“I know, Dad. I’ll try.”
She ate as quickly as she could, and then excused herself before her brothers got to the kitchen. They’d know exactly what was on her neck and wouldn’t hesitate to inform her father. Not long after she returned to her room, there was a knock on the door.
“Nicole? I brought that cream for you.” Her mother’s voice seemed louder than it needed to be, but she ignored it and called for her to come in.
Mrs. Collins entered the room and closed the door behind her. She sat on the bed, hands folded in her lap. She didn’t appear to be holding anything.
“Where’s the cream?” Nicole asked.
Her mother raised an eyebrow. “There is no cream, Nicole. Don’t play coy with me. I know exactly what that mark is.”
Not sure how to respond, Nicole looked down and said, “Oh.”
“It’s a good thing your father is easily appeased,” her mother continued. “Because it wouldn’t have been good if he hadn’t believed you.”
“I know,” Nicole said in a small voice, picking pieces of imaginary lint off her jeans.
“Sweetheart, I know you’re twenty-three, and a grown woman, and I don’t mean to pry, but…” Her mother trailed off before she took a deep breath and continued. “It’s not a good idea to be seeing a married man, whether he’s married to another man or a woman. Too many people get hurt.”
Face burning, Nicole stared at her hands. How did she respond? Could she confide in her mother? After all, she had provided the excuse Nicole needed downstairs. And she remembered Shay’s words from the previous night about needing to tell her family about the relationship. At the time, she hadn’t realized how difficult it would be. She took a deep breath and then just blurted it out.
“What if you’re seeing both of them?”
Her mother sat silent, and Nicole finally risked a glance up at her. Her mouth was open in a small o, and her eyebrows crinkled together. “Well, I guess that’s a whole different situation.”
Encouraged by the fact that her mother hadn’t immediately begun to scream at her to get to confession, Nicole barreled forward. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, but while we were gone, they both told me that they were interested. And I was definitely interested in them, but I never, ever thought about acting on it until they did first. And when we got back, we decided to try it out for a bit, but I think it’s going well, and they’re so wonderful, and—”
“Okay, okay,” her mother said, holding up a hand to cut off Nicole’s rushed narrative. “Honey, I know it probably seems exciting right now. You’ve always focused so much on your dancing that you haven’t had much of a social life. But you have to think about this. There are so many reasons why this relationship isn’t a good idea.”
“Because they’re two men married to each other?” Nicole said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“And because that means neither of them can legally marry you. And maintaining a relationship between two people is difficult enough, but three is a whole new set of challenges.”
Letting out a big breath, Nicole uncrossed her arms and leaned forward. “Mom, I know it’s not conventional, but the three of us are willing to work on it. I’ve just never felt like this before. They make me so happy, and I think—I think I might be falling in love.” She hadn’t voiced this feeling before, but she knew it in her heart.
Mrs. Collins gave her a small smile. “Sweetheart, sex isn’t love.”
Face burning, Nicole looked her mother in the eye. “It’s not just sex. And I know it sounds crazy, but when I’m with them, they make me feel special.”
“Okay. I believe you. But you are going to have to explain this to your dad, and I guarantee it won’t go well.”
“But you’ll support me, right?” Nicole said.
“I will,” she said, standing. Leaning over, she kissed Nicole’s forehead. “The sooner you tell him, the better.”
“Is he still downstairs? I’ll come right now.”
Nicole walked down behind her mother, and found her dad reading the newspaper at the table while her brothers wolfed down their pancakes. She sat down and cleared her throat.
“Dad? Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“What is it?” he said, not lowering the paper.
“I wanted to tell you something,” Nicole said. Her heart pounded in her throat, and her stomach was tight. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brothers exchange glances and set their forks down. “I–I’m seeing someone.”
The paper slowly lowered and her father’s eyes appeared over the top, eyebrows drawn together in a frown. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Um…it’s Remy and Shay.” She held her breath while she waited for her dad to say something.
He lowered the paper completely as he gaped at her. “Remy and Shay?”
