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Blake rolls to his side, mirroring Jace so he can see both of us, although I know he’s really talking to me. Am I ready to be the topic of conversation? Probably not. But I have to trust that the three of us together can handle anything the outside world throws at us.
I take a fortifying breath and meet Blake’s wary gaze. “I’m ready.”
Chapter 28
Blake
Thisisit.Ourfirst outing as a throuple—or whatever Jace calls it. I’m still not convinced it’s actually a term, but whatever. The three of us are solid, and that’s all that matters.
To be honest, while I’m ready to take this step, I don’t love the idea of going out the day after we got outed. I’d rather enjoy our new relationship just the three of us, because there’s no one else I want to see right now. But that would be perceived as hiding, which will only fuel baseless rumors. Stuff like one of us was cheating on the other, which couldn’t be further from the truth. That’s why we decided to face things head on.
The Underground isn’t overly crowded when we arrive, so we find a booth in the corner—not hiding exactly—but not putting ourselves on display, either. We all sit on one side, saving the other for Axel and Lennon, who are going to join us in a show of support. That’s not really necessary, but I appreciate it all the same, even if it did take coming out of the closet to get Lennon to take an unplanned night off.
Sandwiched between Jace and Becca I’m actually feeling calm, despite being acutely aware of the not-so-subtle glances boring into the back of my head.
“Nervous?” Jace clasps my thigh under the table.
“Only in the sense that some people might be offended I didn’t come out sooner.” Small towns are a lot like family in the sense that they always want to know what’s going on, and can feel slighted when they don’t.
“You think they’ll object?” Becca lays her hand on my arm.
“I think they’ll have trouble wrapping their heads around it at first, which I think is pretty natural considering I did the same thing. Especially my friends, who never knew I’m into guys, too. I don’t think they’ll object, though.” I chew on my lip as I try to imagine how the night will go.
A pitcher and several glasses banging on the table pulls me out of my head. “How are the local celebrities doing?” Axel shoots Jace a playful wink.
“Don’t be a dick.” Jace flicks him off.
“I’m not.” Axel holds his hands up innocently. “You three are the talk of the town, how are you handling it?”
“The talk is behind our backs.” I jerk my head over my shoulder. “You tell us how we should handle it.”
Lennon cocks her head to the side thoughtfully. “Well, half the people are saying they knew all along…”
“No surprise there,” I mutter. “Nona likes to believe she knows everything, and I’m sure her friends are claiming the same.”
Lennon shoots me a wry smile. “Exactly. The other half are surprised they didn’t pick up on it since you never really had a girlfriend or whored yourself out like Cade used to and Deacon still does. And everyone, including the two of us,” she gestures between herself and Axel, “want to know if they make beds big enough for three people.”
Becca chokes on a sip of beer and Jace chuckles while I wipe a hand down my face.
“Seriously, do they? I bet Leni and I could make good use of a bed that big.” Lennon rolls her eyes. “What?” He shrugs innocently. “Tell me you wouldn’t have fun breaking that in.”
That earns him a swat on the arm, and unfortunately, I don’t miss the flare of heat in her gaze that comes with it.
We sip our beers and make small talk for the next hour or so, mostly about the work projects we all have going on. Since we all consider our jobs to be more like play, it's less of a bitchfest and more of a brag session. I’m so engrossed, I totally forget about this being ourbig revealuntil I hear Deacon’s voice echoing through the room as he orders a round of shots.
“When are they ever gonna get tired of that game?” Lennon groans.
“Itispretty funny.” Jace faces me, waggling his eyebrows. “How come you didn’t try to pick me up with some sexy shots the first time I came through town?”
“Because I tried to pick you up with an offer for a massage instead, which you didn’t take me up on by the way.”
“I would’ve if we’d stayed in town.” He bites the corner of his lip suggestively. “Did you buy Becca a sexy shot?”
“Actually, I picked him up.” She gives Jace a little half-shrug when he gapes at her.
“You both picked me up in that bar. Best two nights of my life, until you both moved here permanently.” I sip my beer while astonished looks zing around the table.
“Wait – are you saying we picked you up back-to-back? As in the three of us narrowly missed each other in Utah?” Jace’s mouth drops open.
