This is what family is supposed to be, after all, and the only profound, life-altering thing to happen tonight was me realizing that this is exactly what I want for my future. Gaining more beautiful family members—the best kind,found family. Making wonderful memories together. Loving and accepting one another.
The house is still in a bit of disarray, but Lauren seems unfazed by it as she slips in bed next to me while Caleb is still out chatting with Cam and getting ready for bed himself. She snuggles in next to me, clinging to me something fierce. I can tell, however, that this is her contented cling, not her anxious one.
I kiss the top of her head. “I love you, Lo.”
She tilts her head up, smiling at me. “Love you too, Marco. Today wentsomuch better than I thought.”
I nod. “Agreed.”
“Imagine ifyourparents had come up for Thanksgiving,” she hums, then shudders.
I scoff. “I’d rather not. Dad would have had a meltdown and insisted that I changed. Would have set the whole dinner off on a sour note. Then, Mom would have just sat back and allowed it, which is just as bad.”
“You know they’re going to guilt trip you into having us go back down there for Christmas though, right?”
“Fuck,” I groan. “I’m running out of excuses to give them as to why we can’t. That, and I’m sure they’ll be even more jaded if they find out your parents are coming up, and we didn’t extend an invite to them to do the same.”
Lo winces. “I haven’t heard from Xavier, but I’m pretty sure Grady is coming with my parents this year too,” she adds, referencing her brothers.
I roll my eyes. “Fuck, seriously? All Grady does is make fart jokes about everything. He’s thirty-four, for cripe’s sake. Growupalready.”
Lauren giggles. “I wanna say he’s toned it down a bit, but… this is my brother we’re talking about.”
I moan, tossing my arm over my eyes. “Ugh, whyyy,Lo?! Why’d you tell him he could come?”
She sighs. “Because Brody’s been gaming with him online lately, and Grady promised him he’d come up and they’d have an all night video game bender.”
I huff. “Whatever, as long as he’s making Brody’s holiday, I guess that’s what matters.”
When Caleb finally slips in the bedroom, all my disdain immediately melts away. He saunters over, shirtless and sexy as hell, to my side of the bed.
“Scoot over,” he signs to me.
“Oooh, big spooning me tonight?” I tease him, shifting both Lauren and myself over.
He grins. “More like the little spoon awkwardly trying to slot himself in behind the big spoon.”
I fold back the covers for him, letting him in. He scooches up behind me, lazily draping his arm over my waist, and kisses the back of my shoulder. I twist my neck, looking back at him.
“Love you, C,” I hum, taking note of just how exhausted, yet content, he appears.
His hand spreads over my stomach, forming the sign for “I love you.”
Lauren makes the same sign, pressing her hand to his. He peers up over my shoulder, pursing his lips and blowing a kiss at her. She mirrors the same gesture before resting her head back down on her pillow and shutting her eyes.
I can’t help but smile, sandwiched between the two of them, because tonight I know we’re all too exhausted to partake in any between the sheets activities, and still I’m about to drift off completely satisfied with both my life partners. Even in the quiet moments, I still feel loved and adored. There’s intimacy here, even when there isn’t any intent onsexualintimacy. We’re just three people wholly in love with one another.
They fill my sails. Leading us into uncharted waters, yes, but I trust the ship we’ve built. I trust its bones, the very structure of it. It is going to be able to withstand whatever lies ahead of us.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Life is going pretty damn good right about now. I keep waiting and waiting for the other shoe to drop, but the longer I go without that happening, the more hopeful I become about it just never dropping. Sure, not everything isperfect—that’d be a fairytale and this is real life—but it feels so close, like it’s something tangible that I can just reach out and grasp, at this point.
My house sold in just under two weeks of being on the market. I want to say Lauren’s friend, Sarah, is a real-estate badass for that feat. Cash! Ten thousandoverthe asking price! I mean, holy shit, not only have I been able to put a retainer down on a half-decent lawyer this time, but I’ve also got something in the works for a family vacation—a cruise for when the kids are on spring break in April.
That part’s a secret I’m holding onto for Lauren and Marcus. I can’t wait to surprise them with it for Christmas, which is the day after tomorrow. Though, I have been teasing little nuggets about it here and there, trying to plan our excursions for when the boat is docked.Marcusdoeswant to go swimming with pigs, Laurendoeswant to try snorkeling, and Brodydoeslove waterslides. I already know Cameron enjoys zip-lining, so that was an obvious pick.
All of it sounds just badass enough to satisfy everyone’s tastes, but also safe enough to allow myself to breathe a sigh of relief that we all get to come back unharmed.