Nicole swallowed, and nodded.
“That girl’s dads.” It wasn’t a question. He knew exactly who Remy and Shay were.
“Dad, I know it seems—”
“Absolutely not.”
“What?”
“I said no. You are not seeing them. Them! Two men? What the hell were you thinking?”
Stomach tightening with anger, Nicole glared at him. “I was thinking that they were wonderful people, who treat me well. And you can’t tell me who I can date. I’m a grown woman!”
“I am your father, and I damn well can tell you who you can date!” His voice grew steadily louder. “No daughter of mine is going to date two men at once, especially not a couple of buggers. Only whores do things like that!”
Her cheeks burned as though she’d been slapped.
“Dear, I think you’re overreacting,” her mother said.
Bolting to his feet, her dad advanced on her mother. “Overreacting? Lois, did you know about this?”
“She told me a few minutes ago and I told her to come down and tell you,” Mrs. Collins said. “And it’s not as though she’s dating a different guy every day of the week. It’s just these two—”
“Fuck!” her dad spat. “It doesn’t matter! Everyone will think she’s a slut. Good girls don’t fuck two men at once!”
“I am not a whore, or a slut,” Nicole said through gritted teeth. “I love them, and I’ll keep on seeing them, no matter what you say.”
Wheeling around to face her, her father’s face had gone almost purple with rage. “Didn’t you hear me? No daughter of mine fucks two men at once. And if that’s what you’re going to do, then you are not my daughter!”
Nicole gasped. “What?”
“I will not have a slut living under my roof,” he said. “Break it off or get the fuck out.”
The silence in the kitchen was deafening.
“By the way,” her youngest brother said. “I’m failing chemistry.”
Nicole glared at him and then ran from the kitchen and up to her room where she slammed the door. The torrent of tears she’d been holding back began to fall as she tried to dial Remy’s phone number. Her hands shook so badly, she had to try several times. Finally Remy answered the phone.
“Hey, sexy,” he said.
She couldn’t say anything, she was sobbing so hard. “Nicole?” he said. “Nicole what’s wrong?”
“M–my d–dad—” she began, but couldn’t continue.
“He freaked, didn’t he?”
Nicole nodded, forgetting he couldn’t see her. “He kicked me out,” she whispered.
“What?” Remy’s voice exploded out of the phone and she winced. “We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
After hanging up, Nicole began to grab her clothes from her dresser and closet and threw them into her suitcases and duffel bag until they were full to brimming. She had just finished packing her laptop and electronics into her backpack when she heard shouting from downstairs. A moment later, her door burst open and Remy came through and swept her into his arms.
“It’s okay,” he said as he stroked her hair. “It’ll be okay. We’ll take you home.”
&n
bsp; She could only nod as she sobbed into his chest.
“Are these your bags? Do you have everything?” he asked, and she nodded again. “Riley, Connor, can you each take one of these?”
Nicole looked past him to see her brothers hovering outside the door. At Remy’s words they jumped forward and each picked up a suitcase, and then made their way down the stairs while Remy took the duffel bag in one hand, and Nicole’s hand in the other. As they went, the shouting from the living room got louder and Nicole could make out her dad’s voice and Shay’s.
“—small-minded, bigoted—”
“—turning my daughter into—”
She couldn’t make out a complete sentence in the noise. Her mother sat on a chair in the corner sobbing, her brothers were making their way out the door, and the whole situation pissed her off so much she couldn’t contain it.
“Will you shut the fuck up?” she screamed at her father. Whether it was the volume or her words, she didn’t know, but he and Shay both stopped talking at once. “I’m so sick of your fucking attitude! You call yourself a Christian but you hate anyone who isn’t like you! These are good men. Hardworking, and decent men. But you’re so fucking blind you can’t see that!”
Her father stood in silence and Shay moved to her side and took her other hand.
“Mr. Collins, we love your daughter,” Remy said softly. “We would never do anything to hurt her.”
Her father looked from Shay to Remy, and finally to Nicole.
“I don’t have a daughter.”
