And Then There Were Three

by Renee Lindemann

  “Did it bother you that Mark and I made love without you this morning?” I can see the worry in her eyes that she may have overstepped her boundaries. I give her a soft smile that is intended to reassure her.

  “Absolutely not. It warmed my heart that you two have that much of a connection. I was afraid that you would put up with Mark to be with me or vice versa. I love that you too can have that. It didn’t feel like Mark was cheating on me. My husband has given me so many gifts over the years, my kids, this house, and now you. How could I be mad at that?”

  Nicole slipped her arms around my waist as her head came to rest on my chest. I run my hands through her soft hair and kiss the top of her head. I bend my head to kiss her lips and get lost in Nicole. Geez I love this woman! My husband and I will have to get the kids soon but I enjoy this quiet time alone with her. We do not make any overtly sexual moves. We just kiss. Nicole picks up the picture frame on my desk of my friends.

  “Is this the Seven Sisters?” She asked smiling as we all pulled goofy faces in the photo. I nod that they are the women I refer to as sisters.

  “Have you told any of them about me?” Nicole asked putting the picture back in its place. I nod my head in the negative, feeling a bit ashamed. I spend the next hour giving her the biographical information of each sister. Nicole listens intently laughing at some of our crazy antics. I want her to meet the sisters but I sense her hesitation in that area.

  “I was thinking you could come over for dinner tonight after we pick up the kids. Mark and I would like for you to spend more time with our family,” I offered. Nicole’s face lit up at the possibility of meeting our kids without the dance studio.

  “I would love to meet the kids,” Nicole replied beaming that magnificent smile. I drop my head to indicate there are conditions.

  “I know if the kids object then we will have to rethink this. Eva, I would never want to disrupt your family. I can’t help wanting to be a part of it. I love you and Mark so much and that love would naturally extend to your children.”

  “Mark and I want to protect them but seeing you a few times a week in secret is not going to work for either of us, especially after this wonderful weekend.”

  “I know how unusual this situation is and I understand that protecting the kids is priority one. I want to protect them too.”

  “Once you meet the kids and if all goes well as I suspect it will. I will want you to meet my friends. That will be much more difficult than meeting my kids, trust me.”

  “Which one of your friends will object the most?” Nicole asked wanted to prepare herself in advance for that day.

  “No doubt all of them will object. They will each give me detailed reasons why I have made a terrible mistake. I think that once they meet you and see us together, meaning you and I, not with Mark, they will see how much I love you.” I said this but did not register the blushing I was doing. Nicole and I stood in the center of the room kissing once more. She would do this because it meant so much to me. She would do this because she wanted to be a part of my crazy world. She would do this because I wanted her to do this. She would do this because she loved me just as much. We exit the office as the time winds down on our fantastic weekend together.

  “Can I ask you what Jason said to you at the club? You do not have to answer if that’s too personal.”

  “He said that he made a horrible mistake when he left me. I explained that he did not make a mistake. He did us both a favor. I told him that the moment I met you, I would have cheated on him with you and with Mark for that matter. He asked me why I would want to be apart of another couple’s marriage. I explained that you both loved me completely and just the way I am, which is something he could never do. Jason dropped his head when he realized the truth. He wants a family and while we could adopt I could never biologically give him a child.”

  “One day will you tell me what happened with that situation? You don’t have to right now sweetheart.” I could see the emotions register on Nicole’s face as she gave me a nod. Outside my office I push her hair behind her ears and just take in her sweet face. I am smiling hard as I kiss her deeply. Our tongues melt into one as we are joined together for quite some time. A few low moans escape but we remain lip-locked until Mark interrupts our tender session.

  “Oh so she gets to go in the precious office?” Marks said his voice jovial. Nicole and I giggled shaking our head up and down. Mark pretends to pout as we cover him in kisses. “So if I pout then you two kiss me, noted for the future.” We both try to pull away from him in pretend disgust but he is stronger. The three of us spend a few moments just kissing, love not sex.

