17. Presley
I smile as I watch Avery’s face light up in wonderment.
Aarya, Alexander Krum’s wife, waves her arm around the gallery. “Stay as long as you’d like. I’d offer to show you around, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll want to explore on your own.”
Avery nods. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Aarya scrunches her nose. “Jesus Christ, kid. Don’t make me feel old. Just call me Aarya.”
He chuckles. “Sorry.”
I rest my hand on his shoulder. “Do you want me to walk around with you?”
He shrugs. “If you want to.”
That’s teenager code for no.
I shoot him a wink. “I’ll be around if you need me.”
Aarya and I stare at Avery’s back as he practically bolts away from us.
“Thank you for inviting us today.”
Aarya turns to face me. “Mac said Avery is really into art. Is he taking lessons?”
“Mac?”
“Sorry, that’s what the guys call him. I’m not used to calling him Stephen.”
I smile. “Hockey guys and their nicknames. It’s hard to keep up.”
“I just make my own.” She shrugs. “I have a long list of cake names for Alex.”
“He’s Krum Cake, right?”
She nods. “I’ve called him Cupcake, Pound Cake, Bundt Cake, Carrot Cake—you name it.”
I toss my head back and laugh. “That’s amazing. You should add Shortcake to the list.”
“Genius. He’ll hate that one.”
“To answer your question, yes, Avery has been taking art lessons. I’m not sure if he realizes his full potential, but he’s incredibly talented.”
Aarya hums. “Artists usually don’t know the extent of their talent.”
It’s going to be up to me to push him, to show him just how high he should aim for.
She flicks her long, dark hair over her shoulder and folds her arms over her chest. “So, I gotta ask since the kid isn’t here: What’s happening between you and Stephen?”
I slip my hands into the back pockets of my jeans and shrug. “Nothing since college.”
Her dark eyes narrow as her red lips turn up into a smirk. “Does he know that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on, you know him. Everything he does is balls-to-the-wall, two-hundred-and-ten percent. That’s why they call him Mac—because he hits you like a Mack truck.”
That’s him, alright.
Aarya nudges me with her shoulder. “I’m not good with small-talk. Give me the juicy details.”
I chuckle. She’s honest and to the point. I think I love her.
“I’m sorry to disappoint, but there aren’t any juicy details to give.” My eyes bounce around at the artwork on the nearby walls. “I can’t give Stephen what he wants.”
Aarya tilts her head. “And what does he want?”
“A relationship.”
She’s quiet as she watches me, and doesn’t fill the space with unnecessary chatter.
I gesture to Avery as he wanders around at the far end of the gallery. “I have to focus on the kids. They’ve been through a lot, and they need a stable life and a guardian they can count on. I can’t get thrown into the mix between star hockey players.”
“Hockey players, plural?”
Oh, shit . I swallow. “You know, the life of hockey players in general.”
“I get it. I wasn’t prepared for all of this either. Their lives are so different. All that money; they can do anything they’ve ever dreamed of.”
“Exactly. Their lifestyle isn’t exactly compatible with a single parent living in the suburbs of New Jersey.”
“Mac’s great with kids though.” Aarya smiles, and it seems like she’s recalling a specific memory. “He’s the best uncle to Giuliana, Alex’s kid. He’s got a big-ass mouth, but his heart is even bigger.”
I grin. “He does have a big-ass mouth.”
It’s part of the reason I fell in love with him in college. He says what he feels and doesn’t hide anything or hold back. He’ll never lie, and you always know where he stands. And Aarya’s right—he’s great with kids. He’d be the perfect man to get into a relationship with...if our situation was a simple relationship.
My heart aches, longing for two men I can never be with. Not in this lifetime.
A man appears from one of the hallways to the left. “Aarya, can I see you in my office?”
“Sure, Carter.” Aarya turns her back to him and rolls her eyes. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go. Make sure you see me before you guys leave.”
I step toward her with my arms out, but she holds up her hands and backs away. “Oh, I don’t do hugs.”
I chuckle. “No hugs, got it.”
“Alyssa, did you fart again?”
She giggles from the back seat.
“Ugh.” Avery pinches his nose and opens the passenger window. “What the heck did you even eat at that sleepover?”
“Pizza, ice cream, and Cheetos.”
I glare at her in the rearview mirror as I crack my own window. “All three of those things have cheese in them. You made an atomic bomb of dairy in your poor belly.”
“You think this is bad?” Her eyes widen. “You should’ve smelled what I did in Sheena’s bathroom last night.”
Avery gags. “You’re lactose intolerant, you little gremlin. You’re not supposed to eat that much dairy.”
Alyssa shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I guess Milk Duds are out of the question at the movie theatre, huh?”
“Yes,” both Avery and I exclaim.
I chuckle to myself. “Your mom had the worst gas. I remember when we were kids, our mother made her hang her ass out the window on the ride home from dinner.”
The kids crack up with laughter. “She was lactose intolerant too, right?” Avery asks.
