Chapter 14 #2
“I’m also what some people refer to as nontrinary,” Jo said, their voice firm and commanding, as if they were used to getting pushback.
“To me, that means I’m not an alpha, an omega, or a beta.
I’m some fourth thing, or perhaps a mix of the three…
or a mix of two—who knows, really? Gender, both primary and secondary, is a beautiful mystery to me, and I have come to love and cherish that about myself. ”
Their voice was a strong tenor that flowed up and down, adding an androgynous quality that made sense given their explanation of their genders.
Emory could picture their voice commanding boardrooms–even wearing their punk clothes, piercings, and what Emory was now pretty sure was eyeliner around their eyes.
“Not that it’s necessarily your business, but because I can sense your lion’s confusion and I know he means no harm by it, I’ll share that I am on alpha hormone blockers as well as a low dose of estrogen, which dulls my scent.
It’s taken me a long time to get here, but I’m very proud of the person I am now. ”
Emory’s mind raced as he tried to keep up with each new revelation.
Before he could say anything, or even figure out what to say, Jo smirked, and Emory once again saw a flash of his revered cousin from childhood.
Jo had always been stoic around their parents and elders, but sometimes, when it was just the two of them, Jo would let their mischievous side out.
“Micro-dosing HRT also does wonders for my hair,” Jo said, flipping their head to the side. It caused their silky locks to flop out of and then immediately back into their face.
Emory found his head doing that “kind of adorable, inquisitive feline tilt” as Cameron so helpfully liked to call it. He quickly righted it before responding.
“Your hair is quite lovely,” he said. “Also, just in general, Jo, you look great. This is obviously not how I would have pictured you as an adult, given that I nearly ran into you in the hall without recognizing you, but you look so very…you. I don’t know how else to put it.”
Jo’s smile seemed to crack down the middle, morphing into something almost vulnerable. “Are you disappointed?”
“In you?”
Jo inclined their head in a half nod.
Was he disappointed? He was definitely still hurt.
It would take a lot more than an apology and a long overdue hug to mend the decades of distance between them.
There was also so much to catch up on in each other’s lives.
He was desperate to know if Jo had known they were nonbinary and nontrinary growing up.
However, he thought about Cameron, not feeling safe to come out for years because of his biological parents and then his abusive ex.
Emory wasn’t close with either of Jo’s parents.
They had left the pride years ago, but from what he remembered, they didn’t exactly seem like accepting folks.
“I think I’m disappointed in the family,” Emory said, and Jo’s achingly familiar eyes widened.
“I thought… Well, I guess I was too young to really understand back then, but I thought you were happy in the family. I thought you wanted to take over the company and lead the pride and…clearly, you weren’t.
We must not have done a good job of making you feel safe, and I’m sorry for that. ”
Jo flipped their hand, so they were now the one holding Emory’s hand.
“You did absolutely nothing wrong, Em. You’re right, you were so young—hell, so was I.
I barely had the words I needed to explain why I wasn’t happy and why I couldn’t imagine leading the family, let alone an entire company, as the proud alpha male of the pride. ”
“Because…you’re not an alpha male.”
“No,” Jo said, and their eyes pinched in thought.
“My parents would never have accepted that, and to be blunt, I don’t think yours would have either at the time.
Things have changed a lot, though. When your dad died, I know your mom took over—something that never would have been allowed when we were kids.
Then you found your fated mate, and he’s not a lion or even a mammal. ”
“He’s definitely not what some of the family would have chosen,” Emory said, thinking of all the ways Cameron was exploring his gender identity in public now.
He was wearing clothes that made him glow, and his playful, sometimes flamboyant octopus was showing through more and more each day in small gestures and mannerisms.
“I think you’d be surprised by how many have come around,” Emory added. “Mom, Corin, and Ariel loved him immediately.”
Jo laughed, a bright sound that transformed their face into someone decades younger. “Of course they did. God, I miss them.”
“The rest of the family has been a little slower, but mother kicking Leslie and her partners in crime out of the pride went a long way.”
Jo’s head tipped forward, and their mouth dropped open in shock.
