Maylen felt the world closing in around her. Aiden stood firm at her side, steady and protective, while Lanry looked like he had been hollowed out and filled with pure, desperate ache.
Both men waited for her next breath.
“Lanry,” she whispered, “please don’t make this harder.”
Lanry shook his head slowly. “I’m not trying to trap you. I’m trying to let you choose. I’m trying to be who you asked me to be.”
His voice was raw. Unsteady. It made her chest twist.
Aiden stepped forward, blocking Lanry’s path without touching Maylen. “This isn’t choosing. This is pressure.”
Lanry lifted his gaze to Aiden and spoke with a quiet intensity. “You weren’t there the night she broke down in my arms. You weren’t there the morning she smelled like warmth and safety and everything I ever wanted. You