“She sure was, but that didn’t stop her.” My eyes flick to Alyssa’s in the mirror again. “You remind me so much of her sometimes.”
The car fills with silence, each of us thinking about our own memories with their mother. As painful as it is to talk about her, I don’t want her to be a taboo subject. The kids should think and talk about their mother often, and feel comfortable asking questions. It helps keep her memory alive for them, especially Alyssa since she was young when my sister died.
“Aunt Pres, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course, ‘Lyss.” I slow to a stop at a red light and glance over my shoulder at her. “What’s on your mind?”
“How come all of your friends are married, but you’re not?”
“Jesus, Alyssa.” Avery pinches the bridge of his nose. “You can’t ask things like that.”
“Why not?” Her eyes dart from her brother to me. “That wasn’t rude, was it? I didn’t mean it to be rude.”
I pat Avery on his shoulder to settle him down. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it like that.”
She shrugs. “I couldn’t help but notice it when I looked around the table the other day when the team came over, and they all had wives with them. It got me thinking, and even Dominique is married, so, how come you’re not?”
“Real talk, kid, I haven’t had time to date anyone to even have the possibility of getting married.”
“Because you’ve been taking care of us,” she says.
“Well, I’ve just been busy, you know? When your mom died, I had to get a job and take online courses to finish my degree at the same time. It was a lot to juggle. And now, we’re so busy with work and school and sports, I don’t really have the energy to go out and date.” The light turns green, so I glance at Alyssa in the mirror. “How come this is on your mind?”
“Well, I was thinking that Stephen isn’t married either. So, if you were lonely, maybe you guys could date each other.”
“Chance is single too,” Avery mumbles.
I can’t help but laugh. “You saying you want me to date one of those guys?”
“Or both.” Alyssa pauses. “Stephen’s friend has two wives, right? So, that means you could technically have two husbands.”
Avery turns his head to look at me. “Is that possible? Can you really have two spouses at the same time?”
I heave a sigh, totally not ready for this conversation. But they’re asking, and I want them to get the correct information from me instead of their friends or whatever the media portrays. “In the eyes of the law, no, you can’t marry two people at the same time. Jason is married officially to Kourtney, but they bought a ring for Celeste, and they act as if they’re married. They’re in a polyamorous relationship. Poly means more than one.”
I pause, letting that information sink into their brains.
“Why doesn’t the law allow you to marry more than one person?” Alyssa asks. “If you love them, you should be able to marry them.”
Out of the mouths of babes. “Right now, the world isn’t a completely accepting place. A lot of people living in our country don’t have the same rights as everyone else. Hopefully one day we will.”
Avery chews his bottom lip. “If you dated both of them, would that mean that Chance and Stephen...would be together, as well? Like boyfriends?”
I bite back a smile as my keen boy connects the dots. “Chance and Stephen are what you call bisexual. They date men as well as women.”
“Do you want to date them, Aunt Presley?” Alyssa asks. “Do you like them?”
I click on my blinker, and turn left into the movie theatre parking lot. “Can I tell you guys a secret that not a lot of people know?”
Once I pull into a spot, the kids unclip their seatbelts and Alyssa moves to sit on the center console. Nerves eat at my stomach, but I know this is an important conversation to have with them. My sister would want her children to be open-minded and accepting of everyone’s sexuality and orientation. She had the biggest heart, and I want her kids to follow in her footsteps.
“When I was in college, I dated both Stephen and Chance. That’s how we know each other, from school.”
Alyssa’s mouth hangs open. “You were in a polygon with them?”
Avery barks out a laugh. “Polyamorous, not polygon, you twit.”
I point at him, trying not to laugh myself. “No name-calling. Be nice.”
Alyssa frowns. “You know what I meant.”
I clasp her hand and give it a squeeze. “I was in a polyamorous relationship with them. But that was a long time ago, and things are different now.”
“How so?” Avery asks.
“Like I said before, I’m busy and don’t have time to date. I love having Stephen and Chance around as friends, but I don’t think we’d be able to manage a relationship like that again.”
Both of the kids look down at their laps.
“Why?” I ask, venturing into the subject further. “Is that something you’d want for me—for us?”
Alyssa nods. “I like when they’re around. They’re fun, and they help you so you’re not so stressed.”
Guilt tugs at my heart. “I’ve been pretty stressed, huh?”
“It’s understandable,” Avery says quickly. “We should step up and help more.”
I shake my head. “No, no. You and your sister are doing exactly the perfect amount of help. You go to school, get good grades, and you do your chores. I’m the adult—I deal with everything else.” I cup his face. “Don’t you go worrying that amazing brain of yours about it, you hear me?”
He nods.
“And you.” I turn to Alyssa. “There’s more to life than finding a husband. We’re strong, independent women who don’t need no man!”
She giggles. “Okay, fine. But for the record, I really like having Stephen and Chance around.”
I smile. I do too, kid.
I do too.