Endless Love

Chapter 6

Paxton, Josiah and Denver were on a trail ride that following Saturday. It was a beautiful day, perfect for being outside.

They hadn't heard much from Blythe over the past week.

Josiah and Paxton were riding side by side with Denver leading them.

"Maybe Blythe doesn't want anything to do with us anymore," Paxton said absentmindedly. "She might've felt obligated to hang with us the last few times."

"I don't know," Josiah said. She was the one who had told them to come over to her place. She could've said no.

Paxton gasped, startling Denver who turned in his saddle to make sure everyone was okay.

"I bet she saw you kissing me," he said.

Denver's brows furrowed under the shadow of his hat.

Josiah frowned. "I assumed she was asleep. Why wouldn't she have said something?"

"Maybe she's homophobic," Paxton said thoughtfully. "Although, I'm bisexual not gay, but I think the idea works the same."

Josiah rolled his eyes at his rambling.

It wasn't like they knew each other that well, but Blythe was sweet. That didn't make much sense to him.

"You guys are goddamn idiots," Denver grumbled.

"Okay, cowboy," Paxton huffed.

"She's obviously embarrassed," Denver finished.

"Embarrassed about what?" Paxton asked.

They got closer to the barn and the end of their ride. Denver swung down first.

"She would have no reason to be embarrassed unless she liked one of us," Josiah said.

"Which means we inadvertently rejected her." Paxton finally understood. That made way more sense than his theory.

Josiah and Paxton got off their horses, helping Denver untack and turn them out into the pasture for the evening.

They made the short walk to Denver's cute farmhouse. He handed them a beer and they settled on his couch.

Paxton frowned. "But if she likes only one of us, then what? Because I like all of you."

Denver's flush was evident, even on his golden, sun-kissed skin.

"You can't be with more than one person," Josiah whispered.

"Why not?" Paxton asked. "Polyamory exists."

"Someone's going to get hurt," Josiah said firmly.

"And by the way she's acting, she probably only likes one of you," Denver said.

Paxton settled back in his chair.

"I am way too busy to be with one person, let alone three," Josiah added absentmindedly.

"I feel like we were brought together for a reason," Paxton said. "We should talk to Blythe."

"What if she tells you what you don't want to hear?" Denver questioned.

Paxton shrugged. "Then I'll accept it. We can check up on her on the way back into town."

He turned to Josiah who sighed, grinning when he gave in. "Is that okay with you Denver?"

"It's fine," he agreed. "Just don't overwhelm her."

"Thanks for letting us spend some time with you out here. It was great," Josiah said.

------

Blythe was not prepared for Josiah and Paxton to show up at her door.

She hadn't meant to ghost them, but she just didn't know what to say. She couldn't change how she felt, and avoiding them felt like the safest option.

"We were worried when we didn't hear from you," Josiah said.

She gestured them inside. "I'm sorry. It's just-"

Paxton let his hand ghost over her back as they followed her to her sitting area. She took the chair and they took the couch.

"It's okay," Paxton gave her such a sweet, gentle smile. She hadn't realized how much she had missed hearing from them. It made her feel a little silly about how much she had let herself get caught up in her own head.

"We know you saw us kissing, Blythe. We didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Josiah said. His rich voice and intense gaze didn't waiver.

She felt the heat rush up her neck. They knew? "I wasn't uncomfortable. I-"

"Then what?" The push came from Paxton who immediately seemed to sympathize with her inability to say the words. "Did it hurt your feelings?"

Blythe whispered, "It's silly. It shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"Why would it be silly?" Josiah asked.

Blythe twisted her hands in her lap. "Because I like all of you. It's wrong, I know -"

"Stop trying to guess what we're thinking," Paxton scolded softly. He smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way because I do, too."

She finally looked up, meeting his eyes. "You do?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. After pining over it for the past week, it was a huge relief to have what she felt validated. She wanted to try this. She wanted everyone on board, including Denver.

"So do I," Josiah admits, scratching at his beard. "Although, I guess I'm a little more pessimistic about it because I know what my schedule is like."

"Did Denver say anything?" she asked curiously.

"Not exactly," Paxton answered. "Maybe we could give this a trial run and see how it works out."

Josiah and Blythe agreed. She just needed to talk to Denver.

---
Blythe had been considering what to say to Denver after Jo and Paxton left.

Just as she was working up the courage to call him, he called her.

"Hi," she answered.

"Hey, Bee. I missed seeing you today."

"Me too," she whispered, feeling a flush at the nickname. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I know this had to be a busy week, trying to catch up from being sick."

She hummed a bit, dropping onto her bed.

"Josiah and Paxton came over."

"They did?" his honey sweet accent was so soft. She wanted to melt into a puddle.

"What do you think about all of this?" she asked.

Denver sighed. "I'm not sure. I like you. And as much as I hate to admit it, I do like Josiah and Paxton."

"In what way?"

She could feel his hesitation, so she waited patiently for him to answer.

"I've never been attracted to men before," he admitted. "It was really bugging me that I was looking at them differently. All of this, it just kind of validated what I've been struggling with."

"Me too," Blythe said. "I think we're going to try it out, figure out what works."

"I think that'll be good," he agreed. "But I think it's more important than ever for you to tell us if there is something bothering you. We can't read your mind."

"I know. I just-"

"You were overwhelmed. It's totally understandable," he finished.

Blythe smiled. Even over the phone, Denver seemed to understand. She felt hopefully, excited for things to come.