It was such a ridiculous expression, reminding Emory of their teenage years when he would try to get a rise out of Jo with colorful jokes and probing questions just to get them to make that face.
“What…why?” Jo asked. “I mean, it’s been a long time coming but… why?”
Emory probably shouldn’t have shared that piece of information without his mother there, but she had already told Emory it was okay to share the news with Jo. Leslie was their aunt, too.
“Let’s just say some things have come to light that are unforgivable.” Like her paying off one of the butlers for inside information on Emory and Cameron’s conversations with his mother, as well as blackmailing her maid to comb through Cameron’s social media.
For a moment, Jo seemed frozen, their fingers paused mid-tap on the table.
Then, like an iceberg cracking, their brow furrowed, and a frown tugged at the corner of their lips, revealing lines that hadn’t been there all those years ago.
“That’s understandable. I hope that one day the family that’s still here will be able to forgive me.
Just like you, they were never part of the reason why I left. ”
Emory squeezed Jo’s hand, hoping it would provide comfort like it did for Cameron. “I think nothing has happened that can’t be forgiven, in time.”
Jo’s lips made a valiant effort to smile, but then their face shifted, the light fading from their eyes as a reserved mask settled into place.
Emory’s lion grunted, which was the only warning he got before his mother swept into the room, followed by an incredibly stressed-looking Christopher.
Emory watched as Christopher and Jo exchanged a formal handshake, with names and pronouns, before Jo offered their hand to Emory’s mother.
She accepted their hand and yanked them forward into a hug.
Jo was hesitant at first, just as they’d been with Emory, but then they curled their tall body down, so it appeared as if they shrank into her arms. She murmured in their ear, and they nodded several times before pulling away.
They all took their seats, and Jo gave the business version of their history to Christopher, including leaving home and paying for university by themself before working their way up the ranks to gain leadership experience.
They shared a little about starting one company and then taking over another before they turned to face Emory’s mother.
“I’m sorry, Auntie,” Jo said, and Emory’s mother smiled sadly.
“You were a very unhappy child. It does not surprise me that you left; it just saddens me that you felt you could not come to us before it got to that point,” she said, and Jo bowed their head. “Are you happier now?”
Emory watched through Jo’s blonde fringe as they bit their lip and nodded.
“And you’ve returned because you finally feel able to be part of the family and part of the business? As your true self?”
Jo lifted their head, their eyes glowing amber as tears shimmered on their lashes. “Yes.”
“Then that’s all I have to say about that for the moment,” she said, and she nodded to Christopher and Emory to take over the meeting.
After all this time, Emory finally got the answers he’d been looking for. While one conversation couldn’t heal years of angst and hurt, it was a start.
It took over four hours of their combined expertise, but the four of them managed to sketch out a rough plan for the company’s future.
“You’ll begin shadowing Emory on Monday.
I’ll work with my assistant to get you set up in an office on the sixth floor.
How long you remain shadowing before taking on duties is up to you and Emory,” Christopher said, scrawling a few more lines across an already hectically filled piece of notebook paper.
The poor man had taken nearly eight pages of notes throughout their meeting, and his hair and tie had grown progressively more askew as the meeting progressed.
“Rexford Shipping Co. is much larger than any company I’ve led or worked for. I imagine it will take some time, and as I said, I have no intention of usurping Emory from his role,” Jo said, inclining their head in deference to Emory the way they’d done several times throughout the meeting.
Emory was still trying to come to terms with his cousin, the one who would tackle him into the sandbox and roll around in the dirt with him for hours, now using words like ‘usurp’ and showing deference to anyone.
“Less of a usurpation and more of an abdication,” Christopher murmured as he violently flipped the page in his notebook and continued scrawling notes.
Jo raised a pierced eyebrow at Emory, who just shook his head. “You being here is not an imposition. Truly, it’s nothing short of a blessing to have you back in my life.”
Emory’s mother made a tutting noise and gave Emory a stern look. “In our lives,” Emory corrected.
Jo once again bent their head and looked up through their blonde fringe at Emory’s mother. “I am truly sorry to have been away for so long, Auntie…and for not sending word after Uncle died. I miss him every day.”