Erica's Choice (33 page)

“You can piss off too.” The strident tone Corey had been aiming for broke up like a space shuttle on re-entry. “I don’t need either of you hanging around.”

“I hate to point out the obvious, but you need both of us more than you ever have.”

“I won’t mess up your life. I won’t be one more person Erica has to look after.”

“Ah, Jesus.” Griff grabbed one of the vinyl chairs from beside the bed, turned it around and straddled it. The softness in his golden eyes made Corey’s heart flutter. “You idiot. She’s here because she loves you.”

“She’s never said that.”

“She’s said it a thousand times over the past week. You’ve been in and out, Cor, barely able to comprehend anything. Trust me. The thought of losing you almost destroyed her.” Griff’s hand was tender and warm on Corey’s cheek. “And me.”

Corey saw the truth of it written on Griff’s face and a memory came back to him. Griff sitting by his bed, his eyes red and shoulders shuddering. Corey’s own eyes filled with tears. “Was I…was it really that bad?”

The nurses and doctors had told him more than once how lucky he was, but Corey figured they said that to everyone. The look of abject distress on Griff’s face painted a more vivid picture. When Griff spoke, his voice was husky with emotion. “You could have died. Or stayed comatose or had brain damage. We didn’t know how it was going to go until you woke up. And we were scared out of our minds.”

Corey swallowed a lump of uneasiness as it formed in his throat. It was true, he’d come close to losing his life. The reality filled him with horror. What if he’d never seen Griff’s face or heard Erica’s voice again?

“I’m glad you had each other,” he said at length. “Maybe the two of you can…”

“Don’t even start,” Griff cut him off. “We’re not a couple. It’s always been the three of us, you know that, Corey.”

Corey shot him a steady look. “You’re moving in together. I heard you two whispering about it.”

“That you heard, but not the million times Erica begged God for your life or told you how much she loved you?” Griff shook his head, chuckling. “We’re getting the house ready for you, you dickhead. When you get out of here you won’t be going back to some third-floor apartment. Your parents are happy to have you at their place, but Erica and I want you with us. At least she wanted it that way until you told her to rack off a few minutes ago.”

“But, Griff, she’s had too much of this sort of thing in her life. And she has to have her operation too. She can’t be taking care of me.”

“Erica’s talking about postponing her op.”

“What?”

“She wants to focus all her attention on getting you well first.”

“No,” Corey croaked, distraught. “She can’t do that.”

“That’s what I said but so far she could give a shit what I say about it. That’s why I need you, Cor. With her stubbornness and her insecurities and her crazy notions about self-sacrifice, loving her is a bloody minefield. The work of two men, for sure.”

Hope surged inside Corey before he could stop it. “But I’m a wreck.”

“Temporarily.”

“You don’t have time to—
”

“I’ve taken long service leave,” Griff announced. “And I’ve put in for a transfer. When you get back to work at Ashton Heights—and you will, because no way did you work so hard to get in the service to quit—I won’t be there.”

A sense of desolation hollowed Corey out. The thought of not seeing Griff every day, of not being on his team, lessened the attraction of work altogether.

“I don’t have a choice, Cor,” Griff said, apparently noticing Corey’s agitation. “Erica was right that night. I can’t send you in to dangerous situations and not get distracted from the job. Especially not now. Almost losing you is something I won’t forget.” His voice broke on the last statement, and never had Corey been more certain of Griff’s feelings for him. They were written all over his face. “Besides, I don’t think we’d be allowed to work together anymore. I was a walking zombie for a while there, and I’m pretty sure all the guys have guessed why I was so upset about your accident.”

“They know?”

“Waller’s the only one who’s said anything, but yeah, I think they know I’m head over heels for you.”

The easy way Griff admitted it, after so many weeks of denial, made Corey’s heart trip.
Head over heels
. It was an apt description. Corey felt like his insides were all mixed up, and not just because the accident had knocked him around. “What did Waller say?”

