Epilogue -Three months later
Atlas was putting some books into a box while I was packing up the files in my office. It was our last day of work at Cross Corp.
It took longer than expected to leave because I hadn’t wanted to abandon the hospital project. It wasn’t complete, but the person taking over my position could easily wrap it up.
Linden had left two months ago to get our business started. For now, we didn’t have any offices and would just work from home to save money until our business took off.
I’d had a whirlwind of emotions that I was trying to control. I was feeling strangely sentimental, even if I hadn’t liked this job all that much. Leaving was certainly bittersweet. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad had my father not been so hard on me, or if he’d had a modicum of respect for me.
I hadn’t seen or heard from my parents since the day Linden and I had quit, and I’d avoided my dad while I’d been at work.
He probably hadn’t wanted to see me either.
No doubt I was a massive disappointment to him, but what else was new?
The therapy I’d been in for the past month had helped with that, but I still had a long way to go.
Atlas came over and wrapped his arms around me from behind. “You okay?”
I turned to face him and held him back before kissing his head. “Yes and no.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you for doing something you’re going to love and finding your joy. You deserve it, handsome.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. I’m confident about my decision. It’s just…”
“You’ll still miss it.”
“Yeah, a bit. But it’s more about wishing Dad would’ve come around and… I don’t know.”
“You want him proud of you.”
I brushed back the curls from his face. I loved his hair. “Yeah. It seems silly, being in my mid-thirties, but it is what it is.”
“I think no matter our ages, we want our parents to feel that way about us.”
I lifted his face by his chin and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “What about you? Worried about tonight?”
“Definitely, but I’m confident my family will come around. It will be hard for my parents to understand that I’m dating two men, but at least I have my brothers on my side.”
“Linden and I talked, and we’re pretty nervous about it. Are you sure we should tell them that part?”
“I’m very sure. I love you and Linden both equally. It wouldn’t be very fair of me not to share that with them. No one else has to know. My parents won’t divulge the details. I trust them. But just be ready to be bombarded with questions.”
“Okay. If that’s what you think is best.”
“It is.”
Linden and I agreed that our relationship would be a secret.
Not that we wouldn’t go out on dates or live like we weren’t in a relationship, but we wouldn’t openly tell people we were.
No one would understand, given that we’re first cousins.
That sort of stigma could harm Cross Corp, which was the last thing I wanted.
It was the price we had to pay to be together.
But I loved that Atlas wanted to include both of us in his announcement.
“Have I told you I love you lately?” I asked.
Atlas smiled broadly and stood on his tiptoes to kiss me again. “Only about a hundred times.”
“I’ll tell you a million times.”
He winked at me. “You’re such a romantic.”
The sudden and loud knock on my office door startled us apart. When Atlas rushed off to finish with the books, I yelled, “Come in.”
I honestly hadn’t expected my father to stop by before I left. I wasn’t sure if I was grateful or irritated. Both?
“Atlas, would you please excuse us?” he said.
“Yessir.”
He left and closed the door behind him as my father came to sit down on my sofa, shoving a box aside. “Please sit,” he said, waving a hand at the chair, which also had a box sitting on it.
I lifted the box and set it on the floor, saying nothing as I sat down.
I crossed my legs and waited him out. For the first time since I could remember, calmness washed over me, whereas before, my stomach would twist as the acid rose in my throat.
It was freeing not to feel those things.
Right then, any doubts I may have had were squashed.
“Are you dating him?”
“Yes.” How did he notice?
“I can see how Atlas looks at you. You’re either dating him, or he wants to date you. Is that why you’re leaving?”
“It’s not the only thing.”
“You know how I feel about you having relations in the office, especially after what—”
I raised my hand to stop him. “I don’t care how you feel about it. You’re no longer my boss.”
“But I’m your father.”
I shrugged.
“Since when have you been into men?”
“Since college. I’m into both men and women.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
I raised a brow and didn’t bother answering. It was obvious why.
“Atlas is a little… effeminate, don’t you think?”
