Chapter 53 Demi
Demi
“Idon’t think I’ve seen anything cuter in my life. But how the hell do you tell them apart?” Raegan asks as she boops the noses and stares down at Wrinley’s little ones, with what appear to be literal stars in her eyes.
She glances over her shoulder and catches me watching her.
A smile pulls at my lips as my cheeks heat.
We’ve come so fucking far. She did exactly what she said she was going to do and gave up her license…
for me. For us. I didn’t know that it was possible to love her more than I already had, but I severely underestimated the capacity of my own heart.
But I guess that’s the point when you love more than one person, like I do.
Like we all do.
CeCe asked me about being with two people the other day and the best way I could think of to explain it…
is that our hearts aren’t like pies that you divide into segments so you can give each person a portion.
A mother doesn’t love her two children fifty percent each, or thirty-three percent if you add a spouse in there.
It doesn’t work like that. Being poly is no different.
I can love Hayes with all my heart and still also love Raegan the same way.
Both can be true and exist at the same time.
It’s not for everyone though. It almost wasn’t even for us. But somehow, we were able to fight our way here.
It’s been a couple of months since everything went down.
We admittedly hibernated in our little poly cave for a bit, with Hayes leaving only to go to work, where I also go because while I’m open-minded, I’m not that open-minded.
No one helps him with his classes but myself or Raegan.
He’ll tie another person up over my dead body.
Raegan stays home, working and planning for what will eventually be her new practice in the city.
My attention is back on my girlfriend as she lifts one of the babies, who the fuck knows which one, out of her crib.
“They’re actually very different if you pay attention,” Wrinley sighs, because of course their own mother would say that.
“But if you wanna cheat, Harlowe has a heart-shaped birthmark right behind her left ear. See?” She picks up the other baby and tugs her ear to show us the clear-as-day birthmark right behind it. “You have Mia.”
Raegan bounces Mia gently as she walks around the room, pausing occasionally to sway her side to side and pat her back. She really is fucking adorable. My heart flutters at the sight before me. She looks like she’s supposed to be holding a baby.
“I don’t know how you do it, Wrin,” Arabella pipes up. She’s Wrinley’s best friend and came with Ryker, who just happens to be best friends with Hayes and half owner of Gravity, as well. I remember them both from the wedding. “I’d be exhausted.”
Wrinley chuckles. “It’s not like I have a choice but to make it work, Ari. One… two… I don’t think I’d be any less exhausted if I just had one.”
“Oh. My. God. Demetria Grace.” I turn to face the boisterous woman that just waltzed through the nursery room door. Speaking of CeCe. “You didn’t tell me there would be so many hot guys here.”
I roll my eyes. “They’re all taken, CeCe,” I groan. I was told to invite everyone and CeCe is basically the only other person I know, aside from my partners.
“Even the one with all the tattoos, with no shirt on and wearing the apron that says, ‘May I suggest the sausage?’ with a finger pointed towards his dick? You’re really telling me that guy is spoken for? Cause I don’t think I’d want to marry the guy, but I’d definitely take him for a spin.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
“Cecilia!” I exclaim with a shake of my head.
“Sorry, Dem. You know how I get when I’m on my period. It’s like I have dick vision. All I’m capable of seeing are penis outlines and bulges. It’s like my vagina sends an SOS to my brain telling me I need more.”
“I like her,” Wrinley giggles.
“Me, too,” Arabella agrees. “Can we keep her around? I didn’t think anyone could beat you on the horniness scale, but she might have you beat, Wrin.”
“Don’t be so sure. I just keep my horniness a little more locked up these days, mostly for your benefit,” she snarks. “The things your brother does to me aren't appropriate for public consumption.”
Arabella’s face twists into one resembling disgust. “Don’t be gross. It’s unbecoming.”
“Oh, once you all leave… I’ll definitely be coming,” Wrinley retorts, cackling softly so she doesn’t wake either baby.
This… is new. Aside from CeCe, I’ve never had friends, but these women have accepted me as part of them and for the first time, in a long time, I realize how truly happy I am.
“You good?” Raegan asks, nudging my hip with hers.
I watch my best friend flit around the room, talking to Wrinley and Arabella, like they’ve all known each other forever. I turn my head to face Raegan. My stomach flutters as I quietly answer, “Yeah, I’m so good. I love you.”
“I fucking love you too, beautiful,” she responds with a grin. “Wanna hold the baby?”
Hayes
My girls are in the nursery with Wrinley and Arabella, and Demi’s crazy friend CeCe, who just showed up. I honestly don’t understand that friendship. They’re very… different.
Something bumps my shoulder and I turn my head to see my best friend sliding in next to me on the sofa. “Nice to see you finally emerged from hibernation,” he chides. “Thought we’d lost you there for a minute.”
“Very funny. I’ve been at the club, almost every day.”
“The fact that you just said almost, says a lot. You’ve always been a workaholic and you never took one day off, let alone multiple days in succession. It’s nice to see you fucking relax a little, is all I’m saying.” He takes a long pull of his drink. “They’re good for you, Hayes.”
“I know they are. We’ve had some catching up to do and we can’t do that with the world so crazy around us. We just needed time… to be.”
Ryker chuckles. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I’m proud of you, though. I know it was hard to face your father.”
