Font Size:  

Archer

Archer knew that his news wasn’t going to go over well with either Grace or Jon, but he was going to have to go to France on business for at least a month, and leaving them now, just after they had all moved in together, wasn’t the best idea. But he had no choice. His boss explained that they needed him in France, and he had to go. Now, he just had to tell Jon and Grace that he was going to have to leave the day after tomorrow and he was sure that his news wasn’t going to go over well with either of them.

“I’m fucked,” he mumbled to himself on the way into their place.

“Hey there,” Grace said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes and Jon’s on his way home now. Don’t forget that we have therapy tonight, just the two of us.”

“Of course,” he said. The two of them had a lot of issues to work out. Before he left, he felt as if their marriage was deteriorating around them, and Gracie had admitted the same. He had let his secrets cloud his judgment and she had kept a few of her own secrets over the years. It was best for all three of them if he and Grace could work out some of their issues before they got too tangled up with each other. He was in love with two people and always had been and that was a lot to unload on his wife. Plus, leaving her left Grace with abandonment issues that he never wanted for her. It was never his intent to hurt her the way that he had but leaving her felt like his only option at the time. He needed to figure out his own life before he could come clean with Grace and tell her about wanting Jon to be a part of everything that they had built together. Sure, things had worked out great, but they still had underlying issues that if left unchecked, could turn into major problems later for the three of them.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re never this quiet when you get home from work. Has something happened?” she questioned.

“Yes,” he admitted. During their very first therapy session, they made each other a promise to always give each other the truth. “I found out this afternoon that I have to go to France.”

“Well, that’s fantastic news, Arch,” she said. “Why do you look like someone just killed your puppy?”

“Because I have to be gone for a whole month,” he said. “Possibly longer if the deal takes more time than planned.”

“Can you come home at all?” she asked.

“Not really,” he admitted. “I will be in meetings pretty much around the clock, and my boss will be coming with me, so I’ll have to be on my best behavior.”

“Have you told him about the three of us yet?” she asked. They were trying to decide how to navigate this whole threesome thing that they were living. It was more than that, really, since the three of them had decided to try to make a go of being in a committed relationship together. Telling other people was the hard part though. Not everyone would understand what they were doing together, and some people might judge them quite harshly for their lifestyle choice.

“No,” he breathed. “I just can’t figure out how to tell him that I’m in a committed thrupple with my wife and my best friend from childhood. I mean, how does one begin a conversation like that?”

“You’re right,” she said. “I get it because I’ve still not told my boss about us. As far as anyone else knows, I’m still married to you and only you. Hell, I didn’t even tell anyone that we were separated.” He winced when she used the word, “Separated”.

“Do you have to say it like that?” he asked.

“How else would you like for me to say it, Arch? You left and we weren’t living together. We were in separate houses, so using the word, ‘Separated’ is the correct terminology.”

“Right,” he breathed. “So, how to we go from being a happily married twosome to a very happy threesome?” he asked. She looked at him and shrugged. “Wait—you are happy, right Gracie?” he asked.

“More and more with each passing day,” she assured. “I wasn’t sure how this was going to work out between the three of us, but I have to say that it has. Jon moving into our home and our bedroom has been the best decision that we’ve ever made as a couple. I feel closer to you than I ever have knowing your deep, dark secret now.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “I feel the exact same way, honey,” he promised.

The front door swung open, and Jon smiled in at the two of them. “Are you two getting started without me?” he teased.

“No,” Grace said. “I was just telling Arch how happy you both make me.” She crossed the room to give Jon the same attention she just had Archer.

“You see now, that’s a proper welcome home kiss,” he teased. He pulled Archer into their little embrace as he seemed to be standing by, waiting his turn. “You want to give it a shot now, babe?” Jon asked.

Archer flashed him his wicked grin and pulled Jon in to seal his mouth over his. It would never get old kissing Jon and that was just fine with Archer. He wasn’t going to let the worry of coming out clog his happiness. But telling their friends and family about the three of them being together would open the door to so many other questions. The first being—are you and Jon together and Archer wouldn’t lie about that, no matter how uncomfortable it might make others. He especially worried about them telling their families about the three of them sharing life together now. He had a feeling that Grace’s parents would be the most accepting, but they had proven him wrong about other things in the past. Her parents were free spirits, hippies even, and Archer was sure that they’d be fine with their choice to share their lives together.

Jon’s parents, on the other hand, were strict Catholics, and telling them that he and Jon had been in love with each other for years but were too afraid to come out of the closet and do anything about it, wouldn’t make a difference to them. He knew that Jon stood the chance of losing the most when they all started sharing their news, and that sucked.

Archer really didn’t have the best relationship with either of his parents. They had gotten divorced when he was a teenager and disappointing them seemed to be his mission in life through college. His father didn’t even bother to attend his wedding to Grace and had basically written him off. His mother came around occasionally when she needed something from him, but other than that, she left him and Grace alone. He really didn’t care what either parent thought of his life decisions since they lost that right when they both left him high and dry.

Besides, the only family that he needed was standing on either side of him now. He had Grace and Jon and that was all that mattered. Everyone else could shove their opinions about what they were doing, up their asses for all he cared.

“Dinner smells amazing,” Jon praised. Grace seemed to soak up every compliment that Jon gave her. It was something that Archer lacked, and he knew that together, they were able to give Grace exactly what she had always needed. Together, they made up her perfect man and that thought made him want to laugh since he felt the same way about Grace and Jon.

“Don’t forget that you two have therapy tonight,” Jon said. He was always so supportive.

“Archer has some news,” Grace said.

“It could have waited until after dinner,” Archer chided. “I’d hate to ruin the meal that you made, Grace.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like