37. Arlo
“Take us home, please Leonard,” I say as I slide last into the limo. Hota is pressed between me and Hailey on the bench seat right where he belongs.
“Yes, sir.” My driver closes the door, rounds to the front, and begins the short drive.
“Home?” Hota’s lips pull at the corners. “It’s midday. We have work. All three of us.”
I peer around him and meet Hailey’s gaze with a question.
The bright beam that radiates from her stunning face tells me all I need to know. Her pride in me puffs my chest and shores up the hint of doubt always gnawing at the back of my neck.
“When Arlo told me who we were having lunch with, I cleared my afternoon,” Hailey says, while holding tight to Hota’s hand.
“Why?” he puzzles.
She brings the back of his hand to her lips and graces each knuckle with a kiss. “From the first time Arlo mentioned your name, I knew you were special to him.”
I slide my fingers back between Hota’s and squeeze. He flits a smile—a tentative smile—at me and looks back at Hailey.
“The first time I met you, I knew you were special.” She hugs his arm to her chest. “When I first saw you two interact, I saw the love between you. I saw the connection. Instead of feeling any hint of jealousy, I only felt sadness.”
“Hailey, I never wanted to take him away from you. I know you two are—” Hota starts, but she stops him with a kiss.
“Let me finish?” She pulls away and pleads.
He nods while squeezing my hand and not daring to look away from our siren, our sunshine.
“I was sad because you weren’t together as you’re meant to be,” she continues.
“Arlo loves you, Hailey.” Hota interrupts again.
“I know that.” She laughs. “He loves you too.” Her fingers smack over his mouth before he can continue. “One more outburst and I’m buying you a ball gag.”
The corner of his lips tips up under her touch.
“I’m the one who instigated this relationship between the three of us. I’ve seen us, all of us, as the complete picture for a while now. It didn’t take long for Arlo to see it too. Though his past always hangs over his shoulders, he has wanted you, us, he just needed to fight for it.” She looks at me once more with that adoration, and I’m knocked back in my seat.
Her fingers cup Hota’s jaw. “Today I hoped he would fight for you, for us, despite his fears. I cleared my schedule because I believed in him. I believe in us.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t fight harder, sooner,” I admit.
They both look at me. The loves of my fucking life.
“If you had, you might have never met Hailey,” Hota says, bringing her hand to his mouth.
I lean forward, bury my head between their necks, and wrap my arms around them. They hold me tight, and I breathe them in. Sweet and spicy. Feminine and masculine. “I love you both so fucking much.”
“We love you,” they say in tandem.
Too soon the car stops in front of our home.
A truck loaded with construction materials blocks our view of the century-old structure.
Despite all the declarations and I love yous, uncertainty washes over Hota’s features when he realizes we’re not at his condo. It ends now.
“Do you remember when I changed ownership on the paperwork for this house?” I demand from Hota.
“Yes.” His gaze immediately shifts to Hailey and then swings back to me. “As you were right to.”
“Well, her name and mine aren’t the only ones on the deed,” I admit.
“My name?” Hailey gasps. Looking dumbfounded as to why I would put the house in her name.
“Your name,” I tell Hota.
“Mine?” His reaction is sweetly similar to Hailey’s.
“Yes.” I take both their hands. “This is ours. I want it to be our home in every sense of the word from today until our last days. I want us to raise our children here, if that’s something we all agree upon.”
Both their hands grip tighter to mine, bordering on painful at the mention of children. Their eyes look like they’re about to burst from their sockets and the smiles on their faces are unequal to any I’ve seen before.
“Mostly, I want us to live our lives together, here or wherever you want.”
As Hailey did a moment ago, I place my hands over both their mouths before they burst with words.
“Before you answer, I’d like you to see what I’ve had done. It’s not finished yet, but it should be by the end of the month. Maybe two months.”
Hailey nods while Hota’s features are slacked as though he’s in a daze.
“Do you want to see?” I ask with a major hint of begging interlaced.
I pull my fingers from their lips.
Hota finally nods as though he can’t form syllables.
I burst out the car door and practically drag them through the street and up the steps. We’re met at the entrance by Leo, who’s arguing with the foreman that he needs another hard hat while holding one in his meaty hand and balancing one on his head while said head bobs back and forth. “See?” He hikes a finger at the three of us. “Told you I needed another one.”
“They can come in two, and then one. Or one at a time,” the foreman shouts. “I’m not stealing one from my working guys just so they can traipse through here wanting more changes.” He pulls in a deep breath. “Or better yet, get me an OSHA violation, which would piss the boss right off.” His hand slices through the air like his word is final.
The changes I requested have been many. Can’t fault him there. Every few days, I’d think of something new to accommodate three people in a relationship. I have paid handsomely for their time and talents.
I stick out my hand. “Give me yours.” I nod toward the street. “Go take a break and charge me for your overtime.”
