Ours to Keep

Chapter Five

Zayden

As we walk into the back room of Kaia's family boutique I have to fight the urge to turn around and go watch Raylyn try on the dresses she had picked out. I know that she will find something wrong with them without me or Jayden there to encourage her. If she had it her way she would live in leggings, tunics, and our hoodies; which I don't mind but I love when she wears something that shows off her curves. However my internal struggle is cut short when a hand lands on my shoulder, bringing my attention back to where I am.

"Ya still with us son?" One of the twin uncles asks.

"Yeah. Sorry, got stuck in my head there for a minute. What do you need help with?" I reply.

"Just need to move those few boxes from that wall to this one. Inventory and all that good mess."

"Alright."

The four of us quickly get to work in silence and within minutes we have almost all the boxes moved. As we load up the dolly with the few remaining boxes one of the twins speaks again.

"So how long have you three know Kaia?"

"Raylyn has a class with her. They have had coffee a few times. We just met her today, but she seems really nice." Jayden answers.

"Ah. So the two of you are really friends with Raylyn then?" The opposite twin asks.

"The three of us grew up together. Our fathers have been best friends their entire lives. They have done everything together and when they all found out they were going to have kids within a few months of each other they said they knew we would follow in their footsteps. They were right. The three of us aren't complete without each other." I answer while Jayden and I start to unload the boxes now that they have been pushed across the room.

"Ah. Three parts of a whole then. That's sounds familiar, doesn't it Kade?"

"Sure does man. Lord knows I couldn't live without Phoebe or you. Our relationship with her and our children are what keeps me going everyday. Raylyn actually reminds me of a younger Phoebe; she seems a little more sheltered but just as firey."

As Kade finishes speaking his words sink into my brain and I freeze. Did he just say that the three of them are in a relationship? When I turn to look at Jayden, I can tell that the same question just hit him. Before I can speak he has turned towards the twins and already fired off multiple questions.

"Did you two just say that you were both in a relationship with Phoebe? How long have you three been together? How do people treat y'all?"

Both twins turn to each other at the same time and burst out laughing. Once they settle down, Gage answers Jayden's questions.

"Yes the three of us are together. We share Phoebe. We have been together since senior year of high school, so almost 30 years now. Her mother married our best friends dad, so she moved into his house. We spent the majority of our time there and it took us barely any time to realize that she was the one for us. People around here treat us just fine, we have had some people who disapproved of us but we made it. Our relationship is different but healthy. The world is a lot more accepting these days than it used to be. Now I'm just standing here trying to figure out why you two are still just friends with Raylyn."

"There was more looking for each other than looking at clothes going on out there. I bet you two have even kept all the guys away from her in middle and high school, but that's not how is works in college boys. You two are gonna wait to long and someone else will swoop in. She won't wait forever." Kade warns but before either of us can reply, Phoebe comes around the corner to inform us that the girls are done and waiting on us.

As we all walk back into the main part of the store, Raylyn catches my eye and greets me with a smile before looking towards Jayden and doing the same. We quickly fall into place on either side of her and I begin to let what the twins said sink in. We have been waiting for her to be ready but what if we waited to long and she is ready to move on from us.