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But that’s not our reality.
“Crew’s right. We did talk about this,” I say. “We all have our own relationships with her but when it comes to the big picture, like where we all live, how we all fit into her life, and what fucking forever looks like, it’s a we. And it’s because of you and Danielle!” I wouldn’t call this shouting, exactly, but from the way Danielle pulls back and presses closer to Michael, she might define it differently. “You and Danielle were the ones who first suggested this whole fucking sharing thing. You’re the ones who assured us this could work. And you–” I point at Michael, “are the one that keeps things from unraveling!”
He blows out a frustrated breath. “The dad. I know that’s my place in the relationship but fuck, you guys, I don’t want to always be the glue. Not when I know what I want and Dani wants the same thing and you are two grown-assed men who say you’re committed to this thing. Why can’t I be the one with big emotions and you and Crew be the ones to figure things out this time?”
“You want me to be the glue?” I ask, taking a step forward. “You want me to give a solution? Fine. Danielle and I get married. We go on our honeymoon. We get back. You and Danielle have your commitment ceremony, go on your honeymoon—”
“We did not decide who would be her legal husband!” Hughes roars.
“Exactly! Because we didn’t talk about it again!” I shout back.
“Holy shit!” Crew exclaims. “Can everyone just slow the fuck down?”
“Hey!”
We all stop and look at Danielle.
She’s stepped away from Michael and is standing in the middle of us.
She looks pissed. She’s breathing hard as she looks from Michael to me to Crew. She looks at Michael when she asks, “You all talked about this?” she asks again.
He nods.
“You told them you wanted to propose?”
“Yes. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”
“But you all discussed a bunch of different possibilities, about how this would all work, who I would be married to, who I’d have kids with, all of that…without me.”
He sighs, but admits it. “Yes.”
Now she looks at me. “And you didn’t come up with a situation where you were all happy?”
“No. We all had different ideas about how it would work.”
She looks at Crew. “And you’re freaking out.”
He shoves a hand through his hair. “Not freaking out. Just feeling a little…steamrolled.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Because you don’t want to do any of that. The marriage or commitment ceremony or anything.”
“We just moved in together,” he repeats, but he sounds less frustrated and more apologetic now.
Danielle swallows hard. She looks from him to me, then up at Michael. Then she takes a deep breath. “I need some…space. Right now.”
She steps away from Michael and starts toward the stairs.
“Dani,” Michael says softly. “This doesn’t change things between us.”
“The fuck it doesn’t,” I say, angrily. “You’re not going to be The Husband with Crew and I as the extra boyfriends or sidekicks or whatever.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Michael says, clearly frustrated.
“So I’m the asshole, right?” Crew asks. “The three of you want something I don’t. Are we going to vote or something and then I’ll lose and just have to go along with it?” He looks angry.
I glance at Danielle. She’s on the verge of tears. My heart squeezes, but I know she will not welcome my reaching for her.
“Of course not,” Michael says, falling into his role of trying to work things out despite what he just said a minute ago. “No one loses here, Crew. But no one gets forced into something they don’t want either.”
