“I do.” He nodded before shrugging. “But you and Gabi mean the world to me. I would do anything to make you happy. Besides, I wouldn’t be giving up all my clients, just reducing the number so I have time to see you as well. I can be happy with that.”
Gabi came next, lifting herself up the bed so the two of them bracketed my body. “And I’ve been wanting to start expanding my client base, do some travel of my own, see the world. It would be a good career move for me.”
“Even if we have to take turns or something,” Law added, reaching out to take hold of the hands Gabi and I had threaded together. “We’ll make it work.”
My chest swelled with the force of the emotions inside me. I’d never felt more loved by them, more important to them. It gave me the courage I needed to confess my own needs. “If you would like to travel, and do new things, I’m all for it,” I said, dividing my gaze between the two of them as I spoke. “But I don’t want to live a life where the three of us are hardly ever in the same room together, and I don’t want to make you live like that either.”
They both visibly tensed at my words. “What are you saying?” Law asked.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do with the rest of my life, and modelling isn’t it.” Two sets of raised eyebrows brought a smile to my face. “I never chose to go into modelling. Instead, I let it choose me. The offer showed up out of nowhere and it seemed as good a choice as any I had at the time. I wanted to get away from Brisbane, from the choices I’d made and the people I wanted but thought I could never have.” I paused to grin at them. “That would be the two of you.”
“What about now?” Gabi asked, squeezing my hand tighter. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t have a clue.” A thrill of excitement streaked through me at the thought of having all my options open. “I’m going to keep modelling while I figure it all out, but I’m in a position where I can choose when, where and how much work I do. I’m going to start taking advantage of that.” I’d already informed my agent. She’d cursed and grumbled, but eventually we’d come to a workable agreement.
“When I’m not modelling,” I continued, “I want to work towards a new career. Something I’ll feel good about on the inside.” It felt good to be making decisions for myself where I’d always allowed life to choose for me, even if I hadn’t yet sorted out the details. “I might not know yet what my future career will look like, but I’m going to figure it out, and make it happen.”
“Whatever you decide to do,” Law said, holding my gaze, “we’ll be right there beside you.”
Gabi leaned forward to press a kiss to my cheek. “Every step of the way.”
THIRTY-ONE
______
GABI
Six months later
I bounced lightly on the balls of my feet as I waited for the train to pull into the tube station. Dante’s first London concert would start in a little over an hour and I was supposed to meet up with Law and Connor nearly half an hour ago. The instant the doors parted, I raced out of the station and headed for the arena where some twenty-thousand people were gathering for the sell-out event.
Despite my exhaustion from a massive day of shooting, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. When we decided to come to London for our first big overseas holiday, Connor had spread the word among some of his modelling connections that I’d be in town for a few weeks. Much to my surprise, I’d been inundated with shoot requests. While I had decided to look for clients outside my little Brisbane haven, and had done some major revamping on my website, I’d had no idea all those years of developing my portfolio photography skills were about to payoff so dramatically. It excited and terrified me at the same time. But I’d come to realise that sometimes scary things were good for me, and a moment of courage could lead to a lifetime of happiness.
Pulling out my phone as I neared the arena, I called Law. Of the two men, he was the most likely to hear his phone ring, despite the crowd.
“Gabi,” he answered, though I could barely hear him over the background chatter. “Where the hell are you? Connor’s gonna get mobbed if we stay out here much longer.”
I smiled at his words. Connor tended to draw a larger crowd in London than he ever did at home. I didn’t know if it was because he’d been living here when he became famous, or because the tabloids had gotten wind of his return within days of our arrival, but he seemed to get recognised every-freaking-where. “Sorry, I just arrived. Tell me where you are.”
A few minutes later, we managed to find each other near the main entrance. My smile grew impossibly wide as we greeted each other before heading inside where Dante had set aside some of the best seats in the house for us.
Sean came down to see us a few minutes before the start of the concert. I threw my arms around him with an excited squeal. “It’s so good to see you,” I crooned as we held tight to each other. He and Dante had left for Dante’s album tour nearly three months ago and they were only halfway through it. Sean and I had made a point of talking on the phone at least once a week, but I’d still been missing him like crazy.
“It’s good to see you, too,” he said, refusing to let me go. “How’s your trip been so far?”
“Fantastic,” I told him. “Connor’s been playing host and taking us to all his favourite places in London.”
As if remembering I wasn’t the only person there to see him, Sean turned to greet the other two men. Before long, his watch started to beep and he glanced down at it, pushing a button to kill the noise. “I have to go get ready to earn my keep,” he said, gesturing over his shoulder. “Head backstage after the show and we’ll meet you there. Your names are on the list.”
He leaned in for one more quick hug and I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Can’t wait,” I said with a grin. “We’re going to have so much fun.”
The next few hours went by in a haze of sweaty bodies and loud music. Dante was in top form and the crowd went wild for the songs from his new album.
It wasn’t the first time I’d seen Dante Sinclair perform live. I’d accompanied Sean to one of his concerts years ago, and although I’d enjoyed it, the crushing disappointment Sean had experienced in the hours after it ended had tainted the memory. But this time, Sean and Dante were together, out and proud to the world, so it was nothing but good vibes and the sweet wail of electric guitars.
After the final encore ended and the arena started to empty, we made our way backstage. One of the crew led us to a crowded room, fully decked out with enough food and drinks to keep a party going for hours. Sean joined us for a drink while Dante completed his usual meet and greets, signing autographs and taking photos with VIP ticket holders. We found a couple of free couches and the guys and I sprawled on one while Sean took the other. The fit was almost as tight as the couch at Frank’s place, but at least this time we didn’t have to worry about staying out of each other’s laps.
Not that we had to hide at home anymore, either. We’d come out as a polyamorous triad to all our families months ago. The news had gone over way better than I could ever have hoped. Law had never hidden his relationship preferences from his family, so it came as no surprise to them, though they were pleased he’d ended up choosing me and Connor as his life partners. They’d known us most of our lives and already loved us like family.
