Celeste
“And who is this ravishing beauty you’ve been hiding from me?”
Erika rolls her eyes as she smiles. “You must be McKinley.”
He grins and opens his arms wide. “The one and only.”
I raise my champagne flute. “Thank God for that.”
He feigns offense and clutches his chest. “Words hurt, Celeste.”
I smile. “Only if you let them, Mac.”
“I’ll cheers to that.” Cassidy’s friend, Aarya, clinks her glass against mine. “I’m so glad you’re here. It’s so boring when I’m the only single friend at these parties.”
“You’re not here with Krum cake?” I nod my chin in Krum’s direction. “What’s going on there?”
“Nothing is going on.” Aarya downs half of her glass like it’s a shot. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because the captain of the hockey team made a scene on public television when you took off his jersey at a game and wouldn’t put it back on.”
Aarya curls her top lip. “That was months ago. Are we not over that?”
“I don’t think he is.” McKinley chuckles as he glances at his teammate. “I’m surprised you’re not into him though. He’s Alexander Krum. Women throw themselves at him.”
“I throw myself at no man.” Aarya plants her hand on her hip. “I don’t care who he is or what he’s the captain of.”
“What about you, Erika?” McKinley nudges her with his elbow. “What are your thoughts on the male species?”
“Considering I used to be one before I changed out my hardware, I don’t think they’re half-bad.”
I throw my head back as I laugh. “That’s the perfect answer.”
Erika shrugs as she gazes up at McKinley. “And for the record, I think the right man is worth throwing yourself at.”
He swings his arm around her shoulders and pulls her close to his side. “Now that’s the perfect answer.”
I grin and tug Aarya’s elbow to give them some privacy. “Looks like it’s just the two of us tonight.”
“You sure about that?” she asks, following my line of vision toward Kourtney and Jason on the other side of the room. “Because your eyes say otherwise.”
My head snaps over to Aarya. “What? Oh, no. I was just making sure they didn’t need any help.”
“Uh-huh. Wanna try that again with a little more conviction?”
I roll my lips between my teeth. “Listen, we’re going to need some more alcohol before we have this conversation.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” She lifts the jug of sangria from the counter and pours two full glasses before handing one to me. “Let’s get Christmas wasted.”
Kourtney scurries over to us. “Did I hear someone say wasted?”
I give her my glass. “Here, take mine.”
Her eyes dart around the room like a scared animal as her shaky hand wraps around the glass.
I smooth my palm down her back. “Hey, it’s okay. Take a deep breath.”
The poor thing has been a nervous wreck all day leading up to this party.
She plans on telling all of our friends about the three of us and our relationship.
I don’t think she’d be this nervous if her father hadn’t reacted the way he did over the news, but I’ve tried to explain to her that not everyone will have the same response.
Aarya tilts her head. “What’s wrong, Kourt?”
“I, uh...I have to…”
She’s not going to be able to get through this. I need to do something before my best friend has a full-blown panic attack at our Christmas dinner.
I lift a nearby knife and clink it against my glass. “Hey, everyone. Can I have your attention for a minute?”
Kourtney tugs on my elbow. “Abort. Abort. I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can.” Jason stands behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, whispering in her ear. “We’ve got you.”
With everyone’s eyes on me, I clear my throat and lift my glass above my head. “I wanted to take a minute to thank you all for coming here today. Everyone in this room is important to us, and it means a lot to be able to celebrate this holiday together.”
A few of Jason’s teammates whistle and cheer.
“We also have something that we’d like to tell you.” I pause, glancing at Kourtney and Jason.
I’m not good with my words, but I think the best way to do this is to rip it off like a Band-Aid.
Fuck it.
“Kourtney, Jason, and I have been fucking for the last month, and now we’re in a relationship together. So, Merry Christmas, everyone.”
“Jesus,” Jason mutters.
And then the room erupts in chatter.
“What?”
“What does this mean?”
“You’re fucking Kourtney’s husband?”
“How did this happen?”
But the loudest voice of all comes from Cassidy. “I knew it!”
Trenton looks down at his wife. “What do you mean?”
She pumps a triumphant fist into the air.
“I knew there was something going on between you three. Oh my god, this is fantastic news.” She rushes over to me and pulls me into an embrace.
Then she grabs Kourtney’s wrist and yanks her into our hug.
“I’m so happy for you guys. You’re beautiful together. ”
Kourtney pulls away, eyes wide. “You’re happy for us?”
“Of course I’m happy.” Cassidy’s eyes bounce from Kourtney to me.
“I thought there was something going on between you two for a while, but I chalked it up to you being so close. Then I saw the way Jason looked at you when you wore his jersey to the game that night, and I felt it in my gut. It was the same way Trent looked at me the first time he saw me wearing his number.”
Kourtney’s big brown eyes well with tears as she glances around the room. “I know this isn’t typical, but the three of us are in love. We’ve known each other since we were kids, and I think, on some level, we loved each other then too.”
Jason slips his hand inside mine. “Polygamy isn’t recognized by the state, or any, for that matter, but I hope this team can recognize us regardless.”
Krum is the first one to walk over and clap Jason on the back. “We support you, brother. It’s not even a question.”
Erika squeezes through the team surrounding us and hugs Kourtney. “I’m so proud of you, baby girl.”
Kourtney sniffles as she pulls back and wipes her cheeks with the backs of her hands. “I wish my parents would’ve had this same reaction.”
“They’ll come around one day.” I stroke her silky hair. “And if they don’t, just remember all the love you have in this room.”
