Chapter Forty-Two
Jace
“Hey, hockey star,” I said, pulling my cousin into a hug.
Ever since his professional hockey career started and Sophia came into his life, one-on-one time with him had gotten harder to come by.
We were still close and texted each other regularly, but he had a grueling schedule and a limited number of days to spend with his wife, which meant our video game nights were fewer and farther between.
It was convenient that Leo had the night off right after deciding to tell people about my relationship.
He’d just gotten back from an away stretch of games this morning and Sophia wasn’t due back from Hawaii until tomorrow morning, making him happy to hang with me like old times.
Leo stepped back and surveyed the condo. “Still not used to you living in such a swanky place man,” he said, shaking his head. He and Sophia had a similar-sized condo on the West End that was equally swanky, but Leo had never been quite as averse to our family money as I was.
While neither of us were raised to lean all the way into the financial privilege we had, Leo had always at least been comfortable with his wealth.
His parents lived a modestly wealthy life, just like my moms, but having struggled to live off the state assistance my father got for most of my life, it had taken me a long time to adjust to the money my moms had.
I’d barely wanted them to pay for my degree at NYU, but I’d stomached it because I knew it was my best chance at giving back.
Now, with the money I made from working at and owning shares in Acker Real Estate, I donated at least half of my yearly income to causes all over the city each year.
Even still, that left me more than enough to live in a place like this, and I was grateful for the space, especially when Kayden and Liv were in it.
Leo held up the six-pack of beer I’d asked him to get on the way over. “It’s not like you to be out of beer.”
I chuckled and ran one hand through my curls as we walked into the kitchen where he set the beer on the counter and pulled out two bottles for us. “I’m actually not keeping it in the condo anymore.”
Leo eyed me suspiciously as we each twisted off our tops and I picked up the chips and dip I’d dumped into a bowl ten minutes earlier.
I followed Leo to the living room where I’d already set up the TV with a hockey video game for us.
“Are you trying to drink less?” he asked, facing me as we sat down.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m seeing someone, and he has a history of alcoholism. He’s been sober for years, and I want to make it easier on him when he stays over.”
Leo’s face split into a grin. “I knew something was up with you. You were smiling into your phone all day on Thanksgiving. Is he the guy you were looking all troubled over the night of Sophia’s pregnancy party?”
I furrowed my brow. “I don’t think that’s a thing.”
“That’s what I’m calling it,” Leo said, grabbing a chip and a large scoop of dip.
“It’s kind of more complicated than that,” I said, taking a swig of beer.
“Because of Liv?” Leo asked with a knowing look. “What does she think of this?”
I shook my head. “Alright, I’m just going to say it. We’re all dating each other.”
Leo froze with his beer bottle on his lips. “Maybe you should be more specific.”
“Liv, Kayden, and I are all dating each other. We’re a throuple.”
Leo’s smile filled his face as he grinned at me. “You’ve been single forever and now you’re telling me you’re in a relationship with two people?”
“Yes,” I said.
“And one of them is Liv?”
“Of course.” Leo had not been oblivious to my feelings for Olivia and had dropped many suggestions that I get myself out of the friendzone over the years.
He grabbed a few more chips, loaded them with dip, and popped them into his mouth. He spoke in between bites. “So, how did you meet him? And how did you all get involved?”
“I met him in a bar, and it turns out he’s also Kaylee’s biological father.”
Leo’s jaw dropped, his mouth full of chewed-up chips. “Did he know about Kaylee?”
“No, and close your mouth.”
Leo finished chewing and swallowed. “Holy crap. Wait, isn’t Kayden the name of your architect?”
“Yep,” I said, laughing. “It’s a whole cluster.”
He cackled. “You’re fucking your assistant and your architect? And your architect is the father of your assistant’s child?”
“Yes,” I groaned. “Please don’t tell your mother yet. I realize I’m an HR crisis and I asked her to get coffee with me later this week so I can talk to her about it because it’s been a while and we want to be openly together now.”
“My mom isn’t going to care,” Leo said with another laugh. “Her and my dad run three businesses together and act like we don’t know they have sex all over them. Come on. She’s got no ground to stand on.”
“I mean, some ground in comparison.”
Leo shrugged. “Are you with both of them individually, or are they with each other?”
“They’re with each other too,” I said.
“Wait, am I allowed to ask questions? Because I don’t want to be invasive, but I have more questions,” he said cautiously.
