Dad shakes his head.
“I don’t know what to say, Chance. Even if Kelly and I could wrap our heads around how you feel about Zara, what about your best friend and your brother? If my ears aren’t failing me, Ares just said that he’s sleeping with her too. And she just left holding Lev’s hand. You say that if I forced you to choose, you’d choose Zara. But would she choose you? That’s exactly why I said what I said the night of the wedding.”
Kelly intervenes. “This is what your dad, and I were afraid of. That you would both fall for her and that those feelings would damage your relationship with each other. That also puts us in an impossible position. You’re all our kids, and we can’t take sides.”
“We would never expect you to take sides.” Chance reassures them.
“What are you going to do if Zara chooses your brother instead of you?” Dad insists. “Are you and your brother going to be at odds with each other? Or if she ends up choosing Lev, will the two of you bear a grudge against your stepsister? Can’t you see why we warned you? This is a recipe for disaster. And Kelly and I refuse to let it affect our relationship.”
It’s time to set the record straight.
“We understand where you’re coming from, Dad. I promise. And maybe your worries weren’t completely unfounded. But Zara isn’t going to choose between me and Chance. And we would never betray Lev. We might not be brothers by blood, but our bond with him couldn’t be stronger if we were. He loves Zara just as much as Chance and I do. She makes us happy, and we make her happy. After losing Atlas, I didn’t think I would ever feel whole again. But Zara helped me heal some of my worst wounds. I’ll always miss an important part of me, but with her and with my brothers I finally feel like I can breathe again.”
Shock is written all over our parents’ faces as they look at me and Chance.
“What the heck are you saying?” Dad pulls at his tie with a shaky hand, as if the collar of his shirt was suddenly too tight.
“I’m saying that we’re all going to be with Zara. This isn’t a whim or a phase. Each of us is deeply in love with her, and she’s in love with each of us. We know it’s messy. Believe me, it took me a second to make peace with the fact that I was the one forher but not the only one. But Zara makes Chance and Lev as happy as she makes me, so I finally accepted it.”
Neither of them looks happy, but Kelly is the one who voices her skepticism first. “So what are you saying? You guys are in some kind of an open relationship with my daughter?”
“Oh, fuck, no.” Chance reacts. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to cuss. But to answer your question, no. There’s nothing open about our relationship. We’re just with Zara, and she’s just with the three of us. The relationship is airtight.”
Our stepmother considers his words. “So you’re all one hundred percent committed to Zara, and she’s committed to the three of you, and you’re all on board with that?”
“Yes, ma’am.” We both nod.
“I never thought I would say this, but… I think I’m ok with it.”
Chance, Dad and I have similar reactions to her statement.
“You are?” We ask in unison, unable to hide our surprise.
“I am. I have been very worried about Zara. I like Lev, but I couldn’t help but notice the way you and Chance looked at her.”
Dad takes his wife’s hand in his. “You did?”
“Sweetie,” Kelly sounds amused. “Women are a lot more perceptive about these kinds of things. But yeah, I had noticed that something was going on. I’m glad it wasn’t what I thought it was.”
I can’t help but ask her what she means.
“It’s no secret why I left Zara’s father. He was unfaithful to me pretty much constantly from the beginning of our relationship. He broke my heart so badly that I didn’t think I could ever trust another man again. He messed with my self-esteem. Because of his cheating, I thought that I wasn’t deserving of being loved, that I would never be enough for someone else not to step out on me. When I met your father, I almost didn’t give him a shot because I was afraid that history would repeat itself.”
Dad brings her hand to his lips, brushing a kiss over her knuckles. “I’m glad I wore you down, Kelly. I hope I say it enough, but I love you.”
Shit.
I never thought I would say this, but the way our parents are looking at each other pulls at my heartstrings. They’re cute.
“I love you too, Scott. And I love your wonderful sons, and I think my daughter is lucky to have them, and Lev, and they’re lucky to have her. I’m proud of you all for doing this without cheating and lying to each other. This is why I’m ok with it. Your relationship might not be conventional, but it’s honest, and it’s real.”
Our father clears his throat, his expression stern and serious. “Jesus, what a day! Is there anything else you are lying to us about? Any more secrets?”
“No.” We both promise. “This is everything.”
I don’t know if Dad is going to be as accepting as Kelly about our relationship, but it feels good not to have to lie to him anymore. I’ve never liked that we did.
“There’s one thing I find difficult to understand,” Dad says to me and my brother. “Aren’t any of you three jealous? How do you guys deal with it?”