  Before we leave to get the kids I take out the ingredients for their favorite meal and dessert. Ok so I was trying to butter them up, sue me! I am not new to parenting. Sometimes you have to pull out the big guns. Mark and I reluctantly let Nicole go home and she promised to bring our clothes from her apartment when she returned for dinner later. Mark and I are practically humming with happiness as we make the drive to his parent’s house.

  “Mama how was the weekend?” I asked Mark’s mother Abigail Thompson. Abigail is a tall woman with striking features on her face that almost refuses to age. Her long salt and pepper hair hangs freely as she embraced me upon our arrival.

  “We had a great time of course,” Abigail informed me and then whispered, “Sabrina is getting her period, what a grouch.” We both laughed. I know exactly what she means. My father-in-law, Martin Thompson, carried Celeste down into the room considering she was fast asleep. Martin Thompson is not quite as tall as his wife but his unlike his wife he dyes his hair, no gray for him. Martin pushed his glasses up on his nose as Mark took the sleeping Celeste. Junior has Celeste’s overnight bag as Mark places her in the truck. I give both my in-laws kisses and thanks as Sabrina made her way out the door, without speaking.

  “Brina are you okay, sweetheart?” I asked as I take her overnight bag. She gave me a painful look and I nod my understanding as I pulled her in for a hug. I slipped my hand in my purse and produce a small bottle of Pamprin and she beamed. Sabrina ran back into her grandparent’s house for bottled water. I can see just having the coveted pills makes her feel better.

  In the car Mark explained, “Miss Nicole is coming to dinner tonight, if that’s okay, of course.” That last part of is for Sabrina, who nods that she is okay. I turn around in my seat and confirm that Sabrina is okay. I gave her a smile and the dawn of understanding registered on her perceptive face.

  “My friend Aaron has a sister, Danielle, that dances with Miss Nicole. I heard she is super hot,” Junior announced looking to Sabrina for confirmation.

  “She is my teacher you pervert,” Sabrina threw him a dirty look.

  “I heard she was a hot dance teacher, still.”

  We could not have given our only son a more appropriate name. He is almost a carbon copy of my husband. They are almost the same height, and I suspect Junior will be taller than Mark at some point. Aside from the obvious facial similarities, it’s their personalities that shock me the most. Junior nearly emulates his dad in everyway. From the way they dress, to the way they eat, and down to the way they speak, it’s like watching the world’s weirdest twins. I gave my handsome son a quizzical look and realize that girls will definitely be a problem soon. Thank God, Mark has already drilled in him the teachings he will need to be safe. I have no doubt girls will be throwing themselves at him, if they are not already.

  “Are we home?” Celeste asked, rubbing her eyes before putting on her glasses. My little girl is the spitting image of my mother and it is off putting when you see them together. While Sabrina and I have long hair, Celeste’s hair is nearly Rapunzel in length. She refuses to have her hair cut so we deal with its crazy unruliness from time to time.

  “You know the drill, everyone get clothes ready for the week, please.” I shouted as they made quick exits to their room. Mark was in our room changing the bed while I began my meal in the kitchen.

 
I cut the chicken breast thin before making the batter for my homemade chicken tenders. The water is boiling for the macaroni and I drop the pasta in giving it a quick stir. In a large bowl I mix in three different cheeses, milk, butter, and place it in the microwave to melt. When the pasta is al dente, I mix it with the cheese sauce and add seasonings. After adding a beaten egg, I give it a final stir before pouring the mixture in the greased pan. My kids love cheese, as most kids do, and cover the top in a thick layer of cheeses. The salad is easy as I toss the lettuce with an assortment of fresh vegetables. I pull out my pre-made peach cobbler bites and place them on the cookie sheet. Inside the oven the smell of peaches, macaroni and cheese cook pervading the house with delicious smells.