His shoulders slump, but he gives me his hard hat and slides between us out the door.
“Thank you, Leo.” Hailey beams as he too hands over the hardhat from his head.
“Hailey.” He nods, offers Hota the other one, and heads for the car.
“I can’t believe we need these.” Hota holds the hat up. “What are you having done?”
“Come see.” I place the protective gear on his head, make sure Haley’s is in place, and urge them along after me.
In seconds, I’m running up the stairs. My pulse drums in my ears as Hailey’s heels strike the marble with purpose. Hota grabs Hailey’s hand as they sprint after me, and my heartbeat doubles.
When we get to the new entrance to what I hope will be our oasis, I stall. My hands wring in front of me. “I wanted it to be finished. I wanted it clean and perfect. Maybe you can see the vision, but if you can’t, we can come back.”
Hota presses his body, chest to hips to legs, against my backside, and then pulls Hailey to my front. He seals us together. “Yes, is my answer. Yes, I love you, Arlo.” He peeks over my shoulder. “I love you, Hailey.” His lips press to my neck. “I want this to be our life.” His arms shake around us. “Us. This right here. No matter what and no matter where. From this day until our last days, this is our life.”
Hailey’s arms squeeze me and Hota tight. “Our life together.”
And like the fucking baby I am, I sob. My lovers hold me and cry too, for how long it took us to get here, for how far we still have to go, for all the years missed out on, and all the years to come.
One by one, we quiet, and Hota pulls us into a circle facing each other. Something about all of us standing in the doorway of our future with clunky hats on our heads pulls a laugh from my belly, and we’re all laughing.
I wipe away their tears, and they wipe away mine. I pull them into the dust-covered room where tile is stacked hip high and a vanity lies uninstalled diagonally across the bedroom floor.
“Three sinks?” Hailey squeals.
I point where my old bed was. “Imagine a nine-by-nine custom mattress and frame.”
“Nine feet by nine feet?” Hota’s jaw goes slack and a little crooked.
“Big enough to comfortably sleep three, plus room for activities.” I smirk, then tug them into the unfinished bathroom with not only a three-sectioned vanity but also three heads in the to-be-retiled shower and a bathtub to fit three.
“A kid could swim laps in that thing.” Hota points at the tub.
“One day.” I nod.
Hota’s grip sinks into my shoulder, and he turns me to face him. “You’d actually want children after everything you’ve been through?”
“I never did until you thought Hailey was pregnant,” I admit.
“And now?” Hailey prompts.
“After your answer, I can see us as parents, great parents.” With an even better will, in case anything ever happened to us. If the worst happened, between Astor and Nat, our children would still know love and acceptance. “One day.”
“Arlo.” Hota grabs my face in both his hands. The light in his eyes is pure radiance. “Holy fuck.”
The grin that pulls at my cheeks hurts it’s so forceful. “I love you.”
“I love you.” He laughs a disbelieving, almost hysterical laugh. The boy I knew peeks out behind the man I get to spend the rest of my life with.
We look at Hailey at the same time. Her hand covers a massive, gaping smile. We pull her to us and squeeze the life out of one another.
Our hard hats fall as we jump and squeal and dance around like crazy people. People in love.
Hota’s phone rings, tugging us gently back to earth. He looks at it. The joy falls off his face for a split second before he silences the call and shoves the phone back into his pocket. “Sorry about that.” He points toward the new wider opening to the closet. “What’s in there? Narnia?”
He’s deflecting. I let him, for now. “Take a look.”
Hailey and Hota step inside the walk-in closet that’s been reconfigured with the addition of a small guest room to accommodate wardrobes for all of us.
“Oh. My. God.” My siren does a happy dance and then sobers quickly. She turns. Her green eyes are wide. “Nat can never see our closet. She’ll try to overthrow us and move in.”
“Settled.” I nod.
“How long have you been up to this?” Hota grabs my wrist.
“It seems like my whole life. In reality, I added your name to the deed when I added Hailey’s.” My shoulder shrugs, and I offer him a not so sorry smirk.
“That was before Christmas.” His brows go high.
I look at Hailey, afraid she’ll hate the knowledge.
Her smart gaze zips back and forth between us. “Before I told you it was okay to want us both.”
“Yes,” I admit. “At the time, I didn’t know why I’d been compelled to do it other than because it felt right even though it looked wrong. My lawyer advised me against it. He said if anything happened to me, it would create problems.” I shrug. “If anything ever happened to me, I wanted you two to have each other.”
Hailey slips her hand into my left one as her smile widens. “You’re not going anywhere, not without us.”
Hota pulls us into his arms and burrows his face in my neck. His lips move against my skin. “Crave. Tonight. Nine o’clock.”
I know what he needs from me. I know it will be equally excruciating and freeing. There is only one answer.
“Yes, Love.”