Rising, Freestyle: Xtreme Adventures, Book 2 by Vivian Arend

moment, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. “You do this crap even better than Kane. That’s a tough one. I’m no shrink, but when someone’s been through an incident like Melanie, it makes sense that it’s a long road to full recovery. It’s probably a positive sign that she’s showing an interest in someone. I mean, not that it’s great for you or anything.”
    Derrick waved a hand. “I mean it—things are good between us. She confessed to me she had a crush on him way back when. He obviously has an interest in her. He was taking pictures earlier, and the room just screamed with this fuck me tension. Only, I’m wigging out because I’m not…”
    He trailed off, not sure how to explain it right.
    “Feeling possessive?”
    Derrick swore. “I’m fucked in the head, aren’t I?”
    Jack laughed. “Well, that makes us even, because I get the same damn reaction every time I catch Kane and Dara getting naked together. I wait for the flare of anger to hit, and when it doesn’t arrive I wonder if my balls are going to shrivel up and fall off in punishment for denying my manhood.”
    The picture of totally-in-charge Jack taking a backseat didn’t sit right, but the confession made Derrick’s hope rise. “Really? I’d always thought you meekly sharing a woman seemed crazy.”
    “Trust me, there’s nothing meek about it. It pissed me off for the first couple months at times, but now that we’ve been together in a committed relationship for eight months, I’m not sure how we managed before.” Jack held up a hand. “Don’t get me wrong, we still have fights, but considering there are two of us to deal with Dara when she’s hormonal? Much easier than having to figure out a woman all by yourself.”
    “I’m not talking about forever, Jack. It just struck me maybe Nathan would be good for Mel short term.”
    “Help her know that someone else feels she’s attractive?”
    “That kind of thing, yeah.” Derrick laughed at himself. “Insane, right?”
    Jack leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Actually, no. I mean, it depends on the way you go about this. You’re not talking about taking off for a few weeks and letting the guy bonk her, are you?”
    No freaking way. “Screw that. If she’s doing anything, it’s going to be with me there, making sure she’s okay all the time.”
    “See, there’s where your situation and ours is different—although I guess our crazy situation began for a similar reason. You’re talking about something that helps you get to the end result that’s best for Melanie. Confidence in herself.”
    “Right.”
    Jack nodded. “I hear you. The only reason we started our three-way relationship was because it was the best thing for Dara at the time. And then it turned out to be the best thing for us all. Kane officially told his parents last month we’ve got this insane setup going. We’re…” Jack rolled his eyes. “Oh God, it’s fucking contagious. Now I’m the one acting like a girl. The three of us are buying a house together. Dara’s expecting.”
    “Holy crap.” Derrick paused, considering. “Congrats.”
    Jack’s instant brilliant smile wiped away the question if this was a good announcement—the pregnancy—or not. “Thanks. Keep it under your hat for a bit, though. We just got it confirmed, and Kane wants to be the one to let the rest of his family know. And before you ask, because it’s written all over your face, no, we don’t know who the dad is. Chances are we’ll figure it out when the kid arrives, since Kane and I have such different colouring, but we pretty much don’t care.”
    A million questions rolled through Derrick’s brain, none of them related to his real dilemma. “You guys have a lot of guts. It’s not going to be easy, raising a kid in your unique household.”
    “It’s going to work, because we’re committed to make it work. Like any long-term relationship.” Jack tilted his head at Derrick. “What about you? If this