Chapter 13
“Miss Nicole?”
Nicole lifted her head and looked toward the bedroom door to see Ainsley standing there with a glass of water and a plate.
“Papa told me to bring this to you.”
Pulling herself up to a sitting position, Nicole beckoned the little girl to her. She took the water and food and set them on the nightstand. “Thanks, Ainsley.”
“Papa told me that you had a fight with your daddy,” she said.
Sniffing, Nicole nodded.
“That sucks,” Ainsley said, bringing a small smile to Nicole’s lips. “But I’m happy that you’re going to live with us now. It’ll be nice to have another girl in the house.”
“Us girls have to stick together, don’t we?” Nicole said. Ainsley nodded and hugged her before leaving.
Cheese, crackers, grapes, and carrot sticks sat on the plate, and Nicole nibbled at the food, though she couldn’t eat much. She was too upset. After the talk with her mother, Nicole had been hopeful that her dad might be more understanding. But she had never expected him to disown her. In the end, he cared more about what people thought of him than he did for his only daughter’s happiness.
There was a soft knock on the door. Thinking it would be Ainsley again, she called, “Come in.”
To her surprise, Ryan, her oldest brother popped his head in the door. He came into the room and sat beside her on the bed, slipping his arm around her shoulders.
Burying her head against his chest, she cried again, surprised she had any tears left in her. It didn’t take long though before they slowed and she was able to speak. “What are you doing here?”
“I got a text from Riley,” Ryan replied. “He was really freaked out.”
That made sense. Riley was the quiet, sensitive brother. The one who always tried to keep the peace. Fighting of any kind upset him. “So you drove all the way up here because of that?”
“Hey, you’re my only sister, and from what Riley said, it was a bloodbath, so I figured you could use a brotherly shoulder. Besides, it only takes an hour and a half.”
“Thank you,” Nicole said, hugging him tightly.
“So what gives?”
With a sigh, Nicole explained the situation. Ryan listened without interrupting, and nodded to show he understood. “And Shay and Remy said I could stay here, so at least I’m not out on the street. It just hurts that he’d be so—close-minded.”
“Well, let me start by saying that Remy and Shay are both amazing guys, and I think it’ll be a good relationship for you.”
“Really? You know them?”
Ryan took a deep breath and exhaled. “A few years back, I had my own issues to work through and they were there for me.” He paused a moment. “The gay community in Hedon Falls is pretty small and they’re easy to talk to.” He glanced sideways at Nicole while he waited.
“You’re gay?” Nicole whispered, stunned. Ryan had dated girls in high school, but not many, preferring to focus instead on his studies. Once he left for university, they didn’t hear anything more about relationships, though every time Ryan came home, her parents asked him when he would settle down. He’d avoid the question by saying he hadn’t met the right person yet. Person. He never said girl. “Why didn’t you tell me? I don’t care whether you’re gay or straight. You’re Ryan.” They had always been close, and she was surprised he would keep this from her, and that she hadn’t figured it out sooner.
“I’m sorry, sis,” he said. “I know I could have trusted you, but it wasn’t easy for me to admit it to myself. When I come here, I feel like a different person than when I’m home in Toronto. With Ben.”
Nicole looked up and smiled at him, the grin feeling good after the misery of the day. “You’ve got a boyfriend? Ryan, that’s awesome!” She hugged him tightly. “I’m so happy for you! When can I meet him?”
“He’s downstairs chatting with your boyfriends,” Ryan said, grinning back. “And I’m very happy for you, too.”
“Just let me brush my hair and then I’ll come down,” she said, dashing into the bathroom to clean up a bit. Then she gathered the plate and glass and followed Ryan downstairs.
Voices drifted out from the kitchen, and Nicole smelled one of Shay’s divine creations cooking, making her stomach growl. When she entered the room, she saw Shay at the stove on the center island while Remy, Ainsley, and another man sat on the bar stools around the counter. Ainsley’s squeals alerted them to Nicole’s presence and every eye turned toward her. She moved into the kitchen and went to Remy’s side. He put his arms around her and kissed her.
