Not that I don’t trust him—I do. But I hate that he can’t publicly declare he’s taken, meaning wearing a wedding band.
If Jerilyn spotted it, she’d pepper him with a bazillion nosy questions she has no business asking. She’s always asking him—or us, when we see her—if he’s dating. We know she’s dating like crazy, based on the unsolicited information passed to us by friends who see her out and about, or who hate-stalk her Facebook or Instagram feeds. But Arlo and I suspect if she had so much as a hint that Nolan was dating, she’d be all over him, trying to hook him back even though they’re divorced.
That was her pattern throughout their courtship and marriage. She didn’t want him.
She just didn’t want anyone else to have him.
Did I mention that I can’t stand the bitch?
“So what can be moved around in here?” he asks.
I start pointing things out, and before I realize it, we’re rearranging the garage.
Maybe because it’s not his stuff, it’s ours, and I’ve kind of lost sight of the forest because of the trees, but it goes a lot faster than I thought it would. We’ve cleared a decent-sized area when Arlo joins us about thirty minutes later.
“Okay, I—holy crap.” He stands there admiring our progress. “We could almost park a car in here now.”
“Or a kid’s bedroom full of stuff,” I say. “We’ll need to turn the office into Katie’s room.”
“Why?” Arlo asks.
Nolan and I both give him “the look.” “Because,” I say, “we’re pretending in front of her that Nolan has his own room. She’ll need her own bedroom.”
“Oh, yeah,” Arlo says, walking over and kissing me, then Nolan. “So when are we moving you in?” he asks Nolan.
“My lease comes due at the end of next month.”
“Six weeks,” I say.
He nods.
Arlo pulls us both in for a hug. “I guess I should go back out there and rent a truck for then, too, huh?”
I watch the way they stare into each other’s eyes. The love they share is older, predates me, and it always blows me away in good ways to see it between them.
“We’re really doing this,” Arlo whispers, smiling. “Finally. I told you way back then that, one day, I’d wear you the hell down and get you to say yes to me.”
Nolan chuckles. “Yeah, you did.”
They break apart when we hear the door from the house to the utility room open. A second later, the garage door opens and Lucas pokes his head in. “I’m done,” he says. “I changed everything.” A dark scowl fills his features. “And I unfriended and blocked him on everything, too. And Mary.”
I open my arms to him and he crosses the garage and hugs me. Even this is different now.
No, correction—back to the status quo. He used to always be free and open with hugs with the three of us before the shit hit the fan.
I wonder if he’s missed them as much as I have.
“We’ll get you a new phone tomorrow. What about your laptop?” We bought it for him. If Bill thinks he’s going to keep that, he’s sadly mistaken.
“I buried it in one of the bags. I was afraid if he saw it he might try to take it, or might break it.”
“Smart thinking,” Nolan says.
Lucas ends our hug and hugs Arlo, then Nolan. “Thank you, again,” he says. “I’m really sorry about the past couple of years.”
“Well,” I say, “you can start making it up to us by helping us out here,” I tease.
“Sure.” He immediately starts where we left off shuffling boxes.
The three of us exchange another shocked look. If Bill was the whole reason Lucas was so damned surly the past couple of years, then…damn.
* * * *
By ten o’clock, with the three of us working on it, we have the garage mostly straightened out and Lucas goes inside to start unpacking his things. My headache is trying to make a return, so I take another dose of Excedrin and head for the shower—again, because I now need another one—while Nolan and Arlo remain in the garage to finish a few things.
Just one more thing is kind of Arlo’s mantra, and we all know it. He’ll be out there working until one a.m. if we don’t drag him inside.
We’re going to pick up the truck at eight tomorrow morning, when the place opens. We want to be there by a quarter ’til, though. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait in a line. I’m thinking we might need to rent a storage unit sooner rather than later, for the overflow stuff from tomorrow, and for when Nolan moves in.
This is going to be a stressful couple of months, but I’m damn sure looking forward to it. It’ll be worth it to finally have our entire family living under one roof.
