"But Cole and Tucker, they are part of this, too. Part of us." Eleanor's heart began to pound. "I do not understand." He ran a hand through his hair.
"When I see you with them, when I see the way they look at you and the way you respond, it does not make me angry. It makes me feel like this is right." "Jake, what are you saying?" "That I am marrying you. Only you."
"But that my brothers will be here. They will care for you. Protect you. And if you want their attention, their affection, I will not stand in the way."
Her mind spun. "That is not proper." Jake's laugh was short. "Nothing about this is proper, Eleanor. But I only care about what works for us."
"I want you to be happy. If that means all three of us caring for you, then that is what we will do. You do not have to say anything now. Just think about it." That night at dinner, the brothers were quieter than usual.
Finally, Tucker broke the silence. "We do not want you to feel pressured about anything." Cole added, "Whatever you are comfortable with, that is what we will do." Eleanor set down her fork.
"Can I ask you something? Do you all feel this? This pull between us?" Jake answered first. "Yes. From the moment I saw you."
Cole leaned forward. "Every moment since, it has only gotten stronger." Tucker's quiet voice held certainty. "You are ours, Eleanor. All of ours."
The possessive words filled her with a strange sense of rightness. "I feel it, too. With all three of you. I do not understand it. But I cannot deny it."
Jake's eyes blazed. "Then we do not deny it. We accept it." Cole reached across the table and took her hand. "No one else needs to understand. Just us."
Tucker added, "We take care of our own, and you are ours now." Eleanor looked between the three identical faces. This was madness. Beautiful, impossible madness.
"All right," she whispered, then louder, "All right. We do this together." Something shifted in that moment. An understanding was reached.
Eleanor was marrying Jake, but she belonged to all three of them. And they belonged to her. The next two days passed in a blur. Eleanor scrubbed the house until it shone.
The brothers worked on repairs. Cole brought in wildflowers, and Eleanor arranged them in Mason jars. Tucker fixed the squeaky stair. Jake built proper shelves in the kitchen.
Through it all, the awareness between them grew. Accidental touches that lingered. Heated looks across rooms. The air felt charged with anticipation.