Jordan looks up at him. “You didn’t see?”
Leo shakes his head. “See what?”
Jordan grabs his personal tablet and browses to a political news website that covers everything from lawmaking to C Street gossip. On this website the story about Kevin Markos and Former First Spouse Christopher Bruunt is upstaged by a press release out of Florida.
A press release from former Florida Governor Susannah Evans, who is the former Lieutenant Governor to former Florida Governor Owen Taylor, and whose husband—and Owen’s best friend and former chief of staff—is one Carter Wilson.
Another long-term poly triad.
It has come to our attention that unscrupulous unknown persons have somehow obtained our confidential medical records. Rather than face extortion we choose to make a public statement.
The biological father of our three children is Owen Taylor. We have been best friends since college, roommates, and worked together both in the private sector and in government. When Carter and I wanted to have children and it became apparent we could not, we turned to our best friend, a man we’ve always loved with all our heart—Owen Taylor.
Yes, we co-parent our children. As far as they know they have two fathers—Carter and Owen. There’s no secret about that. We live together because we are a family.
And, yes, after we left office our long-term friendship deepened into something more between the three of us and we now consider each other spouses.
Rather than allow someone to use us and our lives for financial gain, we’ve decided to control the release of this information. We will not answer any questions about this because, frankly, it’s no one business. We are private citizens and we are a family, three parents who are devoted to their children and each other.
If anyone has a problem with that it speaks more to their lack of character than it says anything about us and our family.
We stare at each other. “Holy shit,” I whisper. “Kev didn’t just pull the pin on a grenade, he carpet bombed with nukes.”
Leo slowly nods. “Yeah. And it’s all my fault.”
I don’t want to be an asshole and agree with him because I can tell he feels like shit about it but, yeah, itiskinda Leo’s fault.
“We need to watch the briefing,” I say.
We head down to the living room and turn on the TV. “I need alcohol.” Jordan heads for the mini bar. “Anyone else?”
“Yes,” Leo and I echo.
We’re all sitting there with drinks in hand when Jordan and Leo’s personal cellphones buzz with alerts.
They both drop into professional mode as they read, their faces almost identical, emotionless masks, which simultaneously impresses and creeps me out a little. “What? Just tell me.”
Jordan’s closer and hands me his phone.
Same website, this time a press release from Shae.
Former President ShaeLynn Samuels, and her husband, Christopher Bruunt, would like it to be known that yes, they do consider Kevin Markos not only a close friend but their spouse and partner. All three of them are private citizens and consenting adults. They will not comment on their personal relationship other than to say it’s not their fault that our “marriage” laws discriminate against stable families that fall outside the restrictive and archaic definition of a nuclear family. When our legal system stops preventing polyamorous adults from having all the legal protections and benefits that couples currently enjoy, only then will we have true marriage equality for all consenting adults.
I stare at the release. “Oh. My. God.”
“Yeah,” Leo says. “Fuck.”
Leo’s burner buzzes with a text from Kev.
Let CM handle this. DO NOT COMMENT.
We stare at the text. “Okay,” Jordan says. “We have our orders.”
“That’s…it?” I ask. “We just let everyone else take the incoming fire?”
“Yep,” Leo says as he settles in to watch the presser.
Casey-Marie, with Angie and Declan in tow, enters the press briefing room and questions are shouted almost immediately.