  Two hours later Nicole is ringing the doorbell. Junior makes it his mission to get to the door before Sabrina. I hear the two of them arguing over who will open the door. Nicole enters the house as the two teenagers continue to bicker. Mark greets her first and I see him fighting the desire to kiss Nicole as they simply stare at each other. Sabrina stops arguing with her brother long enough to catch the exchange. I walked in smiling and offered Nicole a quick hug, wanting like my husband to kiss her passionately.

  “C’mon Miss Nicole let me give you the grand tour,” Sabrina said pulling her away from our son, who is now gawking at Nicole. Mark gives him a light tap upside the head to pull his horny gaze away from Nicole, even though he totally understands. I began the task of making plates and putting them on the table as Celeste put the silverware down. In the dining room everyone takes a seat around the table. Celeste gives Nicole a welcoming hug. She is very friendly and loves everyone immediately. After a quick blessing of the food, our kids launch into a myriad of conversations about their weekend. We eat with lots of laughter and silliness courtesy of my kids and my husband. Nicole is positively glowing as she takes in all the love we have as a family. As the dinner concludes and I bring out the dessert, my kids are in heaven.

  “Wait until you taste dessert Miss Nicole, it’s really good,” Celeste informed pushing her glasses up on her face. The personal peach cobblers are being destroyed when Junior speaks up first. “Hey, what’s going on? We have our favorite dinner and now dessert, what happened this weekend?”

  The color drains from my face and Nicole looks equally pale as Mark clears his throat.

  “We can talk in the family room after dessert,” he said with zero confidence. Sabrina looks almost giddy at knowing a huge secret before her siblings. I worried about how Junior would accept our relationship and if Celeste was too young to even understand. Sabrina being a smart ass chowed her dessert down with lightening speed. Inside the family room the children sat on the couch as Nicole and I took the loveseat, not on purpose. Mark stood before the children as he searched for the words, his pre-rehearsed speech long since forgotten.

  “Well we wanted you all to know that Mom and I still love each other very much,” he stammered. “We are very much in love and will grow old together like Grampy and Grammy.” Nicole and I shoot him appreciative looks for taking the reins on this one.

  “Miss Nicole is Sabrina’s dance teacher but she is also someone that is a good friend to Mom and I. We have spent some time with her and we like her very much.”

  Junior looked to Sabrina who was beaming with knowledge as the dawn of recognition registered on his handsome face. “Wait you and mom like Miss Nicole? Like boyfriend and girlfriend like or one of the seven sisters like?” Junior asked as he sat up to look directly at his father then to me. I flinched as I took Nicole’s hand in my hand. Nicole continued to beam her bedazzling smile to our children. Celeste just looked lost and Sabrina nodded her head vigorously.

  “Boyfriend and girlfriend,” Mark said softly. I could see he was sweating profusely and decided it was time I joined him. “Junior, Celeste, and Sabrina we love Nicole actually. We will not be getting a divorce or anything like that. Daddy and I are still very much in love.”

  “But how can you have a girlfriend dad if you are married? Mom, you like women? Why would you let dad have a girlfriend? This doesn’t make any sense.”

  I could see the tears welling up in his eyes as he contemplated the end of our marriage. I shook my head to reassure him that we would always stay together.

  “I would never do anything to come between your parent’s wonderful marriage. However I love your mom and dad equally.” Nicole chimed in taking Mark’s hand in her hand.

  “Junior, they really do love Miss Nicole and she loves them both. I know it seems weird at first but when you see them together you can see they love each other.”

  “Daddy, do you get to have a girlfriend if you are married to mommy?” Celeste asked still lost.

  “Generally no Celeste, I would not have a girlfriend. So this is a bit weird.” Mark answered before turning his attention to Junior.

  “A bit weird? My mom and dad just told us that they have a girlfriend that they share. Weird doesn’t begin to explain this,” Junior said quickly leaving the room.

  “I like Miss Nicole, she is pretty. Mommy do you want Miss Nicole to be daddy’s girlfriend?” Celeste asked smiling.

