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“Bryony overcame her stuff and I have faith your woman will too. Hell, let’s face it. Women are tougher than men. The stuff they live through is unbelievable. They may bend a little, but they don’t break. Cassia is just like the other old ladies. When are you supposed to take her to see Neriah?”
“No set time. I hate to pull her away now that she’s finally started to relax.”
“Why don’t you ask them to come over here? She’ll have the three of us to support her and it won’t be as intimidating.”
I liked his idea, so I sent off a text to Tiger.
Me: Would you guys be willing to come to Storm’s house to meet Cassia? She’s nervous and knows them a little. She and Neriah have something to talk about.
Tiger: I’ll ask. WTF are you talking about? What did you learn yesterday about her?
Me: Something I didn’t expect.
Tiger: Fine. Give me a few minutes to round up the other two then we’ll be there. Tell Storm to have the coffee ready.
Me: Thanks. I’ll tell him.
Storm got started on making another pot of coffee while I went to tell her we had visitors coming. “Babe, Storm had a good suggestion. He thought it would be better if Tiger, Thorn and Neriah come here to meet you. I asked and they’ll be here in a few.”
Her smile slipped. I took one of her hands and kissed it. “Don’t worry. They’re going to love you.”
“Can I ask a silly question?” she asked. I nodded yes. “You call Thorn and Tiger her old men. Do you mean they’re both with her, like Storm is with Bryony?”
Bryony laughed. “Well, yes and no. In their case, Tiger and Thorn are both husbands, I guess, to her but also to each other. They’re bisexual. We have another threesome here. Steel and Hammer are with Regan, but they’re not with each other that way.”
Cassia’s eyes widened. “Really? And everyone is okay with that? Two husbands and them being together?”
I heard the worry in her voice. I was quick to settle her mind. “Babe, it’s not like what you grew up with. No one is forced into it here. It just so happens that’s how it worked out. Hammer and Steel were best friends and wanted to find a woman they both could build a family with. They lucked out and found Regan. In Tiger and Thorn’s case, none of us knew they were involved with each other or were bisexual until Neriah came on the scene. That’s when they came out. Hell, I have no idea why they hid it. We don’t give a damn who anyone loves as long as they’re legal and consent.”
“Sorry, I don’t mean to sound like I’m criticizing them. I’m not. I just know that people in general aren’t very tolerant of relationships with more than two partners or those of the same sex. If everyone is like you said, legal and it’s consensual, then it’s their business, not mine.”
“We weren’t taking it that way,” I assured her. I was kept from saying anything else by the knock at the door. Storm went to answer it. Moments later, he came back with the three we were expecting. I saw them checking out Cassia. She was trying not to be obvious that she was doing the same. I made the introductions.
“Thanks for coming over here. Cassia, I’d like to introduce you to my brothers, Tiger and Thorn, and this is their old lady, Neriah. Everyone, this is Cassia Parrish.” She handed Tristan back to Bryony and stood. All three shook her hand.
Neriah was staring at her. I hadn’t said anything to any of them about her being at the Church of Converts. She looked like she was trying to puzzle something out. They sat down while Storm got the guys some coffee. Neriah passed. She never looked away from Cassia and I could tell it was making her nervous. Time to get this over with.
“Neriah, I need to ask you something. I know you left South Dakota when you were twelve. Do you by any chance recall any of the other kids who lived there? They might have been younger than you?”
“There were tons of kids, Blade. Why are you asking me that? I thought you wanted us to meet Cassia. I assumed from what Thorn and Tiger told me after church yesterday, she’s special to you.”
Cassia blushed and dropped her gaze to the floor.
“Yes, she is special. I do want you to meet her, but yesterday I found out some things. Cassia, does she look familiar to you?”
I heard Neriah gasp and she glanced between her men. Comprehension dawned on her face. Cassia looked back at Neriah. As she searched Neriah’s face, Neriah did the same to her. Suddenly, Neriah leaned forward. “Cas-Cas, is that you?”
Cassia burst into tears. I hugged her tight to me. Neriah got up out of her chair and came over to sit on the other side of her. She put an arm around her too. It took her several minutes to calm down enough to speak. “Ne-Ne? Oh my God, I can’t believe it’s you! It’s been years. What happened to you and your family? We were told you died in a car accident.”
“Cas-Cas, we had to leave. Hiram was going to force me to marry him. My parents wouldn’t allow that to happen. My dad figured out a way to get us out of there. How in the world are you here? When did you leave them? Is the rest of your family here?” Neriah asked excitedly. That excitement faded when she saw Cassia’s look of pain.
“Please, tell me you weren’t forced to marry one of those bastards,” she pleaded.
“I wish I could, but I won’t lie. You were so lucky to get away from them and their madness. Have you been here the whole time? What are the odds of both of us moving to the same town?”
“No, we moved all over. A little over three years ago, Mom and Dad decided to settle here, and I came with them. I’m a schoolteacher. I teach third grade. Cas, did the incident at the compound a few months ago displace you?”
“No, it didn’t. I didn’t even know about that until Blade told me yesterday. It’s weird, but I came here three years ago, too. The lady who helped me get away is the one who recommended I move here. She thought it was far enough from South Dakota that no one would find me.”
