A/N: Thank you to my lovely reviewers: angelicedg, WishfulThinker66, mrsreedus69, rocknrollprincess131, and lollipop2404. This chapter is not as yummy – mostly just talking, but it's necessary to move the story forward. My life seems to be getting busier as the weather gets warmer so I'll try to update when I can. :)

Enjoy!

Coils of nervousness and anticipation twisted uncomfortably in Amy's stomach. What could Rick want to talk about? Was he regretful about what had transpired the night before? Was he going to retreat from his tender words and leave her to be with Steve, and Steve alone? Just the thought formed a lump in her throat. It wasn't natural to have two partners, but she had feelings for the both of them. She wasn't ready to be faced with the decision of picking one.

"What about?" Steve asked the constable, and took a sip of hot coffee. He didn't seem as stressed as she did.

Rick folded his hands on the white countertop. "How we're going to carry out our arrangement in public."

Amy quietly released the breath she'd been holding and offered Rick a relaxed smile. He returned it with a certain suggestive sparkle in his stunning blue eyes. The small action made her heart pump a little faster.

"I don't think everyone will be as accepting as us…" Steve concurred, as if the thought just hit him, too.

"And there's no way in hell I'm broaching the subject with Carl," Rick added, earning a scoff of agreement from the other man.

"Do you have any ideas?" Amy asked Rick.

He sighed heavily and said, "Well, I'm assuming your cousin knows that you stayed here last night." Amy nodded. "So it would probably be best to have you and Steve pose as a couple or, uh, the couple…"

"But what about us?" she asked, gesturing between herself and Rick.

He shrugged, possibly to appear indifferent, but his tone portrayed a small amount of reluctance toward the decision. "You and I can carry on behind closed doors." He slid Steve a look. "That work for you?"

"Yeah, you'll get no complaint from me. Amy, honey, you good with that?" Steve asked the petite woman in rumpled clothing.

She was somewhat disappointed to have to hide her official status with Rick, but at the same time, she felt a little thrill at the idea of the two of them sneaking around like secret lovers, which was precisely what they would be. Steve, on the other hand, would get all of the attention and they would have to act like an exclusive couple around other people, even if Rick was there. It left her with mixed feelings, but there wasn't really any way around it.

The two men were looking at her for an answer, so she flashed her smile once more and reached across the island to affectionately squeeze Rick's hand. "Whatever we need to do to keep this going. I care about you both very much and you both make me very happy. No matter what happens out there, please don't forget that," she said, locking eyes with each of them as she spoke.

Steve grinned and put his arm around her shoulder to drop a kiss onto her head. At the same time, Rick lifted her hand and pressed his lips to the soft skin on her palm.

"Speaking of behind closed doors," she said, "we should probably discuss sleeping arrangements…"

Steve held out a hand and glanced at Rick. "What about if we, like, trade off every other night?"

Amy snickered. "I'd prefer not to feel like the child of a divorced couple."

Rick stifled a laugh and Steve smirked. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"How about we just take it one day at a time? We're grown men – we can be fair, right?" Rick asked the man next to Amy.

Steve swept his hand down her back, sending zings of warmth throughout her body – along with a hint of possessiveness. "Right," he replied, not tearing his eyes from hers.

Amy managed the walk of shame alone – Steve was due to be at the wall and Rick was summoned by Deanna. She entered the large house, tip-toeing through the front entrance. She shut the door with a muted click and started to ascend the stairs when Lauren spoke from behind her.

"Look who finally came home..."

Amy took a deep breath and spun around as she attempted to hide the deep blush on her cheeks.

"I take it dinner went well. Breakfast, too?" Lauren added with a playful gleam. She nursed a cup of tea while still dressed in her pajamas – a gray Harvard t-shirt and black sweatpants.

"Yeah, we had a good time," Amy said vaguely.

"Rick was looking for you last night. He seemed kind of upset. I hope he didn't give you any trouble on your date…"

A vision assaulted Amy – Rick's handcuffs cutting into her slender wrists as he lay between her open thighs and buried himself to the hilt in her wet heat. Clearing away the intense image, she focused on her cousin and said, "No... No trouble at all."

Lauren followed her upstairs as she tried to flee, asking, "So what happened? Aren't you going to tell me about it? Does this mean you and Steve are together now? Don't leave me hanging!"

Amy stopped in the middle of the hallway and laughed. "You're relentless, you know that?"

"Well?" Lauren prompted, ignoring the jab. As cousins, they'd always shared the details of their love lives – begging wasn't usually necessary.

