“Hm. What do you think is making you feel unstable?”
“I think part of it is that I just want this so badly that I fear for my heart if it doesn't work out.”
“There’s nothing specific that makes you think it won't work out?”
“No, nothing at all. We share the same heart. I truly believe that.”
“No wonder you want to protect it, keep it stable and safe.”
“Yes.” I breathe out, relieved that someone understands how I feel.
“Have you yet had a conversation about each one's role in the relationship? The rules and regulations? The sleeping arrangements? Who can you sleep with? And who can you not sleep with? And when there is a dispute that involves work, what have you done to ensure that it can be handled maturely?”
Ah, yes. The details.
“All good questions. I think I can assume good intentions all around, but maybe a conversation—or several—would be helpful.”
“You don’t have to get into everything all at once. Start by sharing the top concerns and questions you have about the relationship. Talk through those and create some guidelines from there. It will feel more settled when everyone knows where they're standing. You and I always did well because we communicated truthfully and often.”
“You know, staying your friend is one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.”
“It's true. That was rather smart of you,” she teases, and I can hear her smile across the line. “Almost as good an idea as us having a son together.”
I smile. “Speaking of which, it's been a while since we've had lunch together. What about next Thursday?”
“I think that works. I'll check with Sebastián because we want to schedule time for our collaboration.”
“Oh yes, you must tell me about this collaboration of yours. I'm certain it will be beautiful, but I want the details.”
She laughs, and we talk for several more moments. I’m thrilled that she is finding an artistic muse with our son and cannot wait to see the result. We sign off from the call, and I walk inside. Colt and Warwick are kissing over mugs of coffee, and I lean up against the doorframe, watching them.
Wick is the first to notice me. “Did you have a good yoga session?”
I nod. “And a good talk with Ofelia as well. Made sure she knew about us officially, that is.”
Colt smiles. “How's my girl doing?”
“She's doing great. I called her because I realized that this thing between the three of us makes me nervous.”
Wick's eyebrows meet in the middle, and he immediately comes toward me. “If that's my fault, I'm so sorry. I promise I'm all in.”
Colt joins me on the other side. “Me too. You don't have anything to be nervous about. Unless…are you nervous about how you feel?”
The concern in both of their gazes amuses and touches me. “No. No doubts at all. It’s just that this is brand new, and it is an unusual sort of arrangement. Having threesomes is one thing, but a relationship, and a working relationship at that…”
Wick nods. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about what Trip said, how this is a big gamble for him too.”
Colt also dips his chin in agreement. “It's important to me that it works for us and for them.”
I grab a mug and fill it with coffee. “I don’t like even thinking about this, but if we don’t work out, we really need to make sure that we don't hurt each other or the people who live and work here.”
“You know I never would,” Wick says, and he's right, of course. It goes without saying that his loyalty to this ranch runs deep.
Colt grabs my hands, kissing my knuckles. “I know I haven't been here for very long, but I feel like a part of this family already. It's impossible to consider doing anything to hurt this ranch. And I think we’re all mature enough to handle that.”
“I agree,” I say, kissing his lips as some of the anxiousness floats away. “It's a little more fun to think about who we are as a relationship and how we work together day in and day out.”
Wick grins and leans in for a kiss, then goes thoughtful. “I think the relationship needs to continue to grow before we put too many boundaries on it. I think it's fair to say that we are exclusive to each other unless we are playing together.”
