by Lisa Bilbrey
Elle pushed away from the door and rushed over to her desk, grabbing her personal belongings and hugging them to her chest. She’d just picked up a small plastic heart that Callum had given to her two weeks after she and Sadie started working for the company when the door to the office opened.
“Put it down,” Samuel ordered as he, Callum, and Derek came inside.
“No,” Elle refused, shaking her head. “I’m sorry we put you in that position. Sadie and I will be out of here in five minutes.”
“No, you won’t,” he said, walking around the desk and pulling the items out of her hand and placing them back on top of the desk. “Look, I knew going into that room that choosing to put my faith in you and Sadie would cost me a lot, but you’re worth taking that risk on, Elle.”
Closing her eyes, she fell back into her seat. “I don’t even understand what’s going on.”
“Yeah, I think we’d all like the answer to that one, honey,” Sadie said, moving around the desk and sitting on the edge. She brought her hand up to Elle’s face, wiping away her tears.
Elle automatically shifted her eyes to Samuel, trying to get a read on his reaction, but he appeared complacent. “You’re not upset about us.”
It wasn’t a question, but Samuel smiled and shook his head. “Why would I be?”
“Our relationship cost your company a multi-million dollar account. Why wouldn’t you be?”
He nodded and moved around the desk and over to the windows. “You’re right. We did lose a huge account today, but that has nothing to do with you or Sadie.” He paused and looked back at them, his attention lingering on Derek and Callum for a moment before returning to her. “Or your relationship with my son and Derek.”
An awkward silence filled the air. Elle swallowed against the lump in her throat as she stood up. “You know about the four of us?”
“Of course I do,” he scoffed.
“How long have you known?” Callum asked.
“Oh, let’s see,” he laughed. “How about from the moment you and Derek walked into the conference room and started drooling over Elle and Sadie?”
“Were we that obvious?” Derek muttered, sitting behind his desk.
“Uh, yeah,” Samuel jibed. “Of course I had no idea that your relationship had progressed this far until Gabriel called me yesterday afternoon.”
“Yeah, about that,” Callum said. “What did he tell you?”
Samuel pursed his lips together before taking a seat at the conference table, crossing his legs and folding his arms in front of him as he looked at Elle. “I take it you didn’t realize that he was at your sister’s wedding?”
“No, but there were five hundred people there.”
Samuel nodded. “Gabriel Alvarez is your sister’s new husband’s uncle.”
“What?” Elle gasped. “Nick’s uncle?”
“Yes. He told me about the … situation with your mother, and how you and Sadie had gotten caught in the moment, for the lack of a better term. He became irate about how I could employ people of such low moral standards and demanded that I fire all four of you. When I refused, he made the decision to take his project away from us.”
Elle blew out a heavy breath. “I knew this was going to happen.”
“Look, it’s fine,” Samuel said, drawing her attention back to him.
“It’s fine? How can you say that?” she snarled. “This project was important for your company!”
“It was, but there are always other projects,” he countered.
“For how long?” Elle bit out. “Sooner or later other clients are going to start pulling their accounts, and all because we …”
“Because we what?” Callum asked, and she looked over at him. “Because we what, Elle?”
“We acted rashly. We didn’t think about what would happen when people heard about our relationship, and as a result, it’s caused a mess.” Elle pushed away from her desk and stood up. “Everyone knows that our relationship cost the company this account. We should have thought before we acted. I was naive to believe I could behave with reckless abandonment and still have everything I want.”
Callum was on his feet in a heartbeat and crossing the room. He grabbed Elle’s arms, pulling her body against his. She whimpered, not because she was afraid of him, but because she was scared of losing him.
“You listen to me, Elle. None of this is your fault, or mine, Derek, or Sadie’s. Gabriel Alvarez is an asshole, a jerk, who feels he has the right to judge us. We’re prefect — the four of us are perfect together. Please, don’t throw us away just because you’re afraid.”
“Callum,” she whispered.
“Please, baby,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. “We need you.”