Well, Katie will be with us every other week, but that’s better than nothing.
I stand there with coolish water beating on the back of my skull and with my forehead pressed against the cool tile wall. While I wish it hadn’t been at Lucas’ expense, at least this weekend is worth the aggravation. No more pretending around Lucas, no more linguistic gymnastics to explain Nolan’s presence.
And Lucas is home, with us.
It’s a relief.
I’ll take it and appreciate every bit of it.
I’ve just finished my shower and am drying off when Arlo and Nolan enter the bathroom.
This is going to be our new norm, and I love it and them.
“How you feelin’, babe?” Nolan asks.
My head’s still achy, but my heart and soul feel lighter than they have in two fricking years. “I’ll be fine,” I tell him, something he’s heard me say countless times before, even when it wasn’t the truth.
And for the first time in two years, I really mean it.
* * * *
I’m still awake when Arlo and Nolan finish their shower and join me in bed. Usually, on the all-too-few nights Nolan is with us all night, we put him in the middle so we can cuddle him between us. Tonight they’ve put me in the middle, Nolan spooning me from behind and Arlo stretched out in front of me.
Yeah, I’m still feeling a little headachy, but I don’t want to waste this time with them. My men kiss me and each other, and I shut off my brain and enjoy being in the moment with them. Before long, I’m on my back and they’re taking turns working their way down my body with their mouths, meaning I’m in fricking heaven.
It isn’t all about the sex, though. Don’t get me wrong, the sex is fantastic. But for every moment like this, there have been probably hundreds of times where when we get together, we’re so exhausted from work or life in general that we just cuddle and watch TV.
Ooh, ooh, or sometimes my guys play a video game together, while I’m stretched out on the couch watching them and falling asleep.
Sexy, right?
There have been times where a “date” between Nolan and I means he went with me to the grocery store, or I went shopping with him and Katie to buy her clothes or shoes.
Then there was the memorable day I got hit by a kidney stone while at work, Arlo was short-handed and couldn’t get away immediately, and I couldn’t drive myself because of the pain. So Nolan left work, picked me up, and took me to the ER, staying there with me until I was discharged later that afternoon and then driving me home to stay with me until Arlo got home. Then, the next morning, he came over and drove me to work, since my car was still there.
Or the time Nolan got hit by the flu and Jerilyn was out of town for work, so we picked Katie up from him and she stayed with me at the house for three days, while Arlo stayed at the apartment with Nolan and took care of him between going back and forth to work.
Just a real carnal carnival around here, ya know?
The sexy times like this are the exception, not the norm. They’re rare moments of pure, imperfect perfection that makes life so much sweeter for it.
Nolan ends up kneeling between my thighs, smiling down at me as he notches himself in place and easily slides deep inside me. Arlo stretches out next to us, his body pressed against mine and
one hand slipping between me and Nolan.
Arlo smiles at me, deliciously sexy evil gleaming in his blue eyes as his fingers play with me. Between that and the feel of Nolan’s cock inside me, it won’t take me long to get over, and they both know it. These men know me and my body, and know each other, too. It’s what makes our stolen time together so sweetly perfect.
Except it won’t be long before that time isn’t stolen anymore—it’ll be the norm instead of the exception.
Arlo’s lips hover over mine as his fingers move in time with Nolan’s thrusts. “How’s he feel, baby?” he whispers.
I whimper. “Good.” I’m not quite there yet, but I feel the climb start. I’ve got one hand wrapped around Nolan’s bicep, where his arm is braced against the bed. My other grazes Arlo’s stiff cock and my fingers wrap around it. My pulse gallops a little harder as he groans and kisses me, his hips flexing as he fucks himself into my hand.
We’ve probably explored every positional permutation there is over the past four years. I don’t really have a favorite, because there’s something to love about every one of them.
Nolan slows his thrusts and leans in, kissing both of us, his focus moving from me to Arlo and back again. When he shifts his weight to the arm I’m holding on to, his other hand comes up and cups my right breast, the pad of his thumb rubbing my nipple and teasing it to a taut peak.