“Dad! Ewww!” Ainsley said. The laughter in the room broke the tension.
Turning to the stranger, Nicole held out her hand. “You must be Ben. I’m Nicole and I’m so happy to meet you.”
Ignoring her hand, Ben caught her up in a big bear hug. He was tall and broad, and his squeeze left her gasping. “I’m happy to finally meet you, too. Ryan talks about you all the time, and I feel like I already know you.”
Ryan moved up beside him. “He’s been bugging me to introduce you for a long time,” he said, looking down at his partner, love shining from his eyes. When he bent down for a kiss, Nicole beamed. Seeing her brother so obviously happy made it easier to forget about her own problems.
“Ben and Ryan are going to stay for dinner,” Remy said.
“Great!” Nicole said. “I’ll set the table.” She started toward the cabinets and then stopped, realizing she didn’t know where anything was.
“You visit with your brother,” Remy said, vacating his stool. “Ainsley and I will set the table.”
Nicole took Remy’s empty seat and faced Ryan and Ben. “I can’t believe Ryan has been keeping you a secret,” she said, shaking her finger at her brother. “You need to tell me all about yourself, Ben. How did you two meet?”
As they chatted, Nicole discovered that she really liked Ben. He had a great sense of humor and kept them all laughing well into the evening. An architect at the engineering firm Ryan worked for, the two had met at a company Christmas party and quickly discovered their mutual attraction.
“And three years later, we couldn’t be happier,” Ben said, rubbing Ryan’s knee and gazing into his eyes.
“In fact,” Ryan said. “We have an announcement and want you to be the first to know. Ben and I are getting married.”
“Oh my God!” Nicole squealed. “That’s awesome news! Congratulations!” She jumped up
and hugged Ryan and then her future brother-in-law, while Remy and Shay extended their own congratulations.
“We’re staying at the hotel tonight,” Ryan said. “And then tomorrow we’re going to go break the news to Mom and Dad.”
“Why don’t you stay with us?” Shay said. “We’ve got room.”
Ben cast a mischievous look at Ryan. “I think we’d rather have some more privacy. And the three of you would probably appreciate that as well.” He winked at Nicole, who blushed as she leaned into Remy’s shoulder.
Shay checked his watch. “Ainsley, it’s time to go up to bed, sweetheart. Say good night to everyone.”
“Papa, can’t I stay up a little later? It isn’t a school night!”
“No. Bed. Now.”
Ainsley stood and shuffled toward the stairs, grumbling under her breath, but then stopped and turned, a smile growing on her face. “Miss Nicole, can you come and tuck me in?”
Nicole’s heart thudded. She’d always dreamed of someday being a mom and doing all the fun things she loved about her mom, like being tucked in at night. Recognizing that this was a big step for all of them, she stood. “Sure, sweetheart. I’ll go up with you.”
The joy on Ainsley’s face was easy to see. “Thank you!” She ran to Shay and then Remy, giving them each a kiss and wishing them good night. Then she surprised them all when she did the same to the other two men. “Good night, Uncle Ryan and Uncle Ben! See you later!” Then she bounced up the stairs.
Following her up, Nicole reflected on Ainsley’s good-night wishes. If Ryan and Ben were her uncles, then it meant that the girl already saw Nicole as a mother. Nicole liked the idea, but was still nervous about what would happen if her relationship with Remy and Shay ended. She sat on Ainsley’s bed while she went to the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. When she returned, Ainsley hugged Nicole tightly.
“I’m glad you’re going to be with my daddy and papa,” she said. “You make them very happy.” She crawled under the covers and Nicole tucked the blanket up under her chin.
“How do you know that?” Nicole asked.
“I can see it on their faces,” Ainsley replied. “Especially Papa. He loves Daddy, and I know that they were happy. But Papa always had this kind of crinkly look on his face. Even when he smiled. It’s been gone since we went to Montreal.”
The Stylist, His Dom, and Their Dancer [Hedon Falls 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 10