As soon as my fork hit the plate, Atlas told his family the news.
“I have an announcement.”
“Oh?” his father asked.
Athan and Andreas watched their brother closely, both with smirks on their faces. They probably had a good idea of what Atlas wanted to talk about.
“Well, there are two announcements. First, I’m leaving Cross Corp to work with Hugh and Linden in their new jobs. They’ve just started a business in historical restoration and house flipping. I think it’s going to be amazing, and if you didn’t know, Linden is really creative and talented.”
“We’re making Atlas our office manager. It won’t be as much money, but he’ll have a livable wage. The bigger our company grows, the more we can pay him.”
Christos raised his wineglass. “Well, congratulations on the new business. I wish you luck.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“But you had such a stable job. Why did you leave? I mean, if you must,” his mother said, but I had gotten to know her well enough to understand that she meant well. She was just making sure Linden and I made the right choice.
“It was a stable job, but we weren’t happy there. It’s time we ventured out on our own.”
Before we could get into why we really left, Atlas, who sat between us, reached for Linden’s hand and mine under the table. “I also want to let you know that I’m… in a committed relationship.”
“Oh! Finally!” his mother gasped and clapped. “Who is this lucky man, because I know he will be lucky to have my son as his boyfriend.”
“Men, Mama. Two men. I’m in a polyamorous relationship.”
His parents froze with their jaws dropped straight to the table. “A poly what?” his dad asked.
“Polyamorous. I’m in a relationship with… two men. A throuple, if you will”
His parents eyed Linden and me, instantly getting what Atlas was trying to explain. Meanwhile, his brothers snorted a laugh. “You should see your faces,” Athan said, which, surprisingly, eased the tension.
I let out a breath, trying to ignore my clammy hands.
“But… they’re cousins,” his mom said.
Atlas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. They don’t do… stuff together.” At least he left that part out.
Linden tossed back his wine and poured himself another glass. “Hugh and I love Atlas. We didn’t expect it to happen, but it did. We would do anything for him. We’ll protect him, take care of him, and make sure he has everything he needs. We adore your son. He’s kind, sweet, smart, and talented.”
Atlas smiled shyly. “I love them, too.”
His family said nothing, watching us, eyeing us. God, I hoped they didn’t hate us or resent us.
His father coughed and chugged back his wine. “Well, this is… unusual. Atlas… they’re cousins. I’m not sure how to process this.”
“There’s nothing to process, Dad. We love each other, and that’s that. I just wanted you to know. When I came out to you as a teen, you loved me no matter what. I hope I still have that love.”
“You know how Athan and I feel,” Andreas chimed in. “We’re happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Will there be children? There’d better be children. Will there be a wedding? It’s not legal for three men to get married, right? How will this work?” As predicted, Elena bombarded us with questions.
“Kids?” I squeaked, making Linden laugh.
“Mama! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’re still figuring things out. As time goes on, we’ll talk about our futures, like marriage and kids.”
Since we were committed to each other, I suppose those were things we needed to talk about… eventually. I never thought of myself as a father, but I also wanted to please Elena.She just wants to be a grandmother so badly, so perhaps I could learn to care for a kid. I had no doubt Atlas and Linden would be much better at it. And the marriage thing… yes, there were things we had to discuss.
