Page 52 of Disorderly

Once we all had our drinks and were sitting in front of the fireplace around the coffee table in comfortable chairs, the tension in my chest started make itself known again. I took a sip, and then another as I tried to remember the speech I’d prepared. But it was gone. Vanished into the night. Or possibly more like it scattered on the wind over their vast estate.

When the silence grew a little uncomfortable, John cleared his throat. “Did you get the paperwork from the US lawyer about the boys purchasing a house from the trust they set up?”

I jumped on the lifeline he gave me. “I did. I also noticed that they’ve added Samantha’s name to both the trust and the house. Should I be expecting some money coming in from her?”

They shared a look before focusing back on me. “No. The boys wanted her to be a part of it from the beginning. It’s their gift to her.”

“Although she made them verbally agree to the fact that she has an escape clause where she walks away with nothing if they break up,” Jason added with pride. “They didn’t want to, but she refused to sign unless they agreed to it.”

John chuckled. “She has them wrapped around her little finger, yet she uses her power for good. So, if you’re worried about the speed or their ages, don’t be. They’ve all got great heads on their shoulders. Besides, I think that if anyone has a chance of making a relationship work long term, it’s them. They all seem to know what they want and that’s to make sure that each other is happy, protected, and succeeding in whatever they want to do. It really is impressive to watch.”

I nodded. From the few meetings I’d had with the boys, and the way they talked about Samantha, I knew they were in love. Not the puppy dog way that people often associate with teenagers, but rather the same thing that I felt for Jason, Peter, and Katy.

“Sort of like with you and Peter from what I’ve seen. How are things going? Anyone giving you a hassle?” John confirmed my thoughts before giving me the opening I needed.

I put my nearly empty mug on the coffee table. While I would have liked to have something in my hands to keep them occupied, I worried that I’d spill what was left with my agitation. “Well, that’s actually why I wanted to talk with you. How serious were you when you asked if I’d be willing to walk away if my company didn’t like my clients? Would you still walk away if my company didn’t agree with me?”

John and Jason shared another look except this time it appeared as if they were reassuring each other over a previous conversation only known by themselves. And while John was usually the leader, this time Jason jumped in. “Are they giving you a hard time over your relationship with Peter?”

For some reason, I still felt some loyalty to the company even if they didn’t really appear to have that same loyalty towards me. It made me pick and choose my words as I explained to them the contents of my little talk with the owner and what had been happening since.

“I’m sorry they’re doing this to you. Jason and I did some digging after we first heard about your relationship just in case. And if you need to walk away, we’re willing to go with you. We’re even willing to put up some of the capital to start your own business.”

“And we’ve got a handful of other clients who are willing to come with us as well.” Jason grinned at my shocked appearance. “We’ve even talked to a lawyer about it. It’s why we insisted on that slight alteration to your firm’s client contract and why others who joined insisted on the same change.”

My eyebrows rose at that. I’d known that they’d insisted on a change, but that had all been handled by legal in Winnipeg. I didn’t even recall seeing the finalized version since the owner signed off on them.

Jason rubbed his hands together. “That’s right. You’d don’t know about the change, do you?” I shook my head and his grin widened. “We had them put in a clause that said our contract was with you via the firm and that if you left, we would have the option of leaving with you. That you couldn’t be held to any non-poaching language in your employment contract in relation to those of us who signed on through the Voyageur Bay office.”

I flopped back into my chair. What they did, the concession they won, that was huge. It meant that I wouldn’t have any waiting period if I ended up leaving. I could start a company immediately and not have to find new ones right off the bat.

“So, if you want to leave, then you’ve got our backing.” John looked smug and a little excited by the prospect. “We’ll be your silent partners or possibly you’d consider doing a co-op type of firm. We had our lawyer look at different options and what would possibly be the best for you.”

“Wow. I-I can’t believe you’ve done all that.” It was the truth. My own father had been fairly absent from my life and cut off all communication when I left home to go to university. Dad Evans filled that void along with Doc Nelson until they both died. Now, to have found two other men who were willing to go out of their way like this, it brought tears to my eyes.

“Of course, we would. You treat people like they matter. You never batted an eye at what we told you about our sons. You care which is more than we can say about our old firms. They told us to keep it quiet, to not bring them to their office, insisting that all contact be done over the phone. You’ve never done that. You’ve treated them with respect despite their age. You’ve never looked down on them. We might not be out there leading PRIDE parades, but this is something we can do to show our support for people who are being discriminated against because their love isn’t traditional.”

John’s words and Jason’s wordless agreement shoved out all my fear. With a few simple words, they’d lent me their strength. I felt like I could run my own business. That I didn’t need the safety net of having someone else make the decisions. I could do them myself. I had the knowledge and now I had the confidence. But if I was going to take them up on their offer—or even just think about their offer—I wanted there to be no secrets between us. I didn’t want them to be blindsided once the news broke. And I wanted them to make their decision based on all the facts, not just that I was in a relationship with Peter. I leaned forward again, twisting my fingers together in my lap. “Before we talk more about the possible business, there’s something you need to know and think about.” They nodded as I took a deep breath. They’d be the first to know everything and I worried about how they’d take the news about my relationship with Katy. “I’m not just in a relationship with Peter.”

They chuckled. “That’s hardly surprising. I think you and Peter were bigger players than John and I ever were. And I can tell you that John and I certainly sampled a lot from the buffets that were before us on the rodeo circuit.”

“As long as it’s consensual between you and Peter as to who else you let in, we don’t care. Cheating is where we would have issues.” John stared down his nose at me, wanting me to know how serious he was about it.”

“That’s not a problem,” I told them. “We’ve always had rules… between the three of us. And it’s the same now that Peter, Jason, and I are in true relationship.” They nodded but didn’t look surprised when I mentioned Jason’s name. I took another deep breath as I readied myself to tell them the part that might just send them running. “But Jason and I are also seeing someone else. Someone who means the world to us even if we can’t make it public yet.”

“But not Peter?” John hooked one of his eyebrows.

I shook my head. “No. It’s impossible for him to be involved at this point which is why we haven’t told him yet.” I held up my hand to stop them from interrupting in case they thought we were cheating on him. “It’s all fine within the rules we’ve set up since the other person isn’t another male and isn’t exclusive to us right now. But I want you both to know because it may change your minds.” They nodded to let me know they understood. “It’s Katy from next door.”

“I see.” John tapped his fingers against his thigh.

“She’s the cheerleader, right? A year younger than the J’s?” Jason stood and began to pace behind the chairs. “I can see why you’re keeping it quiet. There’s quite the age difference. And with Peter being a teacher…”

My gaze darted between them. I wondered what else I could say to help them to understand, but at the same time, I didn’t know how much to say, how much they wanted to know.”

“She’s legal since she’s Samantha’s age.” I nodded at John, confirming his statement. “And this started after she turned sixteen?”

“Yes,” I rushed to reassure them. “It didn’t start until this past fall. And it’s not exclusive because Jason and I keep telling her that we want her to experience everything that we got to. We don’t want to stop her from being a teenager, from getting those life experiences. We just wanted her to know that we loved her and would be waiting for her.”

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