“I need you, too, but —” His lips captured hers before she could get another word out. Instinctively, Elle wrapped her arms around him, moaning as his tongue pushed into her mouth.
Samuel cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still there. When they looked over at him, he smiled and stood up. “Well, since I refuse to accept your resignation, I guess I’m done here.”
“But without the Alvarez Park Project, Elle and I don’t work here anymore,” Sadie said. “Our contracts are now null and void.”
“Maybe,” Samuel replied. “Or we could work on something else together. I’m not going to lie: you’re both too damn good for me to let go. I’d like for you both to consider staying on for a while, see if we can’t drum up another account for you to work on. I’ll still pay your salary and we can deal with the terms of a new contract when we get a project nailed down.”
“You’re offering us a job?” Elle asked, and when he nodded, she added, “Why? We just cost you a huge project. Why would you even want us here?”
Samuel grinned. “Well, for starters, your work is impeccable. You both have a fantastic eye for detail, which shows in all of your work. Just in the last month, I’ve received bids from a dozen clients looking for you to design their buildings. I think it’s safe to say that you’re an asset here, Elle. Now, I won’t force you to stay, if you don’t want to, but I’d hate for you to leave just because some asshole can’t get off his high-horse.”
“You believe in us that much?” she wondered.
“Yes, I do. The fact is that since you and Sadie came on board, my company has become more successful. I’m not about to let you go without a fight,” he told her. Turning, he walked over to the door, stopping as he pulled it open and looked at all four of them. “By the way, the four of you are expected to be at dinner tonight.” Shifting his eyes to Callum, he smirked. “Your mother is dying to meet Elle and Sadie.”
As Samuel walked of out of their office, Callum groaned.
Eighteen
Just before seven that evening, Callum parked in front of his parents’ house. However, nobody made a move to get out of the car. The tension surrounding them was thick, and Elle knew that her lovers were just as terrified about what would happen when they walked through the front door as she was. Sure, Samuel seemed to accept their relationship, but would his wife?
Elle still wasn’t convinced the decision to stay with Davis Architecture and Design was the right one, but she’d kept that thought to herself. The four of them had spent the rest of the work day locked in their office, sorting through the mountain of potential clients in order to find an account worth keeping both Elle and Sadie on the payroll, as well as avoiding the pointed glares from their co-workers. There were dozens of potentials projects, but none of them felt right. Or maybe, it was more that Elle was too afraid to get attached to one just to have it ripped out from under her, again. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, losing Gabriel Alvarez’s project hurt. She’d invested a lot of time, energy, and heart into the project, and felt like he’d ripped it away from her out of sheer pettiness because she wouldn’t play by his rules.
“This is so pathetic,” Callum muttered, causing the other three to look at him. Elle was sitting in the backseat wi
th Sadie, their hands clenched together while Derek sat in the passenger seat. “Dad’s already said he was fine with us, so why am I so afraid that my mom is going to freak out?”
“Because Lydia Davis is a force of nature,” Derek laughed. “She’ll be cool, dude. I mean, she’s a levelheaded lady.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, and Elle could tell he wasn’t as confident.
“Well, look at it this way,” she said, drawing their attention to her. “She can’t be worse than mine, right? I mean, disowning me and calling me a whore in front of my sister’s wedding guests was about as low as one can get.”
Sadie sighed and brought Elle’s hand up to her lips, though she didn’t say anything. An awkward silence filled the car, and Elle immediately felt guilty for bringing up her mother. The moment Helina caught her and Sadie, everything began to fall apart — everything but her relationship with her lovers. If anything, they were stronger than ever, determined to hold onto each other.
“Okay, if we put this off any longer, they’re going to think we’re scared,” Elle teased.
Though all three of them laughed with her, she knew they were just as terrified as she was about what they would encounter when they went inside. After all, one set of parents had already thrown them away based on their lifestyle choices. Would they face that again with Callum’s mother?
