“That sounds great.” She looked at me and I nodded in agreement. “Please tell me you like truffle fries because Jace and I always contemplate getting two baskets but feel glutinous and if we’re a party of three now, surely we can justify two orders.”
I laughed and kissed Jace as he opened the door for us. “I love truffle fries.”
“Yes!” she said, leading the way out of the bar. Jace and I looked at each other and I didn’t know what Sloane meant earlier when she said he couldn’t communicate with his eyes, because he didn’t have to open his mouth at all for me to know that he was telling me he loved me and that he was ecstatic to see Liv enjoying herself. I felt the exact same way about them.
“How are we goingto spend time together like this without constantly sending Kaylee to a babysitter? Surely people who have kids have figured out how to date,” Olivia said, stuffing another truffle fry in her mouth. “I want to be alone with you and I also don’t want to give up all my time with my daughter.”
We were in a cozy corner booth at The Cohen Club. The speakeasy had dim lighting with industrial style, open bulbs that hung above the tables and bar on long, narrow, black pipes. The tables were a dark mahogany that matched the bar top, and bottles of liquor lined the walls. Somehow, the entire place felt intimate; like all that mattered was your own private table and the rest faded into the background. Or maybe that was the effect being with these two had on me.
Olivia sat sideways between Jace and me with her feet in my lap and her head on Jace’s shoulder.
“Well, Kaylee knows we’re all friends. She’s seen me touch both of you without thinking anything of it yet,” Jace said. “As long as we aren’t too physical or kissing, there’s no reason we can’t do family dates.”
Olivia looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Family dates?”
“Yeah, think about it,” Jace said, digging into the roasted brussels sprouts and washing them down with his beer. “We all know this doesn’t work unless it works for Kaylee too. If we spend time together with her, she gets used to having the three of us in her life without us totally upending her understanding of our relationship, and the three of us get to date without constantly coupling off.”
“It’s a good idea,” I said. “Plus, I get more time with Kaylee, so I can’t complain.”
“Okay, and what exactly is a family date? Because what we just did certainly doesn’t qualify,” Olivia said with a hint of disbelief that we could pull this off.
Jace raised an eyebrow at her and started ticking things off on his fingers. “Amusement parks, the science museum, the children’s museum, the aquarium, zoos, a weekend away in Vermont, whale watching—”
“No, absolutely not,” I said, cutting in as a wave of panic crept up my throat and my skin tingled unpleasantly. “I was with you until whale watching. There are about a dozen reasons why I’m not doing that. Take it off your hypothetical list.” I shuddered as a multitude of triggers rolled through my mind.
Jace and Olivia both looked at me with curiosity.
“Are you going to make me explain it?” I asked.
Olivia reached for my hand. “Now I’m curious what’s so bad about whale watching. Also, if we know what bothers you about it, we can avoid other similar activities.”
I sighed, relief washing over me that they wouldn’t fight me on this. They probably wouldn’t fight me on anything that made me anxious. They just wanted to understand me and help me avoid triggers in the future. My heart pulled toward them both.
I held up my fingers, ticking off reasons as fast as Jace had ticked off date options. “Public transportation, vomiting—other people’s and possibly mine—dirty boats, sharks in the water, being stuck in the ocean in the event of an emergency, Kaylee falling overboard—”
“Okay, thank you, Mr. Worst-Case Scenario,” Jace said with an affectionate pat on my knee. “All triggers noted.”
“Good, so it’s off the list?” I asked.
“Of course, Kayd. Anything that makes you uncomfortable is always off the list.” He leaned over Olivia and kissed me on the cheek. “Well? Are we all on board with the family dates?”
“Yes,” I said. “Though I have some notes on the rollercoaster aspect of the amusement parks.”
“Okay, no,” Jace said, “you can’t take my rollercoasters. You don’t have to ride them but let me have my fun.”
“Fine.” I shrugged. “But don’t come crying to me if someone barfs on you.”
“Gross. We’re still going to get babysitters for occasional dates too, right?” Olivia asked, looking between us. “I want more of this. I want time for the three of us to connect alone and not just at the office.”
Jace smirked at her. “We can probably arrange one overnight a week for Kaylee to ensure you get well and properly fucked, sweetheart.”
She glared at him. “More than four years, Jace,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Olivia,” I asked gently. “Was I the last person you had sex with before Jace?”
“Yes,” she said, her cheeks flushing pink.
I grabbed her and pulled her onto my lap. “Don’t be embarrassed,” I said, kissing her softly. Her lips moved slowly over mine and I savored the moment with her. “I’m honored.”