“He rolled his eyes and said, ‘I’m not as dumb as I look, Griffin.’” They both laughed. Corey stopped that pretty quick because it hurt like hell. Griff grabbed his hand and held it, squeezing his fingers to let him know he ached almost as bad as Corey did, vicariously experiencing the pain. “Are you okay with people knowing about us?”

“I never had a problem with it.
You
did.”

“Bullshit. I just got so used to hiding what you meant to me, I wasn’t sure how to change that habit.” Griff eyed him steadily. “I’ve been in love with you a long time, Cor.”

Corey raised an eyebrow but he wasn’t sure Griff saw it underneath the bandage on his head. “Really? How long?”

Griff’s eyes narrowed. “Long enough.”

“Are we talking about months here, or years?”

“You’re gonna tease me about this now? You want to make a point of finding out which one of us sucks worse at this love stuff?”

The moment of happiness slipped away as quickly as it had come. “I sent her away.”

“That was pretty dumb, but Erica’s the generous type—luckily. Who else would put up with our shit?”

“I don’t want to be a burden to her.”

Griff rolled his eyes. Then he leaned over the bed and planted a soft kiss on Corey’s lips. “Between the two of you, I have a feeling life’s going to be a big old pain in the ass.”

“Like you’re so easy to deal with.”

They both turned toward the doorway to see Erica standing there, frowning at Griff. Not a serious frown, but an exasperated furrow of her brow that barely concealed the adoration behind it. Corey’s heart lifted. She was as crazy about Griff as he was, one of the many things that bound them and always would.

“You came back.” He couldn’t keep the lilt of desperate relief out of his voice. How could she keep forgiving him for screwing up?

“Of course I came back,” Erica said, walking into the room with confident strides. “I’ve never seen anything so pathetic as you trying to bully a woman, Corey Wachawski.”

Griff snorted. It was all he could do not to laugh out loud at the indignant look on Corey’s face. It was a difficult thing, too, to keep from leaping out of his chair and scooping Erica up in his arms.

She’d decided on her own that Wachawski was full of shit, when Griff had figured he might have to chase her down and patch things up between the two of them again. He’d never been so proud of her.

Corey’s gaze narrowed. “Pathetic?”

“That’s right. There isn’t a cruel bone in your body so stop trying to tell me you don’t want me here when you know there’s nowhere else I’d be.”

“You have things you need to do, Erica,” Corey pointed out. “Like have your operation, for one.”

Erica glanced at Griff. “You told him?”

“Guilty.” Griff smiled, unrepentant. “No secrets between the three of us, Red. Not anymore.”

“Don’t delay it, Erica,” Corey said. “It’s too important.”

“
You’re
important.” A passionate fire lit her dark eyes as she moved to sit on the edge of Corey’s bed. “I’ve wallowed in my own problems long enough. Don’t you think I feel like an idiot for doing that, only to have this happen to you?”

“I won’t have you spending all your time taking care of me and neglecting yourself.”

“I’ll make my own decisions about that, Corey. Right now, you’re my priority.”

Griff watched them staring each other down, two innately selfless souls competing for the title of martyr of the year. It was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. Years of this lay ahead and the thought filled him with a happiness like he’d never known. Not with any of the women or the guys he’d fooled around with over the years. Not with Anna and Jack, with whom he hadn’t really been one of
three
.

Sure sometimes, like now, Erica and Corey seemed like two peas in a pod, a bona fide, born-to-be-together couple. But somehow they managed to be that without excluding him. They hadn’t meant to keep him out of it, neither one of them, and whatever fears he’d had about that were born of his own screwed-up psychosis, the past hurts that had stopped him letting down his shields.

Good thing he wasn’t the only one in this trio who was screwed up. Lord knew no two people ever needed his particular brand of Dale Griffin-patented blunt rationale more than Corey and Erica.

They needed
him
, the both of them. And Griff wouldn’t have it any other way.