  “Yes Celeste I love Miss Nicole too,” I respond softly.

  “Sabrina I know you have had more time to process this. How do you feel about Nicole spending more time here and being around us more often?” Mark turned to Sabrina who gave the question some actual thought.

  “I am sure it is going to be weird at first. I have never seen you kiss anyone but mom so that will be weird. I am sure it will be fine after a while.” Sabrina said knowingly. “I am going to go talk to Junior.”

  Mark decided to join Sabrina in that conversation while Nicole and I sat with Celeste. In the simplest of terms Nicole and I explained to my then eight-year old how this would work. Celeste seemed indifferent to our announcement as she decided Miss Nicole was too nice not to like. Celeste took this opportunity to con us into watching a movie with her while the others talked.

  A few hours later Celeste was sleeping. Mark and Sabrina had returned half way through the movie. Junior was still brooding in his room, and we allowed him to do so. This was not easy and we didn’t expect the kids to just hop aboard our crazy train. Eventually Sabrina took her sister up to her room before giving us all quick kisses. Mark and I sat with Nicole in the family room for a while, just holding each other. If I could have avoided this I would have. The thought of hurting or embarrassing my kids was so painful that I seriously considered calling the whole thing off. The look on Nicole’s face as she cried in our arms changed my mind. She was so happy to have us love her as much as we did. We were so happy that she chose us for her love and affections. Mark and I would never be able to recover if we lost her as part of our relationship.

  At our front door, we said our quiet goodbyes to Nicole. I could see how happy and sad she remained.

  “I can’t ever thank either of you enough for letting me meet your wonderful kids. No matter what happens I understand they are priority number one. This was the best dinner ever for me, you two are wonderful parents,” Nicole stammered.

  “We love you Nicole,” I managed to say fighting tears. Mark nodded in agreement.

  “I love you Eva so much. I love you Mark so much.” Nicole said wrapping each of us in a tender hug. I held onto her delicate frame wanting so bad to never let her go. Mark hugged her gently plying her with kisses. I was able to steal a few tender kisses before she took her leave. Unbeknownst to us Sabrina dragged Junior from his room sulking to watch our exchange.

  “See I told you they really love each other. Mom and dad will not divorce behind this. You know in love they were before I even went to Miss Nicole’s dance studio,” Sabrina explained. “I know how weird it is Junior. I was screaming at mom when I found out.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? Maybe I could have had some time to deal with this. It’s just too weird that our parents have a girlfriend. I didn’t know mom liked women.” Mark Junior said ringing his hands in
frustration.

  “She doesn’t, trust me, only Nicole. We tried to see if she was bi-sexual but she doesn’t like any other women in that way. I didn’t tell you because they hoped this would pass but as you can see it hasn’t. They are really in love.” Sabrina said hugging her little big brother.

  “I was thinking Nicole was so hot, now I am supposed to accept her as their girlfriend?” Junior gave a devilish smile and Sabrina hit his arm.

  “Ew, do not put Miss Nicole in your spank bank.”

  Junior nodded up and down before deciding that would be too weird.

  “Do like I did, ask them really uncomfortable questions until you feel better,” Sabrina suggested. “I am sure your dirty mind can come up with some doozies.”

  Sabrina and Junior laughed before she took her leave. I was relayed that conversation at a much later date of course. However I will never understate its importance to our current situation. My very mature and amazing daughter showed us just how fortunate we were to have her find out early on. Junior did what Sabrina suggested and put the three of us through a round of rather embarrassing questions before giving his consent.

  “So the three of you will be together in that way?” Junior asked nervously.

  “Um well yes, we are in a relationship with Nicole,” Mark answered with equal nervousness. Junior pretended to think of more questions but he had them already formulated.

  “So mom you will be with Nicole in that way?” He asked then turned green at the thought.

  “Yes, I love Nicole in that way as well.” I managed before turning green as well.

  “Dad, you are okay with Mom kissing another woman and vice versa?”