Chapter 34 Reece
Reece
Aurora pauses on the sidewalk, a few feet from Sadie’s downtown Charleston rental, a frown creasing her brow. “All jokes aside, your sister is fantastic. I already love her. But if you’re uncomfortable, we leave. No questions asked.”
It’s late Thursday, less than a week before Christmas. The air is crisp, the historical streets are decked out for the holidays, horse-drawn carriages clop along, and the pastel houses twinkle with lights. All this charm to appreciate, and she’s staring at me, worried about me.
“I’m fine, princess. We’re only seeing my sister tonight.” I hoist my bag higher on my uninjured shoulder while Ethan and Jax grab theirs from the trunk of the Uber. “Being here with you makes this easier.”
It’s true, even though I thought it’d be the opposite. I feared my family would offend her, reject her and our relationship, and ruin my sister’s wedding when I stormed out of here. I dreaded Aurora’s reaction to my parents’ conservative views, but she seems to have embraced them, at least for now.
She hasn’t met them yet. They haven’t met her. My mom can be intrusive and loves to give backhanded compliments. My dad is judgmental and self-righteous, all in the name of his religion. I still may end up pissed off and storming out.
“I know how much Sadie’s wedding means to you.” Aurora’s eyes search mine. “And she wants you to be here above all else.”
Between my two sisters, I’ve always felt closest to Sadie. She’s the youngest—nearly five years younger than me—so it’s only natural I look after her.
Jax joins us, tilting his head back to admire the pink three-story townhouse with its ornate white trim and wrought-iron balconies. “I’ve never been to Charleston. It’s beautiful. If anything, we’ll have a fun babymoon.” He shrugs.
Ethan steps up beside him. “No matter what, we leave here together. We have Christmas together. We go on with our life together.”
I twist the diamond in my ear and release a heavy exhale.
Never did I imagine these three with me—supporting me—during my first return home in years.
“My parents will be at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow,” I warn as I guide them toward Sadie’s porch.
“They’ll have opinions about everything. Just ignore them.”
The door swings open, and I hear my sister’s shriek before seeing her.
Bright-eyed and beaming, she launches herself at Aurora, wrapping her arms around her neck. “You’re here!”
“Oh.” Aurora stumbles backward, cheeks flushed.
I steady her with a hand on her lower back. “Careful, Sades. If you hurt her, Ethan will never let her come again,” I joke—partly.
“Sorry.” She pulls away to examine Aurora’s baby bump. “I’m so excited to meet you! My brother tells me absolutely nothing. I was shocked when you called. I still can’t believe you’re dating.”
“It’s fine.” Aurora gives her a warm smile. “I’m glad to be here.”
Sadie turns her attention to Ethan and Jackson. “And these must be your other…partners?” she asks me, not Aurora, a genuine question in her tone, her brows raised.
Is that what they’re called? My first instinct is to reply, “Fuck no.” But we’re something more than friends, aren’t we? Maybe?
“We’re a family,” Jax explains. “He’s Aurora’s other boyfriend. I’m her husband.”
He says it with attitude, and she laughs.
“Don’t listen to him.” I shake my head but can’t hide my grin. “Sadie, this is Jackson.” I gesture to him. “And this is Ethan. They are…” I pause, looking at Ethan, who gives me a subtle nod. “They’re partners.”
My sister gently embraces me, careful not to touch my arm. “Well, any rare friends of my brother’s are friends of mine.” She glances up at me, her eyes glistening. “Harper is here with Danny, but y’all can have the upstairs guest suite.”
I tighten an arm around her. “We can stay at a hotel if you’d like.”
“Nonsense. I miss you, and you’re in desperate need of a haircut.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling. “You wanna give me one? I wanna get a tattoo.”
Her fiancé is a renowned tattoo artist who has done a few of my pieces, and I have another planned.
“I guess I have to, don’t I?” She slaps my bicep before breaking away and leading us into the foyer.
The interior is as charming as the exterior—exposed brick walls, plank hardwood floors, rustic wooden beams, well-loved furniture, and a Christmas tree glowing in front of the window.
Harper, my older sister, stands in the living room archway with my nephew on her hip. “Look who finally showed up,” she says with a mix of teasing and scorn. “Your Uncle Reece.”
Her demeanor is similar to my own, whereas Sadie is the bubbly one.
Danny, now four, peers at me with big, blue eyes—eyes that match mine and my sister’s. He buries his face in her neck, suddenly shy, and my chest tightens. The last time I saw him, he was learning to walk.
“Hey, Harp.” I step forward, unsure if I should hug her. She hasn’t been my biggest fan, and she hasn’t had an easy life as a military wife either.
She decides for me and pulls me into a one-armed embrace. “It’s nice to see you smiling. I almost didn’t recognize you.” Her gaze shifts to Aurora. “And this must be the model I’ve heard so much about.”
Her tone is neutral, but I don’t miss the assessment in her eyes as she scans our girl from head to toe.
Determined to win over my family, Aurora smiles and extends her hand. “Aurora. It’s lovely to meet you.”
Harper moves Danny to her other hip and takes Aurora’s hand. “It’s nice to meet the woman who finally got my brother to come home.” Her focus drifts to Aurora’s stomach. “And with a baby on the way.”
“Harper,” I interject. “Enough.”
Aurora laughs nervously. “It’s complicated.”
