PROLOGUE #2
I watched them go as I flexed my fingers, wondering how bad the bruises would be this time.
“You’re not going to tell my father about that.”
Ciro got up from his seat at the island and walked around the table so he could pull out the chair across from mine. Once he was settled, he took a sip of his coffee and said, “You know, just because Park isn’t completely in his right mind doesn’t mean you have to take abuse like that.”
“What am I supposed to do? Have you dangle him over the balcony by his ankles? He’d probably just beg you to drop him.”
“You and I both know that’s not a solution, but there is one available.”
“Well, I don’t like it.”
“Once I tell your dad what happened this morning, I’m not sure it’s going to be up to you.”
“How do I find a guard that will be loyal to me instead of my father?”
“My loyalty to you is why I’m going to tell your father what’s going on with Park. It’s either let him know so he can figure out a solution or toss that motherfucker over the balcony for hurting you . . . again .”
“Park was one of your best friends,” I said sadly.
“ Was , Stan. This is not the Park we used to know.”
“What about Sully? How will I explain to him that Park is gone?”
“We’ll deal with that problem when Sully is himself again.”
◆◆◆
FOUR MONTHS AGO
“Now that I’ve poured out my heart and soul to a relative stranger, it’s your turn,” Lucky, the famous guy who didn’t act like one, insisted before he took another sip of his beer.
I decided to trust him with my story, just like he’d trusted me with his.
“A few months ago, there was an accident, and the men I thought I’d be spending the rest of my life with were both injured.
” When Lucky didn’t seem surprised by my admission, I asked, “You don’t find it strange that I just professed to love two men at the same time? ”
“Not at all. I’ve got friends who have two dads and a mom, although they have different dynamics. In one of the situations, all three loved each other, but in the other, the two men just loved her and not each other.”
I burst out laughing before I said, “That’s the most generic way to describe a throuple that I’ve ever heard.”
“So, did they love each other, or did they both love you?”
“All of the above.”
“And the accident changed that?”
“Very much so.”
“I’ve told you all about my life, it’s your turn to tell me all about yours.”
I decided to take a chance. I mean, what did I have to lose? It wasn’t like I was going to tell him how the guys got injured, but it wouldn’t hurt to give him the highlights. That would help explain what I was in the middle of dealing with now.
“I’d loved them forever and knew they felt the same way about me, but the accident happened before we cemented our plans for the future.”
“Are they still alive?” Lucky asked in confusion.
“They are, but they’re nothing like they were before.”
“Do you still love them?”
“Very much.”
“Are you going to stick with them until they recover? What happened to them, anyway? I have to ask because you’ve really got me curious now.”
“They were shot, but they’ve recovered from that.” I thought about it for a minute before I said, “Although, his gunshot wound led to the kidney problems that caused the stroke that makes Park act the way he does. It affected his brain in a way that changed his entire demeanor.”
“Permanently?”
“He was always a really grumpy guy, but he smiled too. The stroke left us with a man that hates himself so much that it’s caused him to hate everyone around him.”
“But you still love him?”
“I do, even though that’s harder some days than others.”
“What about the other guy?”
“Sully experienced a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for a while. Soon after he woke up, the doctors knew that he’d never be the same. We’re not sure if he’ll ever walk again, but he’s trying to talk, so there’s that.”
“That’s good, right? At least you can talk to one another and you can help him recover from everything else.”
“He doesn’t remember me or Park, but that doesn’t mean we will ever stop loving him.”
“But it’s a different love now, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“The future you thought you had is gone,” Lucky said sadly. “I’m sorry to hear that, Stan.”
“It’s not gone, but it’s vastly different. Just because they’ve changed doesn’t mean I love them any less, it just means that I love them differently.”
“You’re going to stick by them, aren’t you?”
“Loyalty is kind of a big deal in my world.”
“Mine, too, but taking care of someone who has been part of your life for years is entirely different from taking care of someone you just started falling for.”
“I meant it when I told them that I’d love them forever and no amount of drama or health problems would change that. I know there’s no happily-ever-after romance in my future if I stay with them, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to let them go.”
“So, when you do find a man who wants to spend the rest of his life with you, he’s going to have to accept them as part of it?”
I laughed before I asked, “Do you think that’s too much to ask?”
“I think that any man would be lucky to fall in love with you because it’s rare to find a woman who is so loving and loyal that she’d make a promise to care for people who can’t love her back anymore.”
“Is your woman that loving?”
“Rain is that and more.”
“I’d love to meet her someday.”
“I think you could become friends,” Lucky said with a smile. “I’m glad I ran into you, Stan.”
“I’m happy that I met you too.”