Jason beams as he glances down at Kourtney before addressing our friends. “There’s one more thing we’d like to tell you. My incredible wife has started her own business.”
The room quiets down again, and Kourtney tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
“As you know, I’ve been working for my parents’ catering business for a while.
But I’ve had a dream to create a dating website unlike any other out there.
It’s a subscription-based platform where people can buy and sell adult content—videos, pictures, live streams—while getting matched with people who have the same sexual interests. ”
Judging by everyone’s open-mouthed stares, they seem more shocked by this than the whole threesome thing.
McKinley whips out his phone. “What’s the name of the website?”
Everyone laughs, and Jason shakes his head. “It’s called FreeMe.”
McKinley’s thumbs fly across his phone as he searches for the site, and Aarya glances over his shoulder to see as she searches for it on her phone.
Krum leans against the counter. “Does Coach know about the three of you?”
Jason shakes his head. “I haven’t told him yet. Not sure how he’s going to want to handle it if this goes public.”
“Look at what happened with Wellington,” Trenton says, referring to a gay NHL player we’re all familiar with. “He came out, and the world embraced him.”
“Coming out is a little different than being in a threesome.” Jason rubs the back of his neck. “And you of all people know what it’s like when there’s a scandal in the tabloids.”
“I do, but I got through it.” Trenton squeezes his shoulder. “With the help of my team.”
Pride swells in my chest. Trenton is right. Regardless of what the world says about us, we have the support of our team—our friends.
It won’t be easy, but we’ll be together.
After everyone leaves, I help Jason and Kourtney clean up the kitchen, and then we plop on the couch to relax.
“How do you feel, Kourt?” I pull her foot onto my lap and dig my thumbs into her heel. “Everything is out in the open now. No more secrets. No more sneaking around.”
“A weight has definitely been lifted off my shoulders.” She glances at Jason, who’s snuggled behind her. “I’m a bit nervous about the rest of the world finding out. The paparazzi, the tabloids. All of our privacy will go right out the window.”
“Only for a little while.” Jason presses a kiss to the top of her head. “Until the next scandal to pull everyone’s attention.”
“I’m just glad we didn’t tell them that we’ve been posting on FreeMe.” Kourtney shudders. “You know McKinley would watch every one of our videos.”
I cringe as I cough out a laugh. “He totally would.”
Jason chuckles. “I agree. I think it’s best that we keep that dirty little secret to ourselves.”
I take Kourtney’s other foot and start massaging. “Speaking of McKinley, it looks like he and Erika hit it off.”
Kourtney hums. “They were adorable together. I hope he’s good to her.”
“He’s a good guy deep down,” Jason says. “He has a big heart.”
“Krum cake is a good guy too.” I arch a brow. “I can’t figure out why Aarya pushes him away.”
Jason and Kourtney shoot me blatant stares.
My head jerks back. “What? I don’t push people away.”
They blink.
I roll my eyes and wave a dismissive hand. “Whatever.”
Jason grins as he sits up and eases out from under Kourtney. “It’s midnight. You know what that means.”
Kourtney’s eyes light up. “Present time!”
I shake my head. “What are you, five?”
She bounces on the couch cushion as Jason crouches down by the tree. “It’s our tradition. We exchange presents at midnight on Christmas.”
I flash Jason a devilish grin. “Jay, why don’t you take off your shirt and put on that Santa hat over there? Give us a little Christmas strip tease.”
He laughs as he returns to the couch with a small box in his hand. “Open your present first. Then we’ll talk about a strip tease.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “My present? You didn’t have to get me anything.”
He places the box in my lap. “It’s from the both of us.”
My eyes flick between the two of them before I reach for the present. I tear at the corner of the shiny red wrapping paper and peel it away, revealing a black velvet box underneath.
I shake my head as I stare down at the box. “Whatever’s inside this, I can assure you: You did not have to spend your money on me. I don’t need jewelry or anything fancy. You should know that by now.”
Kourtney offers me a soft smile. “Just open it.”
I lift the top, and my mouth falls open. “What is this?”
Jason leans forward and plucks the two rings out of the box, holding up the ring with the thin band and the giant diamond sitting on top of it. “This one is your engagement ring. I picked it out for you, the same way I picked out Kourtney’s.”
“And this one...” Kourtney takes the band from Jason and holds it up. “Is your wedding band. It matches the one Jason and I wear.”
“But why?” Emotion clogs my throat as I try to speak. “Why would you spend all this money on me? You know we can’t get married.”
Kourtney and Jason slide off the couch, and each of them gets down on one knee in front of me.
“We might not be able to get married by law, but we’re married in our hearts.” A tear rolls down Kourtney’s cheek. “You are a part of us. These rings symbolize that you belong to us, and we belong to you.”
“We’re committed to you, kókkino. This is more than friends with benefits. This is more than some agreement for a website. This is forever.” Jason takes my left hand and hovers the ring in front of my ring ringer. “Will you marry us?”
Tears blur my vision as I choke out a sob. “Yes.”
He slides the ring onto my finger, and then Kourtney pushes the band over top of it. I throw my arms around them and tackle them onto the floor.
“Now you can stop referring to me as your best friend’s husband.” Jason claims my mouth and sucks on my bottom lip. “Call me your husband.”
Kourtney pins me on the floor and straddles me, rolling her hips against me as she tears her shirt over her head. “And call me your wife.”
The truth is, it doesn’t matter what you call it.
Husband. Boss Man. Best friend.
Either way, they’re mine.
My family.