Page 44 of Compelling Urges

Just then they heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter nearby that seemed to be landing somewhere on the property.

Jackson, in response to their surprised looks, explained, “It cuts down on Gabrielle’s commute time to San Diego. We’ve started using helicopters a lot recently.”

About a minute later, a petite brunette flitted into the room muttering rapid apologies in French. She rushed into the waiting arms of Phillipe who kissed her soundly and then stood back, still holding her hand. “Everyone, this is my Gabrielle. She’s a primate curator at the San Diego Zoo.”

After introductions were made, a several-person wait staff proceeded to take care of serving them dinner. When Casey noticed the thinly-veiled looks of surprise on Ivy and her men’s faces at all of the servants, he laughed and announced, “We don’t want to overburden Phillipe, so we’re sort of like Down-to-earth Abbey around here.” Then he cracked up at his own joke as Phillipe rolled his eyes. “He has enough to do with the meal planning, shopping, and cooking, and the rest of us are busy with our own work. Willa, as you all probably know, is an amazing author and has a movie that’s coming out soon, and Jackson is inventing the next revolutionary app.”

Matilda took that moment to fling something resembling mashed potatoes. It landed with a splat next to Casey’s plate. He laughed even harder and said, “And we all have babies to raise and babies to make.” He stood and picked up his daughter, snuggling and kissing her until she giggled. Then he sat her down again and said, “We don’t throw food, young lady.” After that, Matilda behaved.

They may have a large staff of servants, but it was obvious to everyone that there was a relaxed atmosphere and a lot of love to go around in this house.

At about the same time as they finished dinner, Matilda slumped over and fell asleep, so Willa excused herself to put the little girl to bed. “I’ll meet you all in the living room as soon as I can.” She smiled at Jackson who’d popped up from his chair. He gently extricated Matilda from the highchair and offered her to Willa, kissing the little girl before he handed her off.

As Willa left with Matilda, Phillipe and Gabrielle said their goodnights to everyone, explaining they’d have dessert at home. They instinctively knew it was time to leave and took off holding hands—looking at each other with their hearts in their eyes.

During dinner, Jackson had learned that Bodhi handled investments, so they spent the rest of the meal deep in conversation about that. As they were finishing up dessert, Casey, Ivy, and Cooper got into a light-hearted conversation about remodeling houses to accommodate a triad rather than the traditional couple. “Have you guys ever heard of an Australian King bed?” Casey asked. When they shook their heads, he directed them to follow him down the hall. Guiding them into the master suite, he proudly indicated a bed that was roughly the size of Texas.

“Awesome!” Cooper exclaimed. “We’d need a bigger bedroom though.” Then he added, “We already need a bigger garage.”

Casey winked at him, and even though Cooper knew it wasn’t flirtatious, the reality of knowing someone else who lived the life of a triad and was one hundred percent accepting of this lifestyle did all kinds of warm things to him inside.

Making their way back toward the library, they found Willa exiting Matilda’s room with a warm, sleepy smile. She immediately took Ivy’s arm and asked, “Would you like a private word?” Ivy felt relief flow through her, even though she hadn’t been particularly aware of any tension prior to this. To the men, Willa said, “We’ll be in the library for a few minutes and then we’ll join you all in the living room.”

Once they were seated in a gorgeous room that was large, though still had a feeling of intimacy, Willa addressed Ivy’s concerns head-on. “I know you have a million questions, and I’m here for you if you need to ask. I’ll make sure you have my cell number if you ever want to talk. We have a lot in common, Ivy.” She smiled at her warmly. “And, in a practical sense…” she stood and walked to one of the many bookshelves where she pulled out two brand-new hardback volumes with colorful jackets on them. “I’d like to give these to you.” Ivy’s eyes grew large as she realized they were copies of Willa’s own books. The top one bore the titleThe Passion of Three,and it was obvious by the three people on the cover what the story was about. Laughing, Willa sat back down and said, “Before I met Jackson and Casey, I did a lot of research into polyamory and wrote these books. They’re based on my imagination but also some interviews and some diligent research. Once I entered into the triad with Casey and Jackson, however, I stopped writing books in this sub-genre. I may go back to them at a later date, but for now I’m focusing on more traditional relationship stories.”

“Why?”

Willa smiled and answered, “I don’t want people thinking that everything I write is autobiographical and they’re seeing into my bedroom at night. We’ve had enough scrutiny in that area because of that horrible couple who posted the video of us.”

Ivy made an understanding face. “That must have been so terrible,” she said.

“It was,” Willa replied. “But at the same time, it meant we had to face who we were to each other, head-on. We love our family the way it is and don’t need to answer to anyone or get anyone’s approval.”

Ivy looked down at the books, saying, “Thank you for these. I guess they may give us some… ideas?”

“Precisely,” Willa laughed. “Do you have any questions before we go back and meet up with our men?”

Ivy pondered a moment and then asked, “How do you keep things fair? I worry about jealousies and competitiveness. I know it’s not all up to me, but…” She trailed off as Willa got a knowing look in her eyes.

“Jackson, bless his heart, has been the one who’s had to work on that the most with our relationship. He’s such a beautiful, giving man with a generous spirit that you cannot believe, but I know at first things were hard for him. He wanted this to happen, and it never would have without his organizing it, but there was still this sense that he not only knew me before Casey did, he knew Casey before I did. The dynamics had to change a little in his head before he was completely comfortable.”

Ivy nodded. “Sounds kind of like Bodhi. He likes to take charge. Cooper and I secretly love it, but we won’t tell him that. He likes to think he’s controlling things.” She gave a soft chuckle.

“Ivy, the important thing to remember, if I can give you one piece of advice, is that the balance of power and levels of affection are fluid in any relationship. In a triad, that means three people’s feelings and power dynamics instead of two. Pay attention to not slighting anyone, but don’t obsess over it. There’s no big scorecard you need to follow. If you love your men, let them see it and know it constantly. You’ll all be fine.”

“Thank you, Willa.” Ivy looked perplexed and blurted, “How am I supposed to tell my family? Cooper still wants to get married. Do I do that and just have Bodhi live with us? Is that fair to Bodhi? Do I lie to my parents? I’m not all that close to them, and they live in Chicago, but they’ll want to have some explanation if I say, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m considering marrying two guys instead of one.’” She laughed and said, “Sorry… that was a lot all at once.”

“Lying doesn’t sound like too great of a plan. Jackson and Casey’s families have been thrilled for us, so we never had any problems with that. I lost my parents…”

“Oh! I’m so sorry!”

“Thank you. I don’t know how they’d have reacted, honestly. They were more traditional than Casey or Jackson’s parents. But I also know I couldn’t have kept them in the dark. Maybe your family will surprise you. If they don’t, well, you have two wonderful men to keep you happy and warm at night.”

Ivy nodded, but she still looked worried.

“Ready to go see what the guys are up to?” Willa asked.

Ivy stood, clutching her new books to her chest. “Yes. Thank you for these and for, well, listening and everything.”

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