“Yeah, you’re right. But that’s enough of the serious talk. I want to know more about you guys.”
I know Knox too well. He sets his chin in his hands with his elbows on the table. “We’re an open book.” He shifts his gaze to me. “Well, at least I am.” He points my way. “But I’ll answer any questions about Ro that he won’t answer for himself.”
I take a swig of my third beer for the night, and Avery finishes the red in her large wineglass. I lean over, pouring her more, and she graciously accepts it.
She swirls it around and finally takes a sip, her eyes bouncing from Knox to myself.
“How did you guys meet?”
This is all superficial, nothing deep, but I can’t imagine she’ll ask the harder questions, inquiring about the chemistry the three of us share.
“We grew up as neighbors. Go figure, right? We were close as friends even though we were opposites.” Knox’s explanation isn’t entirely the truth.
I push the chair back, squeaking it on the floor. On my way to the fridge, I fill in the missing pieces. “He’s being humble. We didn’t quite socialize in the same circles. But Knox, as he’s been his whole life, gave the proverbial middle finger to class and social standings, and the first day in third grade, when someone tried to take my lunch money, he stuck up for me, and we were instant friends.”
It’s funny, Knox is a very arrogant man, but when I gush on and on about the honorable person he truly is, his humility shines through.
“Oh, he’s being dramatic,” Knox insists.
“Even his own father didn’t want him hanging out with the likes of me. But then again, Knox didn’t care. He could have played and would have excelled at any sport, but he chose art. And he was still in the in crowd, being protected all through school.”
“So, wait, you were friends?” We both nod at her, and Knox takes the beer opener, popping the caps to both our lagers.
“When did this start?” She points at Knox and me.
“You mean, when did we become a couple?” I ask. She gives me a bob of her head as her answer. “About four years ago. We’d graduated from college nine years ago. But having been given great opportunities in the same town, we moved here together.”
“That’s what brought you to Lovelace, Montana? But where is home for you both?”
With a nice swig of beer, Knox answers for us. “We’re both from Indiana. Went to Notre Dame.”
I know the question is coming, as it always does when the subject of a same sex couple attending the more conservative Catholic university comes up in conversation.
“Wait, you two went to Notre Dame?”
I turn to Knox, and he gestures he’ll answer it this time. “Yeah, my dad would only pay for me to attend his alma mater. And I wasn’t out, or understood what I wanted in life, then. Ro got in on a scholarship. We didn’t flaunt our sexuality during that time, but it’s where I realized I loved both men and women.”
“Wow, that’s pretty impressive, but why the tundra of Montana? Anything other than a great opportunity?”
I swing my gaze to my man to see if he’ll answer, and when he takes a deep breath, I know he’s about to explain his dad. “For me, I wanted as much space between my old man and me as I could get.” She furrows her brows in a silent question. “For many reasons. I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps to become a doctor. He never liked Rowan and thought he was a bad influence on me. And I’d figured out my first year in college that I was bisexual.”
“And you?” she asks, and although her first question wasn’t deep, she’s sure digging now.
“I applied for several doctoral programs. I was accepted in many, but when our futures were aligning, it made sense to continue with the one friend who’s always been there for me. My parents were very accepting of my sexuality. And I think I’d always had feelings for Knox, but I wasn’t going to risk our friendship.”
Avery holds up her hands. “You don’t have to continue baring your souls. I’ll stop asking questions. I’m sure the rest is pretty personal.”
“No, we’ll answer anything from you.” Knox begins, “Ro started dating this dweeb in his PhD program. The unexplained anger and jealousy I experienced was something I couldn’t figure out. I hadn’t seen the asshole at the apartment in over a week, and when I asked, Ro mentioned they broke up. He didn’t have feelings for him. I took the opportunity and pushed his fine ass against the wall and kissed him. And as they say, the rest is history.”
I love hearing his story, but then again, he left out some important information. “I broke up with Ed. And he wasn’t an asshole. I just didn’t love him. I couldn’t see myself loving him because I’d been in love with Knox for a while.”
Knox leans in and turns my face to him, placing a kiss on my lips. “I love it when you share a part of our story.” I cup his cheek, but I don’t mind showing this emotion in front of Avery.
“You two are so freaking cute.” Pushing her seat back, she grabs her dishes, then walks around us and places them in the sink. She stops at the refrigerator at the picture of our good friends Bodhi and Clara. “Who is this cute little boy here? A nephew maybe?”
“Meet Declan. We went to Notre Dame with his mom and dad.” I stand, pointing at Clara and Bodhi.
She stares at the picture where Clara is holding both man’s hands while their new partner, Jack, has their son in his arms.
“Okay, now upon further inspection, what am I looking at?” she asks.
Knox lets out a little laugh. “Funny story. Clara, Bodhi, and Jack are a committed triad. Both men are bisexual, and they all love one another.”
Her mouth falls open. “Oh, shit, I must seem rather rude. I mean, wow, it’s cool, but I’ve never heard of this before.”
“Honestly, for those who are bisexual, it’s a great idea. If you find the right connection between three people.”
“Is this something you’ve ever thought about?” she asks, then smacks her lips as if she’d like to take her question back.
Knox encircles my waist with his hands, looking around me. “It’s a funny question. We’ve never considered it because we never thought we could find someone who shares the same chemistry with us that we share together. That was until…”
Avery stands still, waiting for me to finish my sentence. “Until what?” she asks.
My eyes connect with hers, and Knox’s arms pull me closer. I’m going to give her the answer because this is our in, our chance. “That was until now—until you.”
7
Avery
I make the most asinine excuse at Rowan’s declaration and fly back home. I didn’t imagine the attraction both men have for me. And at the same time, I can’t ignore how my heart beats differently when both men are in my presence.
I can’t sleep. The idea of both men flanking me in my bed—or theirs, I guess it doesn’t matter—makes it almost impossible not to grab my vibrator with images of both of them attending to my needs. Would they start at my pussy, ripping off my panties, tearing them from my body? Are they the kind of men who can unfasten my bra with one hand? Do they pebble kisses up and down my body, or would they ravish me with little love bites?