“Of course you can ask, hockey star. I’m not planning to offer up details to strangers, but you’re practically my little brother.”
He puffed up his chest, looking proud. “Okay. You all sleep together? And by sleep, I mean fuck.”
I laughed and nodded, taking another sip of beer and diving into the chips.
“You go on dates all together?”
“Yes.”
“Are you allowed to be with each other one-on-one or do all three of you have to be there?”
“I can only speak for us, not throuples in general,” I said.
“We’re happy with all pairings though we prefer to be together.
We’ve agreed to be honest about any jealousy or feelings of being left out.
So far it hasn’t been an issue. We like seeing the happiness that each one of us gets from the others. ”
Olivia had told us pretty early on that she felt a little lonely at night since Kayden and I usually stayed together, so he and I had made a point to stay with her a few nights a week and duck out before Kaylee woke up.
It made for less sleep, but it also made Liv feel cared for so neither of us complained about it, and we were happy to have her in our arms on those nights.
We felt more complete when we she was with us anyway.
“Wow,” Leo said, shaking his head. “Based on the smile on your face and the way your eyes are all lit up with that lovesick gleam, I’m going to guess you have genuine feelings for both of them?”
“I’m desperately in love with them, Leo.
There is nothing I wouldn’t do for them to be happy,” I said.
That sentiment was so true that I even knew deep down, if they couldn’t get behind a lifelong partnership like this, I’d walk away so they could be together for Kaylee.
It would mean breaking my own heart, but I’d do it for them.
“Does Kaylee know?” Leo asked.
“Not yet,” I said with a frown. “Liv’s being cautious. Kayden and I are leaving it up to her to decide when she’s ready.”
“This is awesome, man. I’m so happy for you,” he said, pulling me into a hug. “I take it you need another ticket to the game tomorrow night?”
Liv and I had been planning to take Kaylee to tomorrow’s game for a while since Ima was visiting her family in Chicago.
She and Adrian agreed to give us their tickets, which were really just two tickets Leo always had that they’d commandeered for ninety percent of his games.
Leo’s teammate and friend Rickles had given us an extra one for Kaylee since his family didn’t go to nearly as many games as ours and his boyfriend preferred to watch from home.
“Yes, if you can swing it, but that wasn’t my motivation for telling you. I wanted to tell you because I’m telling your mom in a couple days, and my best friend should know first.” I clinked my beer bottle against his.
Leo rolled his eyes. “I know Liv is your best friend, but thank you. Since you’re mine, it is nice that you pretend for me. Rickles’s other ticket should still be free, I’ll text him. You’ll all still be with Soph? You cool with that?”
“Yeah, Olivia loves hanging out with her at the games. She enjoys casually reminding Sophia how much you cried at the bar during that two-week breakup of yours.”
“Remind me to keep your girlfriend away from my wife,” Leo said dryly. “Can I meet Kayden after the game? You can all come out with Sophia and me to a late dinner or something.”
“Sure. I’m pretty sure he’s not going to care about hockey at all by the way,” I said. “He’s just going so he can be with us.”
“Good, then my mom will love him,” Leo joked. “I’m guessing Aunt Sloane loves him too?”
“Yeah, Mom and Ima have been watching Kaylee for us so we can have alone time and they’re big fans of the three of us together.”
“Cool.” Leo grabbed the video game controllers off the table and tossed me one. “Isn’t keeping two partners happy like double the work?”
I laughed. “I suppose, but it also means at the end of the day there are two people eager to suck my dick.”
Leo laughed and shook his head as he typed a message on his phone. “Dude, I am happy for you, but I’m a one-woman man. Poly life is not for me. I’m not really surprised it’s for you though.”
“Not sure how to take that one.”
“I just mean that you’re so understanding of people and what they need and you have so much capacity to love people for who they are without getting jealous and insecure.
I’m not surprised you’d have enough space in your heart for two people and enough trust and compassion to understand that those two people also love each other. ”
“Thanks, Leo,” I said. “Let’s start the game before your wife makes her after-dinner call and we get interrupted.”
Leo grinned. “You know us so well.”
That I do. We started the video game, and my mind got hung up on what Leo said about the two people I loved, loving each other.
Technically, neither of them had admitted to that yet, but I was pretty sure they were there or headed there quickly.
I couldn’t wait for the day when they realized they were in love.
Maybe that wasn’t a reaction a lot of people could relate to, but it felt right for me.