8.
S TAN
“How long before the food is finished?” Charlotte asked as she shuffled around the kitchen, lifting lids to smell the contents and then leaning down to look through the glass on the oven I had in use.
When she stood up, she looked around and asked, “The staff around here doesn’t mind you taking over their kitchen? ”
“How does this place work, exactly?” Natty asked. “I’ve seen magazine spreads about how amazing it is as a vacation destination, especially for families who don’t want to stay at the resort, but I don’t remember this area looking like this.”
“You’re right. It used to be a grand hall or something. There were lots of couches and seating areas set up.”
“This was the lobby. There was a kitchen over there that caterers could use for events, but we turned it into a massive butler’s pantry and made this area the kitchen and living area.”
“We?” Dilly asked.
“Well, the contractor did it. I just gave him the idea.”
“Hold the phone,” Tana said loudly. “Are you telling me that this is your house ?”
When I nodded, Charlotte said, “I thought you were renting a suite . . . I didn’t know you bought the whole damn place!”
“I did. It took some time to get all the work done to change it from a commercial property to a home, and then I had to find furniture for the suites, of course, but Avi and Sho helped with all of that.”
“Holy shit!”
“You live here alone?” Tana asked.
“Sho, Avi, and Ciro have their own suites, and when Park and Sully get out of the hospital, they’ll have one too.
That will still leave a few open for when my friends and family visit.
” I realized that everyone seated around the island was staring at me in shock, and when I looked over at Charlotte, her mouth was hanging open as if she’d been about to say something.
“I’m not sure which part is the most confusing - that I bought this house or that the guys will live here someday. ”
“I’ve got questions,” Tana said as she put her elbow on the counter and propped her chin in her hand. “You said that these men are your exes, right? Are they still going to be your exes when they move in here?”
I nodded as I said, “They’ll have their own suite, either separate or together, depending on the circumstances. We are not together and we’re never going to be together, but without me and my family, they’re basically alone in the world.”
“So, they’ll live here with you, but not with you,” Natty said with narrowed eyes.
“Yes.”
“How is that going to work out when you start dating? What if you and some guy get serious? What happens then?” Charlotte asked.
“If a man is going to get serious about me, he’s going to have to understand that his presence in my life doesn’t change the situation I signed up for.”
“So, when you get married and have kids, those men are going to be like fun uncles who live in the guest house or what?”
“That’s what I want to happen, but I’ve got no illusions that it will be that easy. It’s going to take a special kind of man to accept all of that, but I won’t accept less.”
“Hmm. Some men may not even understand the concept of a throuple relationship or be able to get over the fact that you were in one, let alone accept that your two lovers are still a big part of your life,” Tanna pointed out.
“Believe me, I know how hard it is to imagine, mostly because I’ve never met anyone who has ever known of a successful triad and definitely don't know anyone who has been part of one.” The women burst out laughing and then raised their hands.
“You know someone who has? Well, I guess it would be three someones, right?”
“We know more than one triad,” Charlotte boasted. As a matter of fact, they’re two in our family.”
“Really?” I asked in awe.
“Until my mom died, she was in a throuple with my dad and my papa,” Tanna said with a grin. “I’d say we know a bit about the ins and outs of a relationship like that, at least from a kid’s point of view.”
Dilly added, “And our friends in Rojo have two dads and a mom, although it’s a different . . .”
“Dynamic?” Natty supplied.
“Yeah. I guess that would be the right word.”
“Tanna’s parents had the same type of relationship you had with Park and Sully, with the swords crossing and all that,” Natty said with a laugh. “Derek and Loki are a couple with or without a woman in their lives, but John and Mattie’s only physical connection is Maria.”
“That explains a lot.”
“What do you mean?” Tanna asked.
“Now I understand why none of you balked at the idea of me being with two men.”
“You’ll find that our family includes all kinds of people, and even if we encounter a situation we don’t have in our family, we don’t judge,” Natty explained.
Charlotte agreed with a nod before she added, “Live and let live.”
“Well, other than the people who just need killin’!” Tanna added. When I looked confused, she explained, “Our Gamma says that all the time. ‘Some people just need killin’!’”
“Your Gamma sounds fantastic.”
