Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Cam grimaced at the term Daddy. In certain situations, one adult calling another adult Daddy hit differently. “You’re rushing things, honey. This is all new for us. Just because we’re…uh…seeing each other doesn’t mean a wedding is in the near future.” Or ever.
“New? You’ve known each other for years.”
“Yes, but in a different capacity.” He needed to change the subject before Nolan came out of the bedroom. It certainly didn’t take this long to tug on a shirt, so he had to be giving them some privacy. “We’re heading to dinner, Laurel. You’ll join us, right?”
She shot him a huge smile. “Of course! I was hoping you hadn’t eaten yet since the food was excellent the last time I was here. I actually planned on spending the night, but I don’t want to intrude.”
When she wiggled her eyebrows, Cam silently groaned in his head while forcing his expression to remain neutral. “You can absolutely stay the night. You’re the reason I have a pull-out bed in the first place.”
Her staying the night meant their regularly scheduled programming would definitely be preempted since his daughter would always be priority.
The front door opened and a female voice preceded the person it belonged to. “Hey, whose Honda is in my spot? I had to park—” Hope’s feet stuttered to a stop as she took in the scene. “I hope I’m not interrupting something important? You said six, right?”
“I did.” He glanced at his daughter to see her brow furrowed.
Surprise, honey! Not only am I doing a man, I’m also doing a woman at the same time!
He swallowed all of that back down.
Hope’s eyes flicked between the two of them as she hovered near the door. “Should I go?”
“No. Please stay!” Laurel practically shouted with quite a bit of enthusiasm.
Shit.
“Let me introduce you two. Hope Reed, this is my daughter, Laurel. Laurel, this is the resort’s yoga instructor, Hope.”
Laurel spun on him. “Wait. You’re now into yoga? Any other surprises you need to tell me?”
“I’m definitely benefitting from yoga,” he said carefully.
Nolan chose that moment to exit the bedroom.
“And so is Nolan,” Hope added so helpfully.
“You’re doing yoga, too?”
“Only when guilted into it,” Nolan answered. “How’s school, Laurel?”
“Boring compared to this.”
Cam turned to Nolan. “Do you want to take Laurel over to the lodge? We’ll catch up in a few minutes. I need to finish getting dressed.”
Laurel linked her arm with Nolan’s. “I’m starving and I can’t wait to hear more about you and Dad.” She glanced at Hope. “And you too, Hope.”
Hope, Nolan, and Cam shared glances. Nolan gave the slightest nod, enough so Cam knew he understood the assignment. Which was basically: careful how you answer.
As Nolan guided Cam’s daughter out the door, she asked, “So, how are you liking it here, Nolan?”
At least she didn’t call him Daddy Nolan to his face.
Once the door closed, Hope said, “I guess her visit wasn’t planned?”
“No.” He tipped his head toward the bedroom. “I need to grab a shirt.”
Hope raked her gaze over his chest. “Shame. But the rules are the rules.”
The restaurant was one of the few areas on the resort where nudity or public sex was forbidden.
Hope followed on his heels. “I’m assuming our plans are cancelled for the evening.”
He’d need to cancel the playroom’s reservation once he got to the lodge. “Yes. Sorry. She arrived right before you did so I didn’t have time to cancel your trip here.”
“It’s okay, Handsome. It’s not like I’m sex starved or anything.” She laughed. “Anyway, Nolan can come home with me after dinner if you want to spend some time alone with your daughter.”
“Knowing what you two will be doing will be distracting, but yes, that might be for the best. Laurel has known Nolan for a long time but not in this capacity.” Though, Nolan going home with Hope would most likely open up a whole new discussion.
His daughter had a good head on her shoulders and not much got by her. Just like her old man.
“She seems to be taking it well.”
He pulled a polo shirt out of his dresser drawer and slipped it over his head. “We raised her to be open-minded and to treat everyone equally.”
But would she be open-minded enough to accept that her father was not only in a relationship with Nolan but with Hope, too?
Should he even bring it up at all at this point? Their little triad hadn’t made any commitment to each other. They were simply going with the flow right now. He saw no reason to rush into anything serious.
