6. Recovery Round
Chapter six
Recovery Round
Griffin
I decided not to go to work. It was an extra shift, and I know someone else will have to work harder, but I feel like, in the aftermath of what happened at Ronan’s parents’ house and everything else, I need to be present.
We all had a late night.
I think we’re all emotionally overwhelmed.
Micah and Dex don’t work until the evening, and Ronan called into work, too.
Cami’s schedule is almost always flexible.
So I might as well be part of whatever happens today, too.
I hear people moving in the main part of the house, so I throw on sweatpants and a t-shirt and head out to be part of our little poly-family.
Hearing Cami laugh through Ronan’s bedroom door ignites a spark of jealousy.
Funny, how knowing he slept with her is fine, but him making her laugh? That’s where my nervous system goes haywire.
Taking a deep breath, I drag a hand through my hair and head toward the kitchen where I can hear Dex and Micah, and I can smell bacon and coffee.
They both look at me with caution in their eyes, but then—true to character—Dex decides to go with humor.
“So, how is Dad doing with the entrance of the Dungeon Daddy?”
I can’t help the roll of my eyes as I smile. “Dad is doing fine, thanks for asking.”
Micah, trying to play mediator, places a hand on Dex’s back and then looks to me. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
“You do realize he didn’t yell at me for calling him Dad, right?” Dex asks Micah.
“He is still standing right here,” I point out dryly.
“You’re really okay, aren’t you?” Dex observes.
“Surprisingly, I think I am.”
Micah hands me my coffee, exactly how I would make it, and it’s one of many moments where I realize intimacy is not just sex. I am very much a part of this polycule, regardless of the fact I’m only sleeping with Cami.
“I texted Ronan. They’ll probably be out by the time we’re done making food,” Micah informs me.
“It smells great.” I smile at him.
Both of them seem leery of the fact that I am okay, but I really am.
Dex starts mixing pancake batter, while Micah works on eggs. The two of them work well together.
They’ve been doing it for years—it just feels different now.
Soon, I hear Cami’s and Ronan’s voices coming down the hall.
As I’m seated on one of the bar stools at the island, they have to walk past me.
Cami’s hand brushes my back, while Ronan’s grazes her arm as she stops next to me and he continues to his coffee setup.
She smiles at me as she turns toward me and takes the stool next to me. “I thought you were working today.”
I study her face. She looks relaxed. Her eyes are bright. “I was supposed to, but it was a late night, and there was a lot going on here.”
Her eyes narrow, and I can tell she’s trying to read more into it than there is.
“Seriously, Cami, I figured we might need to talk about what happened yesterday some more, or just generally all be there for each other today.”
“Look, Dad is growing up,” Dex teases, and I shoot him a glare.
Her arm loops around mine, and she leans into me slightly. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Now that she’s this close, I definitely notice that she smells like sex. While it changes nothing, it does solidify the reality of what happened last night.
Probably multiple times.
The other three are talking, not really paying us any attention.
“I’m off the next two days,” I tell her quietly. “You think you might give me one of those nights?”
I frame the question as a partial joke, but it’s not.
Her palm finds my jaw, and she turns me until I’m facing her. She looks like she is going to say something, but then she just kisses me.
It’s not a kiss meant for public either. It is a full-fledged, tongues-tangling, hungry kiss. I melt into it. It’s as if she knew this was exactly what I needed. Not just her attention, but public attention, reassuring attention.
She breaks the kiss and trails kisses along my jaw until her breath is brushing my ear.
“I would love to spend the next couple of nights and days with you,” she whispers against my skin.
Pulling back so I can see her eyes, I study her again, and then press a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, Cami.”
“I know,” she says flippantly with a shrug and a hair flip.
Shaking my head, I roll my eyes again, but I do smile.
She looks at me a little more seriously. “You’re okay?”
“I am. I think it’s possible I won’t always be okay with… everything, but this morning? I’m okay.”
Her brows furrow like she’s trying to make sense of my words. “Meaning?”
I look at Ronan, who is definitely looking at us, and direct my answer to both of them. “Meaning, there’s no jealousy today, and there wasn’t last night, but that doesn’t mean there never will be.”
Dex, ever the comedian, pipes in. “So no green monster from Griffin, today?”
“No, not today, Dex.”
“Good, we can mark that in the pros column of polycule building.”
Then because he apparently can’t just leave it. “So, we’re all home now.” He waggles his eyebrows. “Let’s just break in the whole damn thing and all five of us can take a trip to the basement.”
Cami fights the laugh, but then seriously answers him. “Not today, Dex. Maybe, eventually, but not today.”
I hate that the maybe is because of me.
“Eventually,” I say, needing them to know I’m not saying no to the whole thing.
Ronan looks between us, contemplating something, then says, “You know, none of us have to participate in anything for this to work.”
“Yeah, Griff,” Micah adds. “Don’t feel like it’s a requirement.”
Cami squeezes my thigh, and while they’re trying to do the opposite, I feel more like the odd man out for their words.
“I mean it.” I make a point of looking at Cami first and then the rest of them. “Eventually.” I pause, taking a sip of my coffee. “But not today.”
Ronan and I share a look, then we both seem to understand.
He and I need to talk, and we both know it and are okay with it.
Eventually, we make it to the dining table and start eating breakfast.
Cami sits between Ronan and me, which seems appropriate.
There is some small talk about our schedules and the fact that Ronan and I both stayed home today.
But eventually, we decide to talk about what happened with Ronan’s brother.
“I do still need to have other conversations with my family,” Ronan admits. “My first priority was really making sure Cami was okay.” He brushes his knuckles over her cheek. “But there does still need to be some resolution.”
“What do you need from us?” Micah asks Ronan.
“I’m honestly not sure.” He crosses his arms. “But I’ll let you know if I think of something.”
That seems to placate Micah, but my mind is somewhere else, and I hate that I’m the one who has to say this, but it needs to be said.
Resting my elbows on the table, I drag a hand down my face and sigh. Then look between Ronan and Cami as I say, “Do you want law enforcement involved in this?”
Cami looks at me, then Ronan, then Micah, then back at me. Everyone is looking at her.
“Was it even a thing they’d be involved in? Was it even a crime?” she asks.
“Yeah,” Ronan and I say in unison.
She looks at me and swallows hard. She looks like she is going to cry again.
I wrap an arm around her, but don’t pull her close.
“Yeah, Cami,” I continue. “It’s assault. There was coercion and intimidation in there, too, but yeah, if you wanted to go down the criminal path, yes, it could be a law enforcement issue.”