“Oh.”
“Yeah.”His grip tightened on the steering wheel.“Half the women are girls my age or near my age.”He grimaced.
“Yes, I’ll be your date and I’ll make sure they know I’m your girlfriend.Is it the same scene like the banquet we went to?”
He nodded.
I considered that.Fancy, but not dinner party fancy.How did people dress at a brunch?
“But they can’t know about our situation,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“The others.”
“Oh.”I waved my hand.“That’s fine.I’m not making it a point to scream to the world that I have multiple boyfriends.”In a lower voice, I said, “I can barely wrap my head around it still.”
“I’ll admit, I’m struggling too.”
His words made my stomach feel like it dropped.“Are you thinking it isn’t going to work out?”
Bryan thought about his answer.“I’ve seen a lot of weird things people do, the kind of relationships they get into.So it’s hard for me to say that something like this would never work.But I also know how the world works, how people view things that aren’t normal and the ways they’ll push people down for it.I don’t want that happening to you.”
“You’re worried about me.”
“All of us.”
“Are you regretting trying?”I asked, sour bile rising in my stomach.
“No!Not at all.I love the guys.I’m in a good place because of them, and I can’t imagine who’d I be without them in my life.They ground me in the reality of how the world works, not just my rich little corner of it.And you do the same too.”
“Okay,” I said in a low voice.
“Okay,” was his simple response.
The quiet that fell between us was a little uncomfortable and stayed that way until we got to our destination.
“What is this?”I asked.
“A holiday festival,” Bryan said, parking the car.“I thought you’d like this.We can get dinner.Maybe find some presents for the guys.”He shrugged.“Have some fun.A distraction.”
I stared at Bryan.He was doing his best not to look at me, but it was obvious that he was feeling shy and nervous.
“You’re sweet,” I said and bravely leaned over, kissing his cheek, except he had turned his head slightly so I ended up pressing my lips against the corner of his mouth.
He cleared his throat, glancing at me with a small upturn of his lips to let me know he was happy and okay with that.The light turned on as he opened his door to get out.I smiled at the blush that seemed to go up along his neck.
I got out and met him at the front of the car and then headed to the tents.The parking lot and even the side road were packed with vehicles.Christmas music filled the air, mingling with the glow of tons of lights.Ahead, an open soccer field stretched out, cleared of the snow we’d gotten, now transformed into a festive wonderland.
“This is beautiful,” I said, taking in all the lights decorating tents, poles, and anywhere else they were able to stick them
“Yeah, they do this every year.The vendors donate a percentage of their earnings toward a charity for local kids in need of presents.I usually come here to find my gifts for the guys each year.Thought maybe you’d enjoy here too.They are all local small businesses, and I’d say very talented.There are also some silent auctions and a handful of competitions for artwork.”
I grinned, already trying to figure out what else I wanted to find the guys.I’d bought them some stuff already, but it didn’t feel anywhere near enough.“Thank you for bringing me.I can’t wait to see everything.”
Bryan liked my response and returned my grin as we headed over.There was a pretty red and green archway, big enough for a truck to drive through.The archway was full of Christmas ornaments and lights.
As soon as we entered, the tables greeted us with warm drinks.We each got a drink.I went for the hot chocolate since Seth was always stuffing me with cider these days.Bryan chose the cider.