Now I feel like I’m trying to hold back because I’m being pulled toward climax in a headlong rush and I want to prolong it. I love surfing this zone between not enough and too much. I love how time dissolves and the world disappears, until it’s just the three of us and the power of our love binding us together.
Arlo bends his head to my left breast as Nolan takes over kissing me. Wet heat engulfs my nipple, and they know they’ve got me in the zone. I can’t hold back because they’ve tripped all the switches for launch. Giving in to what they and my body are demanding from me, I struggle to stay quiet as Nolan swallows my moans and picks up the pace of his thrusts.
Sure, I can give myself orgasms. But they’re never as good, as sweet, as powerful as when it’s both of them like this, focused on me and I feel like we could take on the world together without breaking a sweat.
It’s humbling and awe-inspiring. I rock in time with Nolan and surf the wave as it crests and crashes inside me, until I’m left spent and trembling with the echoes of it swirling through me.
Arlo and Nolan both sit up and Nolan takes over from me, his hand replacing mine on Arlo’s shaft. Nolan hasn’t come yet. He’s still thrusting as they kiss, ferocious and hungry and devouring each other. I watch, breathless, as they come nearly at the same time. In the aftermath their kisses turn sweet and gentle, tender, playful.
Their souls at their most vulnerable, and most beautiful.
This is one of the many reasons I love these two men.
They lean against each other for a moment. Then they share one last kiss before Arlo, followed by Nolan, kiss me. “Love you,” they say to me together, making me giggle.
It always does.
Stereo.
“Love you two, too.”
We clean up and, now sated and beyond exhausted, we return to bed, Nolan in the middle this time. I feel Arlo’s arm drape around Nolan from behind, because Nolan’s spooned his body around mine from behind.
I know without a doubt this’ll be my best night’s sleep in two years.
Chapter Five
Arlo
The alarm on my phone goes off too damned early Saturday morning. I’d looked forward to sleeping late with both of them today, and then pretty much staying horizontal for most of the weekend.
In bed, on the sofa, in the tub—I wasn’t going to be picky.
Regardless of what position we were occupying, I’d counted on us being naked.
Bill Motherfucking Webb.
That’s Nolan’s name for him, usually said just like that. Not around Lucas, obviously.
Well, before. Maybe now we can speak our minds.
Douchebag.
On the other side of Zoey, Nolan lets out a groan. “Can we kill the motherfucker now?” he mumbles. During the night, he got up to use the bathroom and it was easier to put Zoey in the middle upon his return than trying to climb over her. That’s not uncommon for us, to start in one arrangement and end up in another by morning.
Zoey snickers, then lets out a yawn. “Take some consolation in the fact that, by this time tonight, Bill’s mostly out of our lives.”
“We’re filing the paperwork as soon as the attorney can do it,” I say as I sit up. “Light.”
They both groan as I reach over and switch on the lamp that sits on my nightstand. When I look back at them, Nolan’s got his face pressed against the nape of Zoey’s neck.
None of us are morning people, especially those two. I’m not either, really, but I’m used to getting up early to go to the gym and work out before heading to the dealership. I’m head of their finance department, and sometimes that means working late, if a deal’s taking a while to get inked or approved. And if I’m supposed to be spending the evening with Nolan and Zoey, I don’t like to take time away from them for a trip to the gym.
At his apartment complex, Nolan’s got an exercise room literally fifty steps away from his front door, so it’s easy for him to walk over and work out in the morning, or maybe in the evening, depending on his schedule. And with his tight budget, he really can’t afford a gym membership of his own right now.
I plan on surprising him by adding him to our family plan once he’s moved in with us. Then we can work out together. We used to work out all the time in college, and I freaking miss that routine like crazy.
“What time is it?” Zoey asks with her eyes squeezed tightly shut.
“6:30,” I tell her.
They both groan again.