Honestly, the question caught me off guard. He didn’t complain about my being with a man, but he did about Atlas being femme.
“Is there a point to your visit?”
He sighed and narrowed his eyes at me. You could tell he wanted to lash out at me, but he kept his temper in check.
“I came to ask you if there’s a way to get you to stay.”
“No. You had over three months to talk, but you’ve ignored me. I told you that night that you had to apologize if you wanted a healthy relationship. This doesn’t sound like an apology.”
“Would you stay if I did?”
“No. Linden and I are opening our own business.”
He uncrossed and re-crossed his legs. Having to look into a mirror was always difficult, especially for men like my father.
“You’ve changed, Hugh.”
“No, I’ve grown up. It took me long enough.”
Dad stood, stepped next to me, and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry that you believed you were never good enough, or rather, that I made you feel that way.
You were. I was only trying to make you a better man, but my approach was clearly not the right one.
I just wanted you to be ready to take over the business.
Anyway, your mother and I talked extensively.
You, Chloe, and Linden will each receive a third of everything should we die.
No stipulations. No ultimatums. You and your sister are all we have. ”
With that, he walked out of my office, closing the door quietly behind him.
My eyes watered, and I pinched the bridge of my nose to get them to stop. It was all I ever wanted from him. He wasn’t a sentimental man full of affection. I understood that. But this was… something. A way forward. I’d take it.
We all sat at the dinner table, about to explode from so much food. I still had some rice on my plate, so I shoved the last couple of bites into my mouth, trying not to throw up from overeating. I swore that being a part of Atlas’s life was going to add on the pounds.
As soon as my fork hit the plate, Atlas told his family the news.
“I have an announcement.”
“Oh?” his father asked.
Athan and Andreas watched their brother closely, both with smirks on their faces. They probably had a good idea of what Atlas wanted to talk about.
“Well, there are two announcements. First, I’m leaving Cross Corp to work with Hugh and Linden in their new jobs. They’ve just started a business in historical restoration and house flipping. I think it’s going to be amazing, and if you didn’t know, Linden is really creative and talented.”
“We’re making Atlas our office manager. It won’t be as much money, but he’ll have a livable wage. The bigger our company grows, the more we can pay him.”
Christos raised his wineglass. “Well, congratulations on the new business. I wish you luck.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“But you had such a stable job. Why did you leave? I mean, if you must,” his mother said, but I had gotten to know her well enough to understand that she meant well. She was just making sure Linden and I made the right choice.
“It was a stable job, but we weren’t happy there. It’s time we ventured out on our own.”
Before we could get into why we really left, Atlas, who sat between us, reached for Linden’s hand and mine under the table. “I also want to let you know that I’m… in a committed relationship.”
“Oh! Finally!” his mother gasped and clapped. “Who is this lucky man, because I know he will be lucky to have my son as his boyfriend.”
“Men, Mama. Two men. I’m in a polyamorous relationship.”
His parents froze with their jaws dropped straight to the table. “A poly what?” his dad asked.
“Polyamorous. I’m in a relationship with… two men. A throuple, if you will”
His parents eyed Linden and me, instantly getting what Atlas was trying to explain. Meanwhile, his brothers snorted a laugh. “You should see your faces,” Athan said, which, surprisingly, eased the tension.
I let out a breath, trying to ignore my clammy hands.
“But… they’re cousins,” his mom said.
Atlas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. They don’t do… stuff together.” At least he left that part out.
Linden tossed back his wine and poured himself another glass. “Hugh and I love Atlas. We didn’t expect it to happen, but it did. We would do anything for him. We’ll protect him, take care of him, and make sure he has everything he needs. We adore your son. He’s kind, sweet, smart, and talented.”
Atlas smiled shyly. “I love them, too.”
His family said nothing, watching us, eyeing us. God, I hoped they didn’t hate us or resent us.
His father coughed and chugged back his wine. “Well, this is… unusual. Atlas… they’re cousins. I’m not sure how to process this.”
