47 - Lucas
47
Lucas
Bran’s immediate acceptance was a massive relief, and set my whole mind at ease. I didn’t expect every day to be this easy, and I knew he might have more complicated feelings about my absence down the road, but for now I savored his reaction. It had gone better than I ever could have hoped.
But there was another issue to settle.
Sara and Harper offered to watch Bran that evening, so I drove Haley back to my place. Where all of this had started. It felt so innocent back then, inviting her over to hook up. Everything was casual, but now there was the weight of everything that had happened since hanging over us.
Jordan and Shay were already there, sitting on the couch with a pitcher of margaritas on the table in front of them. “We’re two drinks in already, so you guys need to catch up,” Jordan announced.
“One drink in,” Shay clarified, holding up his glass. “Just beginning the second.”
“Fuck, lawyers are annoying,” Jordan muttered. “Fine. I’m two drinks in, and Shay has had one-point-one drinks. Hi, Haley.”
“It’s good to see you,” Shay told Haley.
I couldn’t tell if Haley’s sigh was relief, or dread. “I’ll be honest. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see you two again.”
“You’ve seen me at baseball practice!” Jordan pointed out.
Haley smiled sadly. “You know what I mean.”
Jordan cleared his throat, then poured himself another margarita.
“I understand that Lucas told both of you about Bran? My son?” Haley asked.
“Technically, we figured it out before he told us,” Shay clarified.
“Wait, really?”
“You told us Bran was only four. But in court, you told a judge he was five,” Shay explained.
“We checked his baseball registration form,” Jordan chimed in. “That confirmed it.”
“Ah,” Haley said.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room.
Jordan glanced up at me, then ran his hand through his hair. “Listen. We’ll get right to the chase. Shay and I will step aside.”
“Jordan,” I tried to interrupt.
“You two deserve to try and have a family together,” Jordan urged. “We can’t get in the way of that.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” I said.
Shay frowned at me. “We assumed both of you would agree. I thought this would be a simple conversation.”
I smiled at Haley, then sat in one of the chairs. “You both like Haley. A lot. I can tell.”
“It doesn’t matter how we feel—” Jordan began to say, but I cut him off with a hand.
“You’re good with Bran,” I told my best friend. “Hell, you’re great with him. And with Haley. Same goes for you, Shay. Since the four of us were last in this apartment together, you’ve both been with her more than I have. If anything, I’m the one encroaching on relationships you both started first.”
“Father beats boyfriend,” Shay said bluntly. “That’s the only math that matters.”
“I like you,” Haley cut in.
Shay flinched, and turned his attention from me to her.
“I like you,” she reiterated. “And I like Jordan. My feelings for both of you are real. I spent the last two weeks trying to deny it, but it’s true. We have something special.”
“But you’re going to be with Lucas,” Jordan said. “What am I missing here?”
“Think about how the future is going to go,” Haley explained calmly. “Lucas and I are going to date. He’s stepping into a fatherly role with Bran, slowly at first. Hopefully more over time. But you two are Lucas’s best friends. What are we supposed to do? Avoid seeing each other? That’s a shitty way for Lucas and me to start a relationship: by immediately having baggage with his best friends, and forcing him to split his attention.”
“Okay,” Shay said slowly. “Then what alternative are you proposing?”
“We keep doing what we’ve been doing,” I said. “Ever since that night together in this apartment, we’ve all been sort of pursuing Haley. Dating her at the same time, but separate. That doesn’t need to stop.”
“I’ve spent the last five years raising my son by myself,” Haley said. “Having the three of you in my life has made me realize I don’t need to be alone. I’m grateful for all the support. Shay, putting yourself out there to try to get Bran into Worthington. Jordan, taking the time to teach Bran how to play baseball. It takes a village to raise a child, and I want Bran to have as many positive influences in his life as possible.”
“You want all three of us to continue dating you?” Jordan asked. “Is that even, like, allowed?”
“Who says what is and isn’t allowed?” I countered. “We’re all adults. We can do whatever the hell we want.”
“You would be fine with this?” Shay bluntly asked.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “We’ve already shared Haley in bed. And we’ve been sharing her life, too. Why not keep it up, so long as it’s working?”
I didn’t feel jealous about any of it. That surprised me at first, but I understood it better, now. If anything, this took some of the pressure off me. I wasn’t jumping into Haley’s life by myself. I had my two best friends with me.
“Interesting,” Shay said, scratching his chin. “Suppose we do this for a few months, and then Haley realizes she has lopsided feelings for one of us? How will we navigate that situation?”
“If something like that happens, we’ll figure it out as we go,” Haley responded. “Likewise, if one of you suddenly decides you don’t enjoy this arrangement, or if you find someone else.”
I was watching Jordan carefully, so I saw the brief look that passed behind his eyes. He wasn’t going to find someone else. He was really into Haley. And I was pretty sure Shay felt the same way.
“Two-Drink Jordan is skeptical that this can work.” Jordan paused to refill his glass, then gulped half of it down. “But Three-Drink Jordan is willing to give it a try.”
“Two-And-A-Half-Drink Jordan,” Shay said, touching the glass with his finger. “I hope you’re more precise when you’re estimating medicine dosages.”
Jordan rolled his eyes at Haley. “Can we replace him in this weird love-rectangle we have going on? I’d be happier if we had a non-lawyer.”
I laughed and retrieved two glasses from the kitchen, filling them with the remains of the pitcher and handing one to Haley. “Shall we drink on it? If we’re all in?”
“I am indeed in,” Shay said, smiling at Haley.
“Same,” Jordan said. “But I’ve got a better idea of how to celebrate.”
As he turned his hungry eyes on Haley, I knew exactly what he was thinking.