“What did your grandparents think of your relationship?” Natty asked.
“My family is very . . . There’s really no way to explain it to people who have always had a supportive family around them.”
“Try,” Tana encouraged.
“My grandfather was a maniacal asshole whose only purpose in life was to continue the family business along with the family line. He didn’t care who he had to hurt or even kill in the process.
All that mattered to him were his wants and desires, and he expected everyone around him to bow down to him as if he were some sort of god. ”
The women looked at me in disbelief before Natty turned to Charlotte and asked, “Did Drasil have . . . No. No way.”
“Her family is Italian. Our grandfather was not Italian. He was just a fucking psycho,” Charlotte said before she shivered dramatically. “Luckily, none of us ever met him or knew any of his wives.”
“He was married multiple times?” I asked.
Before anyone had a chance to answer, I explained, “My grandparents' marriage was arranged, so there wasn’t any love there. I have one grandmother who is convinced that she’s the only one who is smart enough to decide who we should spend our lives with.
If it was up to her, she’d have shipped me off to Italy years ago to marry a ‘nice boy from a good family,’ meaning a family connection that would be advantageous for mine.
My father would never have let that happen, though. ”
“That’s good. My grandfather on my mother’s side was a lot like that, but to an even worse degree, but my mom is happy with my dad now.
He brought my brothers and sisters into the Tempests, and they were accepted instantly, from what I understand.
Now it’s hard to tell who belongs to who, who was adopted, and who is just a bonus family member that we all love. ”
I smiled at Charlotte before I said, “That sounds like a wonderful family.”
“It is. I’m sure you’ll meet all of them at one point or another. Maybe not as much of the Texas family, but . . .”
Dilly interrupted Natty before she said, “She’ll meet them if she goes to Bella’s wedding.”
“I’m going to be in Bella’s wedding,” I told her with a laugh.
“Then you’ll get to meet our Texas family after all. Of course, there are so many of them that it’s hard for us to keep them straight sometimes, but that’s okay. You’re gonna love them. They’re wild and crazy, but they’re family.”
“I think that’s the best kind.”
When the doorbell rang, the mood was broken, and I realized I still had quite a bit to get accomplished before I could serve dinner.
While Tana went with Sho to answer the door, something my guards insisted that they be part of, I asked for volunteers and gave each of the women tasks to help me get back on track.
I was so excited to have people here that I could barely contain myself. I’d spent the majority of yesterday shopping and prepping for today’s meal and had been up since the wee hours getting everything in order.
This was my home now, and I was ready to fill it with friends, at least until the next time it was filled with my family. And, if things went the way I hoped, I’d have them all here at the same time someday.
◆◆◆
RIN
“That’s funny. When I was here before, you could just walk into the foyer,” Branch said as he pushed the doorbell to the left of the door.
I leaned around my cousin to look through the tall window and saw my sister walking toward the door with a woman I’d seen at the cookout. She frowned the second she spotted me, and it only got worse when I smiled at her.
When the door opened, Tana looked at us and asked, “Can I help you?”
“What’s up?” Branch asked as he started to walk inside.
The woman with Tana seemed confused and put her hand up to stop Branch before she asked, “Aren’t these men your guests?”
“These three are, but I don't know that guy,” Tana said with an evil grin as she pointed at me. When I rolled my eyes, she asked, “Who are you?”
“You’re such a little shit,” I muttered as I glared at my sister.
“That’s her brother,” Branch explained to the obviously confused woman. I didn’t blame her. She wasn’t the first person to wonder how I was related to Tana and Ian. “They love each other very much.”
The woman stepped aside as she studied me and Tana, who were sizing each other up as if we were about to throw down, before she said, “Obviously.”
Tana rolled her eyes and sighed as she asked, “What are you doing here, dumbass?”
“Branch invited me to dinner and game night, since it must have slipped your mind.”
“You’re just here to try to hit on Stan again. I’ll have you know that she’s not interested in your bullshit. Even if she was, we’ve got a long-standing rule about things like that, and you know it.”
“You just met her recently. How do you already have a long-standing rule?” I asked, mimicking her tone.
Tana pointed at her chest before she pointed at me and said, “You and I do. Remember?”