“There’s nothing to process, Dad. We love each other, and that’s that. I just wanted you to know. When I came out to you as a teen, you loved me no matter what. I hope I still have that love.”
“You know how Athan and I feel,” Andreas chimed in. “We’re happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Will there be children? There’d better be children. Will there be a wedding? It’s not legal for three men to get married, right? How will this work?” As predicted, Elena bombarded us with questions.
“Kids?” I squeaked, making Linden laugh.
“Mama! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’re still figuring things out. As time goes on, we’ll talk about our futures, like marriage and kids.”
Since we were committed to each other, I suppose those were things we needed to talk about…
eventually. I never thought of myself as a father, but I also wanted to please Elena.
She just wants to be a grandmother so badly, so perhaps I could learn to care for a kid.
I had no doubt Atlas and Linden would be much better at it.
And the marriage thing… yes, there were things we had to discuss.
She waved a hand at Atlas. “It’s… strange. I won’t lie.” Elena looked pointedly at Linden and me. “You will be good to my son, or there will be hell to pay.”
“Mama!” Atlas face-palmed, and his brothers started laughing.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, coughing.
“Definitely,” Linden agreed.
She stood and started clearing the table. “If this is to be, then I expect you, Hugh, and Linden to be here every Sunday for dinner. Do not be late.” She looked down at her husband. “Anything to add, Christos?”
“There’s nothing to be done, I suppose. It’s odd. But I’m one hundred percent on Elena’s side. You will hear from us if you hurt Atlas. This relationship will not be easy.”
“It won’t be,” I agreed. “But we talk about everything. Atlas here holds us together. You truly do have an amazing son.”
Elena raised her nose in the air, a proud mother. “He is. All our boys are. And what of your parents? What would they think?”
“My parents would not take kindly to it. My father only knows that I’m with Atlas, and he likes Atlas.”
She nodded. “Christos is correct. This relationship won’t be easy.
Not only because there are three of you, but also because you’re cousins, whether you’re involved with each other or not.
People will talk and make accusations. You need to be prepared.
I will try to get used to things.” Then she pointed directly at me.
“Think about kids. Don’t believe for a second that I didn’t notice your panic when I brought it up. ”
“I will. And we’re prepared for the negativity.”
Before we left for the night, Elena straightened my coat, which I had just put on, and kissed each of my cheeks, then she did the same to Linden and Atlas. “Three of you. Jesus. Well, this will be interesting.”
“As Linden said, we’ll take good care of Atlas. That’s a promise.”
She nodded and smiled sadly. I was sure she wished he would choose just one man, get married quickly, and have his babies. Instead, she got two.
We shoved all the containers filled with food into the back seat of my car, said our goodbyes again, and drove home.
My home. Atlas had already moved in with me. Linden was in the process of selling his house and moving in as well. We’d been building a workshop for him in the unfinished part of my basement that I’d only been using for storage.
“That went rather well,” Linden said.
“God, Mom and babies. Jesus.”
I chuckled. “She’s dying for grandbabies.”
Linden rested a hand on my thigh. “Atlas told me you and Uncle Hanley talked today. How’d it go?”
“Surprisingly well. I told him I’m in a relationship with Atlas, but I kept you out of it. He… seemed unsurprised.”
“Wow, he didn’t care if you’re with your PA or a guy?”
I glanced at my cousin before I looked back on the road. “No. I hadn’t expected that at all.”
“You should come out to him then, darling,” Atlas suggested.
“Perhaps he wouldn’t care to learn I’m gay after all,” Linden mused.
“Maybe. He also apologized. I hadn’t expected that either. He did it in his usual gruff way, but it was an apology, nonetheless.”
“Color me surprised. Damn. So you can teach an old dog new tricks.”
Atlas touched my shoulder. “I’m so happy for you. Perhaps now you and your dad can establish a healthier relationship.”
“Only time will tell. Now, let’s go home and fuck like rabbits. I need my two favorite men.”
Linden placed a hand on the back of my neck. “And we need you.”
“I’ll always need my darlings,” Atlas agreed.