“How about this? Why don’t we have dinner and hang out for a bit at the lodge. Afterward—if Nolan’s okay with it, of course—we’ll head to my place.” She gave him a naughty grin. “Or he and I can use that playroom you booked.”
Cam finished tucking in his shirt and fastening his belt. “Oh no. You two are not using that room without me. I was looking forward to trying it for the first time.”
“Then reschedule. I’m looking forward to it, too.” Hope lightly scraped her short nails down his beard. “I’ll miss you tickling me between my thighs tonight.”
“Nolan’s got a beard.”
“Not as rough as yours. Maybe I can convince him to grow his out a little more.”
Cam stared at the upward curl of her lips. “Mmm. I might not have time to tickle you between the thighs but we have enough time for this…”
He took her mouth and they shared a brief kiss. Anything more than that would get his blood rushing south.
But before he finished pulling away, Hope murmured, “Damn. I’m going to miss these lips,” against them. “How long is she staying?”
“I’d assume only tonight since I don’t think she has classes tomorrow, but I know she does on Thursday. She’s probably here to work me over for more money.”
“Does she do that often?”
“No. And that’s why I usually give in. If it’s for necessities, that’s one thing, but if it’s for new shoes or a purse, she’s shit out of luck.”
“I don’t blame you.” Hope smacked him on the ass. “Okay, Handsome, let’s go get some grub. My stomach is growling and I’m sure you’re anxious to spend some time with your lovely daughter.”
He was.
Speaking of…
“Hey.” He grabbed her arm and stopped her from heading out of the bedroom.
“Make sure Nolan doesn’t stay over at your place all night.
Laurel will wonder why he’s not here, especially now that she knows we’re sharing a bed.
” And that would spur further questions he wasn’t ready to answer about Hope.
She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want her to know that we’re all sharing a bed.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not at all.”
“I just don’t want her to think—”
Hope raised a palm. “I get it, Handsome.”
Good. Now he could relax and enjoy dinner with his newly expanded family. Because that was what it was beginning to feel like. A patchwork family unit.
Dinner went smoothly, and after eating, they spent an hour hanging out in the lodge where all four of them shared some easy conversation.
Hope was great with Laurel. Thankfully, they seemed to get along just fine. Though, just as he figured, Laurel suspected that Hope was more than simply a friend or a Double D employee.
He’d expected his daughter to drill him about their relationship once Hope and Nolan left for the evening. He was surprised and a bit suspicious when she didn’t.
Once they got back to the cabin, they hung out on the couch, ate some ice cream, and watched a movie together. Something they used to do a lot when she was younger.
His baby girl was growing up too quickly. She would soon be a college grad.
Jesus, that made him feel old.
As well as proud.
Also, just like he used to do when she was a little girl, once the movie was over, Cam tucked her in and pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning out the lights and heading to bed himself.
Unfortunately, sleep did not come.
His thoughts kept drifting to the unknown: what Nolan and Hope were doing without him. It quickly became clear that FOMO—fear of missing out—was a real thing he’d never experienced before.
While Laurel hinted that she guessed that Hope was more than a friend, she never came right out and asked.
It could be she expected her father to admit it on his own.
Or maybe she thought Nolan didn’t know something was going on between Cam and Hope.
Or between Hope and Nolan. When in reality, that could be farther from the truth.
He didn’t want his daughter thinking badly of Hope at all, which could happen. Laurel would always side with her father or Nolan over someone new.
When he forced his eyes closed again, a more erotic movie began to play on the back of his eyelids.
One where a very naked Hope wore a strap-on and was pegging Nolan.
His cock stirred.
No, you horny bastard, you cannot masturbate with your daughter right in the next room.
Not only did the bedroom door not have a lock, when Laurel was younger, she used to sneak into bed with him and her mother in the middle of the night. Of course, it had been years, but no way would he risk getting caught jerking off.
He closed his eyes again, slowed his breathing, cleared his perverted thoughts, and willed himself to sleep. When that didn’t work, he jackknifed straight up, shoved off the covers, rolled to his feet, and yanked on a pair of cotton shorts he kept within reach.
