“I’m great. We spent the day playing tourist, and I had a blast. What about you? How is my brother or sister treating you?”
“I feel healthy as a horse, though poor Molly has dreadful morning sickness. Hits at exactly the same time every morning without fail. She feels rotten for about an hour, then she’s good again.”
“Oh no.” I look at the woman in question. She grimaces, but there’s still something about her that exudes joy.
“Yeah, you can practically set a clock to it. Pretty sure it’s a boy. A girl wouldn’t be so cruel.” She rubs her stomach affectionately as we all laugh.
“While it’s just the four of us, I want to talk to you about the designs Rowena brought to us.”
“Oh yes? What were they like?” I ask her, and the three women exchange a glance. Now, it’s my turn to grimace. “That bad?”
“No, actually, they are amazing. She sketched a full maternity range and a variety of children’s clothes, ranging in age from infant to ten years old. She worked her ass off.” Molly grabs a phone out of her bag and hands it over after a couple taps.
I scroll through the sketches, thoroughly impressed with everything. The maternity clothes are stylish yet comfortable and don’t make the model look frumpy or dowdy. The kids’ clothes are fun and full of color. “Wow, these are gorgeous.”
“Yes, we want to offer her a show, just like Jace, but wanted to check with you first,” Nana adds. “She’s here tonight, and we’d like to give her the good news at the afterparty at the hotel.”
“Absolutely, I agree. But you guys don’t need to run things past me.”
“Yes, we do. This is still your baby even if you’ve stepped back.” Molly squeezes me on the arm. “The new intern we hired is here too, so we’d like you to meet her as well, but let’s get through the show first.”
“Oh great, yes. I’d love to meet her. She certainly has an impressive resume and interviewed well. When does she start?”
“Monday, and she’s dying to meet you. You’re her idol, apparently.” Nana chuckles, but I shrug.
“Shit, I hope she isn’t disappointed. Come on, let’s get out there.”
I gasp when we step out into the backyard. The runway looks amazing. Fairy lights are threaded through the natural arbor, and spotlights have been set up along the path to give the audience a good look at the clothes. Three rows of seats line either side of the catwalk, and they are filled by celebrities and important people in the fashion industry. People call their hellos as the four of us pass. We smile and wave but don’t stop. The other three find their seats, but I can see Shane amongst the photographers at the end of the runway, and I want to say hello.
* * *
Shane
Alex and I headed out to the plantation not long after we got back to the hotel in the afternoon. Jacinta pleaded that she wanted a nap, and after a panicked phone call with Jace, we decided he needed some moral support.
Once we got there, we tried to calm him down, but Alex’s flamboyant enthusiasm just made it worse, so I pulled them into one of the bedrooms upstairs and used a sweaty sex session to settle them both.
Now, the three of us are watching the sunset over the plantation from the top balcony, taking a moment for ourselves to have a celebratory drink before the real mayhem begins. I hand them both a bottle of beer before raising my own.
“Jace, Alex and I were perfectly content in our relationship, happily loving one another and occasionally inviting another person in. We had set our sights on Jacinta becoming our permanent third, but then you stumbled into our life. What we thought would be a hot and steamy fling quickly became so much more, and the two of us couldn’t be happier having you as our third permanent.” A lump in my throat makes me swallow before I can get the next bit out. “We love you and wish you all the luck tonight,” I finish.
Alex takes over, putting down his raised beer and digging in his pocket for something before pulling out the ring we had made for Jace. It matches the ones that Alex and I both wear, our initials engraved on them. We’ve added his to ours and are both hoping he will accept this one.
Alex clears his throat, all serious and slightly nervous all of a sudden. Gone is the flamboyant act that he wears as armor, replaced with someone who, like many others, is scared of rejection.
“Shane said everything perfectly. We do love you, and our life is so much better for having you in it. Will you wear our ring?” He holds out his hand.
Jace gasps, slapping his free hand over his mouth, eyes widening with surprise. “Oh wow, gosh yes, yes please, yes, yes, yes.” He flaps his hand much like Alex would, and I smother the chuckle that wants to slip out. It’s not often that Jace is like this. He puts his beer down and throws himself at Alex, who grunts in surprise as he catches him. Jace kisses him like he’s drowning and Alex is the air he needs to live. Watching them is fucking hot, but I want my bit of sugar too. Growling, I step up behind Jace, sandwiching him between Alex and me like we love to do. Grabbing his chin, I angle his head so I can kiss him too. When I pull away, we’re all breathing heavily.
“Love you.” I nip at his ear as Alex slides the ring onto his finger. Alex passes us our beers again, and we clink them together.
“To us.” Jace sighs, admiring the ring on his finger.
“To you, precious, and may your debut be an amazing success.”
A couple of hours later, the seats are full, and I’m in the camera pit, but as I scan the crowd, taking in who’s here, my eyes lock on a gorgeous sight. Walking toward the pit is Jacinta, wearing a siren red, fitted dress that hugs her gorgeous curves. I see all the admiring and envious eyes tracking her path and feel my chest puff up because I know I’m who she’s heading for. Riku trails close behind her. I know he felt like he failed her the other night, but from the way Ash explained it, the attack was well thought out and calculated, and they had done everything they could to counter him. People start to approach her a couple of times, but he shakes his head, stopping them in their tracks. He has a ‘don’t fuck with me’ aura tonight instead of his usual ‘blend into the background’ thing.
I make my way to the edge of the roped-off area, and when she gets to me, she leans over it and hugs me tight. My camera gets stuck between us, causing her to pull back.