Harper’s attention slides to Ethan and Jackson, who stand close behind Aurora. “And you two are…?”
“The complicated part.” Ethan steps forward to shake her hand. “Ethan.”
Jax follows with his usual smirk. “Jackson, the husband, the fun one, the good-looking one…”
“Obviously,” Harper says dryly.
“Dad is going to have a fucking aneurysm,” Harper mutters. “I hope you warned them. He still believes any day now, you’ll have some epiphany, retire, and come home. Follow in his footsteps.”
She sits on the rug in front of the Christmas tree, Danny between her legs while he colors on a sketch pad. As his assistant, holding the box of markers, I sit beside them.
Aurora rummages through Sadie’s closet for a dress to wear to the wedding, Jax wanders around, examining the architecture, and Ethan reclines on the couch, working on his phone.
“That’ll never happen. Why do you think I’m staying with Sadie?”
My parents’ carefully constructed world of church potlucks and prayer circles doesn’t include their only son being in a polyamorous relationship.
It also didn’t include Sadie attending college and marrying a tattoo artist. Harper was the only one who followed the traditional script, and she’s not exactly happy.
“Is that why you’re here?” I ask gently. “To avoid Mom and Dad?”
When we went upstairs to unload our bags, it was clear Harper and Danny were living in one of the bedrooms—boxes stacked in the corner, clothes draped over a chair, dinosaur toys scattered across the floor, a twin bed against the wall with a portable crib wedged between it and the dresser.
She avoids meeting my eyes. “It’s only temporary. We needed somewhere to stay, and Sadie offered to watch Danny while I worked at her salon.”
Upon hearing his name, my nephew lifts his picture for her to admire.
She brushes his pale blond hair back from his forehead and kisses his crown. “Good job, buddy.”
I hand Danny a blue marker when he points to it. He’s awfully quiet for a four-year-old. “You’ve been here a while, Harp. He’s too big for that crib. You should’ve called me.”
Her gaze snaps to mine. “And say what?” Her voice is sharp, bitterness lacing her tone. “Hey, brother who dropped off the face of the Earth, can you save me from my failed marriage?” She shakes her head. “You helped Sadie; she helped me. End of story.”
Guilt hits me hard, twisting in my gut, and I force myself to breathe through it. I can’t turn back time.
I helped Sadie by paying her college expenses—because my parents refused.
They disapproved of her getting a business degree, or any degree at all.
She earned the scholarships and worked her way to owning and managing a successful day spa.
All I did was ensure she had food, books, and a roof over her head. Harper was already married.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I couldn’t sit in church and listen to Dad talk about God’s plan after Afghanistan, you know?” And I couldn’t bear to let my sisters see me broken.
Her expression softens. “You had your own shit to deal with. I get it, and Dad has only gotten worse.”
How much worse can he get? He’s pretty much set in his ways.
“I’m here now.” I bump my shoulder into hers. “Things have changed.”
“I noticed.” She gives me a sidelong glance. “What’s up with that?”
“Exactly what it looks like. We’re a family.”
“The oddest family I’ve ever seen.”
“It works.” I run my hand through my overgrown hair. “I love her, Harp. I can’t picture myself with anyone else.”
She studies me for a long moment. “And the other two?”
“They’re part of the package. It’s new, but we all support each other.”
“You’re okay with that?” She arches a brow in disbelief. “Y’all sleep together? In the same bed?”
“Ah…” I waver, uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation. We are sharing a room with only one bed. “Not usually. I still don’t sleep well, and the guys are away half the year.”
“And you’re with her?”
“Yes.”
“Is the baby yours then?”
“No, and it doesn’t matter,” I reply with conviction, believing it myself. “Enough with the interrogation. Jesus, should I grill you about your husband? You’re sounding like Mom.”
Her eyes narrow to slits. “That’s rude. Really fucking rude.”
“Language,” Sadie hisses, suddenly in front of us. “Don’t start, you two. Tonight is drama-free. Tomorrow will be a shitshow.” She claps her hands and beams at Aurora, who stands beside her with a wary expression. “We’re going out—for a girls’ night.”
“What?” I ask, dumbfounded. Ain’t no fucking way Aurora is going out for a girls’ night. Not to be controlling, but it’s not safe.
“We’re going shopping. You too, Harp. Come on, you could use a break.”
Harper scoffs. “Danny is heading to bed soon.”
“We’ll wait, and Reece can watch him.” Sadie flashes a self-satisfied grin in my direction.
I push myself up from the floor. “Just the three of you?”
She nods. “Your girlfriend needs a dress and shoes. She’s taller than I am.”
“She’s being nice. My belly is too big,” Aurora adds, her hand on her swollen stomach.
“Not happening.” Ethan sets his phone down, his stormy gaze fixed on our girl. “You’re not going out alone.”
Sadie’s brows furrow. “But Macy’s is only a few blocks away, and I know the formal staff personally.”
“It’s not up for discussion. One of us goes with you,” he tells Aurora. “Take Jax; he enjoys shopping.”
“What if I want you to come with me?” She crosses her arms over her chest, cocks her head, and purses her lips.
Jackson snorts from across the room. “Pick me up some sneakers so I can do some jogging. I forgot mine.”
Ethan releases a heavy sigh, stands, and slides his phone into his pocket. “Fine. Let’s go.”
And that’s how Jax and I end up alone with a toddler.