Samuel and Lydia Davis’s house was incredible to say the least. The large, white Victorian manor had been completely restored. With classic lines, Elle felt like she’d had stepped through time and found herself back in the early 1900’s, and the urge to curl herself up on the porch swing that hung from the rafters over the large, wraparound porch overwhelmed her. The house felt like home, and she felt a smidge of tension leave her shoulders. However, a moment later, she felt her shoulders tense once more when the front door swung open and they found themselves face to face with Lydia Davis.
Where Callum and Samuel were both tall, well over six-feet, Lydia was tiny in comparison, though in reality, she was of average height for a woman. She had shoulder-length, honey-blond hair and the widest, kindest pair of blue eyes Elle had ever seen. Lydia was vibrating with excitement, which automatically put her at ease.
“Come in, come in,” Lydia exclaimed, stepping backward and allowing the four of them into her home. Elle and Sadie walked in first, followed by Derek and Callum. Lydia wrapped her arms around the last two and squealed. “My boys!”
Derek and Callum laughed as they returned the hug and kissed her cheek.
“Hey, Momma,” Derek snickered. “We’ve missed you.”
“You haven’t missed me too much, Derek Flores,” Lydia chided. “And don’t think just because you call me ‘momma’ that I’m not plenty upset with you for not visiting me in weeks.”
He hung his head and sighed. “I know, and we’re sorry, but we’ve been busy.”
“Oh, I can tell,” she sniggered as she shifted her eyes to Sadie and Elle. “Well, since my son and Derek aren’t going to introduce me, I guess I will. I’m Lydia, and it’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Elle Reid, and this is Sadie Williams. The pleasure is ours,” Elle replied.
“Oh, so I’ve heard,” she said with a smile.
“Mom,” Callum groaned, and when Lydia looked back at him, he added, “This is why we hadn’t brought them over yet.”
“And just what do you mean by that?” She lifted an eyebrow in question.
“You’re embarrassing,” he said with a smirk.
Elle expected Lydia to be furious that Callum would talk to her like that, especially in front of other people, but she threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, my boy, I haven’t even begun to embarrass you. Just wait until I break out the baby pictures. I’m sure they’d love to see the photographs of your first bath.”
Callum groaned, while Derek, Elle, and Sadie laughed. At that moment, Samuel came strolling down the stairs. Unlike when they were at the office, he was wearing a pair of black cotton shorts and a simple T-shirt. It was both odd and comforting, though Elle couldn’t explain why.
“Finally, you’re here!” Samuel exclaimed. “She was beginning to think you’d chickened out.”
“Ha-ha, very funny,” Callum muttered, the cress of his ears turning red.
“So, has everyone been introduced, or has my son forgotten his manners again?” Samuel asked, earning him a one-finger gesture from Callum.
“Callum Lewis Davis,” Lydia scolded. “Do not make me take you over my knee, young man.”
“Yes, Mother,” he grumbled, blushing even more. “Just please stop embarrassing me. Seriously, you’re both going to make them run away if you keep this shit up.”
“Is that true?” his mother asked, looking at Elle and Sadie.
“No,” the replied together.
Smirking, Lydia turned back to Callum. “I didn’t think so. Now, the grill is ready, so why don’t we head out to the backyard and get the steaks cooking, and then we can have a little talk.”
Elle marveled at the incredible décor of their house as they followed Lydia and Samuel through the dining room into the kitchen, and out to the large, covered patio. Each room was a true testament to the original time period that the house was built. High, vaulted ceilings and elegant crown-molding, along with neutral wall coloring and dark, oak furniture, made the place feel so nature and cozy.
In comparison to the feel of the house, the backyard felt like stepping into an exotic island. Large, round stones had been used to create the patio. An array of wicker lawn furniture surrounded a large, stone fire pit that matched the stones used to create the flooring. Attached to the fire pitch was a stone table. As Elle shifted her gaze out to the yard, she was overcome by the sense of peace. There were hundreds of brightly colored flowers, shrubs, and foliage lining the pathway that led to the large, circular pool. Along the far side of the pool was a stone waterfall. Hundreds of well-placed twinkling lights had been scattered throughout the yard, offering a sense of solace.
