couldn’t help but smile. She knew that
even though Christian was no longer alive, he would always be with them, and
want them to be happy.
    A
few minutes later, the front door opened and closed, and they called out for
her. She was suddenly so nervous about seeing them together for the first time
after they had been intimate. Would it be strange to see them and talk to
together after what they had done? It hadn’t been hard on the phone with Tallin , but actually seeing someone’s face was a lot
different from hearing their voices.
    She
rounded the corner and stopped. They both stood by the door, Riley in a pair of
scrubs, his short hair damp from what was most likely a recent shower at the
hospital, a bouquet of yellow tulips in his hand. Tallin stood beside him in a pair of loose faded jeans, his distressed brown leather
jacket open, and the black Henley peeking out from under it. He held a bouquet
of pink roses out and smiled at her.
    They
held out their bouquets, and she blushed as she walked up to them and took them
from their hands. It wasn’t until she saw the middle flower in each of the
bouquets that she started to cry, not able to hold it in. In the center of the
tulips and roses sat a single white lily—the same ones Christian used to give
her. The tears streamed down her face, and she closed her eyes. She knew they’d
placed those lilies in remembrance of Christian. The thought alone touched her
heart so much that if she didn’t already love these men, she would have fallen
for them at that moment.
    She
opened her eyes and looked up. They took those few extra steps toward her and
wrapped their arms around