Amy thought about the previous evening in its entirety and the agreed 'terms' of their arrangement. Sticking to her word, she said with an innocent smile, "Steve and I had dinner, mind-blowing sex, and then coffee in the morning. I guess that makes us as exclusive as we can be right now…"

Lauren made a sound that could only be described as a squeal and raised her shoulders in excitement. "He's seriously hot! You snagged a good one, girl."

Make that two, Amy wanted to blurt out, but kept her composure. "He definitely seems like a keeper. I guess we'll see what happens." Quickly, she changed the subject. "Deanna's going to assign me a job today so I need to get ready. We'll talk more later?"

"You know it!" Lauren hollered as Amy disappeared into the seclusion of her bedroom.

After changing into a clean blouse and dark jeans, she yelled a quick farewell to her cousin and began the short walk to Deanna's office. On the way, she inhaled a deep breath of fresh, summer air and began to weigh the pros and cons of the two men in her life. As much as the idea pained her, she knew this couldn't go on forever. Even though she was having fun, it wasn't healthy. A relationship needed to be between two people. Yes, it would eventually come to that, but for now, things needed to run their course. She just wanted to be prepared for the end of it.

Starting with Steve, she immediately focused on his appearance, but quickly realized that there were no cons – for either male. Besides, a relationship was about more than looks, so she concentrated on his personality. They were still getting to know each other, but she could tell that he was brave and loyal – a sure fighter. He had a decent sense of humor, although there wasn't much to joke about nowadays. He was quite aggressive in the sack, but he hadn't hurt her and seemed to be very affectionate when the moment called for it.

Her brain started to question cons. Did the man even have any?

He's not Rick.

She pushed away the little voice in her head – or possibly, her heart – and forged ahead. Steve could be stubborn. Perhaps even a tad rough and crude. He's definitely competitive, she thought with a smirk. None of the things she named off truly bothered her though, because they balanced out the good parts in him. He was stubborn because he cared for her and simply wanted to be with her. He was rough and crude because he was a passionate guy – not dull by any means.

Amy sighed. Her assessment of Steve didn't seem to help her in making a decision – it actually made it more difficult.

Moving on to Rick, she was oblivious to the fact that just the thought of him brought a smile to her face. She'd seen him be ruthless on the road, but that was all about survival. They'd all done unspeakable things. It only proved that he was a fighter, too – maybe even more so than Steve. Steve may have been a Seal in his former life, but he had barely been outside of the walls of Alexandria. When they'd reached the safe haven, she'd seen a change in Rick. Well, not so much a change. More like a shift. He'd dropped his ruthlessness and replaced it with an outwardly loving and caring behavior. He was still reserved around the people of Alexandria, though. Maybe it was only Amy that had seen the shift in his demeanor. He was sweet and gentle with her…

Before she could think any further, she was already knocking on Deanna's door. To her surprise, Maggie answered.

"Oh, hey," Amy said. "I'm here to see Deanna."

Maggie gestured in the opposite direction. "She needed to take care of something at the gate. She wanted you to meet her there if you showed up while she was gone."

"Okay, then I'll head that way. Thanks," Amy said with a friendly smile.

As she approached the elusive woman, her heart began to pound. Deanna was mid-discussion with Michonne, Aaron, Steve and Rick while they regarded the closed gate. Amy sucked in a shallow breath and exhaled unsteadily as the small group acknowledged her presence. Aaron and Michonne gave her a simple "Good morning," but Rick and Steve were staring at her with a knowing look in their eyes. In the bright daylight, she suddenly felt naked before them. Heat flooded her face and she fought to keep her composure. Her brain tripped over the correct greeting, and she wound up meeting Rick's flirtatious gaze for a moment before directing a pointed grin at Steve.

"Hi," she purred.

"Hey," Steve said in return.

Rick's expression became tight and Amy's smile faltered. He had to understand that this was what they'd agreed upon! Every part of her wanted to maul him with kisses and drag him back to bed, but they were in public. They needed everyone to believe that they were just friends and nothing more.

"I'm glad you got my message. I'm sorry if I inconvenienced you," Deanna stated. "We were just finishing up here."

"It's no problem," Amy answered, trying to keep her voice light. She felt Rick's eyes on her but refused to look over.

"If you all will excuse us…" Deanna said to the others as she guided Amy away with an outstretched hand.

Amy and Steve exchanged a longing glance, and she barely met Rick's gaze as she turned around with Deanna. Rick still appeared hurt, which only made her hurt more, but none of her actions should have surprised him. Hell, he'd been the one to propose that they keep their relationship hidden. Maybe now he was realizing just how hard that would be.