Page 30 of Just Curious

When their kiss ended, Willa sighed happily. “I love you too, Casey. It’s amazing how quickly this happened, but it’s so profound. My feeling for you does nothing to diminish my love for Jackson. If anything, it makes me love him even more. We’re all so lucky.” She gave him another couple of squeezes as he began to stroke her breast.

“You’re making me hard again,” he said with a chuckle. “Ohh,” he groaned, “Willa…”

That was the end of their conversation for a while as things heated up all over again.

Finally spent, they drifted off to sleep still wrapped in each other’s warmth.

Chapter 18

The birthday party for Jackson’s dad was enjoyable, but Jackson still felt like he was missing an important part of his life by being there without Willa and Casey. He visited with neighbors, old friends, and extended family members, but as pleased as he was to see his parents doing well and their farm thriving, he couldn’t kick his loneliness to the curb.

Once the guests finally left, Jackson’s mom took him by the hand and asked, “What’s bothering you, son? You seem a million miles away. Is something wrong?”

“No, not wrong, Mom. Maybe I need to explain something to you and Dad, though. Can we all sit and have a drink before we go to bed?”

“Sure, we can. I’ll just go round up your father and a bottle of something and we’ll meet you in the den, okay?”

“Perfect.”

A few minutes later they were all situated in the cozy den with crystal snifters of cognac.

“It was a great party, Mom. I’m sorry if I seemed like I wasn’t enjoying myself, because I really was. I’m just missing… someone… very badly.”

His mom’s eyes lit up and she asked, “Is it that lovely Willa you’ve mentioned to us? Are you seriously involved with her now?”

“Well, yes, and… yes. But that’s not all.” Jackson took a bolstering breath and hurried on, “I also miss Casey. They’re… um… together.”

Jackson’s dad piped up sharply, “Wait, what? You mean your girlfriend and your best friend are cheating on you? I’d have expected better than that from Casey!”

“No. It’s not like that. That’s what I need to explain.” Jackson let out a breath and just went for it. “We’reall threeinvolved. Seriously. Together.”

“Um…” began his mom. She seemed to run out of words after that. She just blinked a few times.

“Jackson? How can that be?” asked his dad.

“It’s called a triad, Dad. Three people committed as a unit. They would have come with me for the party, but they both had business obligations they had to attend to.”

Looking his son square in the eye, Mr. Mitchell said, “I’ve heard of it, Jackson, but I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”

Then his mom, who seemed to have finally gathered her wits about her, asked softly, “Are you happy, son?”

A lopsided, somewhat goofy grin changed Jackson’s features from worry to joy as he answered, “Happier than I’ve ever been. I never thought such a thing would be possible. I have CaseyandWilla and they have each other… and me. It’s perfect—except that they aren’t here. That part is bugging the shit out of me, quite honestly. Sorry, Mom.”

She waved away any concerns about his language.

“What about the future?” asked his dad.

“I guess we’ll have to see how it plays out. We’ve discussed that we all want a family. It just may not be a conventional one. But—this is California for heaven’s sake, and no one is going to care.”

His dad voiced his concerns, “I’m not worried about what the neighbors might think, but I am worried that you’re involved in something that will wind up a disaster.”

“Darling, don’t be hard on Jackson,” said his mom. “We’ve always suspected he was… um…”

“Sexually fluid?” Jackson prompted.

“That term will do,” she said with a nod to her son. Looking back at her husband she continued, “He’s just lucky that in this day and age it’s acceptable. No relationship comes with guarantees, so let’s be happy for them.” Turning to face her son, she continued, “We’ve always been very fond of Casey. He’s a good man and he’s always been a good friend to you. I hope things work out well for all of you. You just have to promise to bring them both up to see us soon. We need to meet Willa.” Then she blushed and went on, “I actually read a few of her books recently, and all I can say is, she’s certainly…” She cleared her throat. “Imaginative… and talented.”

Relaxing finally now that his parents were informed, Jackson promised, “I’ll bring them by as soon as we can all manage it. We’re heading up to British Columbia to do some skiing this week, and then we have a yacht chartered out of Monte Carlo that we’ll spend a week or two on, depending on how much we like it. I thought we all needed to get away and have some fun. They are both workaholics, but the timing is right for all of us. I can’t wait. Maybe we can swing by the farm on our way back.”

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