Her fingers twitched at her side, and she felt the strangest urge to find a piece of paper and sketch every detail. She hadn’t felt an urge this strong to paint like this in years, long before Leo tore her passion away and left her a shell of a person. A person that Derek, Callum, and Sadie loved and nurtured, giving her a new reason to hope that love was enough to see them through the darkness.
“Elle?” As Lydia placed her hand on her shoulder, Elle startled and took an automatic step backward. She pulled her hand away, a frown slipping over her lips. “Are you okay?”
Elle nodded. “I’m fine. I just … You have a beautiful home, and the backyard is breathtaking.”
“Oh, well, thank you.” Lydia laughed. “Wish I could take credit for it, but I can’t. Samuel designed all of it.”
“Oh, now, honey, you were the one who asked for the waterfall,” Samuel said, winking at her.
“That’s true, I did,” she admitted. “But you brought it to life.”
“But I couldn’t have designed anything without you. You’re my muse,” he stated, sliding his arm around his wife and kissing her cheek. Lydia sighed before turning in his arms and pressing herself up on her toes so she could kiss him.
“Okay, we get it. Dad’s brilliant and you inspire him,” Callum groused. “Will you stop being so mushy?”
Samuel and Lydia laughed, but didn’t offer a rebuttal. Callum rolled his eyes as he slipped his arm around Elle and led her over to one of the chairs, leaning in to kiss her cheek before they sat down. Lydia let out a little squeal, causing him to groan, but the smile that tugged at his lips told Elle that he wasn’t worried about her disapproving about their relationship anymore.
Once Samuel had the steaks on the grill, he and Lydia passed beers out to each of them before settling on the other side of the fire pit. For several minutes, nobody said anything. Elle took a tentative sip of her drink, but kept her eyes away from the people sitting across from them.
“Well, this is awkward,” Lydia sa
id, breaking through the silence and causing everyone to look at her. Her eyes shifted from Callum to Derek to Sadie before finally landing on Elle. “Since nobody else wants to start, I guess I will. What exactly is your relationship with my son?”
“Mom —” Callum began, but clamped his lips closed when his mother put her hand up.
“I was asking Elle, darling,” she replied, smiling.
Elle took a deep breath. “I’m seeing him. We’re dating.”
Lydia nodded before looking at Sadie. “And yours?”
“The same,” she murmured. “Elle and I have been dating them for the last couple of months.”
“And how long have you and Elle been seeing each other?” Lydia asked, causing Elle to tense.
Sadie, however, didn’t flinch. “Ten years.”
Samuel and Lydia’s eyes flew open.
“She and I have been friends since we were twelve, but we were sixteen when we realized that our friendship had changed. For ten years, we’ve carried on a casual relationship, convincing ourselves that we were just friends with benefits, but it was never that simple. I’ve loved her for longer than I can admit. She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved.”
“I love you, too,” Elle whispered, blinking back her tears.
Sadie smiled, but turned her attention back to Samuel and Lydia. “When we met Derek and Callum, we felt this connection to them, one that scared us both. Then we found out that we would be working with them, and the four of us had to make the decision to on whether to carry on our relationship and follow our hearts, or decide to stop seeing each other.”
“And Derek and I refused to let them go,” Callum said, wrapping his arm around Elle while reaching over and taking hold of Sadie’s hand. Derek had his arm around Sadie’s shoulder, and had a look of pride on his face. “We couldn’t deny the attraction we felt toward them, or …” He paused, sharing a look with Derek before continuing, “… each other.”
“Each other?” Samuel lifted an eyebrow looking between the two men.
“Yes, Dad,” Callum said. “I’ve been in love with Derek for years, though I was too afraid to admit how I felt to myself, much less him. Sadie and Elle gave us the courage to be honest with how we feel.”