Cracking open the bedroom door, he peered out to see the glow of Laurel’s cell phone lighting up her face.
Of course. Probably watching TikTok or texting her friends.
He opened the door wider and quietly padded out to the pull-out bed to sit on the edge.
The second his ass met the mattress, the phone went dark and so did the room. Shit.
“Hey, Dad, what’s up? Is something wrong?”
“No, I need to talk to you about something, but we need a little bit of light first.” Trying to read his daughter’s emotions in the dark would be impossible. He reached over and switched on the small lamp on the side table, giving the room a soft glow.
“Is this something about Nolan?”
“Sort of. Yes.” He squeezed her blanket-covered knee. “I want to be completely honest with you about our situation.”
Her brow furrowed. “Situation?”
“With Hope.”
“Okay?”
He thought she was catching on earlier at the lodge, but maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe he should’ve let this whole thing lie. “I figured you suspected something.”
“Well, I mean, she walked right into your cabin without knocking. I guess friends do that, but honestly, the way she looked at you, Dad, made me wonder why Nolan went home with her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Her camaraderie with you seems to be completely natural. She was faking nothing. Not the warm look in her eyes and certainly not the way she smiled at you. I also noticed how much she touched both you and Nolan. And all three of you were comfortable with it. The only thing I found odd was how, when she touched one of you, the other showed no signs of jealousy. That made me believe you were all just close friends.”
“How are you so smart?”
“Your blood fills my veins. And Mom’s, too, of course. She’s pretty freaking smart.”
“That it does. And yes she is.”
“Dad, you were also a great cop and taught me to be observant.”
“That I did.” Jesus, he was proud of her earlier, now that pride was shining like a light beam shooting straight out of his chest.
“Are you about to tell me that you’re more than friends?”
“That I am.”
She blinked, then worried on her bottom lip. “Like friends with benefits or something more?”
“Right now, I’d say friends with benefits fits the bill, but she’s not seeing anyone else.”
“Except Nolan. Why else would he go over to her house and still be out at”—she unlocked her phone and glanced at the time—“midnight?”
“Movies and ice cream?” he teased.
She pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes. “Dad, please. You just called me smart. What you’re saying is Hope is sharing those friendly benefits with both you and Nolan?”
“Well,”—he scraped a hand down his bearded cheek—“yes.” He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with his daughter.
“And neither of you are jealous of the other? Neither of you mind this arrangement?”
Shit. Now came the sticky part. “Honey…”
Her mouth gaped. “Wait.”
He waited.
He could see her working through the math problem. Only, this had nothing to do with math.
Or did it?
“Are all three of you...uh…”—she circled a finger in the air—“doing things together together? Like, at the same time?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that illegal?”
A chuckle burst from him before he could stop it. “You’re thinking of polygamy, not polyamory. Polygamy, which has to do with being married to more than one person, is illegal. Polyamory, which has to do with relationships, isn’t.”
“That means you three will never be able to get married to each other.” Her mouth took a downward turn. “That’s sad. Consenting adults should be able to legally marry whoever they want, whoever they’re in love with.”
“I agree. But again, this is all new. For me and Nolan. For me and Hope. And for Nolan and Hope. Right now, we’re simply enjoying each other’s company.”
She air quoted, “Enjoying,” as she repeated it and gave him a “Sure, Jan” look.
“You’re smart enough to figure it out and I’m certainly not going into details.”
“Thankfully. Because eww, I don’t want to think of my father having sex with anyone. That’s the stuff of nightmares.”
“I’d rather you not think of it, either. Believe me. And I’m the same way about you. Good thing you’ll remain a virgin until I’m dead and buried.”
His daughter’s tinkling laugh filled the room. When she was done, she gave him a pitiful look. “Oh, Dad.”
He raised a palm. “All I need to know is you’re being safe and smart. Anything else I don’t want to know.”
“Good. Because I wasn’t going to share.” She sobered. “If this is what you want, then I’m happy for you.”
“After hiding my bisexuality for the majority of my life, I can honestly say I’m happy now that I can be myself.”
“Well, since I love Nolan and Hope seems to be just as awesome, I hope everything works out between you three.”
So did Cam.