“Oh, it gets worse. Joaquin is still super-friendly with the family he used to be a foreman for, and they have this gorgeous sunset trail ride and, apparently, he took Colt with him. They went up to this overlook with an amazing view of the night sky, and they camped out overnight.”
“So the overnights are what’s really making you jealous?”
“I didn’t say I was jealous.”
Roly snorts, raising his eyebrows at me. “Babes, some things are just obvious. And…yeah. You look jealous as hell right now.”
I scrunch my face. “Well, yeah. Our one threesome was fuckingfire. Colt let us DP him. And now they're both like,yeah,that was great,but we don't need you anymore.”
“I'm sure it's not like that at all.”
“Whatever. But that's still not the worst of it.”
“Oh, come now. Tell Uncle Roly what happened,” he says, patting my arm.
I yank my arm away from him as we follow the pretty drive. “They got tattoos together.”
Roly’s eyes widen. “Wait, what? They got matching tattoos? How long have they been together?”
“It wasn’tmatchingtattoos, but they both had ideas for tattoos and decided to get their separate tattoos at the same time. And they used my tattoo guy.”
Roly snorts. “Man, you've got it bad.”
“You don't think they’re flaunting it?”
“Maybe.” He thinks on it for a few more seconds. “Here's the thing, if theyareflaunting it, I’ll ask again—what’s their goal? Are they trying to hurt you?”
I shake my head. “No, they're both incredibly kind. Generous. Sweet, even.”
“So if they’re shoving it in your face—which I'm not convinced of, by the way,” he says, elbowing me. “But if they are, maybe they're not flaunting it. Maybe they're trying to tempt you.”
I roll my eyes as we pass the huge mansions built into the pretty rolling hills.
“Well, I wish they’d fucking stop. It rocks the goddamn boat at the ranch, and I'm just now finally feeling some sense of equilibrium since—”
I cut off my own words, but it’s too late. Roly already knows something’s off.
“Since what, Wick?”
I head under 360 and keep following the hilly roadway, my chest rising and falling as I try to figure out a way to give him context without completely falling apart.
“I never told you about her. Um, Renée. She was the wife of the guy who owned the ranch. She passed away two years ago, and years before that, the three of us had a temporary situation that got a little out of hand, at least in the heart department. At least for me.”
“Well, I guess if you could have those kinds of feelings for one person, I bet you could have those kinds of feelings for someone else. Maybe even two someone elses,” Roly says thoughtfully.
“Yeah, that's what she says.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I talk to her sometimes. Though…she's gone quiet on me.”
I look over, expecting Roly’s disbelieving smirk. Instead, he looks thoughtful.
“A friend of mine talks to his ex-husband. Or he did a lot right after he passed. But then he started to develop feelings for someone, and the voice of his late husband sort of faded. I asked him how he felt about it, and he said it felt like his husband was just…making room. Something to consider.”
“Yeah, well…I'd rather not consider it.”
“You don't have to,” Roly says, his voice kind as always.