“It wasn’t that hard. Well, it was… but when I pictured my future, with Demi and Raegan, I knew I couldn’t have that as long as he and his words were holding me back. Once I got there in my head, it was actually pretty simple.”
“Damn, Hayes. I never thought I’d see this day… you… in love.”
“Fuck, you probably wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t helped the poor dumbass along,” Axel add as he saunters in and plops his ass down into a chair, beer in hand.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I ask. Half the time, the fucker speaks in code.
“Nothing,” he replies with a smirk. “Doesn’t matter.”
“What doesn’t matter?” Wrinley asks from the other side of the large living space, while wandering in with the rest of the women.
“It literally doesn’t matter,” he repeats, pulling her down and onto his lap when she reaches him. “Where are the girls?”
“They’re sleeping.”
“Isn’t it time for them to eat?” he asks, checking his watch.
“Listen, asshole. I fed them an hour ago. I realize it’s my literal job to feed them with my tits but I’m not meant to walk around with them constantly latched on.”
Raegan and Demi fall into the seats on the other side of me and I can’t stop the grin from taking shape on my face.
I’m not a clingy man, but I do feel better when they’re close.
Like my soul knows it missed so much time and their proximity alone feeds it…
gives it breath. They don’t know it yet, but there’s a possessiveness lurking under the surface that keeps telling me to run away with them to an island somewhere and ignore the rest of the world.
Maybe that’s what I’ll do after I marry them.
Which will be soon, if I have anything to say about it.
“Where’s your sister?” CeCe asks Raegan. “I thought she was going to be here, too.”
“She’s still getting settled in her new place, so she decided it was best to stay in,” Raegan answers.
What she doesn’t say is that Sutton has a lot going on.
Her husband is a douchebag and she made the bold choice to leave him after what Raegan says was a long time coming.
Now she’s working to find a steady paying job while caring for her two boys.
I paid her rent for the next six months under an anonymous name, so it lessens the stress a little.
She still thinks it’s a fluke or an accounting error, which is fine by me.
I’d rather she not think her sister's partner gave her a handout. And from what I know of Sutton so far, that’s exactly how she’d see it.
“What’s up with the land contract?” Axel asks, pulling my attention.
The infamous land contract that brought Raegan back to me and ultimately brought us all back together. “Signing everything next week. Then it’ll be official and we can finalize everything we’ve started.”
“You mean everything I started. I did all the work.”
“Don’t be a dick about it. It’s not a nice look,” I chastise and Wrinley laughs.
“Who’s ready to eat? I have appetizers,” Dom calls from the kitchen, halting all the miscellaneous conversations. When he makes his way out to where we’re all seated, he’s wearing an apron without a shirt underneath and a cocky grin. In his hand is a silver tray, covered in small bite-sized foods.
The girls each grab a piece. Ryker and I follow suit.
“Shit,” Arabella gasps. “Dominic, this is delicious. I didn’t know you could cook like this.”
“I can’t. I watched a video,” he admits.
Wrinley slaps Axel’s chest. “What are you hitting me for? I’m not eating that,” he says, lips pursed and head shaking. “There’s zero chance I believe his dick wasn’t out while he was making it. Maybe even in it. I’m not taking a chance at finding a pubic hair with my mouth. No, thank you.”
Everyone pauses, mid-chew. What the actual fuck?
“He’s kidding,” Wrinley assures us with a raised hand.
“No, I’m not,” Axel argues. “He literally can’t keep his pants on or his dick contained.”
“What can I say? I have a superior cock,” Dom retorts. “I managed to keep it to myself, this time though.”
“Still not taking my chances,” Axel insists.
Demi groans next to me, her mouth stuffed with whatever it is he just made. My dick twitches in my jeans at the sound. “You made this by watching a video?” she asks Dom.
He nods with a grin plastered on his face. “Yeah. It was some food influencer. I’m gonna do that one day.”
“Watching one video doesn’t make you qualified to be a food influencer, jackass,” Axel mumbles under his breath.
Axel is such a dick.
Dom rolls his eyes. “I know, friend. I have a solution for that, which is why I wanted to cook for you all tonight.”
All eyes are now on Dom standing in the center of the room.
“I’m going to culinary school,” he states, his chest puffed out with pride. “There’s this bougie school, Epicurean Institute, downtown. I applied and was accepted. I start this fall.”
“Oh my god, Dom,” Wrinley jumps up, throwing her arms around his neck. “This is so exciting.”
“Trainwreck, if you don’t get your hands off him right now, I swear,” Axel mutters through clenched teeth, just before he jumps up to pull her off of him without giving her a chance to comply.
“Sit your ass down.” He points to his chair and she plops down into the seat, giving him a hardcore side-eye in the process.
“As I was saying, once I learn how to cook for real, I’ll have more than just my perfect cock to attract the ladies.” He shoots everyone in the room a wink and I can’t stop myself from groaning.
Ryker cuts in with a look of confusion and disgust on his face. “You ruined it, man.”
I laugh and take them all in. I spent my whole life, thinking I’d missed out on a family, but I was wrong. I have my girls and I have everyone in this room. They may not share my blood, but they’re family just the same and I love each and every one of them.
I wrap my arms around Demi and Raegan, pulling them tightly into me.
“I love you both.”
They both smile and kiss my cheek.
This is all I’ll ever need.