“I’ll even go start the coffee for you guys,” I offer, leaning in to kiss her, then him. After a trip to the bathroom, I pull on my robe and head to the kitchen.
Yes, it’s going to be a long-ass day. I rented the truck until Monday morning, just in case we needed the extra time to use it for storage.
And, I suppose, I kind of hope maybe we can start moving some of Nolan’s stuff this weekend.
But I didn’t say that to either of them. Sometimes Nolan has to be handled gently or he gets skittish.
Oh, he’s committed to moving in with us, that’s not the problem. But once he gets a plan in his head—such as moving at the end of his lease—it’s difficult to get him to change tracks and alter it.
If it was up to me and Zo, we’d have him living with us starting right fricking now.
I’m standing there waiting on the coffeemaker to brew enough for me to pour a mug for myself when I hear Lucas’ bedroom door open, then his bathroom door close. A few moments later, he appears in the kitchen.
“Hey, buddy,” I say. “You’re up early.”
“I smelled coffee.”
He looks like hell, and beyond the obvious there’s something physically different about him, but I can’t figure out what, exactly. “You sleep okay?”
He nods, then he shocks me—he wraps his arms around me and hugs me, holding on for a moment, like he used to when he was younger.
It gives me hope. I can easily see why Zoey thinks this time is for real.
“I know today’s not going to be easy on you,” I tell him. “Just lean on us.”
He snorts and releases me to reach for a coffee mug from the cabinet. “It’ll be easier on me than you think,” he says. “I knew he was going to be a jerk when he eventually found out I’m gay, but I didn’t think he’d react like that. Now I wish I’d told him that two years ago and got it over with then.”
Me, too, but I don’t say that. “The important thing is you have the three of us.” Another thought belatedly hits me. “Do Caine’s parents know about you guys?”
“No. Not yet. He hasn’t come out to them yet. They think we’re just good friends.”
“How do you think they’re going to react?”
“I don’t know. I think they’re going to be cool about it, but he’s not so sure.”
“Well, we won’t tell them. But if or when he decides to come out to them, if he wants us there, too, we’ll be happy to back him up.”
“Thanks.”
I pour both of us coffee. He adds sugar and milk to his while I take mine black. “I’m sorry you didn’t feel safe coming out to us before now,” I say.
And I do feel badly about that.
“It’s…” He cups both hands around the mug and holds it close to his mouth, obviously pondering his next words. “It’s not that we didn’t feel safe with you,” he finally says. “But Caine didn’t want to come out yet. I mean, I had a feeling you guys would be okay with it. Or, at least, not jerks about it. I was going to wait until after high school.”
“So if your dad disowned you, you’d be moved out anyway and at college?”
He nods. “Yeah,” he quietly says. “That.”
The kid has a wicked-high GPA and is likely going to land an academic scholarship.
He scratches at his right eyebrow and that’s when I realize what’s different—he’s removed the eyebrow piercing.
“Hey. What happened there?” I point at where it used to be.
He shrugs. “I got it mostly to aggravate Dad.”
I stare at him, at the sneaky smile that slightly curls his lips, and that’s when it hits me. “You were hoping he’d throw you out over it?”
He shrugs. “Maybe.” But his smile widens. “I knew you guys would be cool about it.”
I’m about to ask him more about that when I hear our bedroom door open. Nolan and Zoey appear in the kitchen moments later, both of them yawning. Lucas hugs Zoey, then Nolan, and even grabs coffee mugs for them.
That’s a conversation that can wait, I suppose. Maybe tonight, once we’ve got the worst behind us.
* * * *
Zoey and Nolan handle cooking breakfast for us while Lucas returns to his room to work on putting away more stuff. Some things won’t have a permanent home until we get all his furniture moved. He did take the time last night to weed through the closet and dresser, the clothes he has here, and pull out any he doesn’t want anymore, or has outgrown since the last clothing culling. Those he stashed in two plastic bags near the front door. We can drop them at a charity collection box on our way to get the moving truck.
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