Page 156 of Neighbors With Benefits

“I’m just so happy!” Jazz replied, wiping her eyes.

“You have to keep it together tomorrow! You have a speech to give!”

Jazz nodded through watery eyes. “That’s why I’m getting it out of my system now! By tomorrow, I’ll be all cried out!”

“Doubt it,” Dante muttered.

Amy pointed at him and nodded in agreement. Bash clapped Dante on the back and said, “Let’s go find the bar. We all have celebrating to do.”

The next hour was relaxing—we checked in, got a tour of the resort, and then were taken to our room. The bellhop raised an eyebrow at the fact that four of us were sharing one room, but was wise enough not to say anything.

After that, the relaxation immediately ended. My mom arrived, which cranked up the stress a few dozen notches. I had an excuse to get away from her, though: I was baking the cake for the wedding. I expected the resort cooks to be unhappy about having a guest in their kitchen, but the three women working there thought it was adorable that I was baking the cake for my sister’s wedding. With their help, I had it all finished and ready for tomorrow’s event. They even hugged me before I left.

Once the cake was done, there was a rush of preparation for the rehearsal, then the rehearsal itself, and finally the rehearsaldinnerat an open-air restaurant that overlooked the beach.

Selfishly, I was frustrated with my mom. She was perfectly supportive of Amy and Cat’s lesbian wedding, which was a wonderful relief, but her comments from last Thanksgiving still echoed in my mind. Making fun of throuples and insisting that men didn’t know how to share.

“Just pick somebody!”she had said. “I don’t understand why everyone has to be so different nowadays.”

I’d had several opportunities to tell her about thetruerelationship I had with Jazz and my two best friends, but I balked every time. I knew how she was going to respond, and that wasn’t a battle I wanted to fight.

But this trip wasn’t about us. It was about my sister and Cat.

Fortunately, being Amy’s Best Man meant I had plenty of tasks to keep my mind off my mom. Before we knew it, we were all lining up in front of an altar on the beach. I smiled at my sister, resplendent in her own white dress. And beyond her, on the other side of the altar, was the womanIloved. Jazz was Cat’s Maid of Honor, and in my totally unbiased opinion she was stealing the show in her gold dress.

She met my gaze and gave me a little wink. My heart soared, the same way it always did when we shared a private smile.

God, I loved this woman.

The music shifted, and then Cat came down the aisle escorted by her father. Tears streamed down her face, and when I looked at my sister I was shocked to seeshewas bawling. Two of the most unflappable women I knew were unable to contain their emotions.

I wiped a tear away from my own eye. This was really happening.

“I grew up wondering if I would ever find a partner,” Cat said during their vows. “And I worried that even if I found a partner, we might not be accepted for who we are. Now I’m standing on this beach wondering why I ever worried. I found my partner, and we’re surrounded by people who not only accept us, butloveus deeply.”

I shared another smile with Jazz. She was keeping it together pretty well.

One of the guests loudly blew their nose. I turned to see who it was, and was shocked to discover it was Dante. He was in the second row, his eyes bloodshot and his cheeks covered with tears. Bash put an arm around him and gave him a comforting side hug.

Weddings were pretty special.

It was windy out on the beach, so the reception was held inside the resort’s massive activity room. While Amy and Cat shared their first dance, I got up and went to the bar to get drinks for me and Jazz.

“It’s so beautiful,” my mom said, joining me. “I’ll be honest: it’s not what I imagined for Amy. I always pictured her marrying an athlete. A football player.”

“Really? That’s who you thought Amy would marry? She hates sports.”

Mom waved a hand. “The point I’m trying to make is that this wasn’t how I imagined it… but that’s fine. Amy is happy,sohappy, and that’s all that matters.”

The bartender finished my drinks, but I let them sit on the bar for a moment. I didn’t want to cause any distractions at the wedding, but there was something about the moment that felt right. And if I didn’t tell her now, I never would.

“Mom,” I said, “I have to tell you something.”

She frowned up at me.Now or never.

“Jazz isn’t just my girlfriend. She’s also Dante’s and Bash’s girlfriend. We’re in a polyamorous relationship with her. It’s been going on for over a year. I know it may sound crazy, but we all love her equally. And she loves us.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “We’rehappy, Mom. I think we want to spend the rest of our lives like this, the four of us.”

Her reaction was immediate. And it wasn’t what I expected at all.

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