“So what am I over here,” he asked. “Chopped liver?”

They both turned toward him. “Pardon me?” Erica said.

“It might have escaped your notice, but I’m the only one in this room without any pressing medical problems. You think I can’t handle the both of you being in hospital at the same time?”

Erica waved a hand. “I won’t even be admitted unless there are complications. I’ll be in and out in no time.”

“Right. So have the damn procedure and get it over with.”

“But Corey…”

“Corey’s going to be on his back for a while. By the time he’s up and about I want you home with me sporting a brand-new rack.” He raked a gaze over her body, dressed today in a little floral skirt and a sleeveless white blouse that did great things for her voluptuous figure. “What size you going to go anyway?”

It amazed him, after all they’d been through, that he could still make Erica’s cheeks turn that particular shade of crimson. “I thought I’d go a little smaller.”

“What a shame.”

“They’ll be
fake
, Dale. Why on earth would size matter?”

“They make mighty pretty fake ones these days.” At the look she sent him, he shrugged. “So I’ve heard.”

“Heard.” She looked doubtful. “Right.”

“Come on, Red. If we can’t talk openly about your boobs, we haven’t come as far as I’d thought.”

“Erica?”

Corey’s prompt had Erica turning from Griff, her infuriated expression turning instantly to one of concern at the tone of his voice. “What’s the matter? Are you thirsty? Tired? Do you need me to…”

“Baby, shh.”

Griff saw the corners of Erica’s eyes start to glisten. “I’ve missed you calling me that.”

“I’m sorry I’ve acted like such a jerk. Today and that other day, before the accident.”

“I know. I got your voicemail message. And Griff rightly pointed out I shouldn’t have surprised you with news like that.”

Corey sent him a glance filled with gratitude. Griff smiled, feeling pretty damn good about himself. Then Corey returned his attention to Erica. “I want you to have the mastectomy as soon as possible. I want you safe and healthy, or I’ll worry every day and that’s not good for my recovery.”

Erica bit her lip and they could both see her thinking about it. Corey held her gaze and knew exactly what to say. “You will always be beautiful, no matter what.”

Her voice was threadbare. “Oh, Corey.”

“As soon as possible. Promise me.”

Erica let out a shuddering breath. “All right. For you.”

“I’ll try not to be offended that you let him talk you into it, but not me,” Griff drawled.

“Silly man.” Erica gave him a reproachful look. “You know how much I love you, but Corey asks me things nicely instead of trying to push me around.”

“You like me pushy. Where the hell would any of us be if I wasn’t pushy?”

The three of them thought about it in heavy silence. Corey looked at him, and Griff knew he was recalling that first night when he’d only spoken to Erica based on Griff’s empty threat of stealing her away. And the high color on Erica’s cheeks told him she was remembering how he’d been the one to force her to admit her two-men-at-once fantasy—and every other fantasy that came after.

So maybe he was an asshole sometimes, but he’d played a part in bringing them to this place. And Corey and Erica didn’t seem to mind who he was—in fact they loved him for it. It was a Christmas freaking miracle.

“You gotta do one more favor for me, Red.”

Erica sighed. “I hesitate to say ‘anything’, but go ahead.”

Taking her hand, he kissed her knuckles and let the love shine out of his eyes, feeling his heart swell in his chest when he saw the same depth of emotion reflected back. “Give Corey a kiss, will ya? Tell him you love him because he was too drugged out of his brain to hear you all those other times.”

A surprised gasp escaped her lips. She turned toward Corey and all but leapt on him, careful not to touch him anywhere he might feel it in a way that wasn’t pleasant. “Oh, Corey, of course I love you.” She kissed him, making a loud smooching noise to make up for the fact she couldn’t hug the life out of him. “I adore you.”

She kissed him again and again, on the lips, on the cheek, on his poor bandaged head, while a laugh of pure joy bubbled out of Corey’s chest. “I screwed up so many times, baby.”